SHOP TALK: Ginkgo Tree Inn provides unique bed-and-breakfast stay to community
Jean Prout pose behind the front desk of the Ginkgo Tree Inn, Jan. 16, 2019.
For about eight years, the Ginkgo Tree Inn has provided its guests with an overnight Victorian escape.
In 2011, the inn was opened on 309 N Main St. by Jean Prout, who did a years’ worth of refurbishing to the more than a century-old building. The Inn provides overnight stays, event hosting and bed-and-breakfast services.
The Ginkgo Tree Inn sit at 309 N Main St., Jan. 16, 2019.
The building the Ginkgo Tree Inn operates out of has been with Mount Pleasant since 1901 when it was built. The building process was perfect, Prout said.
The first owner utilized the building as a hospital until old age when they found another owner. The building made it to Prout in 2010. She is only the third owner in the building’s 118-year existence.
When she bought the building, it needed a lot of repairs and refurbishing. Prout said the refurbishing included replacing over 60 windows, adding six bathrooms, tearing off old wallpapers and replacing the roof. It took her over a year to complete the restoration.
“I was relieved that we were here,” Prout said. “We could open up and live our dream.”
Also on property is the French-style Chez Mimi, a small building even older than the Victorian-style Ginkgo Tree Inn. Between the two of them, there are ten rooms for renting. These rooms cost anywhere between $160-180 a night, and most have either a king- or queen-sized bed.
The Chez Mimi sits next to the Ginkgo Tree Inn, 309 N Main St., Jan. 16, 2019.
These rooms vary in size and style. The Camden Room in the Chez Mimi features an intricate chandelier made from paper, that hangs over a jet-black piano. The Wedgewood Room in the Ginkgo Tree Inn is filled with vibrant blue furniture and bright white birdcages.
Prout said overnight stays come with a four-course breakfast and if they’re parents of college students, their children can come eat breakfast with them for free. This brings a lot of parents to the inn.
“I think a lot of students surprise their parents because they call me and make the reservations for mom and dad,” Prout said.
The other big part of the inn’s business is hosting events. Prout said these include weddings, bridal showers, baby showers and parties. Weddings are particularly popular, she said. The inn hosts over 50 weddings each year.
Karen Graef of Mount Pleasant said she has hosted multiple events, including her parents’ anniversary party. She was incredibly satisfied with the inn's service and ambiance.
“(Prout is) kind of like a bridal events manager,” Graef said. “She’ll arrange for you whatever you want.”
Helen Chase also hosted an event through the inn when she held her daughter-in-law’s bridal shower around four years ago. She said the shower was exactly how she arranged it and said the location was beautiful.
Both said it felt like staying at a home and that Prout was very helpful with the planning.
While at the inn, Chase said her son and daughter-in-law participated in an old tradition called “lock your love.” Prout said the tradition involves a couple getting a specially engraved padlock and locking it somewhere by a river, most commonly a bridge. They then throw the key into the river, signifying everlasting love.
While she doesn’t have a bridge, she does have a fence behind the Ginkgo Tree Inn that overlooks the Chippewa River. There is a line of padlocks across the fence where newlyweds have "locked their love."
Despite business doing well, Prout said she is planning on selling the Ginkgo Tree Inn. She currently lives in Lansing, where Prout helps her daughter with her Chick-fil-A restaurant. It’s becoming difficult for her to do both. She’s looking for someone to keep good care of the place.
“(I’m looking for) someone who will love it and keep the vision alive,” Prout said.
Contact Ginkgo Tree Inn using the information below:
Phone: 989-773-TREE (8733)
Email: frontdesk@ginkgotreeinn.com
