By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV
If you’ve ever dreamed of staying in a log cabin built by Mark Bowe and his Barnwood Builders, hold onto your pickle jars. Your dream is about to become a reality.
“We just turned in the paperwork today,” says Bowe with an excitement in his voice. “We’re building our own Airbnbs behind the shop!”
Bowe owns two business sites in White Sulphur. “The boneyard” is located outside of town on Route 92. It houses their logs and serves as a construction site. “We love our fans, but we have to work at the boneyard so we can’t have people running around everywhere,” he says. “Having the store allows the fans to put their hands on the materials they see on TV and share in what we do. Plus, people love our crew gear.”
Bowe opened the Barnwood Living storefront in downtown White Sulphur Springs in February 2017. It’s located at 574 West Main Street.
“We get at least 500 people from out of state that come to the store every month,” Bowe reports. “Which is just crazy to think about. We picked White Sulphur for the boneyard years ago because my wife’s pawpaw lived over there. She was a school teacher, and I was doing barns. We watched the twin towers fall and made a decision to move to our happy place. We bought a piece of land and one thing led to another. It wasn’t a strategic move; it was a move from the heart. I’m near a trout stream and a national forest and see bald eagles everyday.”
The mayor of White Sulphur, Bruce Bowling, is excited for this new venture. “His progressive mentality brings a breath of fresh air to our community. Our outdoor activities will get a boost from these cabin sales. Thanks a bunch, Mark!”
Hundreds of people come to visit Bowe every single month. And soon, they will be able to stay in a Barnwood Builders vacation rental. “They’ll get to see us build the Airbnb cabins this season on the show,” Bowe says.
Season 15 of Barnwood Builders premiers on Thursday, February 23, at 9pm on the Magnolia Network. Tune in for details.
