The Bricksons’ Modern Take on Vacation Rentals in Canal Park

DULUTH, Minn. — A new wave of vacation rentals is making quite the splash in Canal Park.

Canal Park, with its lively attractions on the shores of Lake Superior, is home to more than just scenic views and busy streets.

On one corner, a couple has taken a space rich in history and given it a modern twist, and it’s called The Brix Elevated Stays.

“Our whole goal is just to get people to see the beauty and to experience Duluth,” said Owner Keenan Brickson.

Keenan and Tiegen Brickson are the visionaries behind L’Etoile du Nord, a high-end short-term rental apart of The Brix properties, nestled in a 1900s Marshall Wells Hardware building.

The space is full of tributes to Duluth, including black-and-white murals of early Canal Park and the iconic Aerial Lift Bridge.

However, it looked much different just two years ago. “It looked very much like a retro 80s hotel room when we bought it, there was a big jacuzzi tub in the middle of the living room,” Tiegen stated.

Keenan went on to say, “It was very dated carpet, and the décor was very dated, but we just knew there was so much potential in this place.”

Like a diamond in the rough, “We thought if somebody came in here and tore it up and put it back together, beautifully, then this could be a phenomenal location for an Airbnb,” said Tiegen.

So, in 2022, the Brickson’s took on the challenge.

“It did not happen overnight. We quit our corporate jobs, and I took a remote job,” Tiegen emphasized.

“We missed out on a lot of weekends at the cabin and sacrificed our kitchen for a couple months,” Keenan went on to say, “it was definitely worth it.”

With two kids and another on the way, the project started with a personal goal: “Our goal is just spending more time with family,” Keenan said.

And a dream: “We wanted to escape Duluth in the wintertime, we wanted to come back here in the summer. Much like a lot of us have grandparents that have done that,” explained Tiegen.

While many snowbirds are retirees, the Bricksons aimed to make this lifestyle work for their young family.

“What if we just have a home each place and whatever home we’re not living in let’s rent that one out, so we’re only ever paying for one mortgage at a time,” said Tiegen.

Real estate was a natural choice for the couple.

“We were both good at renovations, we had renovated our own houses before,” Tiegen highlighted.

Today, their Airbnb is a year-round success, and the duo is not done yet.

Just one street over on Canal Park Drive, construction is underway for their next project.

“We’re going to have one three–bed two bath condo, and another two-bed two-bath condo that should be finished hopefully next spring for more guests to come and enjoy Canal Park.”

And Tiegen says, that’s the whole mission.

“That’s what we’re focused on is building spaces for people to come together and enjoy the city, enjoy Canal Park and be together and make memories.”