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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

HELENA – A business venture that began much like a rolling snowball is about to reach the completion of its next phase in Helena in the coming months. For its creator it has been an adventure she did not see coming.

Jordan Hosey, a real estate broker and previous longtime Helena resident, is looking to complete the construction of the Buck Creek Bed-and-Breakfast and its facilities this coming October. It is the natural evolution of a business plan that began with a single short-term rental she opened in February 2021.

That single short-term rental quickly grew and, to her own surprise, would expand into a local enterprise that soon constituted nine short-term rental homes in the city of Helena. This growth was spurred first-and-foremost by the intense demand from customers as they sought to secure the rental spaces.

“We acquired properties that were in distress, we remodeled them, repurposed them (and we) brought up the presentation and the values of those houses,” Hosey said. “To our surprise, we were able to show the demand (for short-term rentals).

Soon, with an ever-expansive demand and newly imposed city regulations taken into account, Hosey made the decision to pivot her short-term rental presence into an establishment embodying her think-outside-the-box philosophy.

“I never dreamed of being a hotelier in my lifetime,” Hosey said. “I’m just a real estate broker, I have my own brokerage because everyone kept telling me, ‘You think outside the box.’ So that’s actually our tagline.”

It was to be a hybrid of two concepts, a combination of the short-term rental and tourism ideology of an Airbnb mixed with the offerings of a hotel service. It was to be an establishment that was entirely new to Helena, which it, in its nearly 150 years of existence, had yet to see.

“I initially developed the whole idea, and I said, ‘Hey there’s an opportunity here to build something, to cater to all these needs,’” Hosey said. “And (I) thought maybe I can get out of neighborhoods and actually build a building that’s sole purpose is to solve the problem of having the lack of lodging or short-term housing in the city of Helena.”

Once settled on the approach, Hosey set out on the search for the location of her project. It had to be large enough to accommodate the size of the building, but also welcoming and nearby to Old Town Helena. That search would end with great success.

“It sits on the creek and it’s in the middle of Old Town (Helena) so it has the walkability factor to it,” Hosey said. “It’s a very special project. It’s in the heart of old town, it sits right on top of the waterfall where our travelers can basically park their car and not have to drive again.”

Its placement makes the surrounding venues and businesses in Old Town Helena easily accessible by foot, with Hosey making specific mention of Daysol Coffee, Oh My Sole, The Depot Deli and Grill, Goodfellas Social Club, The Petal Cart/Sweets and The Steakhouse of Helena as all are perfectly within reach.

“The location was a diamond in the rough for us,” Hosey said. “We found it, (it was) the last deserted site that no one was really paying attention to. I looked at it from outside the box, I looked at it as actually the perfect place for what I’m trying to create, it overlooks the water. We ended up incorporating a lot of rest and relaxation options within the property. There’s going to be a beautiful hot tub spa for water therapy, (and) we’re going to have a deck that overlooks the creek where you have the options to grill out or do yoga at sunset. (We are) just really encompassing a lot of the neat features that old town has to offer.”

As one of the youngest real estate developers in the state of Alabama, Hosey has partnered with John Mancha, owner of Mancha Hardscapes and co-founder of Mancha Construction Partners LLC, and Daniel Statum, also co-founder of Mancha Construction Partners LLC, to make the dream a physical reality.

With every step forward, Hosey has utilized her ambition and vision to turn each and every point of adversity into a welcoming opportunity. With the Buck Creek Bed-and-Breakfast, she has created not only an opportunity for herself, but one that can be enjoyed by those seeking to visit Helena and one that brings new eyes and customers to the city’s staple establishments.

Built from the ground up, the Buck Creek Bed-and-Breakfast is expected to open for business this coming October, but this date could change provided unforeseen developments. Regardless of when the grand opening occurs, the promise of a unique experience that is the first of its kind for Helena is yet another local success story.