Seasons Restaurant & Bar closed its doors on South Henry Street for the final time this week.
A sign posted on the door facing Merchants Square thanked customers for 26 years of support, and said the owners will be retiring from the restaurant business to open a bed and breakfast on their farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“I’m tired of the restaurant business. It’s starting to be work to me,” said Geri Rosell, who owned Seasons with her husband, Kurt. “I want a little bit of peace now. I’m looking so forward to being on our farm.”
Seasons Restaurant & Bar has been a staple of Merchants Square since December 1991. Seasons opened on Grand Illumination weekend, and its fate has been tied to Colonial Williamsburg ever since.
“With ticket sales down in Colonial Williamsburg I couldn’t get people off the Square,” Geri Rosell said. “It became increasingly difficult to get my sales up.”
Even as she moves on to the greener pastures of her farm, Geri said she hopes both the community and the nation support Colonial Williamsburg, as she considers Duke of Gloucester Street to be among the most beautiful streets in the world.
“It’s a national treasure in our backyard,” she said. “I loved being a part of Merchants Square and Colonial Williamsburg. I had a blast for years…We used to see teems of people on the street and we need to get back to that.”
Now, the Rosells will trade teeming streets and views of DoG Street for quiet farmland and views of the surrounding mountains at their bed and breakfast, which they hope to open in two months.
“I’ve been all over the world, and when I’m on that property it’s like heaven,” Geri Rosell said. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful view…We’ll combine certain relaxation for us with providing a beautiful atmosphere for people to enjoy.”
The bed and breakfast, named Rosemill Manor, will feature five guest rooms initially, with room to expand. Geri Rosell said the 250-acre property is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and is located about 20 minutes away from Crab Tree Falls. The Wintergreen Ski Resort and a natural bridge are also nearby.
Geri Rosell said she and her husband will still visit Williamsburg often, and she has fond memories of the 26 years she shared with her guests and employees.
“I would like to thank all of them for all the years,” Rosell said. “I provided a service and they had a blast. I loved watching them have so much fun. I will miss that.”
She added, “I thank all of them for their patronage and for keeping me having a great time for so many years.”
