Homer's Grist Mill soon to be a Bed and Breakfast

by Kim Curtis

John and Alice Blakemore have owned Homer's Historic Grist Mill for six years now and have transformed it into a restaurant and cocktail lounge along with a banquet room for parties, showers and wedding receptions. The struggle to get the restaurant open and able to serve alcohol beverages was a tedious two and a half year battle with a lot of hard work and long hours involved. Now with the restaurant completed, the Blakemore's want to start working on making the mill a bed and breakfast on the second floor and incorporate an ice cream shop in the small brick building located next to the mill.

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"This will be such a big project for us and sometimes we work 18 or 19 hours a day to keep the business going each day. We'd thought we would be pretty well set after five years, but adding more to our business to make it better is what we want to do, despite the endless hours of hard work," said Alice Blakemore.

The Bed and Breakfast will have eight to 10 rooms on the second floor with the Blakemores moving their living quarters to the third floor. When everything is completed, the Blakemores will have a business for each season, with some overlapping.

The historic mill used to be a dinner theatre in the 70s and 80s with the actors staying on the second floor of the mill. People from all over would come to see the outstanding productions that were put on.

In the spring, John Blakemore delivers big ball and burlap trees from Blake's Tree service and take them to customers and businesses as well. As part of hosting wedding receptions at the mill, Alice also creates wedding cakes and designs floral wedding bouquets along with the decoration of the banquet hall.

"When we purchased the mill, the outside foundation was in serious disrepair and had not been taken care of properly. The mill was built about 1887 by Cartright Milling Company with each part or room being built separately. The mill is a turbine driven mill that was 15 feet under the base and it was operated by wooden pulleys.

Where the warehouse room for the mill used to be is now the Blakemore's cocktail lounge where a live DJ performs Friday and Saturday nights. The hours of the restaurant are: Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For brunch, customers can choose from quiches, pot roast, fried chicken, Hawaiian ham, chicken and dumplings, baked macaroni and cheese, pastries, pie and assorted beverages. The regular menu items include: appetizers, sandwiches, Mexican dishes, pasta, steaks, seafood, side dishes, a children's menu, a lunch menu and desserts. Stop in today at the Grist Mill in Homer for a bit of history along with a meal and Blakemore's excellent customer service.

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The new Homer Mill information is as follows:

"Located in the village of Homer, The Homer Mill Extreme Haunted House rivals any other professional haunted house in the Country. To push the this attraction over the top, it is also home to a haunted themed restaurant & bar, with live entertainment. This unique and uncanny combination promises something for every thrill seeker. So relax as you are among friends and fiends. Don't forget the restaurant and bar are open all year long, so make sure you check out the Restaurant and Spirits"

517-568-7295