New Shadow Lawn Inn Owners Make Their Dream A Reality
ROTHESAY, N.B. – Before taking possession of the Shadow Lawn Inn at the beginning of April, new owners Tracy Pitts and Martin St-Denis made the trip from Gatineau, Quebec to Rothesay. After being in quarantine for 14 days, they got straight to work.
The married couple came to Rothesay armed with corporate experience in special events, food and beverage, and catering, ready to step into their dream of running their own inn.
“It’s been a dream, particularly of mine, since I was a teenager to own an inn,” said Pitts. “Even when I was little, I loved being a hostess. I wanted everybody to have tea at my party, rather than go to the tea party of my friends.”
After spending years working in the hospitality industry out of Ottawa, Pitts and St-Denis decided the time was right to move forward on finding their own inn to run.
“We got to a point in our careers that we thought if we’ve got a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience, let’s take the next step to be our own boss and have our own dream come true,” she said.
“We both come from a background in the ‘corporate world’ where everything is standardized, and every system has a justification. Although we have that knowledge, now we can apply that experience to a more personalized service at the Inn,” said St-Denis.
The couple eventually found the Shadow Lawn Inn and they knew it was right for them.
“When we saw the Shadow Lawn, we fell in love with the whole package. Everything from the old building that’s been kept up beautifully, the team that’s got the spirit, and the town that’s so welcoming and friendly. Everything fell into place for us,” said Pitts.
The Shadow Lawn Inn has been a staple of Rothesay for well over a century. It was built in 1870 as a mansion. In 1946, the mansion began to change from a family home to an inn.
Since 1986, the Inn was owned and operated by the Gallagher family over two generations. In March of this year, owners James and Mary Ann Gallagher announced the sale of the inn to Pitts and St-Denis.
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The Inn consists of nine guest suites, two apartments, and the Robertson restaurant.
“The majority of things we’re going to keep the same,” said Pitts. “I don’t think that anybody will see a big difference in what we’re looking to do because we fell in love with the whole package. We love the way it’s been set up and the team that’s here running things behind the scenes and on the front end.”
Pitts and St-Denis say it was tricky navigating the impending new ownership of the Inn from another province with no prior ties to New Brunswick, but they credit Maritime hospitality for helping with the transition.
“As you can imagine, buying an inn during Covid, being in Ottawa, and trying to surround ourselves with professional people in Saint John and Rothesay [is a challenge]. But everybody was very supportive and welcoming,” said St-Denis.
“People are very friendly and outgoing and looking to make everything as easy as possible for us,” added Pitts.
The hospitality they’ve received extends outside of professional obligations and the couple is appreciative of the warm welcome they’ve received from the community at large.
“I’m a cyclist, so I put a little blurb on the Saint John Cycling Club that I was looking for a biking buddy, because I don’t know where to go. So many people responded and were ready to take me around,” said St-Denis.
Pitts and St-Denis are looking forward to the future of the Inn and are embracing being part of its history. They say they love hearing the stories from locals about their experiences with the Inn, seeing old pictures, and hearing about different weddings that have taken place at the Inn over the years.
“We’re very happy to be here and we’re happy to be part of Shadow Lawn’s history,” said Pitts. “Everyone seems to have a story or a memory of something that’s connected to their past and we feel very fortunate that we’re able to become part of that history moving forward.”
Liam Floyd is a reporter for Huddle. Send him story suggestions: [email protected].