UNIQUE B&B
‘Bed and brew’ proposed for historic adobe home in Wells Park
One of the city’s most prolific tourism entrepreneurs has another new idea for attracting visitors to Albuquerque: a “bed and brew.” Jesse Herron, co-owner of ABQ Trolley Co., its parent and sister companies, wants to turn his 135-year-old adobe Wells Park abode into a boutique lodging option with a craft beer bent. He said the Painted Lady Bed & Brew could serve its guests local beer in small quantities under a special bed and breakfast state liquor license, and also serve as a launch point for guests eager to explore the Duke City beer scene in more detail. Its location near Bellamah and 12th NW is within a 15-minute walk of six Albuquerque breweries and taprooms, Herron said.
He sees it as a complement to the city’s increasingly renowned craft beer culture and a small way to distinguish Albuquerque from its competitor cities. He said there are other examples around the world, but nothing like it in Albuquerque.
“It’s kind of a feather in our cap that allows us to stand out,” said Herron, coowner of the Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory, parent company of the trolley operation, the Duke City Pedaler party bike, the Albucreepy Ghost Walk tours and other adventures.
His application for a zoning change for the business has drawn support from a number of sources. Visit Albuquerque President and CEO Tania Armenta encouraged approval in a letter to the city, as have several brewery owners, according to city documents.
The city’s Environmental Planning Commission is set to hear the case next week.
Herron’s operation would be small; the property has only two rentable units: a one bedroom and two bedroom. His alcohol license, which still requires city approval, would permit him to sell guests a maximum of two beers per day.
There was no bed and brew in Herron’s plans when he bought the triplex property in 2014. He actually considered tearing it down before realizing he’d stumbled upon what he calls a “hidden gem” with a fascinating history. Built in 1881, the property had a past life as a saloon and brothel. Herron said it’s rumored that Billy the Kid stayed at there.
In later years, the property housed a grocery store and also low-income apartments.
Herron has spent two years remodeling and restoring it and has offered it as a vacation rental through Airbnb for about a year, but without the “bed and brew” component. Should he obtain the final approvals necessary, he hopes to open Painted Lady in early 2017.
“I feel like it has this great story to tell and it lends itself, very well (to a bed and brew)” he said, citing its walkability to the Ponderosa, Bow & Arrow, Tractor, Rio Bravo, Marble and Dialogue breweries and the fact that travelers increasingly seek more unique experiences.
“They want to be in somebody’s home or a neighborhood where there’s real culture, and not paying for parking or wi-fi or sharing the wall with somebody else,” he said. “I think that’s kind of where the trend is going.”