Jennifer Edholm feels right at home working at her Airbnb hostel in Carthage. When she was growing up, the Victorian-style house was the home of her grandparents, Jesse and Ruby Brooks.
The only logical name for the Inn – Grandma Ruby’s Vintage Victorian.
The house was completely renovated last year with two spacious suites.
“Clients have the choice of renting the ground floor, the upper floor, or the entire house,” Edholm said. “Guests can cook their own breakfast, which isn’t quite like a typical bed and breakfast, but the cost is a fraction of the price.”
Each suite has its own coffee bar with extras and tea provided. The kitchens are stocked with fresh eggs, butter, and breads for breakfast, as well as high-end cookware and cookware. They can do any other cooking they want.
Already this year she organized a wedding party, and family groups rented the whole house. A family chose Grandma Ruby’s house as a place to gather and be close to a sick relative over the Christmas weekend. A local photographer held pop-up Christmas photo shoots earlier in the fall. A traveling doctor regularly comes to Carthage for work and stays at home.
“We have hunters, people visiting family in Hickory Grove, and people visiting historic sites in the county,” Edholm said.
“Carthage needed quality, affordable temporary accommodation for local events and family visits,” she said. “I am honored to be able to provide a suitable option for my friends, neighbors and out-of-town guests. The immense size of this home makes it an ideal location for baby showers, holiday parties and more. fun retreats.
The downstairs suite includes a large bedroom and a small bedroom, a meeting room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The upstairs suite has two bedrooms, a very large living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. Both suites have access to the common laundry room.
Edholm likes to enrich his guests’ visits with the history of the house.
Jesse and Ruby Dean Brooks moved to 208 N. Scofield in 1961, after retiring from farming. They bought it from Ruby’s aunt, Dr. Emma Dalrymple, who lived upstairs and used the floor below for her medical practice.
“My parents, John and Bernadette Brooks, were very close to my grandparents, so we visited them often. Grandma Ruby was a wonderful grandma who always had a fun story, poem or song to share,” Edholm said.
She had raised eight children and many grandchildren. Edholm was one of her youngest grandchildren. “She was the kind of grandma who said, ‘Come in, honey, let’s have a little apple party.’ She would take something as simple as sharing an apple and make it a party.
After her grandparents died in 1982, other family members took turns residing in the house. In 1996 Edholm bought the house and worked with a team to renovate it into two large apartments. She sold the house in 2004, but later, when the new owners moved out, the house became a rental again.
“In 2021, I noticed that the house seemed empty again. I pulled into the parking lot, looked up Zillow on my phone, and found out the house was going up for auction! she said.
A week later, it was his. She worked with a team of Amish carpenters led by Ervin Troyer. They installed a new metal roof and wraparound porch. Ervin’s crew added teak hardwood floors, closed in the screened porch, added a back deck, built privacy fencing, and made many other repairs. Meanwhile, Edholm was painting walls and looking for furniture to reuse and touch up at flea markets, antique shops and estate sales.
“It’s a big house with 10-foot ceilings everywhere, so cleaning and painting took an awful lot of time,” she said. “Like any journey in life, you just have to move forward until you reach your goal.”
Edholm is no stranger to the idea of short-term foster families.
“I started traveling with Airbnb many years ago and have always appreciated the availability of a kitchen and additional space compared to a hotel room,” she said.
She’s been an Airbnb host since 2017, offering an apartment in a renovated barn and a “tiny house” for rent near her home on the family’s Linda Lake, north of Carthage.
“I appreciate being able to provide clean, affordable accommodations for clients who want to spend time in our community,” she said. “Airbnb is built on trust between strangers, and I cling to my belief that there is more good than bad in the world. It helps me share my blessings with others.
After guests book online through Airbnb, she can correspond with them with any special requests that might make their stay more enjoyable.
Many members of his family contributed to the project. Her sister Linda helped design the rooms.
“I was out picking up stuff and she put it all together.” Her sister Lila was the gardener/landscaper, and her daughter Ruby helps with the constant cleaning and getting new guests ready.
The house is decorated in a fun, quaint yet quirky style. They used bright, fun colors and interesting artwork, keeping clutter to a minimum.
Grandma Ruby’s Vintage Victorian is open all year round and can be booked through Airbnb.com.
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