Wigwam Western Summit Getting Ready to Reopen for Season
The Wigwam has offered hospitality to travelers on the Mohawk Trail for nearly a century. Prior owners Lea King and Wayne Gelinas refurbished the dormant cabins and turned the two-story house into a lodge. The Scofields are eyeing some updates of their own.
Kelly and Alan Scofield, who purchased the gift shop and cabins will be opening May 9.
"What we're looking to create here is not just a gift shop for people to come in and get a cup of coffee and a pastry, but we're really looking to create a destination for people to stop," said Kelly Scofield.
"There's so many people that stop in here and say, 'I used to drive here when I was little with my parents or I had my first kiss in the parking lot or something like that so we really want to create memories.'"
The Scofield's bought the business from Lea King and Wayne Gelinas, who invested heavily in renovating and updating the century-old tourist stop during their seven years of ownership. King helped them learn the ropes the first couple months and Scofield says she still reaches out to King for advice and wants to make them proud.
"We actually closed [the sale] the end of Sept. 24, so right in the middle of our busy season here on the Mohawk Trail, we jumped right in, didn't close at all and stayed open through the end of October," Scofield said.
"They live right in the area here and I message her all the time if I have a question. She is a huge supporter and she put a lot of blood, sweat and tears to bring it back."
The Scofields are no stranger to the hospitality business. They both work for Marriott hotels for more than 20 years; Alan works full time and Kelly part time as director of finance.
They both travelled to the Berkshires for the last 20 years, camping not far from Wigwam, and last year noticed it was for sale.
"We were actually up here camping last May and we heard through the grapevine that Lea was putting this for sale," said Scofield. "So we sat around the campfire joking, oh you know, we could run that. Let's do it, and just thinking it was our dream and decided to really do it."
The two hope to keep the Wigwam tradition alive but say they are open to suggestions.
"Everyone that's comes in here has a story to tell and if they don't, hopefully down the road, they'll have a story to tell someone and they keep coming back," Scofield said.
The two will also start to expand some of their hours to stay open for customers to enjoy the sunset and also add more food options to their kitchen.
"This is a very special spot ... when we were leaving at night, sometimes at 5 o'clock, people would be sitting out there in their cars waiting for the sunset," she said. "So we decided why not capture that and they can come in here and see that as well."
They have been approved a liquor license by the city and are currently awaiting final approval from the state.
The shop also is famous for its pour-over coffee that King started. The coffee is from No. 6 Depot, which created a custom blend that will be for sale in the gift shop.
The Scofields have some future goals and hopes for the Wigwam as well.
"You'll notice there's a door that leads to nowhere," Scofield said, pointing to the door behind "Wiggy the bear," "One of our long-term goals is to actually put a deck on the outside here, that might mean doing smaller events here."
The four cabins, a lodge, and an apartment overlooking the view are available for short-term rent. One of the most popular is the Mohican Cabin. The Wigwam is located near several trails for people to hike.
The gift shop will be open Friday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the expectation of expanding hours and days in the summertime.
"The community support last year was amazing so we're really just looking forward to building that for the next few months that we're open here through the fall," said Scofield.
You can book a stay online through the website.
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