Stay in the heart of beautiful downtown Mt. Vernon, just next door to the historic public square in Ohio's only Antique store Airbnb, complete with authentic and operable antiques. From a 1920s typewriter to a 1930s Motorola tube radio, if you love antiques you will love our Airbnb. The apartment is located in a historic 1800s building built for widows of Civil War soldiers, featuring stunning furniture and accessories of the era to match.
This is Ohio's only Airbnb turned antique store, with authentic and operable antiques everywhere you look. With its turn of the century charm, The McKinley Building has graced the backside of Mt. Vernon's town square for over a century! By staying in our historic apartment suite, you will have the opportunity to learn about the history of Mt. Vernon, greater Knox County and central Ohio while supporting the ongoing renovation of this ~150 year old building by a local family who has had roots in the area since the early 1900s.
The apartment is on the third floor of a 3 story, very old building. Please note there are only stairs to access the apartment, so be prepared for a little exercise (you can skip the gym after staying a few days here:))
There is a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, patio, dining room and living room, as well as access to a shared laundry room in the basement. The living room and dining room are quite large, while the bedroom is quite small, and fits a full bed.
*Please note that if you are booking for 3 guests, the third guest will have to sleep on an air mattress in the living room since the air mattress will not fit in the bedroom. It is not suitable for light sleepers, as the living room is next to the street (you can hear occasional street traffic late at night) and there are many windows (approximately 8 windows between the living and dining room!) and therefore a lot of light gets in. We do not recommend children nor light sleepers sleeping in the living room for this reason. That being said, our place is ideal for 1 or 2 guests and the bedroom is perfectly secluded, with black out curtains if needed.
Other notes:
Our antiques are wonderful, however not all are new or in operational order (they're antiques after all!). Some are over 150 years old! Please handle with utmost caution and delicate care. You’re invited to peruse our library - but please be mindful of that antique books can easily tear pages or binding.
If you can fix or refurbish typewriters or tube TVs, please message us so we can work out a very enticing deal (if you can repair one of our antiques we will give you a free stay!). Also if you have a unique antique item you'd like to donate, we can also work out a discounted rate. Feel free to message us with other ideas or recommendations as well - our main goal is getting this building back its 1800s elegance and it takes a lot of hard work to do so :)
If you are interested in purchasing any antiques, just inquire via messaging us. Only some items are for sale and we are in the process of labelling them.
Guest access:
You will have access to a private 1 bedroom apartment, including a large dining room and living room, kitchen, patio and bathroom. The apartment building has 5 other units, which are home to other tenants. If anyone asks you, you can say you are a guest staying in Apartment 5. That's it!
The only shared space is the laundry room, in case you wish to do any laundry during your stay. Note: The dryer takes $1 in quarters to do a load.
Other things to note:
Our beautiful building is undergoing a significant historic renovation. Due to historic program requirements, it's an ongoing process and our rates are discounted to reflect that. The apartment is lovely and complete as pictures show, including brand new appliances and beautiful decor and furniture - but we still have a lot of work to do to the building, including painting the hallway and stairwell (which include an 1800s dumbwaiter!) and redoing the basement and facade. The renovation work won't be a bother at all (we try to do the major work on days there are no guests), but we discount the price regardless. We hope you enjoy our very unique building and historic neighborhood on the back of the public square of Mt. Vernon (founded in 1805!).
*Please note that our furniture is authentically antique and in immaculate condition for its age. Please note that the seating is for seating purposes only - if you have children please do not allow them to climb or jump on the furniture, please keep pets off the furniture and no eating or drinking while using the living room furniture. Any damages will be extremely costly (reupholstering an antique chair can cost over $1,000) and guests should note that claims will be filed if damages are found. So please take care of our beautiful home as you step back in time to appreciate another era in history.
**Guests MUST include all guests staying in the apartment in their reservation. No surprise guests are allowed without first discussing with the host and changing the reservation. Our apartment is a small 1 bedroom and is not meant to accommodate more than 3 people, all of whom should be accounted for on the reservation. Also, the full bed sleeps 2 comfortably, and we have an air mattress available if needed for a third guest, however please note this in your reservation so we can discuss it. The air mattress will not fit in the bedroom and therefore will be in the living room, which means that a light sleeper will not sleep well (due to the light from the many windows and street traffic/noise).
