SODA BAY — One of the oldest resorts on Clear Lake closed this week.
Kyle Miller and Bill Correll moved from San Rafael to Lake County and bought the Ferndale Resort to escape corporate America in 2005.
“Based on advanced booking, in my opinion, we won”t have a tourist season strong enough to sustain the resort,” Miller said. “We were doing fine until about a year after Konocti closed and then business dropped more than 50 percent.”
Miller and Correll will remain in the county. They are working on moving the Clear Lake Queen/Watercolor Restaurant and Bar into Lakeport. They also plan to host special event cruises.
The resort has not yet sold and remains in the hands of investors.
The occupancy at the resort was at about 50 percent during the Memorial Day weekend, which Miller said was “unheard of.”
As a result, Miller and Correll made a conscious decision not to keep the resort open.
“I have no regrets,” Miller said. “I believe we did everything we could do.”
Miller and Correll will take a 30-day hiatus and enjoy the lake. The men have spent more than five years working seven days a week, about 12 hours per day. Miller said the operation was a lot more work than he initially anticipated.
“I will miss all the people who visited. We have built such a large family of friendships,” Miller said. “We treated everyone as though they were guests in our own house. I will look back on the experience with pride and happiness.”
Miller thinks Lake County is a wonderful place, ripe for growth and said he”s learned to fix anything because of his time at Ferndale. He plans to accelerate his involvement with Mount Konocti facilitation, Lake County Chamber of Commerce and step up his role with the annual Wood and Glory event. For updates visit watercolorclub.com.
