{"id":9740,"date":"2012-06-26T07:30:49","date_gmt":"2012-06-26T11:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/?p=9740"},"modified":"2012-07-23T22:10:49","modified_gmt":"2012-07-24T02:10:49","slug":"getting-by-getting-ahead-white-mountains-innkeeper-struggles-with-shifting-economic-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/06\/26\/getting-by-getting-ahead-white-mountains-innkeeper-struggles-with-shifting-economic-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting By, Getting Ahead: A White Mountains Innkeeper Struggles With Shifting Economic Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-9740 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/06\/26\/getting-by-getting-ahead-white-mountains-innkeeper-struggles-with-shifting-economic-landscape\/inn_medium\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9892\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9892'>\n\t\t\t\tEd Butler bought the Notchland Inn with his husband, Les Schoof, nearly 20 years ago. \u201cIt\u2019s supposed to get easier as you get older,\u201d Butler says. \u201cBut that has not been the case here.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/06\/26\/getting-by-getting-ahead-white-mountains-innkeeper-struggles-with-shifting-economic-landscape\/inn_wide\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_wide-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9889\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_wide-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_wide-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_wide-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9889'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Notchland Inn was built in 1862. It is a classic Mount Washington Valley business: Small, independent, and catering to a niche market of elopements, newlyweds, and romantic getaways.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/06\/26\/getting-by-getting-ahead-white-mountains-innkeeper-struggles-with-shifting-economic-landscape\/inn_medium2\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium2-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium2-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/inn_medium2-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9893'>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThere are some who succeed better than we have, who do have a little more breathing room as their businesses mature,\u201d Butler says. \u201cWe are continuing to grow our bottom line. It\u2019s just tougher doing it.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/06\/26\/getting-by-getting-ahead-white-mountains-innkeeper-struggles-with-shifting-economic-landscape\/img_1132x\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1132x-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9890\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1132x-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1132x-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1132x-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9890'>\n\t\t\t\tWith the inn\u2019s unpredictable bottom-line, it\u2019s becoming more difficult for 62-year old Butler and Schoof to plan for retirement. \u201cThere are ways to survive, and we will survive, and eventually, not have to be here forever,\u201d Butler says. \u201cOr, if we are here forever, then we\u2019ll eventually become gentlemen innkeepers, because after awhile, you can\u2019t do all the physical work you did 10, 15 years ago.\u201d \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/06\/26\/getting-by-getting-ahead-white-mountains-innkeeper-struggles-with-shifting-economic-landscape\/img_1225x\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1225x-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1225x-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1225x-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/06\/IMG_1225x-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9891'>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThe real challenge, I think, is that the national chains can take a hit if the economy is slow,\u201d Butler says of the chains that have sprung up in the area over the past few years. \u201cThey can actually come in and invest money in ways that family-owned businesses can\u2019t, necessarily, because we only have one business. We don\u2019t have dozens.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><em>As the country continues to struggle with high unemployment and a lackluster economic recovery, New Hampshire is doing surprisingly well.\u00a0 Unemployment is at five percent \u2014 much lower than the national average.\u00a0 And more people are starting small businesses.\u00a0 In our weekly \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/voices\/\">Getting By, Getting Ahead<\/a>\u201d series, StateImpact is traveling the state, gathering personal stories from the people behind the economy.\u00a0 For our first installment, we visit the White Mountains, where independent country inns that have drawn tourists for more than a century face new competition.\u00a0<\/em><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">_______<\/p>\n<p>Somehow, the <a title=\"Notchland Inn\" href=\"http:\/\/www.notchland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Notchland Inn<\/a> at Hart\u2019s Location manages to be both sprawling and homey.\u00a0 After 150 years \u2014 and some modernization \u2014 the big house still looks good.\u00a0 It is one of numerous country inns, B&amp;Bs and mom-and-pop motels that help make the <a title=\"What You Need To Know About The White Mountains Economy\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/tag\/white-mountains\/http:\/\/\" target=\"_blank\">White Mountains<\/a>\u2019 economy tick.\u00a0 Surrounded by well-kept gardens dotted with purple\u00a0lupine flowers and looking out on the green forested mountains, the inn provides its visitors\u00a0an idyllic setting.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F51051529&amp;show_artwork=true\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Ed Butler and his husband, Les Schoof, first came to the inn about 20 years ago.\u00a0 They left New York City with one goal in mind: to be innkeepers at a romantic, upscale bed and breakfast.\u00a0 They got involved in the community, and Butler served a couple of terms in the state legislature.\u00a0 And they bought the giant Bernese Mountain\u00a0Dogs that are a Notchland signature.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"related-content alignright\"><h4 class=\"related-header\">Related<\/h4><div class=\"links\"><h5>Posts<\/h5><ul><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/06\/25\/white-mountains-snapshot-national-hotel-chains-set-up-shop\/\">White Mountains Snapshot: National Hotel Chains Set Up\u00a0Shop<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/info.nhpr.org\/irene-closes-roads-traps-tourists-white-mountains\">Irene Closes Roads, Traps Tourists in White Mountains<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2011\/10\/03\/how-the-struggling-balsams-resort-fits-into-the-larger-problems-faced-by-historic-hotels\/\">How The Struggling Balsams Resort Fits Into The Larger Problems Faced By Historic Hotels<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"topics\"><h5>Topics<\/h5><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2011\/07\/IMG_1306.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/topic\/white-mountains\/\">What You Need To Know About The White Mountains Economy<\/a><\/p><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2011\/07\/5067127280_b04deda3a1-60x60.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/topic\/tourism\/\">The Temperamental Economics Of Tourism<\/a><\/p><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2011\/07\/356324626_9e95b5311f-60x60.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/topic\/small-business\/\">Small Businesses, But Mighty Numbers<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>Until 2008, Butler says, things had been going rather well. Then the recession hit and the number of visitors from the Greater Boston area plummeted.\u00a0&#8220;For the past several years, there has been a downturn in the economy that has affected our occupancy,&#8221; Butler says. &#8220;We haven\u2019t raised our rates in, God\u2026five years, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At first, Butler was able to stay afloat by cutting benefits for his housekeeping and kitchen workers and laying off a couple of staffers.\u00a0 To make Notchland more competitive, he&#8217;s begun offering online deals through <a title=\"Groupon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.groupon.com\/subscriptions\/new?division_p=boston\" target=\"_blank\">Groupon<\/a> and <a title=\"Living Social\" href=\"http:\/\/livingsocial.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Living Social<\/a>.\u00a0 It seems to be working.\u00a0 Last year, profits went up nine percent.\u00a0 Compared to some other innkeepers in the area, Butler has been fortunate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere have been several B&amp;Bs and inns that have not been able to survive,&#8221; Butler says. &#8220;And there are some that have walked into the bank and left their keys.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The White Mountains have a rich history of inns.\u00a0 A century ago, a number of grand hotels also dotted the landscape.\u00a0 And for a long time, they weathered economic ups-and-downs.\u00a0 But now, Butler says, there\u2019s a different dynamic at play.<\/p>\n<h3>Chains Make Inroads<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cThere are national chains that are coming to this area that weren\u2019t here ten years ago,&#8221; Butler says. &#8220;And it has become much more of a competitive market.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Take Memorial Day weekend. Notchland was busy, but not nearly as in-demand as it used to be. &#8220;In the past, we would have been filling up and referring people to other inns because we were full,&#8221; Butler says. &#8220;That doesn\u2019t happen anymore.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"module image left\" style=\"width: 250px;\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/voices\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full\" title=\"Getting By, Getting Ahead\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/07\/voices-promo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"247\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Listen to voices of New Hampshire\u2019s economy and share your story in an <a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/voices\/\">interactive audio experience \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The chains have brought more jobs to the White Mountains, but for Butler, they\u2019ve added more uncertainty.\u00a0 He\u2019s 62 years old, and wants to retire in a few years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next generation of innkeepers are going to be less likely to take on a challenge like this unless they feel like the economy is rebounding.\u00a0 And the question is, when the economy, and the business, will be ready for that,&#8221; Butler says.\u00a0 &#8220;And you know, when someone walks through the door and says, \u201cWe <em>love<\/em> Notchland, and we want to live here!\u00a0 We\u2019ll talk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If they can\u2019t sell the inn, Butler says he and Les will eventually have to hire more staff to deal with the daily work. \u00a0But to pull <em>that <\/em>off, they\u2019ll need more revenue and a more\u00a0stable bottom line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the country continues to struggle with high unemployment and a lackluster economic recovery, New Hampshire is doing surprisingly well.\u00a0 Unemployment is at five percent \u2014 much lower than the national average.\u00a0 And more people are starting small businesses.\u00a0 In our weekly \u201cGetting By, Getting Ahead\u201d series, StateImpact is traveling the state, gathering personal stories [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":9891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[51],"tags":[337,502,499,510],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}