Linda Humphrey gestured outside the window of one of the Shiloh Morning Inn suites, towards a panoramic view of the green, seemingly endless southern Oklahoma hills.
“The majority of our guests are from Dallas or Oklahoma City,” she said. “This is what they don’t know about Oklahoma.”
Linda and her husband Bob own and operate the bed and breakfast, and Wednesday they celebrated their 10th year of operation.
The Humphreys started their bed and breakfast on July 1, 1999, after spending 35 years in the Healdton oil fields, running a fuel and oil distributorship that Bob said their son still runs.
“It was very high stress,” Linda said.
Since then, the couple has served more than 20,000 guests on their 73-acre property.
Linda said that the average lifespan of a bed and breakfast is only three years. She cited a lack of research on the part of new owners.
“They don’t understand what they’re getting into,” she said. “You’re living in your work, so it’s 24/7.”
She also said many people don’t understand the amount of money needed to successfully start a bed and breakfast.
“You have to have the capital to see through those first few months where there’s nobody there,” she said.
To celebrate the decade anniversary of their bed and breakfast inn, the couple went through 10 years of records to find the nine couples who had spent the most time there. Then they invited them to the inn for dinner.
Much to their surprise, all nine accepted.
Bob said that even during the economic downturn, business has been steady.
He said couples who would normally take cruises or more opulent vacations are choosing to stay a little closer to home, while still indulging in luxury.
“People still want to get away, but they don’t want to bust their budget,” he said.
phil.banker@ardmoreite.com
Phil Banker 221-6542
