Retirement, Reimagined

After 32 years in the U.S. Navy, Denny Lazar and his wife, Shannon, entered retirement—but it didn’t slow them down. Instead, it redirected them to Elkin, where restoring a historic home and running a winery shuttle business define only part of their busy next chapter.

A love for vintage houses ultimately helped Denny and Shannon Lazar discover their perfect retirement community in Elkin. They had traveled widely during Denny’s 32-year career in the Navy, but when the time came to put down roots in their retirement years, they tossed around the idea of opening a bed and breakfast inn. They were thrilled at the prospect of buying Shannon’s great-grandfather’s home on Front Street in Wilmington.

“We went and took a look at it and thought maybe this is what we were meant to do,” said Denny.  “We fell in love with it, but someone else snatched it up. It gave us the old house bug. We kept looking and found a home in Elkin on a historic website. I called our realtor, who worked out of Cary, and said ‘What do you know about Elkin?’ She said, ‘I grew up in nearby Dobson on a dairy farm. You’d love it there.’” 

It was an easy decision once they arrived in town. 

They bought the 6,000-square-foot house and began putting their remodeling touches on the antique structure, built in 1872. That was 2015, and since then they’ve become active community leaders as owners of the Elkin Vine Line, a winery shuttle business that transports visitors to some of the 48 wineries in the region. 

The idea to launch such a business happened serendipitously. “I was at a town hall meeting and they brought consultants in to talk about what the town could be doing,” explained Denny. “One consultant said, ‘You guys are right in the middle of wine country and don’t promote it. There’s no connection between the town and wineries. I’d have vans lined up on Main Street to take tourists to these wineries.’ That’s when our world got flipped upside down.” 

The Lazars took that idea and ran with it. They put the idea of a B&B on hold and invested 100-percent effort into the Elkin Vine Line. They opened on Valentine’s Day in 2020 and then had to shut down a month later due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they shrugged off the detour and waited until they could reopen in June. Business has been a huge success since then. To date, they’ve transported more than 7,500 people to area wineries.  

Shannon admitted that her husband’s training as a Navy fighter pilot, squadron leader, and base commander proved to be a perfect fit for training drivers to wind among backcountry roads with a bus full of visitors. “Logistics and safety are his forte,” she said. “People shouldn’t be drinking wine and driving to the next winery, but there wasn’t any transportation out here. We came up with a concept as a winery hopper.”

While the Lazars are busier than they’ve ever been, they say they can’t imagine their retirement years any other way. 

“Define retirement,” said Denny. “Does that mean sitting in a rocker on your front porch? To me, it’s just another chapter. Instead of having the Navy tell me what I should be doing—don’t get me wrong, it was awesome and I put 100 percent into it—but I don’t have to answer to a boss anymore. I just want to do this. It’s pretty sweet.”   

“We stay busy, but it’s by choice,” added Shannon. 

Their investment and participation in the Elkin community as business leaders, homeowners, and volunteers on a variety of boards resulted in a recent award. Elkin leaders honored Denny and Shannon as the 2024 North Carolina Main Street Champions. 

After moving frequently while Denny was in the Navy, it came naturally to retire to a town where they didn’t know a soul. The difference now is they can put down permanent roots.   

“It was the house that got us here, but it’s the people who kept us here,” said Denny. “We fell in love with the people and the area. We feel like we’ve discovered this hidden jewel. The town is like a time capsule. I feel like I’m in my grandparents’ neighborhood.”   

They continue to work on restorations and updates to the home they bought. That original idea of opening a bed and breakfast inn remains on the back burner, but maybe with a different twist: “We might do some sort of corporate lodging.”   

Retiring to North Carolina has brought some sweet family satisfaction as both of their sons and all of their grandchildren are in the state. Their daughter-in-law actually manages one of the wineries on their Elkin Vine Line.   

And just when you think they couldn’t add more to their schedule: Shannon works part time at the same winery her daughter-in-law manages. “We love being part of the community,” said Shannon. “We’re people people.”