The Woods Inn is getting ready for Friday’s Cocktail Party—preceding the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performance at Inlet’s Arrowhead Park—a first-time hosting of the event under Charlie and Nancy Frey, who took ownership of the Inn on July 10th.
“It’s going to be a great event; we’re really looking forward to it,” Charlie said.
The Woods Inn, a shoreline hotel and restaurant in the heart of Inlet, has been a structural standout enjoyed by Fourth Lake passers-by for well over a century.
The historic hotel, built circa 1894 and formerly known as “The Wood,” has changed ownership just a handful of times.
The Freys, of Rochester, are the fifth owners of the Inn.
Charlie said he and Nancy became prospective buyers during a trip to the Adirondacks last winter.
Their love of the area and desire to take on a business venture ultimately led to the purchase.
“But it wouldn’t have happened without my brother John and his wife Sarah,” Charlie said.
John is Supervisor of the Town of Inlet. His wife Sarah (Evans) Frey owns Burkhard Evans, an insurance and real estate firm headquartered in Inlet.
Charlie cited the value of John’s counsel, John having experience in the hospitality field and a degree in hotel/restaurant management from Paul Smith’s College.
Sarah participated in The Woods transaction as Charlie and Nancy’s agent.
“Sarah did a lot of work—more than the normal real estate agent would have done in terms of lining up everything from the surveys to the inspections and everything else.
I was working at Paychex trying to go back and forth, so the work Sarah did was hugely important. None of this would have happened without her,” Charlie said.
As a young boy, Charlie and his family spent summers in Inlet, in a Fourth Lake cottage his parents bought in the sixties.
At the age of 11, he began working at Palmer Point, where he bailed out boats for fifty cents an hour.
Charlie said he remembers admiring the hotel as he boated by on Fourth Lake.
There had been a number of large Adirondack hotels that had come and gone, historic structures that spoke to the region’s customs and lifestyle.
Even as The Wood closed its doors toward the end of the last century, Charlie said he hoped an investor would arrive, returning it to commercial viability.
His wish was granted in 2003, when Jay Latterman and Joedda McClain purchased The Wood from the Dunay family.
Jay and Joedda brought extensive restoration and preservation experience to the project that set about preserving the original rustic masterpiece.
When the hotel was opened again to the public, it was with a new name: The Woods Inn.
Charlie Frey said he plans to continue Jay and Joedda’s work, reviving the Inn through restoration and improvements.
That’s a comforting thought to the former owners, who had invested so much.
“The interest that [Charlie] took in the building and the staff made me feel like he got it. He understood what we have tried to build here, and what we think we have here,” Joedda said.
To smooth the transition to the new Frey era, Jay and Joedda have agreed to remain at the Inn through the summer.
In the immediate future, Charlie will collaborate with Jay to rebuild a cabin that was lost to a fire.
He also has plans to build a permanent pavilion on the waterfront. The pavilion will be a multi-use facility for activities ranging from wedding receptions to yoga classes.
Leaving the Inn will be bittersweet for her and Jay, Joedda said. They will miss the area, she said, but both are glad their hard work will be left in good hands.
Charlie said he sees the Inn as an integral part of Inlet’s business and cultural community. This understanding will guide decisions regarding its future, he said.
“I want to make it a cooperative effort with the people in town to realize its full potential,” Charlie said.
The Freys’ decision to enter the hospitality business comes after years of experience in various fields.
Charlie worked at IBM for twelve years; first as a Network Systems Engineer, later as a Net-work and Systems Management Marketing Specialist.
His experience in technology and marketing led him to help in the development of a business plan for CaterTrax, a Rochester company that offers online catering solutions.
After this initial spark of interest in the food industry, Charlie made his way to Paychex, a payroll outsourcing company that serves small to medium businesses.
Charlie said his time there was invaluable in bettering his understanding of budgeting and business management.
Nancy is a certified teacher of the deaf and hearing impaired at BOCES, and an adjunct professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
She said she plans to commute to and from Rochester, spending her weekends at the Inn.
The Freys said they are looking forward to all the challenges they anticipate, as they continue into their first busy season.