Change can be good. In some cases, it can be just what you've always wished for. For Jennifer Warner and Dana Kisor, it was just that.
In their case, it was the expected birth of their daughter that sparked the change -- Jennifer left the communications world where she had been assistant editor of Decor Magazine and worked for the Kentucky Department of Natural Resources, and the couple began looking for farm property where they could raise their daughter.
"We got married late in life, and when we had our daughter, I wanted her to be able to grow up on a farm and around horses like I did," says Warner, a native of northern Indiana. "We wanted that lifestyle for ourselves and for our daughter."
Inspired by the Barbara Sher self-help book "Wishcraft," in which the author wrote about turning your ideal day into your lifestyle, Warner and Kisor took their idea of a rural lifestyle one step further. Instead of merely living on a farm, they wanted the farm to be self-sustaining.
And the
First Farm Inn was born, the idea of a bed and breakfast that would help sustain the family and a barn full of horses they would soon have. After an exhaustive search for just the right property, the new family found 20 acres on the rolling hills of northern Boone County where a painstakingly renovated 1870's home and barn were available. Everything about the property spoke to its age, down to six huge trees dating back to almost the 1700's. Warner and Kisor snapped it up.
In the 13 years since they purchased the property, the First Farm Inn has become a success -- equal parts bed and breakfast, animal refuge and horseback riding school. A five-time finalist for the
Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Success Awards, the inn has since been recognized in national publications, such as the travel guide Arlington Inn's Traveler, which twice named it a winner of its "best for rest and relaxation" category. Featuring rooms with period-appropriate furnishings yet all the modern amenities, the Inn banks on its secluded location yet well within proximity of city life in Cincinnati, the riverboat casinos on the Ohio River or skiing at nearby Perfect North slopes.
But it also has come to rely on another attraction for visitors -- it's animal residents. After starting off with a single horse, First Farm now has eight and Warner offers riding lessons.
"I had no intentions of teaching horseback riding at the beginning, but we had put the word out that we would take horses. Pretty soon we had all kinds of give-away horses, and people begged and begged to go for rides," she says.
A self-taught rider since childhood, Warner began attending seminars and reading books on the art of teaching horseback riding, and the lessons at the farm began soon after.
It's one of main reasons some families return year after year, Warner says.
"We just had one family with us that has been riding for years. The children all learned to ride here. We have another family, grandparents who bring their granddaughters every summer, and the youngest will just be old enough next year to start riding. She can't wait," Warner says. "Seeing them come every year, and seeing the children learn to ride and be so excited about it, that's what really makes this a fun business to be in."
For non-riding fans, there's still plenty of animal companionship around the farm. Along with the eight horses that call First Farm home, there's also a cadre of cats -- some the family adopted, some have adopted the family -- ranging from the big-eared kitten lovingly tabbed "Yoda" to the the eldest, "Squeaker," who can often be found sunning herself around the front porch. With all that feline independence around, someone has to keep order, and that's left to Odo, a brown-and-white dog with a penchant for soccer.
All of the farm's four-legged residents have their fans who check in for updates on the inn's website, and keep coming back to see them.
"We're a resort in a sense, not just someplace to sleep," she explains. "Some people stay at bed and breakfasts, wake up by 8 and are out the door by 9. With us, people bring picnics and stay on the property the whole time. There are people who wake up early and go for a ride with me, then spend the day with the cats. They appreciate the slower lifestyle."
It's something they work hard to preserve, Warner says, despite the attention the Inn has gotten over the years. Still, people are amazed when they stumble upon their little oasis, says Warner.
"It's about being found. We've gotten our fair amount of publicity. We were just featured on KET ('Kentucky Life') in April, we've had articles in the Enquirer, the Post, Cincinnati magazine... all of the media outlets around," she says. "But still, I get emails every few weeks from people who live just down the street but never knew we were here. It's a pleasant surprise for them."