Michael and Lisa Orlandi’s dream business officially came to life April 29 when the Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce red ribbon fluttered to the ground and Canfield House was welcomed to the community as a guest house.
Michael and Lisa Orlandi’s dream business officially came to life April 29 when the Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce red ribbon fluttered to the ground and Canfield House was welcomed to the community as a guest house.
But the red Century Home at 112 South Street in Chardon has been listed on Air B&B and VRBO since November and had 40 nights of bookings since Orlandis opened the doors.
They had been renovating and decorating the 2,000-square-foot interior since 2019, when Lisa decided to scale back her technology sales company she operates out of the basement of the building.
“She and I always wanted to have a bed and breakfast or an inn,” Michael said.
They decided to mesh their skill sets — Lisa loves interior decorating and Michael runs Black Bear Properties LLC — to turn the building they bought in 2008 for office space into a guest house, renting it out to visitors who want a taste of Chardon’s diverse downtown atmosphere.
“In another life, Lisa should have been an interior designer,” Michael said during a tour of the three bedrooms and living room furnished with antiques and other mementos of yesteryear. A comfortable couch, bunk beds and a pool table with bright blue felt fit in with the older pieces in Lisa’s inimitable style. Since no breakfast is served, a kitchen is also available for guests’ use.
Michael said the house was built in 1824 by Norman Canfield, Chardon’s first justice of the peace.
The Orlandis spent a year researching the idea, visiting B&Bs and decided there is a market in the area for what they are offering.
They worked with city officials to make sure it met all the zoning, fire and legal regulations while the interior was renovated, which involved tearing up the old carpet and putting down tongue and groove hickory flooring.
When the Orlandis listed the guest house in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were not sure of the demand, but decided to treat it as a trial period.
They were pleasantly surprised when people booked from Columbus, Jersey City, Pittsburg, St. Louis and Minnesota.
One woman brought her grandson from Cincinnati because she wanted to show him how to build a snowman, Lisa said.
“They come from all over the place and they have interesting stories,” Michael said.
Many rent the guest house as a convenient place to stay while they visit friends and family in the area, and some have booked to attend funerals, he said, adding he has 12 sets of guests booked for the next few months from states as far away as Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
The Orlandis lived in Chardon for about 20 years, but now they call Montville Township home. When they aren’t in their offices at 112 South Street, they count on Barb Stephens to oversee the guest house.
Stephens is a family friend who lives in the upstairs apartment, Michael said.
Her apartment, Lisa’s office in the basement and Michael’s office on the main floor all have private entrances, with space in the back yard for parking, Lisa said.
The Canfield house is within walking distance of half a dozen restaurants, Chardon Square and the bike trail, she said.
They recently connected with the chamber of commerce and Chardon Square Association to cross-promote with other area businesses, Michael said.
So far, the couple is pleased with their online booking partners that take care of screening clients and insurance besides providing world-wide advertising, he said.
The Orlandis have the business experience to make a go of a small operation. Lisa is vice president of worldwide sales for an artificial intelligence company called AIStorm Inc. Michael worked in IT for a couple of large Cleveland companies for 25 years and now does the “back office stuff” for Lisa’s business, runs the property management company and manages the Canfield House operation.
Lisa said her career in artificial intelligence with customers in Austria, Hungary and Taiwan is exciting and fulfilling. Still, her alternate passion took their property in another direction.
“I really, really like interior decorating,” Lisa said.
