By Gabbie Burton
Contributing Writer

As tourism continues to grow in Kennett Square, one local nonprofit is continuing to tie economic opportunities to local philanthropy.

Square Roots Collective, a Kennett Square-based non-profit that operates local businesses and invests profits back into the community, is opening The Francis, a new hotel located on South Union Street – an initiative that the group hopes will connect visitors to the town’s history while simultaneously contributing to its future success.

“One of our big hopes was that the concepts we bring online would be embraced by the community, and that they would feel like community assets to Kennett Square,” said Stephanie Almanza, president and real estate lead at Square Roots Collective.

The Francis will be the second hotel Square Roots Collective (SRC) has opened in Kennett, with the first being the Artelo on Birch Street, which opened in summer 2024. In addition to the hotels, the SRC also operates The Creamery of Kennett Square. All profits from The Creamery, Artelo and the soon-to-be Francis are donated to local non-profits and initiatives, including Anson B. Nixon Park, Family Promise, United Way, Voices Underground and several other recipients.

While the Artelo transformed a former motel into an art focused lodging offering 14 rooms, The Francis is transforming a former private residence turned apartments into a boutique, eight-room  hotel that celebrates local history and continues SRC’s mission to develop ideas that create a strong sense of place.

A room-by-room history lesson

“We want our concepts to feel like they fit in their environment, and that’s where we believe in taking a beautiful historic residence that was built in the 18th century - that really just needs a little love - and reintroduce it,” said Almanza. “This region and this town have a lot of really rich history, and I think there’s multiple ways to tell the story of that history. Restoring and renovating an old and beautiful residence and bringing it back to life is one way to do that.”

Each room in The Francis will focus on and celebrate a part of Kennett Square history. The first suite is inspired by Thomas Milhous, a clockmaker and former owner of the home during the mid-1800s. Another suite is focusing on the Battle of the Brandywine during the Revolutionary War, where British soldiers encamped in Kennett Square the night prior to the battle on September 11, 1776. Other rooms will include themes of local flora and fauna, stories of the Lenape tribes whose land Kennett now sits on, the Underground Railroad and immigrant stories showing their impact on Kennett Square. Almanza shared that SRC has partnered with Lynn Sinclair of the Kennett Heritage Center to help tell these stories of Kennett Square’s history.

“Finding these cool, important stories and history of our region will enable the Francis’ guests to engage and add another level of the richness to their experience here,” Almanza said. “I think what we really are looking to do is elevate the different history and storytelling of our area.”

In order to tell the local histories, the hotel team is working with Riverwards General – a full-service interior design firm based in Kennett Square - to curate the interior design of the rooms and tie the history of Kennett Square to a beautiful and comfortable hotel experience.

“Riverwards General has done an incredible job of thoroughly thinking through how each room is going to reflect the history that it’s telling from a furniture standpoint - from a layout standpoint and with fabrics, design and patterns,” Almanza said. “A guest will be able to enter the room and not only experience its beauty but also connect with its historical theme and want to know more. Throughout the rooms and the hotel, there will be literature that will encourage our guests to visit the Heritage Center to learn more, or to look online and do more research.”

In addition to the historical stories each room will tell, Almanza shared that The Francis will also feature amenities including a courtyard, kitchenettes and sitting rooms in some suites that she hopes will enable guests to have an elevated experience or enjoy longer stays on site.

Enhancing the stay

While The Francis is already celebrating Kennett Square, the question remains if Kennett Square will celebrate it back. Although the hotel’s profits will be invested back into the community, the concern of Kennett’s development into a tourist town at the expense of its resident is hard to ignore. Square Roots Collective seems to straddle the two versions of Kennett Square with The Francis, celebrating Kennett history and donating to its success and local community, while also catering to its visitors and tourism market.

“We’ve seen a lot of businesses grow in the area – several wineries and art galleries, and great restaurants to go to - and so there is this collective energy of people wanting to step out into beautiful Chester County and the Brandywine Valley, and we’re feeling that extend to Kennett Square, as well,” Almanza said. “What’s been important to us in our concepts is making sure that we complement the beauty and the reason that people really want to come here.”

Fitting in with the existing scene in Kennett Square was a point emphasized by Almanza in the vision of the hotel and what Square Roots Collective wants it to contribute to the community.

“Kennett Square doesn’t have much supply of hotel rooms in the surrounding area, so the best way to kind of feather in some overnight lodging is to create these smaller, boutique style hotels that fit the community around them,” Almanza said. “I really think it enhances a person’s stay because it now becomes part of your experience, versus experiencing Longwood Gardens, experiencing Winterthur and all these great wineries and assets, and then going back to your hotel that is not within walking distance to the great opportunities happening in the borough just a short walk away.”

As The Francis prepares for a spring opening and awaits feedback from community members and visitors, Almanza said that the new hotel echoes SRC’s main goals of giving back to the community, both through profits and value added to the local economy.

“This is about being able to feel the energy and the buy-in from the community,” she said. “The Francis began as a private residence, and it is next to people who have lived in town for a long time, and so we really want the residents to feel like it’s a value add to the community, one that adds beauty and honors our history.”

The Francis is located at 205 South Union Street in Kennett Square. To keep up-to-date about its progress toward its Spring 2026 opening, visit www.thefrancisksq.com.

To contact Contributing Writer Gabbie Burton, email [email protected].