The owner of the Pitcher Inn and Warren Store says he has begun selling off several peripheral properties while planning a longer-term transition for the two cornerstone businesses following recent health challenges.
George Dorsey said the move is part of an effort to streamline operations and reduce costs after years of pandemic-related pressures and shifting workforce needs.
“We have started selling some of the properties that we own in The Valley,” Dorsey said.
Among those listed are a former general manager’s house, (now rented short-term), a residence on German Flats Road and a family-owned condominium used by seasonal staff.
“The things that are not now offered for sale are the Pitcher Inn and the Warren Store,” he said. “That’s not to say that they won’t be at some time.”
Dorsey, 76, said a diagnosis of heart failure in December prompted a reassessment of long-term plans. He underwent surgery at Johns Hopkins.
“I had a diagnosis of heart failure in early December,” he said. “I had an operation at John Hopkins in early December. According to the doctor, it was extraordinarily successful.”
He added, “That’s a wake-up call for me that I need to find a smooth transition first and foremost for my family, secondly for the workers at the inn, and lastly, the community.”
Rather than an immediate sale, Dorsey said the focus is on stabilizing finances and operations.
“What we’ve been trying to do is to get the expenses of those properties right-sized,” he said.
That includes eliminating a traditional general manager role in favor of a three-person leadership team.
“We’re going to change over to a model where you don’t have a higher up and then a higher up,” he said. “We’ve identified three people … and so those three are managing the Warren Store and the Pitcher Inn.”
Housing needs have also declined as more local employees join the workforce.
“We don’t anticipate the same requirement for housing, and as a consequence, we’re shedding that expense,” Dorsey said.
The transition comes alongside staffing changes, including the retirement of longtime chef Jacob Ennis and a veteran server.
“We wish both of them well,” Dorsey said.
Looking ahead, Dorsey outlined a potential partnership with Johns Hopkins aimed at increasing occupancy through recurring group bookings.
“We’ve proposed a contribution that goes something like this,” he said. “They will rent the inn for whole inn buyouts, a whole inn monthly for four days.”
He said the arrangement could bring institutional groups and donors to the Mad River Valley.
“That’s a win for Warren,” Dorsey said. “These would be high-quality people who would show up … and we have our fingers crossed that we’ll do a good job and as a consequence, they’ll be back.”
Dorsey said similar partnerships could follow.
“We’ll reach out to a similar organization where we could make a charitable gift and it would be a win-win,” he said.
Despite the changes, he emphasized that any future sale of the inn or store would be carefully timed.
“If somebody walks in tomorrow and says, I want to buy it, we’d certainly talk to them,” he said. “But … it will be in some time.”
