Two years after the grand opening of Nordic Pineapple Bed and Breakfast in St. Johns, owners Kjersten and Greg Offenbecker are hitting their stride, thanks to a wave of first-time B&B guests, a flurry of unwanted but beneficial publicity, and the addition of two new guest rooms.
First-time and younger B&B guests finding Nordic Pineapple B&B
In February, Dave and Sarah Paul (above) were lying in bed at their Jenison, Michigan, home, researching where to go for a romantic getaway. The two thirty-somethings are devoted parents of two children, 8 and 10, but the pandemic year had demanded unprecedented levels of devotion, besides which Sarah teaches special-ed students at a high school.
“We really needed some couples time,” Dave said. Less than a month later, they were taking this selfie in the foyer of Nordic Pineapple B&B.
What went into the couple’s decision making for their first-time bed and breakfast experience?
One, Dave loves a good breakfast. They perused reviews, articles, and social media. The breakfasts simply had to be several notches above chain hotel or restaurant fare.
Two, they were fans of a USA Network show, “Psych” (2006-2014), about a novice sleuth and his best friend. The writers showed or referenced a pineapple in almost every episode. The Pauls remembered the running gag fondly and thought it was a sign they should choose Nordic Pineapple B&B, located only 30 minutes north of Lansing.
Dave and Sarah chose the first-floor Purple Viking room and opted for the Breakfast in Bed add-on. “Totally worth it,” Dave wrote in a review. “We were able to stay to ourselves and really keep the weekend to our own pace.” He approved of the spaciousness of their room and bathroom and highly commends the common areas, including the library, the large porch, the lawn, and especially the fire pit.
What about the breakfasts? “I can’t even tell you how good that food was,” Dave said, adding, “It was amazing and just the right amount.”
After breakfast in bed, Dave took the tray to the kitchen, where Greg told him, “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.” Dave replied, “But you told us to make ourselves at home.” So they did.
The Pauls have already reserved a room for this October’s Murder Mystery Weekend.
When first-timers filled the entire inn
Since the Offenbecker’s B&B has become known as a quick getaway destination within two hours of Michigan’s major population centers, Kjersten says, “We have seen a significant increase in the number of first-time B&B guests who are looking for a more unique and personal lodging experience. In addition, the number of younger guests also has increased.”
But not all first-time guests are Millennials or Zoomers.
Last August, on a quick trip into St. Johns from their nearby lake cottage, Dennis and Kim Torrey of Sterling Heights stopped by Nordic Pineapple and got a tour of the common areas, a service many innkeepers offer when they’re not busy serving guests. Dennis had traveled for businesses and had always stayed in hotels. In fact, he said he hadn’t been too sure about B&Bs in general.
Nordic Pineapple so impressed the Torreys that they booked the whole place for a March 2021 Murder Mystery weekend and brought neighbors and friends, including some “friends for life” who met at Osborn High School in Detroit in the 1970s. One couple in the group had operated a B&B for a short time and gave the experience an enthusiastic thumbs up. Most of the others had never stayed in a B&B.
In a review, Dennis wrote: “Kjersten and Greg make you feel as if you are lifelong friends from the moment you arrive. The ambiance and atmosphere they have created at the inn is truly amazing. The quirkiness of the name, The Nordic Pineapple, continues with the name of each of the incredibly unique rooms, and the decor throughout the inn is absolutely stunning. The food at each meal was something Gordon Ramsay would envy, and the cleanliness of the inn would stand up to any white-glove treatment.” Dennis’s wife Kim would know; she owns a cleaning company.
A media firestorm brings an international flood of support
What inspired the B&B’s memorable name? Kjersten’s family heritage is Norwegian, and the pineapple symbolizes hospitality, dating to a time when a pineapple was difficult to obtain. For months, the couple displayed an American Flag and a Norwegian flag in brackets on either side of the front door. The flags of all five Scandinavian countries feature a cross, symbolizing Christianity. Norway’s has a blue cross outlined in white on a red field.
It seems impossible that anyone could mistake the Norwegian flag for a Confederate flag, but some people apparently did, perhaps after viewing it from a distance. Although the Confederate flag is red, white, and blue, it has no cross; its prominent X-shape is festooned with stars.
It shocked the Offenbeckers when they became the target of hateful emails and social media posts accusing them of being racists.
When they decided in mid-July 2020 that their only choice was to take down the flag, they were shocked anew as Kjersten’s heartfelt Facebook announcement (since deleted) went viral, making headlines around the world.
“We got a huge outpouring of support,” Kjersten said. “The phone rang nonstop for a week. Reporters wanting our reaction, friends calling, random people saying ‘Hang it back up.’ We had to stop answering it for a while.”
People mailed them flags. Norwegian stick flags, a half-Norwegian, half-U.S. friendship flag, popup cards, an I Love Norway yard sign, and a 1940s map of Norway, which they framed and hung.
By September, the publicity storm ended with a vimpel. See photo. The perfect solution.
Vafflers and pannekaken served here
Big changes of a more ordinary kind came to Nordic Pineapple B&B in the first three months of 2021. Guests now have seven guest rooms instead of five to choose from. With its two window walls and exposed brick, the Orange Pear makes use of space that once was a porch; it has a king bed and attached bath with a large walk-in shower. A four-poster queen bed distinguishes the Yellow Pig, whose attached bathroom has a double vanity and walk-in shower. Both new rooms are on the second floor.
The Offenbeckers and two of their children — Garret, 16, and Gracie, 13 — moved to spacious, renovated family quarters on the third floor, complete with a full kitchen. Son Dallas, almost 27, lives in the Metro Detroit area and works as an engineer.
When Kjersten was growing up in Grand Rapids, she said, “Eggs were from Kroger. Syrup was Aunt Jemima.” But Kjersten and Greg embraced the eat-local trend for their family and now for their guests. Eggs, for example, come from a local hobby farm and maple syrup from trees tapped right in town.
Kjersten’s heritage is on display in many of the dishes that Greg prepares for guests. Your breakfast might include vafflers, heart-shaped waffles that are a Norwegian tradition. Another favorite is pannekaken, more eggy and thicker than a crepe, often served rolled with lingonberries or another fruit compote.
Greg, whose primary connection to Norway is Kjersten, also makes a hash that’s very popular with guests. It uses five different kinds of potatoes, sausage, peppers, onions, and eggs to order.
To operate a successful B&B and earn all those five-star reviews for great hospitality is all about the details. The Offenbeckers have honed their division of labor.
A former TSA officer, security guard, corrections officer, and Navy veteran, Greg is the full-time innkeeper. He’s the head chef, fixer, shopper, Mr. Back of the House. He’s also, according to Kjersten, a “laundry whisperer.” When hair dye turns a white towel pink, it’s just an ordinary day in the laundry room for Greg.
Kjersten is Ms. Front of the House and handles the books and manages reservations, the website, social media, all the inn’s special packages, including their very popular Murder Mystery Weekends, and the planning for events and small weddings at the inn. She also works full-time as a statistical programmer in the pharmaceutical industry.
If the responsibility of becoming the custodians of very large Civil War-era property in a small town and balancing the raising of children with operating a B&B ever seemed like a scary, knot-in-the-throat proposition, Kjersten and Greg Offenbecker are breathing easier now.
Kjersten said, “This was a dream for us for a long time. We’ve had a great ride so far.”
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