Articles About the Cameo Inn

1. Bedecked & bejeweled
2. Nineteenth-Century Hospitality
3. The Sentinel
4. Daemen Today

Bedecked & bejeweled
By Judy Kay

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Nineteenth-Century Hospitality
By Ellen M. Plante

Beauty and romance are the keynotes of a wonderful Queen Anne Victorian that’s now a bed & breakfast inn.

As the door opens in welcome at The Cameo Inn, guests are immediately swept back in time to a nineteenth century era of afternoon tea, a stroll along the riverbank, and an appreciation for all things romantic and beautiful.

Greg and Carolyn Fisher bought their sixteen room Queen Anne Victorian in 1987 with the intention of opening a Bed & Breakfast Inn.

"We searched for just the right home," says Carolyn, "and once we moved in, we had four months to paper, paint and decorate before we opened June 1, 1987."

This beautiful Inn, located in Lewiston, New York, offers visitors a close up view of the Lower Niagara river and the Canadian shoreline. Along with wonderful scenery, guests are treated to a stay in an authentically furnished Victorian home. Rich Oriental rugs, delicate lace curtains, lovely wall coverings, antique furniture, and nineteenth century collectibles have been combined to create a romantic and welcoming retreat.

In her book, BED & BREAKFAST IN THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES, author Bernice Chesler writes about the Cameo Inn, "guests other than romantics are welcomed in this restored Queen Anne, but romance is surely a feature."

Carolyn, a registered nurse who also has a degree in Fine Arts, found that decorating the Inn came naturally. The Fishers both love antiques and have collected many of their Victorian pieces over the years. "As a child it was my dream to have chairs like thrones," says Carolyn.

While the Fishers are devoted to running their Inn, they are also kept busy with Greg’s work as a Professional Painting Contractor. Carolyn manages the business, and with her keen eye for decorating, is often asked to do color consulting for clients.

The Cameo Inn has three guest rooms and a private suite, all located on the second floor. Two of the rooms afford a river view and each captures the essence of true Victorian. Guests also enjoy the parlor and fireplaced living room, and during the summer the back deck overlooking the river becomes a popular spot. The warm and inviting dining room is where guests gather in the morning to enjoy a full breakfast of wonderful homemade specialties.

The Fishers enjoy operating their Bed & Breakfast Inn and feel that the home stay B&B of nine or fewer guests allows them to offer visitors a very personal touch. "We’re happy with having four guest rooms," says Carolyn.

In the three years they’ve been open, the Fishers have had the opportunity to meet people from many different countries and they’ve made some special new friends.

"The world comes to us," says Carolyn. "We love sharing our home with people who enjoy it and we consider it a privilege to be here in this home on the river…we’re very greatful."

Visitors will find The Cameo Inn is located in an area rich in history, beauty, and numerous sightseeing attractions including Niagara Falls, historic Fort Niagara, and Artpark (a seasonal cultural center).

Greg and Carolyn invite you to visit The Cameo Inn Bed & breakfast, where you "come as strangers…leave as friends."

Guests report the Fisher’s warm hospitality and romantic Queen Anne home join together to create special memories for those who visit there.










The Sentinel, December 28, 1996

Sitting at a quaint overlook of the breathtaking Niagara River, is one of Youngstown’s best kept secrets.

The Cameo Manor North, located at 2881 Lower River Road, offers visitors and locals alike a secluded getaway with the comfort of a bed and breakfast.

Owners Greg and Carolyn Fisher offer guests a warm atmosphere to relax at their historic bed and breakfast which dons stately English manor decor.

Situated on three secluded acres, Manor North offers appointed guest rooms that include suites with private sun rooms and cable television. Guests are also asked to enjoy a Great Room with two fireplaces, an outdoor terrace and a library complete with fireplace.

"It’s a get away without going away," said Greg. "It’s more like home."

The Fisher’s highlight the excellent service guests receive. A full buffet style breakfast is presented each morning of the stay as is several theme weekends which are offered throughout the year. Tourism assistance is offered to out of town guests who stay at the Manor.

Decorated for each of the holidays, Manor North sits less than three miles from the Cameo Inn, located at 4710 Lower River Road, which is also owned by the Fishers.

Smaller of the two Manors, the Cameo Inn is a stately Queen Anne Victorian style bed and breakfast that commands a majestic view of the lower Niagara River and Canadian shoreline.

Located on the historic and scenic Seaway Trail, the Cameo Inn and the Cameo Manor North are both ideally located for sightseeing, antiquing, fishing, boating, golfing or just relaxing by the river.









Daemen Today
By Carla F. Sandbothe

"One day, our dog ate three pounds of ham that was on the counter thawing for breakfast. Another time, I dropped a quiche on the way into the dining room," recalls Carolyn Ditch Fisher, B.F.A. '70. "Probably it's to our credit that we've kept the truly embarrassing country inn stories to a minimum."

Ditch Fisher and her husband, Greg, own the Cameo Inn and the Cameo Manor North, two bed and breakfast inns, situated along New York's historic Seaway trail. Their motto is "Come as strangers... leave as friends."

An art teacher turned publicist turned registered nurse turned trim painter, Ditch Fisher has applied experiences from each of her previous careers to innkeeping. The years of related work may be why Ditch Fisher makes innkeeping look so easy that many of her guests express an interest in opening their own bed and breakfast inns. "We call it the Newhart syndrome," laughs Ditch Fisher, referring to the 1980's sitcom set at a Vermont country inn. "There was that maid who never did anything and the innkeeper's wife who wore a new sweater in every scene. It's just not like that at all. It takes enormous work to make it look easy... a lot of dusting, cooking, putting out fresh flowers and candy, offering coffee, tea or a sympathetic ear, planning itineraries, and zeroing in on guests' hobbies so they get more out of their stay."

If it's so much work, why does Ditch Fisher do it? "Literally, I had a dream," she smiles, acknowledging the allusion to Martin Luther King, Jr. "One night, I sat up in bed and told Greg that in my dream we had opened an inn... the Cameo Inn. It seamed so real. I had to find it." In the months that followed, Ditch Fisher and her husband, a painting contractor, realized that they each had talents suited to innkeeping. In 1986, they "found" the Cameo Inn at 4710 Lower River Road, Lewiston, and opened it a year later. The stately Queen Anne Victorian features three stories of antiques, family heirlooms and a majestic view of the lower Niagara River and Canadian shoreline. In 1990, they purchased the Cameo Manor North, three miles away at 3881 Lower River Road, Youngstown. The Fishers reside here, in the servants' quarters appropriately enough, with Beauregard, their ham-loving, 70 pound Gordon setter. Reminiscent of an English country manor, the Cameo Manor North features a great room with massive stone fireplaces at either end and a wall of French doors leading outside. Both inns are perfectly located for sightseeing, antiquing, fishing, boating, golfing, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and of course, relaxing. Guests, ten thousand so far, have come from New York, Canada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Germany, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan. Open year round, the inns have hosted business seminars, receptions and retreats for companies including Kodak, Nabisco, Leadership Niagara, Artpark and Mount St. Mary's Hospital.

An interest in people is crucial to the Fisher's success as innkeepers. "If you don't love people, you'll soon be found out. You can't fake that," explains Ditch Fisher. Guests receive her personal attention from the moment they call for reservations. A typical telephone conversation might begin: "Oh, your husband is celebrating his birthday? What can we do to make his day special? Wine? Flowers? A cake? You're interested in genealogy? There's a place south of Buffalo you may want to explore."

Ditch Fisher indicates that, although it has been 25 years since she attended Daemen College, the school had an impact on her that goes beyond decorating bed and breakfast inns with the critical eye of the former fine arts major. "Daemen disciplined my mind. Knowledge is never a waste and what I learned laid the groundwork for what I am capable of today. Daemen gave me a framework to build on. Even the little things that I learned turned out to be valuable. For example, Sister Jean taught me calligraphy. I've used it thousands of times. I'm really glad I went to Daemen."

In addition to her innkeeping duties, Ditch Fisher serves as treasurer of the Western New York Bed and Breakfast Association, a group which she helped to establish in 1990. For more information about the association or the Cameo Inn, you are invited to call (716) 754-2075

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