Greetings! Linda and I are well into
our fifth
year as proud innkeeper-owners of the award-winning Grand Victorian Bed & Breakfast Inn. What an amazing
experience it has been!
I grew up in Farmington, Michigan,
a.k.a. “fudgy”, and Linda in Mauston, Wisconsin, a.k.a.
"cheesehead". We had always longed to
eventually live 'Up North' - a fond reference given this Northern
Michigan playground. After our wedding in 1969, we moved to
Colorado
where I began a lengthy 34 year career with Hewlett-Packard Company. Serving in globally focused engineering and
business management
positions required frequent worldwide travel.
Linda’s career focused on working in local school district
administration, where
she developed a passion for resolving issues related to youth, their
parents,
and the schools. Her work in the
9-month school year allowed us the luxury of traveling together on many
of my business trips in the summer. We caught
the travel
bug!
Not ones to stay
put, we moved eleven times during our careers, including a fantastic
two-year assignment in the country of Singapore. So after all
this - how did we end up in a bed and breakfast business? In Bellaire Michigan? It was a
dream come true. For those special occasions, we found that
staying in a bed and
breakfast provided a wonderful escape; true 'R&R'. With grand
homes, wonderful hosts, accompanying guests, gourmet breakfasts, and
the occasional
evening aperitif, B&B stays always left us feeling good and wanting
more!
We fantasized about owning one ourselves some day. Why
Michigan? Well, this area is where my family spent endearing
summers when I was growing up. As a kid, going "Up North" had a
wonderful meaning, and it is our desire to promote the same experience
for our guests that can make there way up to "God's country"!
An opportunity
presented itself when HP and Compaq Computer merged a
few years ago. HP’s offer was perfect for what we wanted to
do.
Within a few months, we were visiting available B&B's and planning
our
move. Once we saw the Grand
Victorian, the decision was made! The home was clearly the ‘best
of the best’
we’d seen. This, coupled with being
central to a wonderful northern Michigan travel destination, we moved
quickly and began developing a B&B experience second to
none! We've leveraged and employed
the
'best practices' of the inns we had frequented, striving to pamper
our
guests with a remarkable experience which remains a fond memory
for a long, long time to come.
So, consider joining our extended family, as the ones who cross our threshold and enter our hearts. Please be our
guest!
- Ken and Linda Fedraw
