Phyllis Maquire has loved running the Marianna Stoltz House Bed and Breakfast in the Gonzaga University neighborhood for the last 33 years, but with no one traveling right now, she’s not sure how much longer she can stay in business.

“It’s awful,” she said. “It’s never been this bad. It’s not just me.”

Usually mornings hum with activity as guests check out and Maquire prepares for a new batch of guests while the phone rings constantly with people trying to book a room in the historic American foursquare style home at 427 E. Indiana. But on a recent weekday morning, it was silent. There were no guests. The phone didn’t ring. With the exception of one guest last month, Maquire hasn’t had any guests in months.

“I have had nothing but cancellations,” she said. “It’s sad because I’m not seeing the people I care about.”

Maquire’s business is fueled by regulars. There are the people who come for Bloomsday or Hoopfest every year, the parents of Gonzaga students who stay during parent’s weekend every year. “I have a couple that comes every year for the Farm Chicks Show from Seattle,” she said.

The Bed and Breakfast is usually fully booked April through October. There are four rooms that accommodate nine guests. But Maquire said she couldn’t have a full house even if she wanted to because of social distancing requirements.

“I would only take one or two rooms unless it’s a family,” she said. “I can’t serve eight people at the breakfast table anymore. I don’t know exactly how to do it, but I haven’t had to worry because no one is coming.”

The house is full of dark wood accents, period furniture that Maquire picked up over the years and hardwood floors.

According to a 1908 Spokesman-Review article framed and hanging on the wall, the home was built for railroad contractor A. L. Snow in 1908 for the sum of $6,000. The home’s original bathtub still sits in an upstairs bathroom. The home itself is on the Spokane Register of Historic Places.

The Bed and Breakfast was a private home when Maquire and her husband bought it in 1987. The last resident was Marianna Stoltz, who lived in the home for decades. At the time, Maquire’s husband was recovering from back surgery and she wanted something she could do while still taking care of him. “It seemed like a good idea,” she said.

Since then she’s grown to love having conversations with her guests over breakfast or a hot cup of tea. After her husband died, her guests became her social outlet. “I have so many repeat people,” she said. “It’s fun.”

Her rates vary between $95 and $125 per room. Breakfast, made by Maquire herself, is part of the package.

There are some potential bright spots on the horizon. She has a couple of guests scheduled in October and she’s fully booked for Gonzaga’s graduation weekend in May.

Realistically, Maquire said she has no idea how long she can continue without an income. There are expenses that still need to be paid, including taxes and insurance. She’s 77 now and has thought of retiring, but that would likely mean giving up the house she’s called home for decades.

“I want to (keep it) because I love it, but the heat is high and the water is high,” she said. “It’s a lot to keep clean. It’s a big house to live in alone.”

But Maquire is holding out hope that things will turn around soon. She loves the work and misses talking with people. Running the bed and breakfast keeps her active, she said.

“If business picks up again, I would be happy to keep doing this,” she said. “It’s good for me, mentally and physically.”