Bed and breakfast: St Mary's
Former greengrocers Julie and Chris Simpson own and run a city-centre, five-storey Victorian townhouse B&B in York “I come from four generations of fruit and vegetable merchants, my great-grandfather started the business,” says Chris, 50. “We were wholesalers, market traders, retailers – and very successful until the late Eighties, when the supermarkets began to change everything. Ten years ago we had a turnover of well over £1,000,000 and in our heyday employed 50 people. It was a traumatic change.
“The B&B was a financial decision: we needed to keep working. I’d never worked for anyone else and I didn’t fancy it. I’d been to grammar school but my education was the business, really. I’d always been a reasonable cook and found it relaxing. My wife Julie was a hairdresser and we decided that between us, we had good communication skills, so it boiled down to a choice between a pub and a B&B and we chose the B&B, mainly because Julie is a morning girl. She’s also very anti-smoking.
“It took us three years to find anywhere we liked – we didn’t want to leave York. This building was already a B&B, it had 12 rooms and we now let nine. We have a good personal space and our own conservatory-lounge. The location was the key.
“It’s hard work but we were always used to that. We get up at 6.30 to do breakfasts but they’re cleared away by 10. Then there’s the post, e-mail, books, cold-callers, shopping. It’s all very hands-on. Between one and four it’s quieter and then after that all hell breaks loose again. Then there are phone calls at ridiculous times of day and night: we consistently do 16 to 18 hours a day. But it’s a good way of life. In York the tourist trade is all year round and we’re full every weekend.
“It’s our livelihood now and not a bad way of earning a living. Most people we’ve spoken to in the business say you can keep it going like this for 10 to 15 years before you burn out, and in that time you can create a bit of wealth. What with pension funds diminishing, the property itself is a good investment. This place has doubled in value in four years.
“A lot of guests come from America, and people are honest. The only things that have gone missing are two of the big refillable bottles of toiletries. Nothing here is screwed to the wall. We have a good team. We have two ladies who do the rooms: Denise and Carole. Denise looks after the place when we want a night out and when we go on holiday. Some people close down when they want a break but we like to stay open.
“When I was in the fruit trade I got up at 1.30am at weekends and didn’t get home till 7pm, and the rest of the week it was up at four or five in the morning and home at 7pm. Julie and I see more of each other now. The first few months were difficult because I was used to working on my own. It’s different working together. It wouldn’t suit everybody, but it suits us fine now.”
23 St Mary’s, Bootham, York YO30 7DD, 01904 622738, 23stmarys.co.uk, B&B £35-£45 a night Written by Marsha Dunstan
This article was created: 14 July 2006.
This article was last edited: 14 November 2006.
 Email  Back to top
|
