In My Words: Kimberly Burton Allen, Writer

Post-Labor Day Beach, Southampton So this summer was The Experiment. Chris and I have owned and operated our bed and breakfast for 17 years. We'd like to sell, and move back to California. (Okay, full disclosure: *I* would like to sell and move back to Laguna Beach. Chris is still on the fence. But he feels that I moved East in 1992 for him, so he owes me. At this point, I'm taking him up on it.) We were tired. Borderline burnout. So last year about this time, we thought Okay, if we aren't going to sell anytime soon, what about bringing in managers? Which, if you've followed this blog, you know we did. And they did an awesome job for their 6-month contract, which ended September 30. Over the summer, which we spent back in Laguna Beach, Chris had shoulder surgery, followed by months of rehab. But we still enjoyed our first summer off from work in all of Chris's working life. (Being a self-employed writer for 10 years prior to opening ABM, you might argue

In January of 2002 Chris and I closed escrow on a great historical property with the intention of running a bed and breakfast in the style that both of us loved: warm, home-like spaces where guests were welcomed with care but not intruded upon; wonderful creative breakfast fare served daily on our wedding china and crystal; the chance to act as ambassadors to an area we'd lived in for ten years and wanted to share. In a few years, A Butler's Manor was named the top-ranked bed and breakfast in the Hamptons, a ranking we continue to enjoy and be proud of. It's our baby, carefully curated and loved and agonized over and gratified by.  Our blood has run in this business, our sweat literally poured into every inch of the ground it sits on, every corner and crevice of the structure. But it's time to stretch, to find where next we need to be. The time (market, buyers) has not been right to sell, so last fall, we decided upon Plan B. In order to grow and change and transiti