SHELBURNE — When Brolin Winning worked outside smoking meat at Smokey Bro’s BBQ on the Mohawk Trail, he would often stare up the hill at the abandoned Anchorage Nursing Home and think, “I can do something really cool with that place.”
Now, five years after he closed Smokey Bro’s, the Colrain resident with Amherst and Northampton ties is about to make those thoughts a reality with Shelburne Springs, a new luxury inn set to open in February.
Winning is the manager of the new inn, which is owned by Hilltown Lodge LLC. The company spent the past three years renovating the building using Tristan Evans Construction Inc. in Greenfield and Thomas Douglas Architects of Northampton.
The structure was originally built in 1914 as a mansion, the same year the Mohawk Trail opened. In the 1950s, the building was renovated into a nursing home, which ultimately closed in 2011. Winning said the renovation project started with stripping the interior down to the studs, making room for brand new materials, while leaving the exterior in place.
The building was made environmentally friendly and COVID-ready with two electric vehicle charging stations, low-flow toilets and showers, new heaters and individual ventilation systems for each room.
“Considering how many tourists come here, there are few places to stay,” Winning said, noting that people would always ask him at Smokey Bro’s where they should stay, and he noticed a lack of options along Route 2.
With tourism and economic activity rebounding along the Mohawk Trail, Winning said there is expanding business opportunity nearby. He pointed to the reopening of the Sweetheart Restaurant and The Duck Pond antique and vendor marketplace in Shelburne as examples of new life coming to the Mohawk Trail.
“The trail is coming back and we are happy to be a part of it,” he said.
The 904 Mohawk Trail property’s décor aims to display the route’s history. Wall art includes old photos and postcards showing the Mohawk Trail in the 1940s and ’50s.
“We want to teach people from out of town what the trail is about,” Winning said.
Hailing from Amherst and later Northampton, Winning would travel up to the area on weekends to fish on the Deerfield River. He remembers many of the old inns along the route being open and filled with visitors. He sees this excitement for the area coming back after the pandemic.
“People want to go out and travel and splurge now,” he said. “We are optimistic that people will come through.”
People can stay at Shelburne Springs starting at $300 per night, with prices fluctuating depending on the season.
“With what we offer, it is well worth it,” Winning said.
He said people can make Shelburne Springs their home base if they are skiing at Berkshire East Mountain Resort in Charlemont, or rafting on the Deerfield River, or use the meadow, trails and water features in the inn’s backyard for a nature getaway.
Winning said after the inn passes the inspections it needs to open, he plans to renovate the grounds and build a stage. A space for micro-weddings, wine and beer tastings, live music, and guest chef pop-ups are all in the near future.
More information can be found on the inn’s website at shelburnesprings.com or on social media.
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.