Micro-Business Continued: LoveStone Inn Bed and Breakfast

(This is part of the July cover story on Micro-Business in Valley Business FRONT.)

Owners: Dawn Spencer and Tom Zirkelbach

Age: 61

Location: Huddleston

Type of Business: Bed and breakfast

Founded: 2003

Financing: “Savings and selling our home in Illinois.”

Total employees: 2

The Story:

This is a case of retiring right and following a long-held dream. “We meet over 800 people each year who are visiting the area, share family stories and many become friends,” says Dawn. “We consider [the B&B] a slice of heaven, but it is a 24/7 endeavor … As we age, it is a challenge to keep up with all that is involved in running a B&B of this size.”

It has been a good run, but “we are planning to sell the Inn in the next year, but stay on Smith Mountain Lake. We have an extensive bucket list, which we plan to start working on. Our hope is to find innkeepers that love this Inn as much as we do.”