‘It’s been kind of magical’; school will shut down
After enjoying their “magical” property for 30 years, Susan Hoffman and Mike Biniek are seeking to sell their Belle Meade property in Sperryville and begin retirement.
“It’s been kind of magical,” Biniek said. “We weren’t millionaires… the camp was fairly profitable — but for eight weeks. You starve the rest of the year.”
The couple plans to sell the full 138-acre property, starting with a seven-acre parcel that includes the schoolhouse and Cape-Cod style cottage, which has an asking price of $1.5 million. They will then sell the farm and bed and breakfast.
Hoffman said they have been attempting to “retire in place” at their property on F.T. Valley Road, “and have been 100% unsuccessful.” The many obligations that came with wanting to share their stunning property — summer camps, school and a short-term rental — has prevented them from truly retiring.
“It’s been a wonderful experience here,” Biniek said. “All the B&B guests, all the campers and their families and all the students at the school… We really enjoyed our life here, and we’d like to continue it, but just not under the burden of trying to pay the mortgage and keeping the business going.”
“We love Rappahannock, we love where we live, we want to stay nearby, but that’s gonna take some cash,” Hoffman said. “So we’re starting with the school and then we’ll sell the rest of it.”
Hoffman and Biniek bought the property in 1993 and began an annual summer camp, allowing students to also enjoy the striking view of the Rappahannock foothills and Old Rag Mountain. The last Belle Meade summer camp will take place this summer.
The couple opened a Montessori school 14 years after they started the camp. There are 30 students enrolled at the school, which has a focus on agriculture and livestock. The school will be shut down after the school year ends in May.
“It will be wonderful if somebody buys it who wants to have a school but at this point, this school is being shut down,” Hoffman said.
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