Marie Milton, owner and founder of Three Stories Inn, opened her cozy, novel-themed inn in the heart of St. Augustine’s historic district to provide comfort and adventure to any who walk through the doors.
Tell me about yourself and your background.
I’ve been a nurse for about 25 years. I’m a mother to two sons (20 and 21), and I’ve lived in Ponte Vedra since 2009. I went into wanting to have my own inn about 20 years in as a nurse, which really came about after I was impacted as my mom’s caregiver. My mom battled stage four stomach cancer for eight years, and I was her sole caregiver. We lost her in 2015. Being my mom’s caregiver pushed me out of the loop of full-time nursing, so after my mom passed I thought, “Let me try to make the most of my time.” After something like that, you learn a lot about time, and how much you value your time.
How did this inspire you to open your own inn?
My life was forever changed after caring for my widowed late mother. I thought, “You know what? I’m going to spend time with my kids now that I have the time after caring for my mother.” I thought about how I could make the most out of the money I got from my mom and decided to invest it in a property. I climbed up from doing the Airbnbs and also doing events within the Airbnbs until I was able to gather enough money and credit. It wasn’t until about three years after I started investing in properties that I was able to purchase the Three Stories Inn. I just fell in love with the whole hospitality realm of people that wanted to travel.
Why did you choose St. Augustine for the Three Stories Inn?
I knew I wanted to pick something that was unique, number one, and I knew it had to be in the historic area because it’s well-known for vacation rental situations. I picked this location in particular because I didn’t want to disturb the residents, and I wanted to respect the history of St. Augustine, plus this was already a commercial property. Number two, it’s also a historic building. It’s the house where President Jefferson’s great-granddaughter, Maria Jefferson, lived back in the day. She was part of the Daughters of the Revolution. I went to eat at the previous restaurant that was on the property called Preserve, and I was just curious about the building. When I found out the building was for sale, I jumped on it quickly because I knew I wanted a place where I could be more engaged with guests.
How has the community reacted to the Three Stories Inn?
The community fell in love. I partnered with the other small businesses in town, specifically event planners and wedding venues. We invited them over to check the place out because we felt it’s just great for romance, but then we found it’s a great place for brides and bridal parties, too. We’ve had a very wonderful response from the community.
What would you say is your favorite part about what you do?
There are so many things I love about it. I love how it’s very present. I’m always engaged with guests coming in. People like to share things, it makes them so happy. We like to provide just, positivity and a warm and welcoming visit. I love being able to provide (every pun intended) this novel approach. The most exciting thing, too, is that the creativity is endless. It’s endless, all we can do for our guests.
