Dillons open new B&B in downtown Mullins

It may not seem like a good time to open a new business, but Connie and Kevin Dillon are putting their money on their home -- a home to be shared with others as a bed and breakfast.
The Dillons, most recently of North Myrtle Beach and formerly of Jupiter, Fla., have owned the gracious Mullins home on Main Street for a year. Connie, who has been a nurse for most her life, says she is used to serving people and looking forward to the experience of sharing her home and taking care of her guests.
Kevin, who continues to work in North Myrtle Beach and make the hour commute to and fro, has served as a boat captain on sport fishing yachts. For longer runs, Connie said, she signed on as a mate, catering and serving meals.
Connie said she and Kevin were looking to doing something in retirement and the idea of a bed and breakfast tinkled their fancy. She said she believes they can offer competitive rates on overnight stays to visitors in the area.
The newly opened bed and breakfast, The Gateway, had its debut to the community in early September when the Dillons played host to a ribbon cutting. The home and lawn were welcoming for the 100 or more guests who wandered the property. The couple has worked hard o n the property, putting a wrought iron fence across the front of the yard, reminiscent of one that offered a boundary to the sidewalk in earlier years.
The home’s front veranda and columns were added in the 1940s during a renovation to the old Victorian farmhouse, built in the style of the day at the turn of the century. The “new” look gives the home the feel of a Georgian Colonial, Connie said.
Connie, who has carefully and distinctly decorated the home herself, building on what she said was a well-maintained property, said she isn't sure which former owner is responsible for the hand-paintings on The Gateway's hall floor, but it is a touch she is content to keep.
“It’s sort of scary, but you just have to get out there and go for it,” Connie said about going into business for yourself. Nearly anytime is as good as another, she said.
Connie does her gardening and lawn care herself, saving she loves to keep up the lawns. She has worked in her rose garden, planted bedding flowers and is looking forward to putting in a fountain in the rear garden. She’s also looking forward to a lighted archway to be placed at the entry walk from Main Street.
Inside, Dillon updated the look of the home, at 313 North Main Street, bringing things she and Kevin have collected over the years, including a set of old columns that serve as sentries at the opening to a sunroom. She also chose the colors of the room and painted them herself.
Connie has created a couple of strategic and well-placed reading areas, showcasing her books, all of which she’s read, she said, and is offering “luxurious” touches to pamper guests – not to mention the breakfasts she is planning to serve.
Connie said she is gaining weight sampling her fare, from German pancakes to other well-presented dishes and is enjoying the testing of her cooking.
“Perhaps we can host ‘animated bridge parties,’ which I’m told were a thing for one of the former owners,” she said. At any rate, the Dillons are planning to offer their business for receptions and dinners and other events.
Connie said she loves the welcome the community has given her and her husband and that she is enjoying getting to know the folks in the area. She also said she enjoys the “Gone With the Wind” feel of the place, a movie, by the way, which has only recently watched.
“The house has a good energy about it … welcoming … we want to offer our house, our hospitality for a good experience, a good stay,” she said.
With the couple’s English bulldog, Sir Cernach, tucked away if guests are dog-shy, the home is easily divided between the guests and their master’s quarters, she explained.