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V o l . X X I N o. I Ja N ua r y 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 20 T he ink was barely dry after Travis Ferland signed the papers to officially become the new owner of e Rangeley Inn & Tavern in August 2013, when a painting crew arrived to begin putting a fresh coat of sky-blue paint over the inn's exterior shingles. "I wanted to demonstrate to people something was going to happen here, and to do it before the Labor Day weekend," he says, noting that prior to that first- day facelift the inn's exterior siding had been painted in at least five different hues of greyish-blue. "I wanted it to be one shade, a lighter blue. I really wanted it to look like the inn was coming back to life." His careful renovations retain the inn's historic ambience while also meeting the expectations of modern-day visitors. ey also help solidify the inn as an anchor of Rangeley's tourism economy. Located at 2443 Main St. since its opening in 1909 as e Rangeley Tavern, the inn is within easy walking distance of restaurants, a movie theater, an espresso-and-gelato shop and several gift shops. Ferland submitted the winning $800,000 bid for the historic 51-room inn in July 2013, in a foreclosure auc- tion ordered by Zion's First National Bank, the Utah- based lender that had financed the 2004 sale of the property to C.G. and D.G. Development LLC. After the former innkeepers Jean-Charles and Dominique Goude closed the inn for several months in 2012, the inn's future became a topic of local concern. e fears were hardly allayed when the inn reopened in January 2013 under Nationwide Asset Management Group, a firm specializing in court-appointed receivership of distressed commercial and hospitality properties. Portland-based Tranzon Auction Properties handled the auction. Other than the bank, Ferland says, he was the only bidder. "It was pretty serendipitous," Ferland says, noting that after working in New York City for several years he was eager to return to Maine. He knew exactly what he'd be getting into, noting that his parents had purchased "a fairly run-down property" on Shore Road in Ogunquit in 1984 and over the next two decades transformed it into the Pink Blossom Resorts. (ey retired and sold the property in 2008.) "I grew up watching the transformation of some- thing that needed it and seeing it become wildly successful," Ferland says. "I was also fortunate when I was younger to travel a lot with my parents and being able to see what works well and what doesn't. I'm bringing some of the key values I learned from my parents to this project." Ferland's mother Pamela has been an invaluable adviser, both during his due diligence prior to the fore- closure auction and after the purchase, when she helped him determine which furniture should be kept and which should be set aside for a yard sale. From last fall until this March, the initial interior renovations focused on meeting fire safety codes, including investment in a sprinkler system and outside escape stairways. Guest suites were expanded, sometimes combin- ing two rooms to make one larger guest room, which reduced the total rooms from 51 to 30. Remodeled guest rooms have new flat-screen televisions and mattresses, combined with historic touches like wood floors and refurbished desk chairs. Turn-of- the-century photographs retrieved by his mother from the inn's attic now adorn many of the walls. One guest room became a "honeymoon suite," com- plete with a Jacuzzi-style bath tub and an impressive view of nearby Haley Pond and distant mountains. "We're trying to be more of a 'boutique' property that retains the historic nature of this place but also meets modern standards," he says. p h o t o / Ja M e s M C C a r t h y TLC for a legacy inn the Rangeley inn & tavern comes back to life under new owner B y J a m e s m c c a r t h y F O C U S Travis Ferland, owner of the Rangeley Inn & Tavern, has focused his second year of ownership on group tours and international tourists, adding to the traditional base of outdoor enthusiasts. Downtown businesses are happy the inn has come back to life. Rangeley inn & tavern 2443 Main St., Rangeley Founded: 1860. Current building opened in May 1909 Owner: Travis Ferland Sales/marketing manager: Jennifer Farmer Purchase price: $800,000 at July 2013 foreclosure auction Employees: 18 Contact: 864-3341 www.therangeleyinn.com

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