Jarvis Adams V is the new owner of the Greenfield Inn.

The lifelong resident of Greenfield finalized the purchase of the eight-room bed and breakfast on Dec. 13.

Adams was familiar with the property after all of his sisters worked at the inn and his father, Jarvis Adams IV, did quite a bit of plumbing work for the previous owners. The family even got to stay in the Ski Lodge suite for a weekend as payment for one of the jobs.

“I’ve always had a soft place in my heart for this place,” Adams said.

Purchasing the inn checks off a pair of dreams for the 29-year-old.

“Funny enough, my whole life I wanted to own a hotel or a really old house and this fits both,” Adams said. “Six months ago, I never would have thought this is where I’d be.”

He had been looking to purchase a property for about 10 years, but didn’t have much luck finding the right place for the right price. He knew the inn was for sale for a while, and after a reduction in price, he knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“I got it for a good price,” Adams said. “And that was the selling point because it’s hard enough to turn a profit with a small town bed and breakfast, especially with a big mortgage.”

While Adams has never worked in the hotel industry, he’s seen from afar what goes into running an inn since his sister Jenna Adams was in charge of the day to day operations until he took over. He knows it will be a challenge filled with plenty of learning opportunities as he goes, but he’s optimistic that it is the best long term investment for him personally and the town.

“I could definitely see myself living here the rest of my life,” Adams said.

Adams said there were quite a few people interested in the property, and a few of them had the idea of turning it into multi-family housing, but he wanted to see it remain a hotel and carry on the tradition.

“People are thrilled someone bought it and is keeping it an inn,” Adams said. “Every small town needs an inn. It’s that iconic New England thing.”

The inn features eight rooms with each boasting a unique name. There’s the Merry Martha, the only room on the first floor with a king sized bed. The remaining seven rooms are housed on the second floor, including Delilah & Sampson (king), Juliet & Romeo (queen), Sweet Violet (king and twin), Orphan Annie (queen), Heidi’s Hideaway (two twins) and Casanova (queen). All the rooms have private baths, with Casanova and Sweet Violet having their bathrooms across the hall.

“You’re creating a space that people come to enjoy, come to relax,” Adams said.

The Ski Lodge sleeps up to six with king and queen beds, as well as a futon, and a living room and private kitchen. Rooms range from $99 to $169 per night with the suite costing $289, a slight decrease from the previous prices.

“I’d rather rent it for less than not at all,” Adams said. “And eight rooms is a good number.”

Especially considering to start out, Adams plans to fill all the roles – inn keeper, maintenance, cleaning crew and cook.

“I wear all the hats,” he said. “But once I get the volume I expect, I’ll need to hire some people.”

There is also a private owners quarters on the first floor, with the kitchen doubling as the place where the breakfast is put together each morning.

The previous owners focused mostly on updating the inside, including a few of the bathrooms. While there are a list of projects he’d like to do inside, the main focus in the first few years will be on the outside.

“For the most part, the interior is in great shape,” Adams said. “It will be getting a face lift as some point, but I don’t want to totally do away with the classic Victorian feel.”

The roof, siding and trim are all in need of replacing, and the back deck has to be taken off as it is beyond repair. He also would like to switch the heating source, which is currently a mix of oil, gas and electric, to wood pellets and add solar.

“There’s quite a bit the place needs,” Adams said.

Since taking over, Adams has learned that a lot of people thought it was closed, but that has never been the case.

After entering into an agreement to purchase the property, Adams said he spent just about every day at the inn going through every inch of the inside and outside of the building to see exactly what needed to be addressed.

“I had a good couple months to go through it,” he said. “The place has a lot of potential.”

He worked on the maintenance team at ConVal, currently is a plumber apprentice under his father and spent the last decade renovating his grandparents house, so Adams feels capable of taking on most projects that come up, which will be a huge cost saver not having to call someone every time a fix is needed.

“I feel I’ve had enough practice,” Adams said.

Adams said his business plan calls for about eight rentals a week and after a busy holiday season, he’s getting anywhere from three to five. But he expects that to increase as he puts his mark on the property and works on promotion.

“I do get a lot during the week,” Adams said. “Weekends are definitely a little more popular, but this is a tough business to get into.”

The inn was built in 1817 as a private residence and remained that way in some form until 1985 when Vic and Barbara Mangini converted it to the Greenfield Inn. The Mangini’s operated the inn until 2016 when it was sold to John Jordan and Ken Tetreault.

For more, visit www.greenfieldinn.com.

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