Shelley Greimann is pictured in the living room of a Blue Earth property she recently converted into an Airbnb. The house’s traditional style and warm colors were inspired by the painting visible on the fireplace mantle, which Greimann found in her former boutique, Prairie Chic.

Airbnbs – properties converted into vacation rentals for short and long-term stays – have enjoyed a surge in popularity over the last decade. Currently, Airbnb incorporates 5 million hosts spanning the globe.

The properties can be found just about anywhere – including Blue Earth, Minnesota.

“A lot of folks say, ‘Really? An Airbnb in Blue Earth? What have we got to offer?'” says local Airbnb owner Shelly Greimann. “I reply, ‘Are you kidding? There’s weddings, funerals, family reunions, professionals coming through – they’re all looking for a short-term stay, and we’re happy to provide it.'”

For Greimann, the business is a family affair.

It all started with a Main Street building she co-owns with her daughter and son-in-law, Brianna and David Greer.

The family bought the building to house the Greers’ business, Legacy Trees and Gardens, and Greimann’s boutique, Prairie Chic, which has since closed.

The property also came with an intriguing one-bedroom apartment on the upper floor.

Greimann knew a little about the Airbnb business at the time, as her daughter, Makie Bloomer, operated an Airbnb in California, and has another one in Blue Earth, on Fourth Street.

“They lived in a very touristy place on the ocean,” Greimann explains. “They Airbnbed their first level, and they lived on the second. They’re the reason we got into doing vacation rentals.”

Greimann and the Greers had the apartment renovated and ready for the Airbnb market in a matter of months.

“We freshened it up with paint and lighting,” Greimann says. “We had some tile work finished that was started, and then we furnished everything.”

She and Brianna found the furniture for the apartment – affectionately dubbed ‘The Loft on Main’ – at Ankeny Furniture.

“We try and keep things local,” Greimann notes.

When the renovations were complete, The Loft on Main exuded a ‘boho-chic’ style, and it was equipped with everything visitors could need: laundry, a fully-stocked kitchen, a bedroom and dining room, and roll-out beds tucked away in a spacious living room closet.

The property was ready to welcome guests in 2019, and – to Greimann’s surprise – continued to attract a steady stream of visitors through the challenging COVID years which followed.

“They just came to get away, and they had the whole place to themselves,” Greimann recalls. “We had a strict cleaning protocol during that time period, and we let the (apartment) stay empty for four days in between guests.”

Now, in 2024, The Loft on Main retains a healthy occupancy level.

“It gets booked up really fast for Giant Days, class reunions, the Wine Walk, and just those special events,” Greimann says.

Her first foray into Airbnb ownership went so well, in fact, that Greimann decided to convert a second Blue Earth property into an Airbnb.

She purchased a charming home on Nicollet Street in April of 2023, with white paint and black trim.

Greimann expected she could have the house ready in a matter of months, but soon found the renovations would take half a year.

“It takes longer than you think,” she laughs.

Apart from furnishing and decorating, the house required several updates and repairs.

Greimann had completed much of the work at The Loft on Main herself, with the help of the Greers, but she decided to hire help to update the Nicollet Street house.

Apart from the fact that the house, which sleeps 10, literally posed a larger challenge than the apartment on Main Street, Greimann was also running two businesses at the time.

Andy Lorenzen helped with many of the repairs and updates, as did handyman Travis Robbins, who helped re-finish the deck, pull up carpet, and update the landscaping.

Mark Hassing carpeted the upstairs with material from Dikken’s Furniture and Decorating, Davis Outdoor Services cut down three trees which were dropping sap and needles onto the deck, and Corey Naumann helped with the tile work.

Additionally, Stine’s Duct Cleaning cleaned the home’s ducts, and Painting by Tammy & Crew gave the entire house a fresh coat of paint.

Greimann, meanwhile, handled the decorating.

She was inspired by a single painting – an impressionist rendering of a farm house which she found at Prairie Chic.

“I liked the colors, and it reminded me of the white house I had just bought with the black trim,” Greimann recalls. “It seemed like Minnesota – like our rural community. It all went off of that picture.”

She says interior design can often start with a single piece of artwork, or a textile.

“Find a rug you love, or a pillow, or a piece of fabric, or a painting,” she suggests. “Something that speaks to you.”

Now that it is complete, the house is a traditional, but inviting space, with comfortable furniture, plenty of pillows and blankets, and decorative touches carefully selected by Greimann.

She filled the home with purchases from Ankeny Furniture and The Blue House, plus a few lucky finds from Facebook Marketplace and her store, Prairie Chic.

“That’s a great way to put your home together – some new, some used, some thrifted and refurbished,” Greimann says.

The house was ready by Thanksgiving, once a few additional features had been added to accommodate guests.

The Nicollet Street house and The Loft on Main are both accessible via a key code which is provided to guests at the time of their stay.

“Every Airbnb can be different,” Greimann clarifies. “It can be part of your home, and you’re there to greet them, or some people don’t really want to be talked to.”

There are many other considerations for making Airbnbs as welcoming as possible. In fact, Greimann asked friends to stay at the house before opening it up to guests, just in case she had forgotten a necessity.

“They can tell us if we’re missing something,” she says.

The kitchen in an Airbnb needs to be fully stocked with cutlery, small appliances and pans. Greimann also provides guests with reading material, games and toys for children.

Then there are the towels.

“There are towels for days,” Greimann says. “And, we’ve tried to follow hotel standards when we are making up our bedrooms.”

All of the mattresses are encased in protectors and a mattress pad, and the pillows are wrapped in protectors, too.

And, each property is equipped with smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

“We take safety very seriously on all of our properties,” Greimann explains.

Guests are also provided with smart TVs, a desk in case they have work to do, and, of course, Wi-Fi.

Greimann admits that owning an Airbnb is not for everybody.

“I don’t think it’s for the faint of heart,” she considers. “You’re letting perfect strangers come into your life, and you just don’t know who you’re going to meet.”

“But, that’s the beauty of it,” she continues. “We’ve met some lovely people, and they come back again and again. And, everybody’s been so respectful of the house – they treat it well.”