Baldwinsville B&B hosts guests from near and far

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Phyllis Dale had always considered herself the hostess with the most.

“I was always the one hosting family parties,” she said. “I never sat down. … I was making sure everyone had enough to eat, making sure they have everything they need and [making] them feel special.”

So, when the spacious blue Greek-Revival-turned-Queen-Anne home at 70 Oswego St. went on the market, Dale saw a chance to turn her passion for hospitality into the Baldwinsville Bed and Breakfast, which she opened in 2014.

“I actually lived a block away from here on Walnut Street,” she said. “This was always my favorite house in Baldwinsville. I had always hoped it would come on the market.”

Dale purchased the home in 2007. It was first built in 1828 by Otis Bigelow in the Greek Revival style, which he remodeled into a Queen Anne style in 1851 as a wedding present for his daughter, Mary.

While the bones of the house were sturdy, much of the home still needed work.

“We started to do renovations, which it desperately needed. It was run-down,” Dale said.

Dale’s sons helped her replace ceilings in some of the rooms. In 2014, she started small, opening the first guest room.

“It seemed very manageable,” she said. “[I thought,] ‘Let’s start with one room and see what happens. Let’s see if anyone wants to stay here at all.”

To Dale’s delight, positive reviews began trickling in for the B&B.

“I was amazed. In fact, [reading] some of them, I wanted to cry,” she said. “You want to take care of people and they say such nice things about you.”

Last spring, Dale opened a second guest room in the house. Renovations are in progress on the third and fourth rooms.

“I’m anxious to get the other two rooms open because we do turn people away,” she said.

Fortunately, Dale has built relationships with other B’ville businesses such as the Red Mill Inn and The Roselea Bed and Breakfast on Dinglehole Road in the town of Lysander.

“When they’re full, they do send people our way, and when we’re full we send people to them, so that’s been a nice relationship,” Dale said.

The Baldwinsville B&B has welcomed a wide range of guests, from former locals who have returned to visit their families to a handful of actors and artists to international guests.

“Usually they’re on their way to Toronto, Niagara Falls, and this will be a pit stop for them, or they’ll be visiting the wineries in the Finger Lakes and this is their home base,” Dale said.

Dale said she has hosted travelers from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and France. Some of these guests speak little English, so communicating is “like charades,” she said. Others are curious about American customs. Between Memorial Day, Flag Day and the Fourth of July, the patriotic decor around the village was puzzling to a set of Dutch visitors.

“What are all these flags about?” Dale recalled them asking. “B’ville in particular definitely participates in that [display] — we have a lot of flags.”

Dale, her husband Jim, their daughter and two Chihuahuas occupy the rear portion of the house. Their residence is partitioned off from the guest areas. While the day-to-day operations largely fall to Phyllis, Jim enjoys maintaining the garden and regaling guests with his knowledge of the history of Baldwinsville.

Among previous owners of the home are Adeline Baldwin, a descendant of Jonas Baldwin, and 19th-century banker Walter McMullin and his daughter, Louise McMullin Mercer, for whose family Mercer Park is named.

Most guests book their stays through third-party services such as TripAdvisor and BedAndBreakfast.com, but Phyllis Dale handles everything else: laundering the linens, advising guests on local attractions and, of course, making breakfast. The menu includes creations such as “Scarborough Fair” eggs — scrambled with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme — and triple sec French toast topped with marmalade and orange slices.

As for what’s next, Dale said her goal is to finish the third and fourth guest rooms, which are located in the original Greek Revival portion of the house. She is also thinking of renovating the carriage house behind the B&B, which has been used for groomsmen to get ready for weddings. Additionally, she would like to restore the porch that used to wrap around the round turret at the front of the house.

Nestled in the historic Oswego-Oneida district in the village, the Baldwinsville B&B is within walking distance of restaurants, shops and other attractions.

“I like to be able to funnel the people that enjoy our business to other places in the village,” Dale said. “That’s a really good feeling, to share the bounty of the business.”

The Baldwinsville Bed and Breakfast is located at 70 Oswego St. in the village of Baldwinsville. To learn more, visit baldwinsvillebedandbreakfast.com or call (315) 307-3897.