Our Story
A Little Bit About Us
When Shawn was preparing for retirement from the military in 2018, he jokingly asked me "What are you going to do now that I am retiring?" and I responded with, "I always thought it would be fun to have a bed and breakfast in Eureka Springs." Then, it all just kind of happened. We purchased Evening Shade Inn B & Tea a year to the day of Shawn's retirement. Since spring of 2019, every day in Eureka Springs has felt like we were called here and it was meant to be. This is a magical, special place.
Your Hosts
Shira & Shawn Fouste
We hope that you will come and stay and get to know us. Shawn and I love making friends. Our belief is that we live a life of love and kindness in everything we do. It is vital that we treat people with respect, kindness, and care the same way we would like to be treated. We feel that all things done in love will turn out as a win. Being innkeepers has given us the opportunity to combine many of the things that we love with our business life. Shawn and I love each other. He is my very best friend and I am his. We truly love getting to spend time with one another. Working together on the BnB continues to be fun each day. It is hard work, but well worth it.
Both of us and our grown daughters are artists and enjoy working on our pieces, collecting local artworks, and sharing our creations with our guests. Eureka Springs has been very welcoming to our artistic family. All of us regularly have art hanging in local and regional shows. Brews, a local gallery, coffee shop, and beer joint has been instrumental in providing regular shows for us and other locals to display our art. We often paint and create in the office where our visitors can see and interact with us as we create. Eureka Springs has a large community of artists of all different kinds. It is a big part of the charm here. Evening Shade Inn is getting more and more of the "Eureka" feeling as we add our creative touches to the decor both inside and outside.
Shawn and I want you to come and truly experience Eureka Springs. Like us, it has a lot of love. I am not sure if there are any other places quite like Eureka Springs. It is said to be "where the misfits fit". The locals are lovingly called "freakin' Eurekans". We have all different types of people in our small, close-knit community. Many identify as hippies and a lot of us have different belief systems, interests, types of relationships, ethnicities, and more. Most people and places here embrace that diversity. The main thing "Freakin Eurekans" ask is that people be kind.
It is our goal to provide you, our guests, with a one of a kind lodging experience. We want it to feel personalized and welcoming. Now that you know a bit about us, we hope to get to know you. Shawn and I hope that you will choose our Inn for your vacation, honeymoon, babymoon, wedding, friend's weekend, or whatever the reason may be and then love it enough to return. One of our favorite experiences as innkeepers has been the lasting relationships with friends we have met. You arrive as a new guest and then return as friends.
Welcome!
Reviews
Kind Words from Happy Guests
- Staying at the Evening Shade is literally everything you dream of when staying at a bed and breakfast. It literally feels like you're staying at HOME - Not something someone made to feel like home but actually feels like you're coming home. Full of every cozy thing you could ask, a beautiful location and the best family that runs it. In fact, the family is what makes everything so special there and they pour their heart and soul into every detail to make you feel at home. So do yourself a favor and make sure to say hello when you stay! Thank you so much for the stay - We can't wait to come back!.
- My wife and I stayed here for a wedding this past weekend. The place is wonderfull. Roomy, cozy, quiet. The porch view was perfect. The evening dessert and breakfast brought to the room was super nice and thoughtfully done. We will definitely come back. The service is outstanding and the owners really care about their business. Highly recommended.
- Our stay at Evening Shade more than met our expectations ! We enjoyed the evening deserts left for us to enjoy when we returned from our outings and the gourmet breakfast brought to our room every morning in the cutest basket .the room was clean and the bed was so comfortable! We will definitely return. Shaun and Shira the owners made us feel so welcomed!
- We recently stayed for almost a week at the Evening Shade Inn in one of their private cottages. We found them based on strong recommendation from local people in Eureka Springs as the best place to stay in town. Our experience - The owners welcomed us themselves and were warm, friendly, kind, and helpful. We were surprised by complimentary desserts that were provided every evening while there. The accommodations were some of the most comfortable, quiet, relaxing places we've ever stayed. And the breakfasts, also provided as part of the room fee, were always surprisingly delicious and were delivered promptly on our time request every day. When there were any requests we made for service or advice, that owners were always quick to respond. There's something special about any place that you remember the rest of your life. The owners took care of us like we were long-time close friends, not just customers. They made this a vacation that we'll always remember by their loving kindness ever day and in every way. We give Evening Shade Inn our highest recommendation.
- I had such a lovely time here. The owners are very friendly, the rooms were extremely clean, and the food was delicious. The rooms were very quiet, I never heard a sound from the neighbors. The amenities were very thoughtful, besides the typical microwave, fridge & coffee maker they provided snacks, little dishes of candies, waters and sodas, bathrobes, bath salts, and many other little touches you just don't get elsewhere. The breakfasts and afternoon desserts were delicious. I enjoyed everything they served. The Inn is in a good location, right off of highway 62/Van Buren, central to everything with a trolley stop. This place has made my favorites list for sure.
- This charming B&B is owned by some of the sweetest people I've ever met. Shawn and Shira make sure you are comfy and if you should need anything they are more than happy to get it for you. We just left after spending 2 nights for our wedding anniversary and it did not disappoint! We loved the back porch. Our bed was super comfy and the sheets were great! The room was super clean and the towels were nice and big and fluffy. The bathrobes were my favorite!! If you are needing a relaxing weekend with privacy and yummy breakfast brought to your door in the morning - BOOK NOW lol! Thank you guys for making our stay so comfy and enjoyable! We will definitely be coming back!
- We came for the Labor day weekend. The new owners are very accomodating. We stayed here in 2017 and it was nice then, but you can definitely tell the place has experienced an upgrade with the new owners. They made us feel welcome and the Inn itself is fabulous, comfortable and scenic. The breakfast was delicious and the little extras they provide in the room are very inviting. The location is convenient to everything in Eureka Springs. We will be back.