[Interview by Rob Keone]

Cathy Townsend isn’t someone you’ll find just sitting around.  She’s always been active in both business and with her community.  She’s been on the planning and zoning commission; she’s the president of the League of Women Voters; and over the course of her career she’s sat on several boards.  Cathy has also owned a number of different businesses.  After retiring as the owner of an assisted living facility, Cathy purchased The Mellon Patch Inn in what she describes as her attempt to “semi-retire”.

I believe that every day I wake up and I’m alive and I’m blessed with another day of life, it’s been given to me to be able to create life for somebody else – to make it a good day for them too.

The Mellon Patch Inn is located on beautiful Hutchinson Island just north of Fort Pierce, Florida.  Cathy stated that she loves being an innkeeper because of the people that it brings into her life.  At the Mellon Patch Inn her guests enjoy plenty of attractions to keep guests happy and coming back for more.  Her guests enjoy fishing, kayaking the Indian River, visiting historical Fort Pierce or just soaking up the sun.  I’m an avid scuba diver and used to live across the peninsula in Tampa Bay.  I can personally attest to the fact that this area has some amazing springs and wrecks that are really fun to dive.  The area also boasts some of South Florida’s best spearfishing and lobster diving if that’s your thing.  I had a great time getting to know more about Cathy and The Mellon Patch Inn.

Q:  Tell me about your inn.
A:  The Mellon Patch Inn is a 5-room bed and breakfast located on North Hutchinson Island along Florida’s Treasure Coast.  It was renovated when we originally purchased the property in 2004 and we’re renovating it again this year by adding a pool and a parking lot.  We’re located right off the 1A, just north of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park and The National Navy UDT-Seal Museum.  People have always known who the Navy Seals are but with them being in the news recently, I think people are beginning to realize how really important they are to our military and their national museum is just across the street from us.  Guests who stay with us receive free tickets to the museum.

Q:  How long have you been in business
A:  The house was built in 1994 and I purchased it in 2004.

Q:  What made you decide to go into innkeeping?
A:  Prior to this I owned an assisted living facility taking care of Alzheimer and Parkinson’s patients.  I retired, but I’ve always done event planning and wedding planning and have always loved to entertain – so I thought, “How fun would it be to have a bed and breakfast and event/party planning company”.  I got into this to be semi-retired – of course I realized quickly that this is a full time job.

Q:  I know you also do catering.  Tell me about the kind of catering you do in the area?
A:  I have a restaurant background.  I’ve worked in a restaurant since I was 14 years old and I’ve owned three different restaurants.  For my catering I do a lot of high-end, fine dining.  At the end of March I’m catering for 200 people at the Heathcote Botanical Gardens Bonsai Ball fundraiser.  I also do the St. Lucie County’s annual fundraiser, Dancing with our Celebrity Pals, for 1200 people.  I cater weddings as well.  I help brides with individual meal plans and cater at the weddings as their private chef.

Q:  What’s your signature breakfast?
A:  My signature breakfast that everybody loves here is a stuffed belgian waffle or stuffed french toast.

Q:  When you cater what’s your signature dish?
A:  My signature dish is a baked chicken breast with a homemade mango salsa or a baked mahi-mahi with a pina colada drizzle.

Q: Where are the majority of your visitors from?
A:  Most of my clientele recently have been local people from Ft Lauderdale and the west coast just trying to get away for the weekend.  It’s been like that pretty consistently for the last two years.  Prior to that we were getting people from all over the world.  I used to get a lot of Europeans but recently it’s been mostly locals.

Q:  What’s the best thing you’ve done for your business?
A:  I would say probably bartering.

Q:  Tell me more about that.
A: I live in a town that geographically is not super wealthy.  Where we are wealthy is in coming together for a cause.  In that way I’m really involved in my community.  What I do is give a lot of gift certificates away to people who are having fundraisers.  I do free night stays, and romantic getaways and they put them in a live or silent auction non-profit fundraising events.  So that has promoted me locally here and it’s gotten the name out by me just giving a night away for free.

I’ve also done a lot of trade.  My carpet guy had a daughter that was getting married and needed a place for their honeymoon so I traded nights for the carpet I needed.   When I had to have my signs re-done, the sign guy’s daughter was coming to town so he did my signs in exchange for letting his daughter stay.  I’ve been able to work within the community to do a lot of bartering for a wedding here, or a baby shower there, in exchange for the things I’ve needed.

Q:  What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome with your business?
A:  My biggest challenge is that 80% of the people who live on the island are seasonal and they are only on the island for 2 or 3 months out of the year.  They will call to make a reservation for a friend, but they want a lower rate because they say they just need a place to sleep and won’t be eating breakfast or spending any time here.  I used to do that, and finally about 4 years ago I began telling them that although I would love to have them just sleep in my bed, I only have 5 rooms and they would be depriving someone who really wants to utilize my services – so unfortunately I have to charge my full rate – I’m sure you understand.

Q:  What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in this industry?
A:  I got really busy in my community and was on several boards so I actually had a live-in.  I thought they were doing an OK job only to find out they weren’t.  So the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that having a live-in does not work because it’s your personality that creates the ambiance of the inn.  When guests come, someone who’s an innkeeper is not going to take care of it like you will.   It just doesn’t work.  I’ve tried it twice and both times I’ve found that when I’m here my business does very well.  When I decide to come part time and let somebody live here, my business slacks.  If you’re going to be in the bed and breakfast business you need to be able to make the commitment to be there and provide the services.

Q:  What motto do you live by?
A:  I believe every day is a gift.  Nothing happens by accident – everything happens for a reason and everybody that’s in your life is there for a reason.  I believe that every day I wake up and I’m alive and I’m blessed with another day of life, it’s been given to me to be able to create life for somebody else – to make it a good day for them too.  In coming here people say things like, “I’ve never rested so well” and “I feel like when I walked in the door I was embraced”.  That’s what I want them to know… that you have to embrace life because it’s a gift – don’t ever take it for granted because life is a gift.

Did You Know?

North Hutchinson Island is a coastal barrier island north of the Fort Pierce Inlet in St. Lucie County, Florida.  It derives its name from James Hutchinson, a Georgia plantation owner who in 1803 obtained a Spanish grant for several thousand acres of land in the area.  Shortly after arriving he moved his family from the mainland to the island trying to escape plundering by the natives.  He also suffered from occasional attacks by privateers or slavers.  In April of 1808 Hutchinson sailed to St. Augustine seeking protection from the governor but he drowned on the return trip.

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If you would like to have your inn or bed and breakfast featured on Suite Exchange please email Rob Keone at rkeone@convoyant.com