Kevin and Charlene Givens moved to Colorado almost two years ago with a dream of opening a bed and breakfast, and in just a couple of months their dream will become a reality.
On the corner of Short and Main streets, the couple is working to convert a four-bedroom home into The GuestHouse on Main.
“We’ve talked about owning a bed and breakfast ever since we were dating,” Kevin Givens said. “We were (in Louisville) and we loved it. We went home and immediately wanted to come back.”
While visiting from Mississippi to see if Colorado would become their forever home, the family found the city and fell in love with it’s small-town charm.
“We said we needed something downtown, we wanted to be able to stay downtown,” Kevin Givens said. “We want to be where the restaurants are, we want to be able to walk to events.”
Char Givens added that when the family travels, they like to stay downtown if possible, and saw the need for a bed and breakfast in Louisville.
In November, the couple purchased the property and got to work.
Kevin Givens owns his own marketing company, and the couple said they worked on a home after Hurricane Katrina, but this will be the first “brick and mortar” business for the couple.
“I’m a former elementary school teacher, but before that I worked in the hospitality industry,” Char Givens said. “I absolutely loved it. It was fun. Being from the South I think it’s in your DNA that you love to host. That’s my favorite thing, to host events, coordinate stuff and so I figured this was just perfect for us.”
She added while it has been their dream to own a bed and breakfast, neither one thought it would happen this early in life.
“We didn’t think we would move into a town that needs this and it’s not already existing right now,” Char Givens said. “I thought we would be retired by the time we found a place but it so happened where we chose to live was the ideal place to (open the B&B).”
A challenge they faced was the timing. They knew the house would not be on the market for long, so they made an offer and began the permitting process at the same time.
“We didn’t know if the city was going to approve our building permit to do what we wanted to do,” Kevin Givens said. “We had to apply for a building permit while under contract.”
Char Givens added there were a lot of unknowns, but they tried to do as much research as possible.
The couple had to demonstrate there would be sufficient parking for the guests and opted to have on-site residents to help with the day-to-day operations and the city approved their permits.
While the Givenses won’t live in the space, they are in the city and will be on site daily.
On social media, Louisville residents began wondering whether the Given’s property was the same as a boutique hotel that could open just a block away.
In January, City Council approved a hotel use on the southwest corner of Main and South streets. Currently, a residential building sits on the property and the remainder of the lot is undeveloped.
The hotel could house seven rooms and a restaurant, but the Givenses said the two spaces are needed in the city and will provide guests different experiences.
“I think it gives people visiting Louisville options,” Char Givens said. “I would like that if I were traveling to a city to have options.”
The Givenses said they believe this will be the first bed and breakfast in Louisville. City staff could not confirm that, but Senior Planner Lisa Ritchie said staff could not remember there being one before.
The couple hopes to officially open the doors on March 1. The website is not up to take reservations, but it will be available soon.
For more information about the GuestHouse on Main, email theguesthouseonmain@gmail.com.
