Good Place Farms Rise from Ashes
Donation protected
April 9, 2016 at 11pm a devastating fire claimed the historical Good Place Farms bed and breakfast in Lexington Virginia. It was also my personal home and had my entire life's belongings in it. What I have realized in all of this is just how blessed I am even though the things I cherished most were destroyed and cannot be replaced. There were no injuries or lives lost and that is more precious than anything else. We loved sharing the farm with families and groups of friends and were hosting a family of 40 wedding guests at the time of the fire. A 10 year old boy that lives on my farm and helps me everyday with feeding animals and checking in guests, smelled the smoke and noticed the fire. He alerted the guests and woke some of them up from sleeping to evacuate the rapidly burning structure. He is a true selfless hero.
I arrived from picking up groceries for the guests' breakfast moments after the fire had started and fought the blaze with a garden hose until the hose burned in two and the fire was too hot to fight any longer. It was crazy, maybe, but with the countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears that my family and I poured into this wonderful place, I just didn't want to let it go. It was a Barn built in the 1850's that was converted into private home and then later into a bed and breakfast known as "Good Place" so that we could share it with everyone.
We have worked on the property since 2010 and were within about 3 months of completion. I took on this project when I left the NYC lifestyle of being a photographer and owning a model management agency as a place for family to come together and heal when my sister was diagnosed with cancer. I had a counselor from my church who knew that I was in a dark place in my life, just ending a marriage engagement and the transition from NYC to Lexington Virginia, and he told me to find an old house and work on it with my hands.
When I first stepped foot on the farm six years ago and saw the history and the views, I knew this was the perfect place for me - in spite of all the improvements it needed. I asked the owner, who was a sweet elderly lady, to owner finance it for me until I proved myself to the bank as they said they couldn't give me the loan due to my age. She asked me to meet her for lunch at Applebees, and after hearing my vision, she accepted my offer. Her father had hand-built this place and she felt I would put as much love into it as he did. God has used this place in so many ways I cannot even explain.
We used any money that was made in profits to improve the Bed and Breakfast as no bank would give me a loan to make dreams of my vision a reality. I was 26 years old, so I don't blame them. Since that time, my family and I have put everything we made back into the property so that it would be brought to its full potential. Seeing it all laying there in a pile of charred ashes and burnt stones breaks our hearts.
In 2013 a local bank gave me my loan.
I have learned through this tradgedy that I am a blessed man with many friends and family all over the world. I have been touched by the many people wanting to help or come out to rebuild. Believe me that I have faith that even though I was so close to having this old barn done, God's plan is always greater than my own. He's Still Working on Me.
I am humbled to be sharing this story with you and I am asking for your help to rebuild a life, not just a barn.
Justin Peery
Good Place Farms
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/fire-destroys-good-place-farms-bed-and-breakfast-in-lexington/38956452
http://wset.com/news/local/red-cross-bed-and-breakfast-fire-displaces-over-30-people-in-lexington
I arrived from picking up groceries for the guests' breakfast moments after the fire had started and fought the blaze with a garden hose until the hose burned in two and the fire was too hot to fight any longer. It was crazy, maybe, but with the countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears that my family and I poured into this wonderful place, I just didn't want to let it go. It was a Barn built in the 1850's that was converted into private home and then later into a bed and breakfast known as "Good Place" so that we could share it with everyone.
We have worked on the property since 2010 and were within about 3 months of completion. I took on this project when I left the NYC lifestyle of being a photographer and owning a model management agency as a place for family to come together and heal when my sister was diagnosed with cancer. I had a counselor from my church who knew that I was in a dark place in my life, just ending a marriage engagement and the transition from NYC to Lexington Virginia, and he told me to find an old house and work on it with my hands.
When I first stepped foot on the farm six years ago and saw the history and the views, I knew this was the perfect place for me - in spite of all the improvements it needed. I asked the owner, who was a sweet elderly lady, to owner finance it for me until I proved myself to the bank as they said they couldn't give me the loan due to my age. She asked me to meet her for lunch at Applebees, and after hearing my vision, she accepted my offer. Her father had hand-built this place and she felt I would put as much love into it as he did. God has used this place in so many ways I cannot even explain.
We used any money that was made in profits to improve the Bed and Breakfast as no bank would give me a loan to make dreams of my vision a reality. I was 26 years old, so I don't blame them. Since that time, my family and I have put everything we made back into the property so that it would be brought to its full potential. Seeing it all laying there in a pile of charred ashes and burnt stones breaks our hearts.
In 2013 a local bank gave me my loan.
I have learned through this tradgedy that I am a blessed man with many friends and family all over the world. I have been touched by the many people wanting to help or come out to rebuild. Believe me that I have faith that even though I was so close to having this old barn done, God's plan is always greater than my own. He's Still Working on Me.
I am humbled to be sharing this story with you and I am asking for your help to rebuild a life, not just a barn.
Justin Peery
Good Place Farms
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/fire-destroys-good-place-farms-bed-and-breakfast-in-lexington/38956452
http://wset.com/news/local/red-cross-bed-and-breakfast-fire-displaces-over-30-people-in-lexington
Organizer
Justin Peery
Organizer
Lexington, VA
