WESTPORT — Anthony and Alexandra Wheeler have made a major investment — and gesture of confidence — in Westport’s future.

The couple owns The Inn on the Library Lawn, where Mrs. Wheeler has redesigned and renovated the building’s 10 rooms. (Her husband admits to carrying the old commodes down the stairs and the new fixtures up).

While maintaining and accentuating the allure of a by-gone era, the Wheelers have added modern conveniences, such as wireless Internet. They feel Westport can aim for the same kind of balance.

“We want a place where a person can be charmed and have a different experience than Lake George or Lake Placid,” Mr. Wheeler said. “It’s a wonderful, quiet, safe place.”

They see Westport as a hub, where guests can stay four or five days and take day trips to places nearby.

The inn has designated a community table where locals come on a regular basis. Mrs. Wheeler loves the fact that she can walk down the street and say hello to passersby.

When she and her husband first looked at the inn, which offers a view of Ballard Park, Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains in Vermont, “I looked out the front window and said this is the place.”

That’s a sentiment shared by many, whether longtime residents or businesspeople or those who’ve come on the scene more recently. And they all have visions of what the town needs to come alive again.

“We have incalculable assets,” said Shami McCormick, artistic director of The Depot Theater. “We have to take the ups and downs with grace.

“It’s cyclical, like the weather.”

The theater is in its 30th season, utilizing the old baggage room of the train station, and is a prime cultural venue of Westport.

The Depot’s actors and staff add to the economy and often refer to it as “coming home.” One promotion they will be initiating this year to make the productions more affordable to residents is a “Name Your Price” night on the first Monday of every theater production.

The old pharmacy, which has sat vacant for many years, now houses The Pink Pig, featuring cottage-style furniture and antiques and is open from May to December.

It’s the hope of owner Debbie Schrodt that she’ll be able to open year-round.

“Westport has wonderful people. We’re here for the duration,” she said.