MOUNT POCONO, Pa. -- Tom Ford and his wife are turning their Center Avenue home in Mount Pocono into a bed and breakfast.
It is the first of its kind here in Mount Pocono.
Borough leaders recently approved an ordinance allowing folks who meet certain requirements to use their homes as bed and breakfasts and the Fords are the first to be approved.
"We think it's great to be the first B&B in Mount Pocono in the modern era, a lot of people don't realize it but Mount Pocono was actually built on B&B's, it was the number one business in this borough. Right now there aren't any so hopefully we are paving the way!" said Tom Ford.
The Fords plan to use the money they earn from guests to pay their taxes.
They also say they plan to direct them to local businesses, like restaurants, recreational areas and shops.
"They spend the money in the local businesses. Their number one expense item is local restaurants and B&B guests prefer locally owned restaurants to chain restaurants,” said Ford.
Borough officials say there were initial concerns about allowing residential B&B's, like increased traffic and parking, but people Newswatch 16 spoke with call it a great idea.
"You're bringing people that are going to support our local businesses. They're coming here to get a little local flavor, see that we do here in the Poconos,” said Ken Hart of Mount Pocono.
The Fords have 3 bedrooms for guests, with room for two people in each room.
They say they've worked long and hard to get their home ready.
"We wanted to have pieces in the home that you would typically find in a 1940's home,” he said.
Tom Ford and his wife have full-time jobs but say they may transition to running the bed and breakfast full-time when they retire.
They already have guests booked for the end of April.