By Jonathan Hiskes, Brown County Democrat staff writer
While other Brown County business owners debate the future of the area's tourism economy, the new owners of the Artists Colony Inn bed and breakfast have made a bold statement of confidence in the industry-a $3.25 million statement.
For that sum, a Bloomington couple and an Artist Drive woman bought the inn and restaurant late last month, taking over one of the largest and most prominent businesses in Nashville.
For Jay and Ellen Carter, the couple who dreamed up the rustic, 19th century-style inn, built it on the old Nashville High School site 14 years ago and ran it since then, the decision was an emotional but satisfying one.
"I'm proud of what we built, and I had fun doing it," Mrs. Carter said last week. "But I'm glad to move to the next phase of my life."
The new owners-Steve and Bibianna Stutsman and Mary Haller-say they have no major changes planned. Since May 21 they have been getting to know the routines and the staff of 65, Mr. Stutsman focusing on the restaurant and banquet room and Mrs. Stutsman on the 23 lodging rooms. Ms. Haller, Mrs. Stutsman's aunt, works as a traveling consultant for an auction company and will be less involved with day-to-day management, the couple said.
They won't alter the intricate landscaping or the historical motif-apparent in the Shaker tables and chairs, the wide pine floorboards and menu items like the "Ada Shulz Salad" and "Fred Rigley's Fried Shrimp," named for the renowned Brown County painters.
"We kind of fell in love with the place," said Mr. Stutsman, a 45-year-old restaurant industry veteran. "When you do that, you might want to fine tune a few things, but not much. It's not broke, so we won't try to fix it."
An Indianapolis native, he and Bibianna first met while working at a Ruby Tuesday in Knoxville, Tennessee. For 10 years, he managed Chapman's Restaurant and Banquet Center in Bloomington. Mrs. Stutsman also worked as a bookkeeper there and they learned they enjoyed working together. When Mr. Stutsman moved to a sales job at wholesale food giant Sysco several years ago, they figured they were finished with the restaurant business.
But that changed last December. The Carters had not publicly sought a buyer, but Mr. Stutsman said Mr. Carter approached him privately to suggest he think about buying the Artists Colony. The two knew each other from when Mr. Carter's former insurance company did business with Chapman's, Mr. Stutsman said.
A friend at the Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau encouraged the Stutsmans to consider it, he said. The couple thought about it over the following months, praying and talking to family members and their pastor. They closed on the sale May 18.
The $3.246 million sale, according to county records, includes the parking lot behind the Van Buren Street inn and the three guest suites in the adjacent Artists Colony Shoppes building. The retail shops in that building are privately owned and are not affected by the sale. The Carters kept ownership of the Colonial Craft Shop inside the inn and will continue to display and sell their collection of historic impressionist paintings, which fill the walls of the restaurant and banquet room.
The Stutsmans said they took out a loan for the purchase and that there were no financial backers besides them and Ms. Haller.
"I believe in the property and I believe in the town. I really think things can continue to grow," Mr. Stutsman said in the empty banquet room last week.
"If we didn't think it had potential, we wouldn't have purchased the property," his wife added. "We did our research, too."
They plan to keep the staff of 65 and add five or 10 more workers, they said. Mr. Stutsman may try a few new menu items once he is familiar with the kitchen.
The parents of two children, they plan to move their family to the county once the rush from the purchase calms down. Mrs. Stutsman, a 40-year-old native of Athens, Tennessee, who was previously director of a childcare center, said local business owners and economic leaders have welcomed them warmly.
"We appreciate that," she said. "It takes some of the stress away to be welcomed like that."
The Carters, too, will have to adjust after leaving the business they have managed since 1992. Mr. Carter will continue to meet old friends for breakfast in the restaurant most weekdays, and Mrs. Carter will continue at the Saturday morning artists' breakfasts, she said.
"It's kind of hard," Mr. Carter said. "It's an emotional thing. But [the new owners] are a good family and it's still a family enterprise."
Howard Hughes, a friend and regular breakfast companion of Mr. Carter, said the couple had been quiet about much of the sale process.
"It's a good deal for Jay," he said. "At their age, they're ready for it. Running something like that takes a lot of energy."
It would be wrong to read too much into the sale as an economic indicator, either optimistic or pessimistic, said Mr. Hughes, the president of the county's Economic Develop-ment Commission.
"It was more timing than anything," he said. "It wasn't motivated by any particular economic expectation or forecast."
Mrs. Carter agreed. "I do believe there's lots of things that need to be invigorated in Brown County," she said. "But we've done fairly well-that's why we were able to sell our business."
She expects to find enough projects to stay busy without the pressures of running a popular restaurant and inn. Meanwhile, the Stutsmans will have the profitable summer and fall months to adjust to the seasonal tourism industry before they confront the lean winter months.
Mr. Stutsman insisted that would be nothing new, saying all restaurants are slower in January and February and that special promotions can help during that time.
"You're always going to have pockets of downtime," he said. "Try something new. Be creative."
"It's not something we plan on turning over in four or five years," he added. "We think Brown County can continue to grow for 20 more years."
© 2025 Brown County Democrat unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.