The South Lamar Bed & Breakfast Opens in Renovated 1870s Home

By Alyssa Schnugg

News editor

alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

When Lafayette County native Scott Lewis left Dallas to return to Oxford to raise his three children, he didn’t just buy a home, he bought one of Oxford’s oldest homes in the historic downtown district.

The house would not only be a home for him and his family, but it is now a place where others can stay to enjoy Oxford and all it has to offer.

Lewis and his wife, Brandi, have worked for 14 months to renovate part of their 10,000-square feet house into a five-bedroom bed and breakfast.

“We came home (to Oxford) in 2020 for Christmas and I just got a wild hair to come back to Oxford,” Lewis said. “One thing led to another and we got the approval from the Oxford Planning Commission last year and we started rolling.”

The South Lamar Bed and Breakfast is located at 1003 South Lamar Boulevard. The home was built in 1870 with additions added to the back of the house in the 1990s. Lewis and his family live in the back portion of the home. The Bed and Breakfast area is in the original portion of the home that was completely renovated.

Four of the five bedrooms are named after the families who have also called the house home – The Stowers Suite – the original owners who built the home in 1870, the Longest Suite, The Couey Suit and the Windham Suite, who were the last owners before the Lewis’ purchased the property. The fifth suite is named after Lewis’ stepfather, the late Sheriff F.D. Buddy East.

Bedrooms come stocked with water, coffee makers and shampoo and other bath products.

Guests are treated to a hot breakfast each morning.

Each bedroom has a fireplace. Interior decorator Jennifer Russell of Interiors of Oxford designed the rooms in shades of blue, green and white. Woodworker Allen “JJ” Jones rebuilt the custom cherry gourmet kitchen and crafted original furniture pieces featured throughout the B&R.

“We hope people come for big football weekends, but we’d also love it to be a place where families can come if they’re having a wedding in town and everyone can stay here, or for a mom and daughter visiting Ole Miss,” Lewis said.

Lewis’s sister, Shannon Lewis, is the B&R manager.

Along with the bedrooms, there are common sitting areas and a dining room for guests to use.

“We want this to be a unique, upscale experience for people,” Lewis said.

For more information about The South Lamar Bed & Breakfast, visit their website or Facebook pages.