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Explore FerebeeLane: https://www.ferebeelane.com/
Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-ferebee-2287566/
Connect with Zach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharybusekrus/
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Twenty-five years ago, a kid with an English degree and a freelance gig writing about furniture realized something. People didn't want to just know what the sofa looked like. They wanted to know how it was made, who designed it, how many hands had touched it before it reached the showroom. The descriptions of the piece were fine, but it was really the stories that sold it. That kid was Matt Ferebee. And that instinct, that the story behind the thing is more valuable than the thing itself, became the foundation of FerebeeLane.
Boutique, brand, and guest experience agency that he co founded with his partner Josh Lane over two decades ago. Their first big client was Hickory Chair, a premier furniture company in North Carolina that was fighting to stay relevant in a rapidly commoditizing market. Matt and Josh launched a magazine for them called Timeless, profiling watchmakers from Cartier and interior designers to contextualize the brand among the greats. That caught the attention of BlackBerry Farm.
At the time, maybe 22 keys, hard to categorize, and often dismissed as a charming bed and breakfast. Matt interviewed founder Chris Bell, and within 18 months, FerebeeLane had assumed full responsibility for their marketing. To this day, BlackBerry Farm does no paid advertising. They're celebrating their 50th anniversary, and Matt's team is still right there beside them.
In this conversation, we trace the arc from furniture copywriting to shaping the narrative identity of some of the most revered hospitality brands in the world. Matt talks about what he learned watching Blackberry Farm scale without ever compromising on guest experience, why he believes the current wave of rustic minimalism is often just a cash grab dressed up in Scandinavian language, and how his team brought Canoe Place in.
A site dating back to 1697, America's oldest inn, turned nightclub, turned forgotten asset, back to life with a story rooted in place. We also get into what it means for a 15-person agency to land on Marriott Luxury Portfolio's approved list alongside publicly traded global firms, what that signals about where the major flags are headed, and why Matt believes the future of branded hospitality looks a lot more like.
Treating a 90-room Ritz-Carlton as an independent boutique property, not the other way around. This is a fascinating conversation. You're really gonna love Matt. He and his team have done incredible work. So, friends, without further ado, get ready to meet Matt Ferebee.
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Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world’s top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more.
Your host is Zach Busekrus, Head of Growth at Journey. If you are a hospitality entrepreneur who has a stay, or a collection of stays with soul, we’d love for you to apply to join our Alliance at journey.com/alliance.
