A Summit enterprise
By Mike Mitchelson

Marcia and Jerret Seebart balance work and home life. A tricky act, since their home is their work.

It’s a frequently-heard professional gripe from the cubicle bound (including this humble reporter): “I wish I could work from home.”

Those fortunate enough to have that luxury say the biggest challenge is to have a boundary between work and home life. Even though the boundary can become porous, there is a clear difference: You know when you’re doing your job, and when you’re not.

But what if your home is your job?

Marcia and Jerret Seebart have tackled this very conundrum. While they’ve owned the mansion located on 490 Summit Avenue in St. Paul since 1994 and operated a catering/special event business within it, they didn’t live there—until about five years ago.

At the back of the house, hidden by doorways on all floors that blend into the ornate original woodwork, lies the mansion’s kitchen, office space and an apartment—all servants quarters more than a century ago. The Seebarts decided to rent their White Bear Lake home and move into the full equipped apartment on the top floor.

It’s worked out to be a great idea, but it took the first four years to achieve a personal and professional balance that keeps the sanity. “It seems like farming,” Jerret said, unable to contain a laugh. “We’re always here.”


Romanesque ambiance

The Seebarts’ history at the mansion goes beyond their purchase date. Marcia began to work for the previous owners in 1988, managing the catering and event business. “They taught me right on site for two or three months, then they left (me to run it).”

Jerret worked in real estate and ran his own business, and with his carpentry background he earned the unofficial position of handyman at the mansion—he was Marcia’s first phone call when anything in the building needed repairs. Jerret later trained vigorously with the then-chef, and eventually took over the kitchen. “The quantity was something I had to get used to,” he said.

The mansion has operated as a special-occasion venue since 1963, and has an outstanding reputation in St. Paul for being a dignified—but not snobby—place to hold a wedding (full disclosure: This reporter’s sister held her wedding reception in the mansion about 15 years ago, and everyone had a wonderful time, near as he can remember).

The mansion was built in 1883 for lumber and mining baron—and eventual U.S. senator—Addison G. Foster The building’s Romanesque architecture and the original 8,500-square-foot design, unlike many of the mansions on Summit that were butchered into apartments in the 1970s and ‘80s, have been preserved. The Seebarts’ simple goal was to improve on a good thing, and they succeeded.

Since their purchase, the Seebarts estimate they have hosted about 1,200 weddings. At their peak, they held about 70 events per year, often with two events on a Saturday during the summer months. Low years were about 50 events. “We did what we could handle (ourselves),” Marcia said. “With 50 functions, we can do it all. When it gets to 60 and 70, we have to hire some (management) help.”

Event capacity is 250 people—about 150 to 175 “is a good number,” Marcia said. Obviously, she added, the smaller events can be done no-holds with entrees like baby flounder stuffed with crabmeat and gulf shrimp, and rock Cornish hen stuffed with wild rice and almonds, and with full service.


On the block

Doing most of the events themselves (with some service help) led to burnout, however, and the Seebarts placed the mansion on the selling block about a year ago. “The agent said, ‘Oh, it’ll sell in a hurry,’” Jerret said.

They didn’t have an exit plan, only that they might buy a boat on which they would cruise the Mississippi River and hold events. Florida was another option—there was a boat in a marina available. Fortunately they didn’t commit to a purchase—the housing market took its well-documented slide, and the mansion didn’t sell.

But a funny thing happened during their transition attempt—time off. Possibly closing on a sale meant the Seebarts couldn’t book any events beyond 90 days out, which meant a considerable lighter workload. “We did only about four weddings on short notice (last summer),” Marcia said.

The lighter workload was precisely what they needed. “We were really burnt out,” Marcia said. In preparing the home for sale they realized they loved it, and took it off the market. “We’re fortunate to spend time here,” Jerret said. “A neighbor said to me that we’re all just custodians of these old homes—you do your best to keep them up.”


Future load

With their batteries recharged, the Seebarts plan to bring back the previous event count and more. In the past, when they cleared the 50-event threshold, they hired a part-time manager to help with the workload. They will definitely do that again. They also plan to better capitalize on the building’s strengths: Its many rooms make the home ideal for business luncheons and break-out sessions.

Ramping up the business doesn’t mean compromising on their style, however. The Seebarts don’t have a litmus test for their clientele—conveniently, their home does it for them.

The mansion itself serves as a filter for those weddings that might prove elsewhere to be a large, obnoxious affair. With it’s eight rooms and intimate dining areas, those that want the wide-open spaces for the massive party can’t have it. “With these separate dining rooms, it’s love it or hate it when you walk in the door,” Jerret said.

“I wish I had statistics on it,” Marcia said, “But I think we deal with a bit more mature—and that’s not to say old—group of clients.”

It’s a good thing, since city ordinance says the party has to end at Midnight, anyway—it is a neighborhood, after all.

For now, the Seebarts plan to build the business is to “work it real hard” for about five years, then perhaps let someone else manage the operation.

Separating work from home life is still difficult, but they accommodate by not setting any strict schedule. “We’re not up at 6 a.m.,” Jerret said. “And we don’t even really set a timeline,” they said.

“We’re proud of the house,” Marcia said, adding that people who held events at the mansion—particularly a wedding—often stop by during the day to reminisce. “We have one couple that comes back every year for their anniversary. … We love it when people do that.”
And they keep a few of their own traditions alive, such as Christmas Eve with Marcia’s family at the home, which they have done for the last 18 years. “We do that up right,” Marcia said.

And on some nights during the summer, when there’s a group sipping wine on the porch, it isn’t business. It’s just the Seebarts with friends.

490 Summit: www.490summit.com