Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/109083
THOUGHT LEADER INSIGHT Karp hosts an exclusive winemaker dinner at the inn during the Nantucket Wine Festival in May. It's always a closely held secret as to who the winemaker will be—even Karp doesn't know until the week before. island's first think-tank conference, The Nantucket Project. In 2000, The Wauwinet became part of the Relais & Chateaux family, which affiliates with resorts known for their top-notch dining and wine programs. BOSTON COMMON: How did you start The Wauwinet? What was the property before you bought it? Jill Karp: As The Wauwinet House, it was more like a dorm, with cot-style beds and bathrooms down the hall. The early small cabins in Wauwinet Village often were built without kitchens, and villagers would have their meals at the inn. My husband, Steve, and I got involved in The Wauwinet when we spoke to a Nantucket town realtor. I was considering opening a small store on Main Street, but the broker instead took us out to Wauwinet. It caught my imagination. The property had been closed for two years when we saw it and was in terrible disrepair. But Stephen loved the location, and the challenge of bringing the inn back to life appealed to him, so we bought it. We have never regretted it for even a day. BC: You sourced the furnishings from all over the world yourself, didn't you? JK: I wanted this inn to be what a guest would not expect, but would be delighted by upon first visit. I hired my friend Martin Kuckly, a designer from New York, to help me. I decided to forgo the typical nautical, beachy items and instead have a casual style, grounded but light and airy. None of the rooms had closets, so we needed wardrobes in each—we hunted down more than 30 of them! The restaurant had many names suggested to us, from The Sand Crab to The Beach Rest, but we decided to name it Topper's after our Welsh Terrier. AS THE WAUWINET TURNS 25, OWNER JILL KARP HONORS ITS BC: Has your role at the inn allowed you to become PAST AND THE PASSION FOR COMMUNITY THAT CONNECTS more involved in the island's concerns and HER TO THE ISLAND. BY JANICE O'LEARY charities? JK: Steve and I love this place and have become attached to the people who live here in all seasons. I'm ill Karp and her husband, Stephen, bought their first hotel on involved with The Nantucket Comedy Festival, and this year I'm working Nantucket back in 1986. From there, the love affair grew. The more with the high school to promote comedic writing and performance through time they devoted to The Wauwinet, the more devoted to the island our Stand Up and Learn program. But the most important cause that we are they became. Karp began working with the Nantucket Book Festival last involved in is the Nantucket Cottage Hospital. It has been an important summer (she is an avid reader), has worked with the Nantucket Film institution for our island friends and families, our staff, and our own family. Festival for more than a decade, and three years ago helped found the 120 Wauwinet Road, Nantucket, 508-228-0145; wauwinet.com BC an inn-sider's nantucket J 54 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ALLEN (KARP), COURTESY OF NANTUCKET ISLAND RESORTS (WAUWINET) Jill Karp wanted The Wauwinet's style to be casual, light, and airy. The Wauwinet released its own label of barrel-aged whiskey to celebrate 25 years. BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 054_BC_SP_TL_Karp_Spring13.indd 54 2/12/13 11:48 AM