Evan Petig `98 and Abby Petig `01 bring community spirit to Grinnell’s historic bed and breakfast
Scarlet & Black 2025-11-24
Evan Petig `98 and Abby Petig `01 are taking up the mantle of running Grinnell’s most iconic bed and breakfast, The Grinnellian, and showcasing the town’s history for guests.
The Petigs purchased the B&B, formerly known as Carriage House, from longtime owners Ray and Dorothy Spriggs in mid-September of this year. The Petigs decided to keep the house as a B&B in part to showcase and maintain the house’s history, they said.
The house was first built in 1895 by a wealthy family who made their money off of the coal and lumber industry. The house’s purpose was to entertain, a vision that is showcased on the property’s tall ceilings, stained glass windows, ornate floor design and unique staircase designed as a stage for musical entertainment.
The Spriggs purchased the house as a B&B in 1993 and decorated it in the style of English tea rooms. After the Petigs purchased the house they sat down to dinner with the Spriggs and asked them why they chose to make it into a bed and breakfast.
“What Dorothy said, was that it just reminded her … of all of the bed and breakfasts that she used to stay at as a little girl back in Ireland,” Evan said.
A bed and breakfast, unlike a hotel, offers guests the opportunity to stay in someone else’s house, and to connect with other travelers staying there, the Petigs said.
“We have six rooms and oftentimes we get people coming for very different reasons. And so they all sit down for breakfast together and get to have conversations,” Evan said. “I say there’s a little bit of a Forrest Gump aspect in that you never know what you’re going to get. You never know who you’re going to be sitting with at breakfast.”
I say there’s a little bit of a Forrest Gump aspect in that you never know what you’re going to get. You never know who you’re going to be sitting with at breakfast.
— Evan Petig `98, Co-owner of The Grinnellian
“It’s in a home, it feels homey,” Abby said. “It feels maybe cozier than a normal hotel, a little bit more personal.”
Evan got the idea to purchase the house while he was on a sabbatical from his work, as the vice president of asset management for a senior living company, and thinking about what to do next.
“I joke that we’ve kind of collected all the grandparents,” Evan said. “And it sort of popped up and happened pretty fast.”
“We went and looked at it and we were kind of walking around and like, ‘This is really cool,’” Evan said.
“Just potential and opportunity for making a kind of community space as much as possible,” Abby added.
Inside the house, the Grinnell bed and breakfast, The Grinnellian, has rooms variously styled rooms for guest to stay. (Alissa Booth)The couple chose to change the name of the B&B to reflect their Grinnell heritage as both are Grinnell College graduates and Abby was born and raised in Grinnell.
“The idea that a Grinnellian can be a lot of different things and a lot of different people … sort of unifying thing of like you’re a Grinnellian, whether you live here or go to the College,” Abby said.
The Petigs told The S&B that they do not intend to change much about the house, which was purchased fully furnished. Any future changes, they said, are ones intended to strengthen the house’s ties to the community and Grinnell’s history.
We want this to be about this place and these people, and all of the wonderful things that it has to showcase.
— Abby Petig `01, Co-owner of The Grinnellian
“One of the things that Grinnell has a ton of is history. So I’m kind of leaning into that a little bit,” Evan said. “I’m going to get an old plat map of Grinnell and put a new map of Grinnell up there because people that come here are really interested in the Underground Railroad, Edith Renfrow Smith and just the city itself.”
In addition to historical connections, the Petigs see the house as an opportunity for community connections and collaboration. Already they are working with Farm to Table and Grin City Bakery to serve guests a locally sourced breakfast. Most recently, the couple is hosting a reception after the Nutcracker Ballet in partnership with the Grinnell School of Music.
“If somebody wants to be here and use the space and have a fun event, you know, we should allow for that,” Evan said.
“We want this to be about this place and these people, and all of the wonderful things that it has to showcase,” Abby said.