ABOVE: Hometown Place owner Minilik Mersha shows the new interior and accommodations after completely remodeling the former Budget Inn in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT – With six months under his belt, businessman Minilik Mersha has been hard at work taking the old Budget Inn property in Fairmont and turning it into Hometown Place.

Mersha currently owns apartments and Jebena Ethiopian Cuisine in Worthington. The Budget Inn property came to Mersha’s attention when the property’s owners contacted him about a potential sale.

“He was wondering if I was interested,” he said. “I came by and looked at it. At first, I wasn’t interested. They called me later and said, ‘Hey, we’re willing to negotiate on the pricing because of the condition.’ I came back and met up with them and my partner. We were able to purchase the property.”

When he first acquired the property, Mersha said it was in bad shape.

“Pretty much each unit was leaking, and they didn’t have anything,” he said. “Rain was coming down on each unit.”

He said the first thing they did was replace the leaking flat roof with a new slanted roof. They also fixed the parking lot, which Mersha said was nearly undrivable. He then went to work on completely overhauling the rooms.

“New flooring, walls, ceiling, everything got remodeled,” he said. “Windows, window blinds and new bedding. We threw all the old stuff and put all new stuff in it.”

With that fixed, they began working on the units and now have 46 available for rent. Even with the conditions, Mersha said the hotel was at 80 percent occupancy when he first took it over. After talking to the current occupants, he said around 20 signed on to stay. Now, only five of his 46 units are vacant.

“It’s a temporary home,” he said. “People can make it long periods if they want to. We are open to that. We’re looking for if you’re trying to buy another house, you’re looking for somewhere to wait on. Or if you’re a contractor, you come here instead of spending on a hotel. [Hometown Place] gives you freedom and privacy.”

Units are $775 a month with everything included. When deciding to convert it from a hotel to this style, Mersha said it came down to staffing.

“It’s like an apartment [building],” he said. “There’s less staffing you have to do.”

Overall, he said the response from the people and community has been phenomenal.

“Love the town people,” Mersha said. “Has been good, powerful. Love the neighbors. Everybody’s been working with us. You have the city inspector involved throughout the process. We appreciate the city.”

Mersha’s work is far from over. Looking forward, he said they are looking to open up two and four-bedroom units at higher prices. They will also be adding an outdoor sitting area, and renovating the indoor common area as well. If all goes well and demand stays high, he said he would also like to put an addition on.

For more information, call 507-329-3135 or visit https://www.mershamanagement.com/.