The Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast is located in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. The property has six rooms available for guests to stay in year-round. When the current owners began running the inn, they had the goal of recreating the house as it would have looked when it was originally built in 1901. They strive to provide "all the comforts of home, but with an early 1900s theme," according to Chris, one of the owners. The establishment features a wrap-around porch and a brick exterior. In the backyard of the premises, there is a patio area with an space that visitors can use to grill and barbeque food in the evenings.
Located in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, the Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast sits on approximately 1 acre of land on Main Street. The six rooms at the establishment are each individually named for different parts of the owners' journey together. The largest and most popular suite is the Merritt Suite, named after the original builder of the home, William E. Merritt. The other suites are all named after different places the current owners have lived together: the Crystal Cove Suite, the Coventry Suite, the Stafford Suite, the Pleasant Valley Suite, and the Mt. Airy Suite. Another guest favorite out of all six rooms is the Crystal Cove room, which features navy and gold décor with a fireplace and a seating area. All of the rooms at the inn have private bathrooms and additional seating.
Other areas within the home that guests can visit during their stay include the dining area - where breakfast is served each morning - and the living room. On the exterior of the building, there is a wrap-around porch that those who are staying at the establishment often sit on to watch parades that may be happening. There are parades at multiple times throughout the year in Mt. Airy and the location of the building on Main Street allows guests to be able to watch the parade without needing to leave the premises. There is also a back patio with a grill that those staying at the property can use in the evenings. In the basement of the building is a fridge that can be used to store meats and other food. On the main level, located near the front of the home, is a gift shop. The business sells various memorabilia from the bed and breakfast including monogrammed shirts, slippers, and wine bottle lamps.
Breakfast is served every morning at the inn at 9 AM. Food is served family-style, on individual plates to guests. Coffee is available starting at 7:30 every day as well. The owners strive to make breakfast unique every morning, serving items such as baked or stuffed French toast, skillet meals, egg casseroles, frittatas, and waffles. As starters before the main course is served, it is common for those staying at the property to be served an apple or blueberry crisp, or some other sweeter item. Chris, one of the owners, says that breakfast is usually a larger meal, and may last them for a while throughout the day. When the weather is permittable, those staying at the inn can eat breakfast outside on the wrap-around porch or in the backyard on the patio.
One of the reasons that Chris and Pam, the owners of the inn, purchased the Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast was because of the city of Mt. Airy. They wanted to run a bed and breakfast that could help guests "get a sense of what main street, USA used to be." They explained that they want patrons to be able to relax and have a calming experience at the property. The wrap-around porch provides those who stay at the establishment the opportunity to spend their evenings sitting on the porch and talking with each other if they desire to. During different times of the year, the town puts on parades that go past the inn. Guests are able to watch the parades from the porch of the house. Some of the parades are for Christmas, Veterans Day, and the Fourth of July.
The motto of the Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast is "may all who enter as guests leave as friends." Keeping with this theme, the owners of the property hope to get to know their visitors and help them with anything they may need. One way they strive to help patrons get the feel of "Main Street USA," as Chris calls it, is by offering tours of the local wineries in the area. There are half-day and full-day tours available. Full-day tours generally consist of visiting five or six different wineries, and half-day tours are generally around three. Pam and Chris started offering this service as a way for those visiting the area to be able to visit the different local wineries without needing to drive themselves.
Those who stay at the Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast generally comment on the breakfast they had while staying at the establishment, as well as how friendly the owners were to them. One guest said, "walking distance to downtown Mt. Airy. The Heart and Soul B&B makes their guests feel taken care of and relaxed. The sheets and bedding are very soft and nice. I love the coffee bar available on the second floor. The breakfast was delicious." Generally, those who stay at the Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast are more mature, ranging from 21 to 90 years old. The owners discourage bringing children to the inn, however, there is not a specific policy against having them them.
Chris, describes Mt. Airy as the "midpoint from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean." The town is 7.5 hours from the ocean as well as the Great Lakes area. 15 minutes from the property is the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a national parkway. Also near the establishment are Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain State Park, and Stone Mountain State Park. The area around the bed and breakfast is also known for many wineries that craft different types of wine such as European Wine and Californian Wine.
Pam and Chris Bastin have owned the Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast for the past 8 years. Before they owned the inn, Chris worked as a professional fireman for over 31 years. As a fireman, he was in charge of not only fighting fires but also feeding the 18 other men that lived in the fire station at any time. He fed them breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and enjoyed the opportunity to cook for other people. While he was a fireman, he and his wife Pam also owned and operated a restaurant, where he worked on his days off. When they retired, they moved to the beach, but Chris decided he wanted something to keep him busy. After another brief time period working at a fire station again, Pam and Chris decided to run a bed and breakfast. The couple looked at properties across the eastern United States from Virginia to Pensacola Beach Florida, and after three years they found the property that is now known as Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast. The building was purchased by Pam and Chris in 2014, though it took a year to refurbish the inn. As such, the property was open for business in March of 2015. According to Chris, they love the town of Mt. Airy and the feeling of being on "main street, USA."
The edifice itself has a long history in the town of Mt. Airy. The building was originally built in 1901 by William E. Merritt, who was an entrepreneur. He originally moved to the town of Mt. Airy around the time that the town was first established, and he wanted to help build the town into a community. Most of the homes in the area at the time were made out of wood or granite, but William's wife wanted a house made of brick. There was no brick readily available in the area, so William purchased a portion of land in another part of the town and used the materials there to make all of the bricks that the bed and breakfast are now made of.
Over time, the property has been used mainly as a home by the Merritt family and their descendants. During the time that the building was being used as a home, one of the granddaughters of William Merritt used the space as a preschool as well. In the 1980s, the land was sold and since that time has been used as a bed and breakfast. The current owners added more space to the home which is now used as the Merritt Suite, named after the original builder of the house, William E. Merritt.
618 N. Main Street
Mt. Airy, North Carolina 27030
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Pam and Chris Bastin
