Alexander House Inn & Hostel is a worker-owned co-operative business. Simply put, the members of our collective share the ownership, the responsibilities, and the decision-making.
Meet Kassia, Angel, Lun (front row) and Chris, Kelly, and Sky (back row). We bought the business from Mare Hunter on October 1st, 2009, after a whirlwind 2 months of organizing. With an age range of 22 to 30 we are all young, ambitious, and community-minded. Our vision is to operate out of several locations, each with its own character. Each will provide unique opportunities for travelers to experience the culture and community of Charlottesville, and at least one will provide space for the locals to come together casually or for planned social events. What excites us most is the intersection of the world of travel and the world of rooted community. Each have much to offer the other.
The History of Alexander House
Mare opened Alexander House in 2005, naming the place after her grandmother, Mary Alexander Hunter, who had run a boarding house in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the 1930’s and 40’s (pictured here). It was upscale for the time; Mrs. Hunter and her staff served dinners on linen tablecloths and fine china to people dressed in coats and ties (–a very good example of the type is the Thomas Wolfe House in Asheville, NC. Mr. Wolfe’s mother ran a similar establishment while he was growing up, and the building is maintained as a cultural attraction.) The food and the clientele were good enough to attract non-boarders as well. The guests included traveling salesmen, preachers, and nurses who worked at a hospital a block away.
Mare talks about how she came to open Alexander House:
“My mother, in her 80’s, was in her twilight, and I was leaving an unworkable job situation. Concurrently, the Monticello Road building had just been remodeled. Earlier that year, I had stayed in a Washington, DC hostel – it was horrible!! They were getting $200 a night for 6 people jammed into a shabby room with shabby linen and leaky plumbing. Seeing a challenge, I took up the idea of a hostel for Charlottesville, based on the very accommodating and friendly ones I had visited in Ireland; I named it, with sweet sentiment, for my grandmother. I planned to run the place while I kept myself available to care for my mother. Thanks to the new owners, there are still a few family treasures in the building.
The other karmic influence in Alexander House comes from the previous long-time resident of the building, a colorful character named Terry Marston. He was well-known in the area as an antique dealer, specializing in rare books and some other odd stuff. He lived there for many years with 4 cats; the place, including the annex, was jammed to the rafters with books and collectibles. Terry was wonderful. After he relocated, and seeing the lovely renovation, I thought that the building could be a really sweet inn or a hostel. Situations converged, and so it was.”
