THE END OF AN ERA FOR B&B
Owners reminisce about good times, good friends after 28 years in operation
Jessie and Gary Carlson, shown holding their dog Zach, were Regina bed and breakfast pioneers when they opened their home to guests late in 1992. After more than 28 years of great memories, they have decided it's now time to move on to other things.
When Gary Carlson took an early retirement nearly three decades ago, his mind turned to the dream he had long carried of opening a bed and breakfast.
He and his wife Jessie considered turning their home into a bed and breakfast homestay — a bed and breakfast run directly out of someone's house — but at the time, Regina's bylaws did not allow for that kind of business in a residential area.
In June 1992, after lobbying by the Carlsons and others, the City of Regina changed the bylaw. In December of that year, Gary and Jessie opened Daybreak Bed and Breakfast, which they believe was the first bed and breakfast homestay to open in the city.
Over the next 28 years, the couple worked tirelessly to keep the three-bedroom establishment running, welcoming guests from an estimated 50 countries and every Canadian province.
They even had a few distinguished guests come to stay, the couple said, recalling the time in the mid-1990s they hosted a federal politician and a provincial politician from British Columbia at the same time.
“They had some interesting conversations on their political strategizing,” Jessie said with a laugh. “They had a great time.”
Several times guests unknown to each other have ended up having what Gary called “complimentary careers,” including several women once who were all vendors at the same craft show.
Because a bed and breakfast homestay is much less private than a hotel with its many shared spaces, Jessie said it typically only attracts people who want to interact with others. Many guests would return year after year, allowing them to establish long-lasting friendships with their hosts.
These friendships have led to the owners learning to help a man wind his turban, grieving with a guest after he lost his spouse and celebrating with guests on their wedding anniversary.
“We had a couple that used to come for Agribition and craft sales and stuff from Winnipeg, and one year it was their anniversary while they were here,” Jessie said. "So when they came home at night, Gary had candlelight and a glass of wine for each one of them so they could celebrate.
“We had lots of fun.”
With Jessie also working as a nurse until 2014, Gary took care of the administrative tasks and cooking, while Jessie looked after the room cleaning and laundry.
But since the pandemic rocked the province, only a handful of guests have come trickling through under very strict COVID-19 protocols.
With the slowdown in business, Gary and Jessie — now ages 82 and 80 respectively — decided it was time to embrace a slower pace of retirement. On Dec. 31, they officially closed Daybreak Bed and Breakfast.
“We hadn't intended to do it that many years. I think we had intended to do it for 20 years, which would have put us both in our 70s,” Jessie said.
The couple plans to continue their many volunteer activities in the community, including political activism and being members of the Rotary Club of Regina Eastview.
“We still keep our fingers in a lot of things,” Gary said. “We're still young at heart.”