Running a historic motel off Route 66 is no easy pursuit

Route 66, the highway that runs from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, turns 100 this year. In celebration of the centennial, we’re checking in with a few small businesses along the Mother Road.

Dawn Federico is the owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Six years ago, her and her husband bought the Blue Swallow and never looked back.

They’re live-in owner-operators. “We do sometimes feel as if we might be living in a fishbowl, “ joked Federico. “People are so enamored when they come in, sometimes they might look through our residence windows, not realizing that it might be a residence instead of an office.”

The Blue Swallow Motel is on the National Register of Historic Places, which means part of the challenge of owning the business is putting in the work to maintain and preserve it for future generations.

“Having a few years of experience under our belt certainly has helped us keep sane this year and keep a good pace with everything. So we're handling it in stride.”

To hear the full story, click the audio player above.