Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce

1/2/2008 - Tea-time at the Smith Byrd House B & B and Tea Room

It's time for tea at an old Prattville home

By Layne Holley
Progress staff writer

December 28, 2007

January is National Hot Tea Month, and David and Beth Melling hope the renovations on their Smith-Byrd House Bed & Breakfast and Tea Room will be complete in time to open at least by the middle of the month.

The couple purchased the Victorian home, built around 1880, on Washington Street in Prattville's historic district in April -- almost as if by accident.

When David, an electrical engineer, was laid off last year, and he and Beth decided to take a trip back to her roots in Henry County. Along the way, they would come up with a plan for a new beginning.

"We started with tea," said Beth. "I've always liked the idea of afternoon team, so a tea room is perfect. Then we thought about adding the bed and breakfast element."

The two made a stop in Prattville -- "just to look around," said Beth -- and fell in love with the charm of the historic downtown. A realtor showed them the Smith-Byrd house, but it was already under contract, practically sold to another buyer.

"So we went on to my parents' house," she said. "We looked at another place in Luverne that was already a bed and breakfast. We thought that without any experience, we should try to buy an existing business. But they didn't really seem serious about selling. That's when we got the call that this house was on the market again. Within three weeks, we had the keys."

The couple was excited to be the new owners. Having moved from Sonoma County in California, just miles from the quaint Victorian neighborhoods of Petaluma and San Francisco, they had dreamed of owning one of the Victorian homes.

"There's no way we could have afforded it there, though, with housing prices like they are in that area," Beth said.

They have been working to restore the old home, also known as the Painted Lady, and its period charm, adding a few amenities and necessities along the way.

An overhaul of the exterior paint treatment is in the plans, but it has taken a backseat to more pressing interior work.

"We've had to deal with a lot of the choices -- some not so good -- that the previous owners made over the years," said David. "There was a lot of 1960s décor left over. We're steadily trying to bring back the interior styles for the period when the house was built."

The starting point for the work began in the kitchen.

"This room is going to be central to both the tea room and the bed and breakfast," said Beth.

Aesthetics was the least of the problems in the existing kitchen; utility and safety were top priorities.

"It wasn't just that it looked out of date, it was also not very user friendly," said Beth. "The previous owners had blocked cabinets with a stove. We also had to make sure we got the kitchen, as well as the rest of the house up to code for this type of business."

The Mellings said the city of Prattville was very helpful when it came to making sure that the project complied with safety and fire codes.

"Everybody with the city was very helpful, and the process moved along surprisingly quickly," said David.

Prattville City Planner Joel Duke said one reason the project went so smoothly was that the Mellings brought the city into the process early.

"The governmental process takes a long time," said Duke. "They talked to us early, and I think that helped. We were able to assemble a collection of folks representing the planning, fire and building inspection departments and sit down with them for a scoping meeting to answer their questions and put them on the right track."

The Mellings' bed and breakfast is the first such project in the city since officials adopted the International Building Code. Under that code, bed and breakfasts, regardless of the number of guestrooms, must meet the same codes as hotels.

"That creates a huge burden for this type of business," said Duke, so he and his department began looking at ways to modify the new code to help alleviate the situation it created.

"We looked at ways that other cities had modified the code, small changes that would eliminate some of the barriers, but that would maintain the city's intention in adopting the international code," he said. "These were minor modifications that other cities had allowed that would allow the business owners to treat the bed and breakfast more like a house. They still had to have fire alarms and smoke detection systems and follow the code on means of egress."

Duke said these modifications to the code were not just for the Mellings' benefit.

"We want to encourage new businesses in the city and push development of the historic district," he said. "What we did here, hopefully, will also make it easier for future businesses like theirs."

Bringing the city in early helped move the project along. The Mellings' were able to incorporate safety and emergency equipment and systems into the renovation as it progressed, saving time and money.

"It just really has all worked out," Beth said. "We'd hoped to be open by late December or early January, but I think we'll make our mid-January goal, and that's not too far off."

The Smith-Byrd house will offer two guestrooms, each with its own bath.

The owners hope to attract business travelers who prefer to avoid hotels, as well as golfers and regional sightseers.

"Some women, for instance, prefer to stay in a bed and breakfast rather than a hotel -- they think it's more personal and secure," Beth said.

Visiting relatives and friends of locals, whose own homes might be too small to entertain overnight guests, are also a target audience.

Tea service will be offered on the large wrap-around porch and in the home's parlor.

"We'll offer individual pots of tea, with a selection of about 20 teas, so people can order what they like and sample whatever their companions order," said David. "And if you don't like the tea you ordered, we'll get you something more to your taste and put what's left in your pot into a thermos to offer tasting samples. We'd also, at some point, like to offer tea tastings, similar to what wine shops do, to let people explore their own tastes and learn more about tea."

Tea is served with scones with lemon curd, clotted cream and assorted jams. The Queen's Tea is a heartier repast, with an added assortment of tea sandwiches and a first course of soup and quiche.

Beth said she is working to perfect her menus and her scone recipe.

The Smith-Byrd House Tea Room will be open by reservation Thursday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

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