Interviews

Olivia, Greg, Pat and Chuck Merithew: Proprietors of Sweet Thyme Inn, a vegan bed and breakfast in West Virginia.

Where is the Inn located?
The inn is located on Route 92 in Green Bank, West Virginia just over the border from Virginia in the Allegheny Mountains of Pocahontas County.

When did you first open your doors?
After six months of major renovations to an 1890 southern style homestead, we opened our first rooms in February of 2000.

Why did you decide to open up a vegetarian/vegan inn?
To put it simply, we enjoy sharing a holistic and health promoting way of life with our guests. We were also the co-owners and co-operators of the Sweet Onion Inn in Vermont for five years.

Are your guests mostly families with children, couples, or people travelling alone?
We welcome everyone. Since our common areas and guestrooms are large with private baths, we have found that our guests can find the comraderie or privacy they desire. In addition, local activities seem to attract all walks of life.

Tell us about dinner at the Inn.
An organic vegetarian dinner without animal products is served in a warm, family-style atmosphere. We start with a salad, then move on to soup, followed by a main dish, then winding down with tea or coffee and dessert. We are proud to have received excellent reviews of these meals from vegans, vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. We welcome dinner guests with advance reservation only.

How do your visitors usually find out about the Inn?
We spread the word via magazines, vegetarian organizations both online and publications, vegetarian societies, search engines on the world wide web and personally attending booths at vegetarian festivals. We are also pleased that many of our new guests have joined us after being recommended by former guests.

What are some interesting things to do near and around the Inn?
Just behind the inn are hiking trails one of which links with the Allegheny Trail. The closest attraction is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and offers tours on a seasonal basis. Just a fifteen-minute drive away, are two scenic trains that take passengers up the mountain and along the river to view nature's beauty. A bit further away is one of our favorite places, the Gaudineer Scenic Area the site of a virgin red spruce forest. For those wanting a faster pace, Snowshoe Mountain Resort is a thirty-minute drive up the mountain. Links to these and many other activities and attractions can be found on our web site: http://www.sweetthymeinn.com/connecti.htm.

Do you have plans to expand in the future?
We do not plan to expand any further at the present time. After six months of renovations and another four months of finishing touches and decorating, we would like to concentrate on providing delicious meals and the comfort of our guests.

Describe the accommodations at the Inn. What are the rooms like?
The recently remodeled guestrooms have been graciously decorated for timeless comfort and warmth. Private baths, hardwood floors, numerous large windows, beautiful fabrics, and cozy sitting areas embody the simple comfort and warmth of each guestroom. One of the guestrooms offers a queen-size bed and a twin-size bed, the next two guestrooms each have one queen-size bed and the last guestroom has two full-size beds. As part of our commitment to the environment and good health, we offer natural sheets and towels woven from chemical-free, unbleached cotton.

Do your guests interact with each other?
The warm common areas seem to encourage an environment of togetherness. Friendships between guests form as well as between guests and all of us here at the Inn.

What sort of feedback have you received from the community regarding the Inn?
We could not ask for friendlier neighbors. Many people our small community express interest in our fare. Some of which have already joined us for meals. It is quite rewarding to introduce people to organic whole foods.

What's the best part about running an Inn?
Gaining strength and empowering others through sharing our lives and experiences with people from all walks of life.

What's the most challenging aspect of running the Inn?
Creating and modifying tasty recipes is challenging and satisfying. More challenging is finding fresh, whole organic foods in our neck of the woods. This commitment to serving these foods leads us great distances over the mountains, but even this turns out to be rewarding.

When is your busiest season?
As we have only been open since February, this is hard to gauge, but so far fall foliage has brought the most guests.

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