JILL TEFFT

2018 STARTUP ADK PARTICIPANT

CHECK OUT THE HISTORIC PROPERTY WITH AN OVERNIGHT GETAWAY. BOOK IT BY CLICKING “RESERVE THE SCHOOLHOUSE” AT GRAMPSOLDSCHOOL.COM door, locked it and left,” Tefft said. “All the paperwork from the 1940s and before was still in there. It was an amazing time capsule.” consider when starting a business.”

They bought what today is Gramp’s Old School in 2017, then got to work. “My father was really my partner in crime on this project,” she said. The duo started immediately demolishing what couldn’t be salvaged and then cleaning.

To preserve the property’s historic charm, Tefft saved as much as possible from the original schoolhouse — chalkboards, light fixtures, windows, floorboards, shiplap, trim, a sink basin and some artwork.

In April 2019, the father-and-daughter duo secured a loan and started rehabilitating the property, an experience Tefft shared on her blog at grampsoldschool.com. “My dad had the construction background and project management experience,” Tefft said. “I’m the oldest of five and every time a baby came along while I was growing up, he reframed and reconfigured our house; we always had rehab projects going on.”

By March 1, 2020, Gramp’s Old School was ready for reservations. “We had two rentals, then you know what happened,” she lamented. “We had to shut it down.” booked most of summer and fall. Further bolstering the popularity of Gramp’s Old School was a producer from HGTV’s “Cheap Old Houses” reaching out to feature the schoolhouse on the show.

But as COVID protocols became more clear, Tefft realized the space was actually an ideal getaway during the pandemic. They started renting again in the summer, leaving several days open between guests to ensure the cleaning company had time to sanitize every surface.

“It’s weird to watch yourself on TV,” Tefft laughed. “But they captured a lot of the elements of the schoolhouse and told a great story.”

As a licensed real estate agent, Tefft has great appreciation for the charm of Washington County. “There are tons of beautiful properties and old houses up here, so I’m excited to share that with prospective buyers,” she said.

“The