It’s been about 6 months since my last blog. Maybe my New Year’s resolution needs to be to write more blogs! 2020 was a crazy and difficult year in so many ways. When I look back on how this year played out for the schoolhouse, I was surprised to realize that Gramp’s Old School had a great 2020! Here’s our list of our top 10 moments (in chronological order)
#1 February
The rehab officially wraps! Gramp brings his toolbox home for the last time and I prepare to list the schoolhouse on Airbnb! As part of our prep, the whole family spends one night at the schoolhouse, we also have a pizza party and a toast!
#2 March
We welcome our first guest, a writer from the Albany area who uses the space to retreat and work on his next publication. We’ve hosted several writers this year that were looking for a peaceful place to focus on their work. All of our guests find a hand written note on the chalkboard and many times they leave us a note back!
#3 June
I spend a lot of time formalizing our new enhanced cleaning protocols. We take a deep breath and re-open with at least 3 days between every booking and some heavy duty sanitization in place.
#4 July
We achieve Airbnb Superhost status! This means we have a 5 star rating on Airbnb, a quick response time to all of our guests’ questions, and great reviews!
#5 August
The schoolhouse Instagram account @grampsoldschool is featured in the September issue of Country Living Magazine! We were so thrilled to be listed along side some beautiful schoolhouses!
#6 August
We receive one of our most flattering reviews! Seriously, we couldn’t have written it better ourselves! We also have a “guidebook” on Airbnb. This is like a virtual binder that lists favorite places to check-out in the area. We love sharing all the charms of Washington County with our guests, especially the ice cream shops! You can check out the guidebook here.
#7 September
We are officially listed on the State Register of Historic Places! The National Register Listing is pending! This process started almost 3 years ago to the date we were listed. Pretty much as soon as we closed on the schoolhouse we started working on this listing. Gramp can’t wait to order our plaque!
#8 October
We receive a Preservation Award from Adirondack Architectural Heritage and a Citation from the NYS Assembly! Finally, Covid numbers were low enough and we were able to host a small, socially distant gathering with some of our strongest supporters.
#9 November
Philip turns 5 and we host a tiny party at the schoolhouse! Philip hadn’t even turned two when we bought the schoolhouse. Gramp and I both had dreams of hosting family gatherings here, it’s so special that this is now a reality!
#10 December
We have our very own Gramp’s Old School ornament!* Local historian Debi Craig and the North Star Historical Project has worked with Birchstone Design to produce ornaments of several local historic homes, including the Susan B. Anthony house. We took a cue from her and couldn’t resist having this ornament made. We really love it! *ornaments are still available for $12 each or $16 with shipping, jill.tefft@gmail.com.
Whew, that’s a wrap! We’re so thankful we were able to accomplish all of these things during a global pandemic! We hosted 30 stays in 2020 and were thrilled to share the history of the schoolhouse and the cultural heritage of South Eastern Washington County with all of our guests! We’re looking forward to a bright and Happy New Year! Who knows what’s next?! For now we’ll let Gramp take a very well deserved nap!
Gramp's Old School 