Our Story
We started Beard & Braid to serve travelers who, like us, want more out of the place we stay when we visit a new city. We want to experience the culture, find the hidden gems the locals know about, and have space to spread out, just like at home. Through our rentals, we seek to immerse our guests in authentic neighborhoods, while sharing our story and the experience of the lifestyle of this business.
Starting Out
In 2018, we traded in our corporate cubicles for the comfort of an imported right-hand drive van and set out for a year of adventure and self-discovery on the open road. After 6 months of magic intertwined with misery, we returned home to Seattle with a new perspective on what we wanted out of life — more time with friends and family, more freedom, and more fresh air. And while van life wasn’t the route there for us, the months of dreaming, planning, and sacrifice leading up to it showed us the power of setting a goal and letting it guide every decision until it’s reached. We just needed the right goal.
Finding Our Way
In our travels, we’ve always been good at finding “the best” of what a city has to offer: the best coffee spots, the best hikes, the neighborhoods with the most character. In early 2019, we decided to channel that energy, and our experience staying at more B&B’s than we can count, into a business where we would provide eclectic, thoughtful spaces for guests to stay in authentic neighborhoods throughout the U.S. Thus, Beard and Braid was born and our foray into short term rental properties was started.
Sharing Our Experiences
Like any new venture, things weren’t easy. We messed up, we learned the hard way, and occasionally, we broke our own rules, but now, with our venture well off the ground and amazing feedback coming in from our guests, we’ve never felt closer to accomplishing our lifestyle goal. And now the good part: we’re going to share this journey with you. The actual journey, not just the perfect product at the end. We’re going to share it all: our processes, the finances, how we design guest experiences, the inner workings of platforms like AirBnB, and more. All we ask in return is connection. Share in our experiences, ask questions, give us feedback, and when life’s path throws up fences, let us be your guide — “just up and over.”