Do any of you dream of running a cafe, bakery, bed and breakfast, or something like this? Have you had any experiences as a tourist that you will remember fondly forever? What does it take to give someone that little extra when they are visiting a new place?
My dream does not make sense financially, but I think it would give us an opportunity to live an interesting life in a location I love, and bring some life back to a small coastal village. My grandfather ran a bakery and grocery store in a tiny village at the west coast of Norway, with their family of seven, mother in law, and the baker with his family living upstairs. After most of the kids moved out, my grandmother ran a Bed and breakfast there for a few years. I think it was mainly for fun and company, but it also offset some the costs of caring for a house that size.
It will be many years before both we and the house are ready for this. But until that I'm looking for inspiration and good ideas for how we should get ready to develop the business: how to make the rooms as cozy and attractive as possible, what kind of food to serve; should we focus on baked goods, or also have a cafe with some traditional dinner options? What other services should we offer? Sightseeing, guided mountain walks, boat rentals or guided fishing trips? Making beer could be fun, but we could also make hard liquor from apples and other stuff in the garden (we have loads of family recipes, but it has never been done legally).
For the last 25-30 years we have only used the house as a family summer retreat. It is 200 m from the beach and marina, and walking the other direction will take you into the mountains and the national parks of Trollheimen and Dovre. Still, it is close to the main road, with easy access by car and bus. We have fishing rights in the fjord and mountains, and could easily get hunting rights through some cousins.
The house has eight bedrooms, two kitchens, the bakery and five living rooms, but only two real bathrooms. We would need to invest a substantial amount of work and money to get everything in order. But as a FIRE dream, it could make sense. If we change our mind in the middle of it, the worst thing that could happen is that we have a nicer summer house.