The Market Street Inn is located in Wooster, Ohio, in the town's historic district. It was built in 1896 and was owned by multiple owners before becoming a bed and breakfast in 1995. The Victorian-style home still contains many of its 19th-century features, including the wood floors and light fixtures. The current owners live on-site and strive to create an atmosphere of ease and comfort, or in other words, a place that "feels like home." The inn is adults-only and pet-free. A custom-made breakfast is provided for the guests every morning with various options that fulfill any dietary needs and allergy restrictions. The Market Street Inn is open year-round with multiple possibilities of attractions to visit nearby.
Located in the historical district of Wooster, Ohio, the Market Street Inn is a 130-year-old building that follows traditional Victorian styles. Additionally, the property consists of three stories. The inn is located on the edge of the historic area of town and is two blocks from downtown Wooster. The property sits on a half-acre of land and contains multiple flower gardens and grassy areas. The inn itself is a structure that is painted colors of pine green and white. There are also various trims that adorn the sides of the building that are usually either red or white. A small town with a blend of modern and historical cultures surrounds the Market Street Inn, which is within walking distance from the stores, shops, and entertainment, as well as being a central spot for day trips for guests. The inn has a wrap-around porch in the front as well as tables and chairs in the back for guests to sit in and relax. The inn provides the game cornhole in the back for guests to play if they would like. Inside there are two dining rooms and two sitting room parlors with window seats as well as board games. The dining rooms and parlors are on the first floor, along with a fireplace. The inside of the inn keeps the historic feel and look of a Victorian building with 12-foot ceilings, woodwork, and historic decorations. 95% of the structure of the building is the same as it was in 1896 when it was first constructed. Additionally, many of the features inside of the building are also original, including the water closets, bathtubs, lighting, the light fixtures themselves, and the wood flooring. The windows throughout the inn have Victorian window treatments.
The Market Street Inn in Wooster has six different room options. There is the two-bedroom Foss Suite on the first floor with its own private entrance. The suite is painted with neutral colors and continues with the historical decorations. The other five room options are located on the property's second floor. These rooms are the Bexley, Lewis, Lincoln, Lydian, and Gilmour Rooms, and they vary in decoration and size. All five of these rooms have certain similarities, are painted with neutral colors, and have wood floors that are still the original wood. The amenities for guests include private bathrooms with closets in the bathrooms, and some rooms have claw-foot tubs while others have walk-in showers, cosmetics, air conditioning, hairdryers, and bathrobes. On the second floor of the inn, there is a kitchenette that goes with the five rooms that allow guests access to tea and coffee, as well as a fridge and ice.
The Market Street Inn’s breakfasts cater to a wide range of personal or dietary preferences. They offer sweet or savory dishes. The options include lemon ricotta pancakes, homemade french toast with homemade cinnamon bread, a variety of egg dishes such as omelets, quiches, and ham nests, yogurt parfait with homemade granola, fresh fruit, juices, coffee, tea, and homemade scones that are a different flavor every day. The owners make the breakfast and try to help with any dietary needs and allergies of the guests. The inn uses locally grown and sourced ingredients to support the local farmers and producers. Near the inn, guests can visit wineries, including the Troutman Vineyards, Amish communities, which are 25 minutes away, and the Mohican State Park. Wooster hosts various festivals throughout the year, such as the Italian Festival and its own Oktoberfest called Woosterfest, Winter Wonderland, and the church walk. Nearby restaurants are the Broken Rocks Cafe, which prides itself on having the best breads in the area, Basil Asian Bistro, which has an assortment of all types of Asian foods, and the Olde Jaol Steakhouse, originally the county jail that was turned into a tavern-style restaurant.
The owners of the Market Street Inn make it their goal and mission to provide an environment of ease and comfort and hope to provide a place for patrons to "feel at home." There are various board games inside the inn, the game cornhole outside, and multiple places to read and relax. They interact a lot with guests and are as active as they would like them to be. They have gone to dinner with the visitors of the inn and are friends with past patrons. The inn is kept clean, and guests are provided with ironed sheets on arrival. There is privacy for the people who stay there, including blinds on all windows.
The Market Street Inn is located in a college town nearby both the College of Wooster and Ohio State University Agricultural campus. The busiest times for the inn are typically determined by the nearby colleges and their schedules rather than being based on a set time of the year. Guests mainly come for quiet getaways because of word-of-mouth references. One guest commented, “the scenic Victorian home is beautifully restored and gives insight into how the original owners lived in the day. The rooms are large and very comfortable. Our hosts, Tom and Mary Joy, were friendly and hospitable.”
Some of the inn's most notable policies include the fact that there is no smoking allowed inside, no pets, and guests need to be 18 or older. The policy of 18 or older is in place because there is not much for kids to do there, and because of this, the guests are mainly in their mid-30’s. The inn stays open year-round, and the owners live on the property and handle the upkeep, maintenance, and cleaning.
The current owners are Mary Joy and Tom Lynch; they have owned the Market Street Inn since 2017. They are the third owners of the property since it became a bed and breakfast in 1995. They live on the third floor of the inn and own a dog and two cats that aren't allowed on the lower floors. Once Mary Joy and Tom were retired, they decided to own an inn as they had always been interested in the profession. They searched for six years to find an inn that would satisfy their desires. They looked at many establishments in the United States and also in Ireland before they found the Market Street Inn.
The structure of the Market Street Inn was built in 1896 by Walter Foss, a founding member of the Wooster Brush Company, which makes brushes by hand and distributes them worldwide. After Walter Foss owned the property, it was owned by a variety of owners, including a family with a lawyer in it, who also used the house as their office. It was eventually bought as a bed and breakfast in 1995 and then purchased by the current owners in 2017.
The changes to the property have been made to keep everything intact and livable while still maintaining many of its original features. The structure itself is 95% original, giving the guests a chance to experience the authentic feel of the inn. The historical district of Wooster has also been preserved in a variety of ways to give potential visitors a more unique experience.
356 N. Market Street
Wooster, Ohio 44691
United States
Victorian
Mary Joy and Tom Lynch
