By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
A new stay-in-town option for travelers to Grayson recently opened for business on Main Street.
“It’s a vacation rental,” owner Pam Howard said of the newly renovated travel space.
The new accommodation is designed to be rented for seven days or less each stay, Howard said. The property, called Bit O’ Time Loft Space on Main, is located on Main Street in Grayson above Bit O’ Time Treasures.
“Bit O’ Time Loft Space is close to all three state parks (Grayson Lake, Carter Caves, and Greenbo),” Howard said of tourist opportunities for the rental.
It is also in the middle of Grayson’s downtown merchant space as well, so there is plenty for those enjoying the Airbnb to see and do, she said. The new space is an addition to Howard’s other vacation rental, Bit O’ Time Vintage Lake Retreat, which is closer to Grayson Lake State Resort Park.
“We did that one,” Howard said, “and it is all antique and vintage. But we had been looking for a smaller place, because people would call, mostly kayakers, and they didn’t want a big house.”
Howard said kayakers would come in for the Grotto area and Hidden Cove, but didn’t require as much space as what was available at her other location.
“They just wanted a place for two to four people to sleep,” she explained.
Those types of kayakers spend most of their time on the lake she said, and simply need a base camp, so to speak, rather than an indulgent relaxation spot like the lake retreat.
Howard said they bought the building where Bit O’ Time is located, and the upper floor proved to be perfect for the additional smaller space she wanted. The loft space is about 700 square feet, she said, which is more suitable for travelers with more limited needs. It rents for a flat fee of $225 per night with no adjusted cost depending upon day of the week.
Privacy is one of the many differences between Airbnb’s and hotels, Howard said. Other things potential guest might find more attractive is the uniqueness of an Airbnb, because no two are exactly alike.
“It’s a special experience because you are staying in an older building, built in 1921,” she said of her loft space. And for those who might be interested in those possibilities – and as a nod to the building’s unique character – she said it’s possible to see a “ghost or two.”
“There is a lot of history to these old buildings,” Howard said.
Some of that history might be well known, but other parts of that history might have been forgotten.
“We think at one time there might have been a Speakeasy downstairs,” she said. “People have reported hearing jazz music and seen glimpses they describe as sparkling and shiny.”
But in spite of – or maybe even because of – a potentially colorful past, the loft space suite offers guests a comfortable and well-maintained place to rest while visiting Grayson. There is outdoor access to Main Street that offers guests additional privacy, and there is keyed access to the first floor to further ensure guests’ privacy.
The loft space also boasts all original wood on the floors and in the stairwell and an exposed white brick wall, Howard said.
“We left as much as we could of the original to preserve the character of it,” she said. “And all the furniture and the bed are antique. The quilts are antique, and there is an old Victorian spring sofa in the living room that is actually ‘sleepable.’ And we have modge-podged history in the bathroom.”
Howard said that those who have stayed in the room to date have unanimously loved it, and she hopes that more people will book the suite and enjoy it’s unique charm.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
