By Marilu Miller –
Interview with Norbert and Susan Calnin – Candlewood Cabins
I have known who Norbert and Susan Calnin are for many of the years that they lived here in the Driftless. When asked to do this interview, I was interested to not only learn about their business, but to learn a little more about them as well.
Norbert and Susan, when did you come to the Driftless Area and where did you come from? What keeps you here?
Norbert- We came back to Wisconsin from Florida in 1981 because my Dad had bought the farm and had a house where we could live. We fell in love with the area right away. Well, the cabins do. As does family and a love of the area.
Where did the idea for Candlewood Cabins come from? Where did the name come from?
Susan- The idea came when the original cabin that was built by Norbert’s brother Roland was for sale. We felt like we needed to purchase it as the land that it was on went thru the property. Our first thought was to rent it out possibly as a Bed and Breakfast. The name came when we were gathered with friends and all of us were tossing out ideas. Norbert thought of Candlewood. Someone else suggested Candlelight, but, Norbert said that he really liked Candlewood, and so that was it. There is just a lot of peace and solitude here.
Could you please tell me a little bit about your family?
Well, Norbert’s parents met right after World War II, fell in love and married soon after. They came to the United States and started teaching at St. Norbert’s College in the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin. In the late 1970’s, early 1980’s when the government started subsidizing wind energy Norbert’s father was very interested in that. They came here to Richland county and found this acreage. Norbert and I met at St. Norbert’s College as we were both students in the Music and Theater Departments. It was something of a natural pairing. We have two boys and one girl.
In today’s world, businesses are constantly changing, striving to make things better or faster or somehow streamlined. Is there something that you have done with the business to do this?
Well, it used to be all paper booking. Guests paid when they got here with cash or check. Now, everything is on line booking, at least for the last five to six years. Everything is pre-paid now. Lots of our booking and payments are done through smart phones. Of course, this did increase our costs, and thus raise the rental rates.
Can you tell me someone that you have met, through work, the business, or just in life, that stands out from all others that you have met and why?
We have made friends with several of the regular guests and have had several guests that stand out for different reasons.
What do you think will change about your business over the next five to ten years? Will anything change?
We try to stay ahead of changes and trends. I believe that the demand for solitude will increase and we will do our best to continue to provide those spaces.
Can you tell me about some of the different jobs you have had, things that you have done, before you opened your business?
Susan has been a stay at home mom. Norbert had a construction company for a while and for the last 20years was the Foundation Director at the Richland Center Hospital.
What do you think draws people to your business?
I believe that is is a combination of the uniqueness of the designs, the connection to nature, and the solitude that provides a place for unwinding. Plus, people really seem to like coming to the Driftless Area.
What do you think draws people to the Driftless Area? Is it something that your business provides? Do you provide the people that come to your business with information of the different things available for them to do in the Driftless area?
There are lots of recreational things to do. As well as the beauty of they area. We do promote sever other businesses in and around Richland County. Pine River Paddle & Tube, Kelly’s Coffee, Christy’s Bakery, The Driftless Cafe, and American Players Theater are just a few of them.
What do you enjoy doing to keep your “batteries charged” as it were? What do you do to keep challenging yourself?
We do the opposite of our guests. They come here for solitude, many of them from big cities. We go to big cities to explore and see new things. We often go to Chicago or to visit our children in San Francisco or Atlanta. Just because we are getting older doesn’t mean that you can’t continue to grow. In fact getting older makes you grow.
What do you wish other people knew about your business?
That it is a small business that is run by the two of us. Yes, it is on-line, it is still us. It is a Mom & Pop operation. We still answer the phone when you call and answer the door once you are here and have a question or problem.
What might our readers be surprised to learn about you?
We are talented, and while we might be at “retirement age”, age is just a number.
Can you tell me a little about how the different cabins came to be? I know the first one was purchased. What of the others?
Well, as we said, we did purchase the first one which had been the home that Norbert’s brother Roland had built. We joined some basic Bed and Breakfast associations to get the word out and made some brochures. Then in 2000, we built the log cabin because business was good and we had started to build a web site and we had found that we enjoyed meeting our customers. Then Norbert had 32 glass panels left from a construction job and the idea for the glass cabin was born and came into being.
The web site had brought us many customers and our kids helped us develop the site and our daughter-in-law does a great deal of that work. But, the pictures of the glass cabin brought us lots of business. Not just weekend bookings, but week day bookings and we started booking three to four months out. So, with that we thought, let’s build another more upscale guest house and that is the Meadow House.
The business continued to grow. One evening after dinner, Norbert came up with the idea for the silo on the Woodland House. We had been trying to come up with another unique idea for the next cabin, Norbert put a saucer on top of a glass and the idea was there. After Susan’s parents passed away, we turned their little home here on the property into another cabin- The Little House Next Door. The latest is The Barn. It used to be the home and studio of Norbert’s parents. When it opens, it will be our largest guest house and will even have an elevator. Our daughter has helped us with the interior design on several of the cabins which is also a great help.
The business has for the last three to four years been booking one to two years out. We are not a bed and breakfast place. We also never really intended to be innkeepers, it just fell into our laps. We never even questioned the fit of being innkeepers, we just are. There is an importance of being an innkeeper to the guests. It is much more than just saying ‘Here is your key. This is how to get to your cabin.’ We are a destination. We tell our guests the story of how we started, where the idea for the cabins came from and we see a real interest in our guests for the story that we tell.
Candlewood Cabins
29493 State Hwy 80 (Candlewood Lane)
Richland Center, WI
608.647.5720 