Wills House

The property, on Brewery Avenue in Brewery Gulch, features two rentable units. The Nopales Suite (pictured) is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with a kitchenette and is suitable for two guests. The larger Agave Casita is well suited for two, as well. And, along with its one bedroom and one bathroom, it features a full kitchen loaded with all the comforts of home. Both units are available through Airbnb. 

“We conceived of the Wills House as a celebration of the Southwest in general and Arizona in particular,” Shad says. “We’ve decorated the units with vintage Western pieces, and particularly items with a connection to Arizona — like the tabletop from Bill Johnson’s Big Apple, the vintage Lon Megargee Cowboy’s Dream print and one of the original tables from the Tovrea Stockyards restaurant.” 

The Tovrea family had connections to both Bisbee and Phoenix, and many of the items that grace both rental units, including an advertisement from Phoenix-based Donofrio’s Cactus Candy, come from the Kvetkos’ personal collection. In addition, Leigh is an artist, and her pieces, informed by the desert Southwest, are peppered throughout the property. 

“I started going to Bisbee with my father when I was a kid,” Shad says. “He had a friend who was a fellow antiques dealer [and] who still lives there. This was in the early ’80s, and I remember thinking to myself that someday I would live there. Later, I traveled to the area on my own because I loved the beauty of both the natural surroundings and the town itself. I also loved the feel of the town and its sense of joie de vivre.”  

The couple plans to continue developing the courtyard with native plants, petrified wood and rock — a theme inspired by Mesa’s Buckhorn Baths, which had extensive rock gardens. 

One visit to the Wills House makes clear that the Kvetkos are looking forward to a future in Bisbee — one with a significant, well-curated nod to the past.