Want to Win a B&B in Maine? Write an Essay
Janice Sage wants to hand over the Center Lovell Inn and Restaurant in an essay contest. (Photo: Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Think you have what it takes to be an innkeeper? Prove it in 200 words or less, and you might just become the proud owner of a 210-year-old country inn in New England. No experience necessary — just a magical essay and a $125 application fee.
Janice Sage, owner of Center Lovell Inn and Restaurant, is holding a writing contest to find her successor for the seven-room bed and breakfast in Lovell, Maine, she has managed for the past 22 years. Sage herself became the owner of the 12-acre property after winning a similar contest two decades ago. At 68 years old, she is now ready to retire.
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“I just want to pass it on to somebody else who is looking for an inn, who possibly can’t own it on their own outright, and I think this is a good way to pay it forward,” Sage told the Daily Mail Online.
Sage won the Center Lovell Inn in southwestern Maine in an essay contest 22 years ago. (Photo: Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The contest is open to anyone in the world 18 years or older, and all entries must be postmarked by May 7.
The essay topic, ‘Why I would like to own and operate a country inn,’ may seem easy enough, but making it compelling and passionate, given the word constraints, will be the challenge.
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“It has to be formally done and grammatically correct, and they need to convey that they can run the Inn,” Sage told NPR.
Sage said she expects to receive more than 7,500 applications; if she is right, the money from the application fees will surpass the current value of the inn, which is $900,000.
Sage said she plans to read all essays by May 17 and will then pass on the 20 best essays to two anonymous judges from the local community, who will select the winner. Once a winner is declared, Sage will hand over the keys to the inn within 30 days.
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The new innkeeper will receive a $20,000 startup fund to put toward the business; however, there are some rules that come with the deal. The owners must agree to maintain Lovell Inn as a country inn for at least one year following the hand-over.
Additionally, the building must be kept painted white, and the roofing and shutters must remain hunter green, forest green, or black.
Located in Lovell, Maine, this cozy country inn is open year round. The inn offers stunning views of Kezar Lake as well as the White Mountains in neighboring New Hampshire.
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