Shelby home transformed into historic inn

One of the area's oldest local houses has been carefully restored and transformed into a charming inn just a short walk from uptown Shelby.

Located on the tree-lined West Marion Street, The Opal and West House is open and ready to welcome guests to its beautifully restored and modernized rooms.

The former Webb home, built around 1860 by prominent Shelby merchant D.C. Webb, was purchased by Heather and Seth Stevens around two years ago with plans to turn it into an inn. The house had been in the Webb family for nearly 75 years and was also the former Lutz-Austell Funeral Home.

The inn boasts seven ensuite rooms that comfortably sleeps 16 people, daily house-made breakfast, afternoon cocktail hour, a drip coffee station in the lobby and the enjoyment of common areas that include a dining room, lobby, library, patio and porches.

According to the website, every room has a sound machine, Nespresso machine, a 55" flat screen TV with streaming, double vanities, a walk in shower with rainfall shower head, toiletries, luxury towels, robes and more.

The Historic Shelby Foundation held a preservation celebration at the Opal and West House and the Red Door Chapel, located beside the inn and also owned by the Stevens, last week. Guests were able to walk through the house on a self-guided tour and then heard a presentation at the Red Door Chapel on the historic preservation process.

Zach Dressel, Historic Shelby Foundation board member, said Webb was one of the most influential families in Shelby at the time and said all 11 of the Webb children were born in the house.

He said Heather and Seth Stevens brought back the original charm of the house.

"I really think it's such a tremendous example of a legacy being preserved and maintaining the historical integrity of one of Shelby's oldest homes," he said.

Dressel said it is part of a larger movement happening around Shelby of restoring historic properties, including the Hotel Charles and Webbley mansion.

"There's so many great projects going on," he said.

The Stevens family bought the Webb house in 2022 and began plans to restore and repair the house, working with preservation agencies at the state and national level.

"We were thrilled to be able to get it," Seth Stevens said. "It's an 1860s home built by really prominent family back then who lived in it for two generations."

Seth Stevens said it is a family-run business and their daughter, Lynsie Stevens, is the inn keeper.

He said they are continuing the Stevens' tradition of taking structures and turning them into hospitality properties, such as what they have done with Spinning Leaf and the next door Red Door Chapel, which is a historic wedding venue.

"We're really focused on creating really unique experiences," he said.

The inn is in the ideal location, a short walk from the Foothills Farmers Market, Rail Trail Boardwalk, uptown restaurants and shopping and the Carolina Harmony Trail.

Seth Stevens said they want people to feel comfortable and at home and give guests the opportunity to learn and explore all that Shelby has to offer.

He said it was a slightly more than two-year process from the time they bought the house to the time they finished construction. He said they spent a good deal of time working with the National Park Service and North Carolina State Preservation Office to ensure the building was properly restored and preserved.

"We submitted our plans to them and waited about six months, this included not only construction plans but also finishes," Seth Stevens said. "They had no complaints and no edits."

He said once they had the stamp of approval, construction began in December 2022.

"It was in terrible shape when got the house. We really modernized 100% of everything," he said.

Stevens said they put in air conditioning, heat, highspeed internet, all new electrical, plumbing, fully insulated the house and added soundproofing between rooms.

"The process is pretty intense," he said. "A lot of its mirroring the old and the new in a way that the park service and state office can be proud of."

He said Opal and West fully complies with both state and federal preservation standards.

Seth Stevens said the name Opal and West has special significance to his family. His grandmother was named Opal and Heather's family has an opal ring that was passed down through several generations. The name West comes not only from the location on West Marion Street but from Seth's mother.

"My mother, who was a Shelby resident, and passed away in February 2022 her middle name was West," he said. "That was the main tie in there."

Seth Stevens said when he owned a coffee shop in Shelby, his mom, Lynn Grady, did the all the baking, and she was well known in the community.

Many of the personal touches in the home, such as art work and furniture, are family pieces, lending an intimate and cozy feel.

To book a room or find out more information on Opal and West, check out the website opalandwest.com or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Reporter Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.