Kimberly and Ken Aparicio met while they were both working for a prominent salon-products company in northern California. Ken was vice president of sales, and Kimberly was hired to revamp the company's image. They decided to relocate to Minneapolis, where they married, started a family and also came upon a business opportunity.
The couple thought running their own small chain of salons would give them more flexibility and be more fulfilling, but the long hours and constant pressure took its toll. While on a weekend trip to Duluth, they stayed at a colonial mansion that had been turned into an inn (figure A). Across the street, they noticed an old mansion that would change their lives.
They toured the 16,000-square-foot old house, and despite its state of disrepair, they sensed an opportunity (figure B). The Aparicios learned that the house was built in 1908 for Joseph Cotton, a local politician and attorney. The house was donated to the University of Minnesota when Cotton died in 1940, then sold to a local family, who converted it into student apartments in the early 1960s. Over the next four decades, it gradually fell into disrepair.
The Duluth neighborhood that so impressed the Aparicios was once home to dozens of ore and timber barons, and many of their stately homes are beautifully preserved (figure C). Ken said the area reminded him of the San Francisco neighborhood in which he grew up.
The Aparicio's bid was just a fraction of the$500,000 asking price, but it was accepted because they were the only people to make an offer on the house in the five years it had been for sale. As luck would have it, just weeks before they closed on the property, they received an unsolicited offer to buy their salon business. They quickly accepted and threw the money into their new project, creating not just a new home for the family but a new business. The Aparicios sold their Minneapolis house and moved the family to Duluth.
They used the original floor plans and old photographs to restore the old luster to Cotton Mansion, which features five guest rooms (figure D). Other authentic items include Joseph Cotton's original desk in the library (figure E) and the mansion's original dining set (figure F). After seven months of intense work, and no small amount of money, the Cotton Mansion bed-and-breakfast was ready for business.
The Aparicios try to emphasize that you do not have to be a millionaire to live like one--meals are served on fine china and breakfast is often served by candlelight. The Cotton Mansion is part of the Duluth Bed & Breakfast association and is open seven days a week during the summer.
Though the Aparicios are just making it financially, their situation improves each season. Kimberly feels blessed that she gets to spend so much time with her children, a luxury that would not be possible were she still working in the salon business. She says if you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work.
Resources Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau
The bureau's website features information about visiting Duluth, including lodging, food, entertainment and more.
Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau
100 Lake Place Dr.
Duluth, MN 55802
USA
Phone: 218-722-4011
Toll Free Phone: 800-438-5884
Email:
cvb@visitduluth.com
URL:
www.visitduluth.com/index.html
The Historic Bed-and-Breakfast Inns of Duluth
The site offers a listing of 10 bed-and-breakfast inns that are convenient to downtown Duluth.
The Historic Bed-and-Breakfast Inns of Duluth
2316 E. First St.
Duluth, MN 55812
USA
URL:
www.duluthbandb.com/
Guests Kimberly and Ken Aparicio
Owners, Cotton Mansion
2309 E. First St.
Duluth, MN 55812
Phone: 218-724-6405
Toll-free: 800-228-1997
E-mail:
cottonmansion@msn.com
Website:
www.cottonmansion.com
Also in this Episode
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