Mary Walker

Owner, Across the Pond Bed & Breakfast, with her husband, Andrew Native of Northern England

Industry: Hospitality

Mary Walker and her husband, Andrew, fell in love with a historic house — then a town — eight years ago. The rest, as they say, is history.

They bought the house, even though they had originally planned to downsize when they moved south from Pittsburgh, PA. And they leaped into the bed-and-breakfast business, after Andrew has spent his professional life as a civil engineer and Mary had worked in early childhood education. 

They had lived all over the world, with the last 25 years of their careers in Pittsburgh and knew that they wanted to retire in the South. They came to Salisbury for a day, after a visit to Asheville, and found a home and a new business. “My neighborhood in Pittsburgh had no Main Street or sidewalks,” Mary says. “Salisbury seemed like a walkable city. I got lots of encouragement and support from the local community.”

Mary identifies with the Rowan County Be an original™ slogan. “Setting up a new business that was a complete career change for me helped me realize that a new start is always possible in a place where you feel supported, and I have been able to establish an ‘original’ and unique business,” she says.

They learned of Salisbury through the website, www.oldhomes.com because Salisbury’s historic homes are always on that site. “We were curious about historic homes in Salisbury,” Mary says. “It just evolved. Something was drawing us to Salisbury. It was fate that we ended up here. From the beginning, people have been very friendly, and we felt very welcomed.”

Family Follows

Joe, the youngest of their two sons, and his wife, Nova, recently moved here from Pittsburgh, after their marriage in the garden of Across the Pond B&B three years ago. They like the area, Mary says. “The location is ideal — two hours from the mountains, four hours from the coast, and with improvement to Interstate 85, it’s very easy to get to airports and big cities. Rowan County is beautiful — very agricultural.”

Mary is on the board of Historic Salisbury Foundation, and Andrew serves as chair of the Salisbury Historic Preservation Commission. They are involved in city politics and Mary works with Women for Community Justice. They volunteer at Rowan Helping Ministries. A rare afternoon away from work might find them at their favorite outdoor location, Eagle Point Nature Preserve in eastern Rowan County where they enjoy the changes of the seasons. They enjoy downtown events, such a Wine About Winter, a February event that supports local merchants, and Chickweed, a venue of women musicians and artists. Downtown restaurants offer quality food and are walkable, a necessity in their business of making sure guests are comfortable and entertained.

Why are we here?

In addition to making Salisbury friends, they have formed many friendships with their guests. Some are visiting Rowan County for the first time and others are from Rowan County, attending weddings or family reunions at the house. “Quite often, we will have people looking at the area and they will ask why we are here,” Mary says. It’s easy to answer that question. For best qualities in Salisbury-Rowan, Mary cites diversity, easy access to major highways, live theater, beautiful farmland, mild winters, and Carolina blue sky.  

“We are fascinated with the place,” she says. “We didn’t imagine that we would be doing this. We never know who will walk through the front door. This is very rewarding as a retirement adventure. 

“A bonus is living in a college town, and the business from the colleges,” says Mary, as potential students and their families visit overnight. Rowan County is home to four colleges: Catawba College, Hood Theological Seminary, Livingstone College, and Rowan Cabarrus Community College. “We have adopted college students as our own kids and attended their graduations and become friends with their parents,” says Mary.

She sums up Salisbury-Rowan as “a mingling of local people whose families enjoy a rich tradition of history and new people from out of state who bring new ideas and innovation to add to the local flavor.”