Courtesy / Blue Harbor House Inn
Modern décor and furnishings are in the works for guestrooms, which currently have nautical names like “Chart House.”
April 24, 2019
Texas couple makes off-market deal for Camden Inn
Courtesy / Blue Harbor House Inn
The Blue Harbor House Inn in Camden fulfilled a dream for a Texas couple who had spent the previous three years cruising with their young children.
The purchase of the Blue Harbor House Inn in Camden fulfilled a dream for a Texas couple who had spent the previous three years cruising with their children.
Michelle and Matt Peacock bought the inn, at 67 Elm St., from Annette and Terry Hazzard for an undisclosed price. Dana Moos of The B&B Team Inn Consultants and Brokers represented both buyers and seller in the transaction, which closed March 15.
The property wasn’t officially on the market when Moos showed it to the Peacocks. But she had listed it previously and, even though the listing had expired, she was aware the Hazzards still wanted to sell it.
“When I did have it listed, I had a reasonable amount of activity,” Moos said.
The Hazzards have now embarked on their own adventure, she said.
“They are off for about six months in a camper to explore the states before deciding on their next step,” she said.
Sell the house, buy a boat
The inn was built as a residence in 1810. According to its website, it’s gone through several expansions and upgrades that have added modern elements. It has 11 guest rooms and suites, with nautical names like Captain’s Quarters and Compass Rose.
The Peacocks are originally from Austin, Texas. Matt Peacock had a 20-plus-year career in cybersecurity. Michelle Peacock works in the nonprofit world. She currently works remotely as development director for PALS Programs, which serves young adults with Down syndrome.
Three years ago, they bought a 42-foot catamaran sailboat, sold their house, car and other belongings, and set off on an extended cruise through the Florida Keys, Bahamas and the East Coast with their two sons, who are now 13 and 12.
“It was one of those dream goals to take that time, spend it with the kids, see the world,” Michelle Peacock said.
The journey was a mixed bag, she said. They loved the good sailing days, the sights and sunsets, and friends made along the way. But storms, hurricanes and being struck by lightning were difficult. They were in Wilmington, N.C., enduring yet another hurricane, when they plotted out their next move.
“We’d always talked about buying an inn or B&B,” she said. “We started the narrowing-down process.”
Parameters included being in a coastal town, but not one that was in a hurricane zone.
“That left us with the northern half of the East Coast and most of the West Coast,” she said.
They also wanted to make sure there was a good school system for the boys, whom they had previously home-schooled.
Courtesy / Blue Harbor House Inn
Michelle and Matt Peacock wanted to buy an inn in a coastal town with a good school system for their sons Austin (left) and Zach.
Sell the boat, buy an inn
They started working with Moos and looking at inns in Maine.
“Maine is one of those places that was on the top of the list as to where we would want to go,” Peacock said.
Moos showed them the Blue Harbor House Inn.
“Once we saw it, we thought, Wow, it’s perfect,” Peacock said. “It ticked all of our boxes. We wanted an inn that was not too small. This has 11 rooms, which was in our 10-to-15 box. It’s in a coastal town with great schools. It’s one of those casual/elegant inns, so it fits our personality. It felt homey, which is what I was looking for personally. The location is great: Being two blocks from town is wonderful.”
They also liked the owner’s quarters.
“Other inns only had maybe one or two rooms for owner’s quarters,” she said. “This one has a nice four-bedroom house as owner’s quarters.”
Also big was their connection with the Hazzards.
“That was a big thing for us,” she said. “We’ve bought and sold many houses and two boats, and when you get to know the owner, you get a good sense from them if it’s something you can take over and be successful, based on how they run things.”
They put their boat on the market, sold it in six days, and moved up to the inn.
Courtesy / Blue Harbor House Inn
The Peacocks endured one too many hurricanes before deciding to swap their cruising dream for their dream to own an inn.
Boost the shoulder season
The inn is year-round.
“We had guests five days after we closed [on the sale],” she said.
Peacock found her skills from working for nonprofit organizations — providing customer service and hosting events — translated well to innkeeping. There’s been a learning curve around the business side, like navigating the reservation system and hiring staff, but that came easily. Eventually, the plan is to boost marketing to promote more business in slower seasons.
“We’re hoping to do some off-season or shoulder season packages or activities,” she said. “But we want to get one season under us first and make sure we know what we’re doing.”
The inn is in excellent shape but the couple is updating, such as adding modern décor and furnishings.
“We’ve got three rooms that we’re redoing completely,” she said. “Then we’re painting the exterior and a lot of the interior as well. For the next off-season, we might redo our dining and kitchen area and the rest of the rooms. As we redo each room, we might give it a new name or a new twist to announce the new look and feel. Our goal is to make it represent who we are.”
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