From herds to hospitality

STAPLES, Minn. — While most barns house animals and store feed and equipment, The Barn Inn at Solid Rock near Staples is stocked with beds and toys. In a former life, the structure was a dairy barn. Today, it is an Airbnb.

Lee Paskewitz turned an empty, dairy barn into a home away from home for families and groups. The barn has five bedrooms with nine beds, three bathrooms, a kitchen and living space along with outdoor seating and recreation areas.

“We have family events up here; our whole family can be together, and the small kids have plenty of space to run around,” Paskewitz said.

Paskewitz operated a 250-cow dairy farm from 1991 until 2017. As dairying became more of a challenge, Paskewitz closed the door on his operation. The barn sat empty for nearly four years before it received a remodel.

The idea came in 2021, when Paskewitz and his wife, Laurie, were out for a walk, discussing what they should do with their large, empty barn.

“I said, ‘We could turn it into an Airbnb,’ and that’s what we did,” Paskewitz said. “It was only about a half-hour-long conversation.”

What used to be the hayloft is now a large, open-concept kitchen and living area. The bedrooms and two bathrooms are located on the first floor, where Paskewitz’s dry cows once lived.

The Airbnb opened for guests Memorial Day weekend 2024, and since then, the barn has provided guests an area to gather, celebrate or just have fun nearly every weekend. Before staying, guests can view information on amenities, availability and book their stay online. From families to bachelor parties, groups of all kinds have made the barn their temporary home.

The barn has been remodeled, painted and decorated, but Paskewitz wanted to make sure its history was not forgotten. From aerial farm photos to family photos of Paskewitz’s children, memories line the walls of the barn.

“We like to show guests the history of where they’re staying,” Paskewitz said.

Family photos go as far back as Paskewitz’s mother, who is now 90 years old, doing field work as a teenager.

“There (are) photos of my friends and me in college, my children growing up and now my grandchildren,” Paskewitz said.

Paskewitz’s three children were raised on the farm, where they spent countless hours in the barn. The children helped with chores and showed dairy cattle in 4-H.

Today, Paskewitz’s four grandchildren, soon to be five, are also spending countless hours in the barn, but in a different way. Whether working on the remodel or celebrating holidays, the barn continues to be a second home for the family.

Photographs are not the only way visitors can learn about where they are staying. A book displayed in the barn shows every step of the remodel, from start to finish. 

“It was a long process, but it was very much worth it,” Paskewitz said.

Paskewitz broke ground on the remodel in fall 2021 and completed it in the early months of 2024. The remodel included a new roof, new flooring and updated electricity and plumbing.

“I did most of it myself, with the help of family and friends,” Paskewitz said. “My grandkids, brothers, nephews and kids all helped.”

The only work outsourced came from an electrician who installed wiring in the barn. Most of the work came from family and friends, including Paskewitz’s brother-in-law, who is a plumber and was able to offer guidance on the plumbing work.

“Instead of deer hunting last year, some friends and I built the deck,” Paskewitz said.

Most of the material used in the remodel was recycled or second-hand. Paskewitz used wood from an old chicken coop, doors from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and previously discarded tile.

“There’s so much more character when you reuse items,” Paskewitz said.

Though the doors to the Airbnb are open and guests have been staying there, the work is not done. Paskewitz is currently using his hoop barn for storage and his milking parlor for his own shop, but he is hoping to expand the living space.

“The milkhouse isn’t being used right now,” Paskewitz said. “ I’m thinking of turning that into another room.”

Though he plans for the future, Paskewitz always remembers the past. The barn that provided shelter for his animals now provides shelter for countless visitors.