Biography · Findley Lake Vision

Biography

"Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should"

- Max Ehrmann

In the early 1990’s then twenty-something's Bruce & Tobi Ahlquist quit their Pittsburgh, PA day jobs and moved 3 hours

north to Bruce’s hometown of Warren, PA (Tobi is a native of the Philadelphia, PA suburbs).

The plot: to open a restaurant.
The location: a magnificent 1890 Victorian mansion on a prime corner in downtown Warren.

Purchased from the local YWCA, the building was in need of a lot of TLC, to accommodate a modern restaurant operation it required a major overhaul. As soon as the property was theirs, Bruce & Tobi went to work (abundant accolades to the helping hands of family and friends). Of course it entailed living in the midst of renovation hell but, hey, at 23 years old it was part of

the overall adventure! After months of hands-on demolition & restoration the Jefferson House & Pub opened in 1982.

And baby makes three!
Bruce and Tobi welcomed daughter Hillary to the family on October 26, 1989. Having lived and worked on-site for close to ten years the family decided to find an off-premise family refuge. They fell in love with Findley Lake, NY and when Hillary was just two years old they bought a lake-front cottage; from then on the family spent every weekend at the lake.

With no grand plan to permanently relocate, their sights settled on the private residence that is now home to the Blue Heron Inn. Envisioning it to be the perfect location for a year-round bed & breakfast, they purchased the property in 1995 — right away renovations to the barn began in 1996 and the first enterprising tenants opened retail stores that very fall. At the same time renovations to the Inn began in earnest and the building was ready for guests in late spring, 1997. In 2005, after obtaining Findley Lake’s first restaurant liquor license, a 36-seat deck (serving up a stunning lake view!) was added to the front of the Inn and the rest, as they say, is history!

Self-taught Chef Bruce credits his grandmother Edith for his love of cooking. In fact, each holiday season he continues the family practice of baking traditional Swedish recipes to

share with friends & family. In his spare time Bruce is the resident gardener, carpenter

and handyman. Tobi is the self-taught computer/retailing diva who calls Nostalgia, the

shop at the Blue Heron Inn, her home away from home. Daughter Hillary recently

graduated from High School and is a political science major at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She works in the family business when she’s home on break and was a snow board instructor at nearby Peek ‘n Peak throughout high school. We’re thrilled she’s chosen

to stay relatively close to home!

Bruce, Tobi, daughter Hillary and their staff of professionals await your arrival with warm and gracious hospitality. Come find out for yourself ...

... make the Blue Heron Inn part of all your seasons!