Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Austin and Kelsey Braun.
Hi Christopher and Kelsey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Husband and wife built and owned, Kelsey and Chris’s mission is to bring you to nature’s doorstep, where you can immerse yourself in adventure, and rejuvenate with modern amenities. Cuyuna Cove is the perfect getaway for couples, solo travelers, and even your four-legged best friend (cabins only).
You’ll never run out of incredible red dirt experiences in every season. Cuyuna Cove is part of their Still Resorts collection of thoughtfully curated getaways. Thank you for supporting small businesses! (Snippet on Cuyuna Cove). Tofte Trails www.toftetrails.com is our expansion project on the North Shore of MN (Lake Superior. 151 Onion River Rd. Tofte MN 55615). Opening August 2023. We are also expanding Cuyuna Cove in Crosby MN with 5 additional Bungalow cabins to be open from May-October, completion date of July 2023.
Kelsey and Chris were born and raised in Central Minnesota. They were not close friends growing up but life would bring them back together in a way they never expected. They both traveled and lived away from home, pursuing their passions. Chris moved to NYC where he opened his physical therapy clinic and Kelsey lived in Austin, TX working in real estate. Kelsey renovated homes and eventually launched her very first Airbnb home in 2014 which, unbeknownst to her, would be the catalyst of Chris and Kelsey’s future together.
After reconnecting later in life, Chris and Kelsey renovated an RV, and several homes and ended up living and loving life in the North Country of MN. They settled in Crosby, MN, and purchased 3 acres of land that connected directly to the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area and the Mountain Bike trails. They worked their full-time jobs while also turning the raw land into what you see today. Cuyuna Cove is the first adventure destination of the Still Resorts brand with construction currently underway for the 2nd installment, Tofte Trails coming soon in Tofte, MN. A special thank you goes out to Kelsey’s father for helping Kelsey and Chris build Cuyuna Cove amid a global pandemic.
Cuyuna Cove truly is a special story and was only possible due to the help and support from close family and friends. Kelsey and Chris spend a lot of their time at their old mining home they renovated in Crosby, MN with their 2 large dogs. You can find them out every single day of the year exploring endless outdoor MN adventures and hanging out on Main Street. They also still travel to stay in Kelsey’s little downtown Austin, TX condo (on Airbnb) that started all years ago.
Kels and I tried to bring back elements from all of our travels and life experience that we gained along our unique journeys before reconnecting – to Minnesota as we felt our home state was ready for this type of stay with thoughtful design, and functionality (how best to utilize a small space and how you interact with that small space and the outdoors). Our whole goal is to bring people back to their roots and provide a deep connection with nature. The cabins are purposefully small as we find this challenges your senses in a unique way.
We are also avid outdoor adventurers loving to bike, hike, ski, snowboard, paddle board, fish, Altai ski, cross-country ski, snowshoe, etc. I’ve recently begun working on my pilot license and look forward to adding a tourism component in the Brainerd Lakes Area (nearby Crosby) and on the North Shore (Lake Superior) MN in the not-too-distant future. Think aerial tours of the North Shore and the Lakes Region in North Central MN. Both locations offer endless outdoor adventures in mountain biking, paddle boarding, and as listed above. The north shore in MN is a nature lover paradise with really endless hiking, cross-country skiing, and all of the above again.
Mountain biking trails and the Superior Hiking Trail offer Lake Superior Views with the former being expanded with more offerings of single and double track trails to come from Beaver Bay to Schroeder to Tofte To Lutsen (Ski Resort 5 mins away from Tofte Trails) to Grand Marais (tourist destination additionally). Surfing is even becoming more popular on the north shore but you do need to be hearty to take that on in frigid waters. All this is to say we encourage our guests to come up and adventure and then relax, unwind, and rejuvenate.
It is a two-fold offering, one that we find so important in today’s world of heavy computer work and inactivity. Forest bathing is deeply restorative for the mind and body and I continue to see more and more studies coming out detailing the benefits with the Japanese leading the way in this area.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building Cuyuna Cove with myself, Kelsey, and predominantly her father Phil Braun was easily the greatest challenge either Kelsey or myself have ever taken on. We took a leap of faith in entering this space of hospitality. We first renovated an RV learning from Kelsey’s dad while he completely gutted and re-did their grandparent’s lake home. We then advanced and took on 2 houses in Crosby (Kelsey had done some home flips in the past in Austin).
Then we went right into the Cuyuna Cove land clearing and development (Spring 2018-Cove opening Summer 2020). Kelsey had a long history of hospitality working in high-end restaurants etc and I had a pretty good bedside manner as a physical therapist. Sort of similar in a way when it is a guest/patient-facing business that you have to be attentive to one’s needs. Ok back to the struggle… We did not enter this project with enough resources to even finish the project. We both worked around the clock and I held a medical reviewing job online that I would work from 4 am-12 pm and then work the rest of the day building Cuyuna Cove.
From overall concept to completion the project took nearly 2.5 years. Some loose math has me with over 3,500 hours directly on-site. We didn’t have money for equipment and much of the trenching and digging was done by myself by hand. We, of course, did have equipment on-site via the few contractors that played a role in piecing the project together. We received some rough framing help, of course, commercial electrical and plumbing, and excavating (I now do our rough-in excavation and did so for Tofte Trails, basically creating the canvas on which to be built, but 75% of what you see at Cuyuna Cove was built by myself, Phil Braun (Kelsey’s father) and Kelsey.
Truly we almost didn’t make it. Separating and quitting was a constant thought. We were so tired and easily 15-20 lbs underweight by the end. We had no lives and worked weekends and holidays nonstop. Easily 70-80 hr per week for 2.5 years. Covid came on the scene and we were nearing completion wondering if we would be shut down (we opened end of June 2020). After such a lengthy process we really couldn’t believe a global pandemic was now going to work itself into the scenario. Fortunately, it all worked out but we of course did not know it would at the time. IT was tremendously stressful and again one has to appreciate that we were under the gun to finish but also the mental stress of whether will this work. Will this resonate? Will guests like this place?
This pressure builds as you near the completion of a project and sadly a finish leads right into an operation with very little time to reflect on the accomplishment. It has been the most rewarding embarkation but also the most stressful one as well. We are getting better at managing the stressful aspects. I hope this paints the picture and lets people know that “passive income” really is not very passive. We have been in operational control since and have continued to pour long hours into our Still Resorts brand > Cuyuna Cove > Tofte Trails. Systems can always be improved and we have progressive minds to see to it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My wife is a wonderful creative and I chose this question to speak to that briefly.
Kelsey is a painter (her past work hanging up in family members’ homes). I often found myself remarking, “No way, you painted that?!” And she did it at a young age. Sadly life has gotten quite busy and she hasn’t been painting but has found a new creative outlet in design/interior design. An area that she has brought me up to speed in.
I never viewed myself as creative and was often told I wasn’t. Given that I was a traditional learner, old school work ethic type of person. These two characteristics came together quite well though for a project like Cuyuna Cove given its sheer volume of labor (Chris) required to complete and with an elevated design (Kels). We are similar in the sense that we both have worked many different jobs over the years and gradually pieced everything together to then take on a challenge like building a resort.
I can learn quickly and take on new things with an open mind. I knew nothing of trade work when we began and could honestly barely read a tape measure. I called out 10 and 3 little lines to Kelsey’s dad in the beginning. Fortunately, he has a gift for teaching. Kelsey has always been creative and artsy with an eye for photography and design, a voice for writing.
We now overlap in multiple areas and are each other’s soundboards and critics. This has always been my strongest suit and the ability to endure and delay gratification. I consistently told Kels to hang in there with me and that things would get better. She thankfully did and we eventually persevered.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Chase your dreams and if you are thoughtful in all that you do, you will accomplish your goals one foot in front of the other. Never give up, never take no for an answer, and know that there is always a way or another door to open to get there.
You only have to be willing to work hard and you would be amazed at what you can build over time (literally and figuratively).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stillresorts.com
- Instagram: @cuyunacove and @toftetrails
- Other: www.cuyunacove.com www.toftetrails.com
