A Beautiful Wildflower Grows up in Kingdom Trail

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Created on Thursday, 05 October 2017 20:10

Written by Linda Hou

LYNDONVILLE

From an Engineer to a Businessman

“Mary and I are both from Boston area. But we move to Vermont from Alberta, Canada in 1984. I used to be an engineer in Canada at that time.”

Jim O’Reilly is the keeper of Wildflower Inn. He and his wife Mary O’Reilly have been living in Lyndonville for 33 years.

When they came to here, the place of the Wildflower Inn was a dairy Farm. They worked there for 3 years, after that, they became the hosts in charge of dairy, and four rooms. Now the former rooms developed to 25 rooms in the main farm house, two bars, one restaurant, one crafts store, and a bike store renting to others. Their family business started in 1987. They used the old building and reconverted them to their homemade style.

Why he gave up the engineer job, and was willing to be a businessman? Jim explained that a strong emotion that want to spending more time with the family was the main reason to let him make the decision. “I did kind of construction work. I have to leave the family to work. When we did not have the kids, I would be fine, but once the kids came, it was hard to care the family.” Jim and Mary with their 8 children formed a big family. Now the grandkids came out. The three generation got together to manage this local estate.

Family Business—Not that Easy as Imagine

It sounds like this is a huge members’ group work for this business. However, within their eight children, only two of them want to help the family business. Their oldest daughter Anna O’Reilly, and the fifth kid Kevin O’Reilly are Wildflower Inn’s managers. Anna is already two children’s mother.  She recalled that here consist of her childhood. Anna: “You know, this inn business was my first internship and the longest one I ever had.”

She talked about her opinion of this family business. “The first time that I tried to help my parents at the front desk was when I was two years old,” Anna said. She admitted that this family business gave her a great chance than others to know and learn business directly and practically. “I am really thankful this work. When I was a teenager, I began to accept marketing and organization stuff.” However, sweet memories also followed with the hard works. Jim and Anna both “complain” that family business is different with working for others. They are willing to pay more patience and hardworking in their own business. Thus, they should do more than others. Also, the inn business should let them work seven days per week, especially in holidays and vacations. “We cannot stop, we always busy,” Jim said.

Excellent Position Helps the Business

Depending on great position near Kingdom trail bike place, and cooperating on travel and other local businesses, Wildflower Inn gained benefit from them. Jim said: “It is driving the business now.”

Each year, there will be around 90,000 visitors come to the Kingdom Trail. From August to whole fall season, is the busiest time for Wildflower Inn. Early October is a Canadian Thanksgiving Festival, plus leaves’ colors changes, and school’s fall break. This place will attract a large number of tourists. Wildflower Inn is just in the beginning of the bike trails. The rooms will be booked as quickly as possible. Anna will also organize a harvest festival to combine harvest elements and the family elements to the activity.

Besides the business cooperation activity organized by themselves, New England Mountain Bike Association will hold annual activities in every year on third weekend of June. This opportunity will take more chances to Wildflower Inn to manage and arrange their multi styles of business.

When the interview ended, Anna walked back to the restaurant to manage more works to do. Jim walked to a backyard that he usually makes carpenter work by himself to show his two grandchildren how he drills holes in the wood. These woods’ door will be used as one of the props for a pumpkin game in their weekend event.