Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Sep 21/01) - After getting up to prepare breakfast at 5:30 a.m., Ken Brown doesn't always feel like being a gracious host. But he puts on a smile and makes pleasant conversation just the same.

Like grandmother, like grandson. Ken Brown, who opened a bed and breakfast in June, has his grandmother's business licence on display in his home. She opened a lodging house in Edmonton in 1928 and hosted dukes and dutchesses, among others. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

Having opened a bed and breakfast three months ago, warm hospitality is obviously an important factor.

"If (a guest) comes out bitchy and grumpy, I can't be because this is what I want to do, right?" Brown, a retired school counsellor, asked rhetorically.

Fortunately, most guests are congenial and inquisitive. With a keen knowledge of the community and its history, Brown readily answers most of their questions. He also wins them over by insisting they eat something.

"It's the mother hen thing from a 200-pound brute," he joked.

It hasn't been easy to get the new business off the ground. After doing some research by consulting bed and breakfast operators in Yellowknife, Brown began renovations on his Fort Simpson home.

Two rooms on the main floor have been converted into guest rooms with work on a third room expected to be done within a few months. Brown, his wife and his daughter will consequently be living in the basement. He has also installed new windows, built new decks and walkways and painted and decorated the house.

"I think it's great for me in retirement. It keeps me busy. Oh God, it keeps me busy," he said, smiling.

The whole process has been quite costly. Beyond the renovations, Brown had to acquire a business licence from the village, a bed and breakfast licence from the territorial government and he had to upgrade his insurance. In addition, each room is equipped with basics such as a bed and mattress and toiletries. Brown has added luxuries including televisions, books and magazines, fans, clock radios and offers a shuttle service for guests. Advertising is another costly, but necessary, component.

"It costs you to run one of these places ... anybody that's in this business to make a killing better think again. It's not going to happen," he said. It takes time to gradually build up clientele, he said.

Brown is targeting primarily government and business customers, but he doesn't turn away tourists unless his rooms are already booked. He's already had guests from Germany, Japan, England, most of Canada and a couple of representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"They're a lot of fun, most of them," Brown said. "I enjoy it."