Naming business: The Carlisles buy the historic Carlisle House B&B in Carlisle

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Tim Carlisle thought an early February trip north to visit a Pennsylvania bed and breakfast was more of the former and none of the latter.

“I thought, ‘There’s no way this will work,’” he said Monday. “But it was Valentine’s and I thought, ‘I’ll take her (his wife, Carolyn) up there for Valentine’s Day.’ And I thought, ‘This will pass over like a bad case of heartburn.’”

The couple stayed at the historic Carlisle House and met owners Mary Faller Duxbury and Alan Duxbury. The Duxburys longed for retirement life and listed their business with a B&B Realtor in June 2013.

Time passed, with a fair amount of general interest, Alan Duxbury said, until the Carlisles visited. The couple was searching for a B&B to jump-start their joint second career, but Carolyn Carlisle, 43, conceded her vision included mountains, and maybe a lake or two.

But their visit to Carlisle House turned a coincidence into fate.

“I immediately fell in love with it,” Carolyn Carlisle said.

Negotiations were short, with the Carlisles paying the Duxburys’ $1.25 million asking price. The deal closes June 1.

“It immediately felt like it was home,” said Tim Carlisle, 47,who said he is a fifth-generation descendant from Carlisle, England. “It immediately felt like this is where we were supposed to be.”

The Carlisles live in Winston-Salem, N.C., and will be moving to town and taking over day-to-day management of Carlisle House later this month. Their daughter, Katherine, 12, is moving with her parents, Carolyn Carlisle said.

Carolyn’s first career was in customer service, and she became familiar with southcentral Pennsylvania from working with clients here. Tim built a successful career in facilities management before starting his own landscaping business, which he is selling.

The Duxburys took over Carlisle House in 2004 and built a strong business that relies heavily on the repeat customers from Dickinson College, Dickinson School of Law and the U.S. Army War College, as well as Carlisle Events’ annual car shows that fill the calendar from April to October.

Carlisle House comprises two buildings. The first was built in 1826 and the second in 1884. Combined, they have about 9,500 square feet of space, with 10 guest rooms and suites. According to the B&B listing, the bed and breakfast reported $285,105 in gross revenue and $120,682 in net income for 2013. The occupancy rate was 43.3 percent.

Carlisle House was listed with The B&B Team Inc., inn brokers and consultants with offices along the East Coast. The property initially listed for $1.4 million.

The B&B is known to host a celebrity or two from time to time and counts Richard Dreyfuss as its most famous guest. The Carlisle House became a Select Registry destination in 2011, which further boosted business, said Alan Duxbury, who grew up about an hour south of Carlisle, England.

“Somebody once asked us about our season, and I said, ‘We have two seasons, a busy season and a very busy season,’” he said, describing Carlisle House as “immensely profitable.”

No changes are planned beyond possibly a few new recipes, the Carlisles said, describing themselves as “foodies.”

The Duxburys plan to remain in Carlisle but travel plenty. Last year, they won $2 million in the Powerball lottery.

“Because we’re going to be around Carlisle, we can offer support if they need it,” Alan Duxbury said. “I don’t think they’re going to need it.”