It had only been a couple days since Jarvis and Marcia Coffin had finalized the sale of The Hancock Inn, and between loose ends and transitional issues, Jarvis said it still felt like they had one foot in the business.

“We’re knee-deep in boxes and wrapping paper and masking tape,” he said. “It doesn’t quite feel like it’s sunk in yet. We’ll miss it.”

The Coffins had owned the business – which dates back to 1789 and is New Hampshire’s oldest continuously operating inn – since August 2011, and Marcia said owning an inn provides a special connection.

“It’s like any entrepreneurial business,” she said. “You put your heart and soul into it, but you also live there.”

The 11,000-square-foot building on 1.4 acres at 33 Main St., closed April 20 for $1.15 million, which was the asking price. Hancock Inn spokesperson Kerri Landry provided the following statement: “The Hancock Inn has been acquired by an investor group based in Boston. The acquisition took place on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. A multimillion-dollar renovation will take place on the property. The inn will reopen summer 2023.”

Landry did not provide any further information on the investor group or its plans for the inn.

The Coffins are both confident in the new innkeepers. Jarvis said they had gotten other offers, but felt this was the best one for the future of the inn.

“We like them,” he said. “They’re ambitious for the property and they’ll make it better. We think they’ll be good caretakers.”

Marcia added that old buildings like The Hancock Inn are expensive to maintain.

“It gives us great pleasure to put it in the hands of people with the knowledge and the resources to take care of a historic old property,” she said.

The Coffins put the 14-room inn up for sale last summer, as Jarvis said their philosophy from the beginning was that 10 years would be long enough.

“You run out of ideas, and a decade into it, it’s a good time to move out of the way,” he said.

Marcia said previous owners Glynn and Pat Wells called the inn “the child that never grew up.”

“Instead of a child that never leaves home, the parent has left,” she said.

When asked what they were proudest of about owning The Hancock Inn, Jarvis and Marcia joked that it was that they stayed married. However, Jarvis cited the reputation the inn developed while they were owners and the relationships they built with guests, some of whom have become valued friends and acquaintances.

“That’s the wonderful part about inn-keeping that we discovered,” he said.

Marcia said it was evident when they bought the inn how much people in the community were connected to it, especially since the first or second weekend they owned it was Old Home Day weekend in Hancock.

“We developed a habit of saying, ‘It’s not really our inn. It’s the community’s inn,’ ” she said.

Jarvis said they were conscious of owning the oldest continuously operating inn in New Hampshire, and considered it something to celebrate.

“In New England, country inns are among our most iconic symbols,” he said. “It conjures images of warm, cozy fires and pot roast.”

“The inn really has a spirit,” Marcia said. “People come through those doors and there’s awe and reverence.”

Now that they have sold the inn, the Coffins plan on spending more time with friends and family. They have three children and three grandchildren.

“That’s where we want our attention to be able to turn these days,” Jarvis said.

Marcia often worked the front desk at the inn, and said they often had to live vicariously through the recommendations she gave visitors, but now they can spend more time hiking, kayaking, visiting historic places and seeing natural wonders.

Several years ago, the Coffins bought a cabin on Hunts Pond to serve as a retreat, and that is where they will be staying.

“We love it here,” Jarvis said, adding that he was looking forward to going to the inn after it reopened and sitting on the other side of the bar.

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