05/25/2026
We are thrilled to announce that The Ravenswood Inn Bed & Breakfast is a recipient of the Amex Shop Small Grants Program, thanks to American Express and Main Street America! We are one of 505 small businesses nationwide to each receive $20,000 grants. The intent of the grants is to help business grow, innovate, and support our local communities.
We are proud to be part of an amazing community. Thank you to all of the great guests we have had the pleasure of hosting over the past eight years, and to the local folks who have attended any of our events, referred their family and friends to us, and have spread the word about what we are doing here. We also want to thank my parents, Eldon and Ruth Shingleton, for having the vision for what this house could be and all the many, many hours of labor they put in to making this house what it is today. As my dad would say "My lands!" And, of course, we wouldn't be here without the support and guidance we have received from City of Ravenswood WV, and the Ravenswood Board of Parks & Recreation.
We wouldn't have even known about this grant opportunity if it weren't for Downtown Ravenswood Partners. Molly spread the word about the grant and Steve jumped right on it. If you have been in downtown Ravenswood lately, you can see what an impact this program, Molly, many volunteers, and the other small business have made in just a couple years. We, as a town, can go no way but up!!
This house itself is part of the history of Ravenswood, and we take it as both a gift and a responsibility to be its caretakers. We appreciate the support from American Express Small Business Shop Small funding to help us carry out this dream of ours ❤️ It has been a blast!
You may have noticed Steve and Jeremy on the roof many times over the past few years, patching holes to try to get as much time out of our current roof. What you haven't seen is them climbing into the attic to place buckets under dripping areas, or their concern over maintaining the integrity of the ceilings and walls and preventing damage to the floors and furnishings. The Inn has been overdue for a new roof, and as other small business owners know too well, the biggest projects so often get put on the back burner while we just make ends meet. So, a $20,000 dollar roof has seemed like something out of our reach. We couldn't believe it when we found out about the grant. We applied, thinking we would never receive the award, so we were shocked to receive the news.
This house itself is part of the history of Ravenswood, and we take it as both a gift and a responsibility to be its caretakers. We appreciate the support from American Express Small Business Shop Small funding to help us carry out this dream of ours ❤️ It has been a blast!
