We recently connected with Kim and Ben Saari and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Kimberly , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Quarry Cove Retreat is a small resort in East Tennessee. We offer four bespoke glamp sites with bell tents offering king and queen bed options, as well as a micro A frame cabin. Each tent is on a private deck with stairs. They are each equipped with a luxury Nectar queen or king mattress on a custom elevated platform bed frame, electricity, mini fridges, bedside lamps, side tables, fans for ventilation, Nespresso coffee makers & custom coffee cups with the necessary condiments /utensils. Each tent is also equipped with a rug, wireless phone chargers, flashlights and a lake map. Each site also has its own fire station with a grill and fire pit. Guests can request firewood prior or when they arrive. Guests have the option to lay out and watch the stars… or curl up and watch a movie in bed! Don’t want to grill ? Our local pizza delivery service even delivers to the tents! We also have a selection of local restaurants close by and plenty of stores to grab last minute items.

The resort offers a bathhouse available for guests that is conveniently located between the lake and the glamp sites.
It features two bathrooms, two outdoor showers and two vanities with sinks. Towels are provided for guests. The retreat is gated for privacy, there is also a private parking lot for our guests close to the tents.
This past Fall we began offering a Micro transforming A-frame cottage on the lake. The A Frame is equipped with a Nectar queen size mattress on an elevated platform bed, mini fridge, electricity, small chair and a Nespresso coffee maker. The unit is able to open up and completely give you an outdoor experience then completely close you in when you want. There is also a private picnic table, fire pit and grill station that accompanies the A frame.
We aim to add the most customized experience we can for our guests. We have been renting each tent individually, and now the idea of multifamily renting has become more popular. We have now rented all four tents and the A-frame giving the whole family the experience to be able to stay together. We now have bookings 6 to 8 months out for the following season from prior guests.
Our guests are a mixed bag! We get people from everywhere… Tennessee obviously, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana the list goes on! We also have a ton of local support and book out regularly with our guests from Rogersville and surrounding areas.
We also offer specialized items such as charcuterie boards, themes for tents, birthday parties, s’more and firewood kits.

For lake activities we offer jet ski, paddle board and kayak rentals. As well as, lessons and tours. We have a wake surf boat that we offer lake excursions and Wake surf lessons on. Throughout the summer we offer camps and lessons with local wakesurf pros to improve your skills. We have different packages with options that guests can book.
Our guests are truly loving the tents and the amenities that it allows them but also the feeling of being in nature. Our elevated beds are extremely comfortable and our guests enjoy them immensely. The option to rent our paddle boards and kayaks as well as booking reservations with us on the boat tend to get very busy. The lake mats that accommodate the picnic tables on the lake (each tent has a lake mat and picnic table for use ) guests love to lounge on them.
Future plans: We were approved in 2023 by the TVA for our community marina. That will be added to the resort this coming spring we will have about 18 slips available for seasonal rental, as well as boat service and storage upon request and availability. We will be offering valet boat services for our guests /clients, slip options will be available for overnight guests.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

We moved here four years ago from Steamboat Springs, Colorado where Ben is from. My family is from Virginia & North Carolina so being closer to home was an easy option. We are both big snowboarders and wake surfers. We fell in love with East Tennessee and decided to purchase the old Marble Hall property and the 40 plus acres around it on Cherokee Lake. We had previously owned and operated a wakesurf company called WAKE in Steamboat for over a decade. Crossing our fingers that our true dream of a marina would come into play. The property had never had one and we weren’t sure if we would be approved by the TVA. With Ben’s background in the ski industry and mine in real estate we hoped our entrepreneurial instincts would be right. We have been slowly renovating the home and building the business together. A true labor of love for us both! The marina was approved in 2023.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Our original first phase of the business was to put our community marina in place but with covid and delays the approval took longer than expected and we had to switch to phase 2. That was the glamping resort with the bells tents. We need to figure out how to generate income and get the business going. It took 2 almost two years longer than expected but because of that challenge we were able to focus on the resort side of the business and have that in full swing before the marina opened.. Now in hindsight this worked out the best!

Contact Info:

• Website: Quarrycoveretreat.com
• Instagram: @ quarrycove
• Facebook: Quarry Cove Retreat
• Other: @quarry.cove Tik tok

Image Credits
Blushbee Photography Quarry Cove Retreat