Saddle up, unpack and unwind, at Royal's newest business, the Royal Bunkhouse.

Lisa Meisner and Polly Anderson resided in Phoenix, Arizona, when they decided to purchase the Royal schoolhouse, Royal Bar and a home. Their intention was to live in the home while renovating the bar and schoolhouse, but after a few conversations, they decided to create an Airbnb called the Royal Bunkhouse.

The project started when the owner of the house talked with Meisner's friend about possibly placing the home on the market. The friend contacted Meisner and she immediately began working with the homeowner before a "for sale" sign could be placed.

Once Meisner and Anderson arrived in Royal and saw the house, they realized it would be a bigger project than expected. Meisner and Anderson decided with the renovation taking place, the home would not be livable.

They looked for homes for sale in Royal, but they did not find anything so they purchased their home in Plainview.

"Originally with the schoolhouse on the upper level, we were talking about doing a bed and breakfast. That's why we put a bid on the bar because that would be the breakfast part of it, but financially that might not happen," Meisner said.

While they were renovating the bar, several out-of-towners stopped by to ask if there was a place nearby to stay. This gave Meisner and Anderson the idea of turning the house into an Airbnb.

"There's really not one here, and we're entrepreneurs by heart, so we were one day thinking about the house and I said 'I think we should do an Airbnb.' It was that kind of conversation," Anderson explained.

They did quite a bit of work on the house themselves, including all design ideas, tiling and some staining. Some of the original pieces from the home are still in the house, including a mirror paired with an old door used to create a shelf in the bathroom. The bar's old fence is also being utilized to create a counter in the kitchen area. Meisner and Anderson also noticed when some of the walls were being knocked down, some of the slats looked like the shape on Nebraska, so they took a picture and hope to print it and hang it in the home.

Anderson also made the bed frames and assembled all the beds. Their niece stained all the doors.

A crew of Amish workers assisted with the drywall, flooring and the major projects.

"It was a labor of love because again, we're trying to improve a community and that's what kept us moving forward because when we say we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it," Anderson said. "We don't want to hurt our word so that is also a drive for us."

The couple met a few challenges along the way while renovating the place. When installing a toilet in a bathroom, they realized there were three different spots to place it.

"I just found that to be humorous because I've never seen that before," Anderson chuckled.

The Airbnb is located at 301 3rd Street in Royal. It went live, to be bookable on the Airbnb site, June 27.

The Royal Bunkhouse is pet friendly and has 10 beds, two bathrooms, a dog run, a big front porch, a fully-stocked kitchen, a fireplace, Wi-Fi and a washer and dryer.

Meisner and Anderson hope the Bunkhouse is utilized by out-of-towners, hunters, fishers and families. That hope may come to fruition. According to Airbnb, stays in rural areas grew by 110% in 2021.

"We do have a hope for having new faces come into this community that maybe we might get someone in this community going 'You know what, I think I want to put my roots here and hang my hat here' because in order to keep our town alive, we still have to youth come in," said Anderson.

The home got the name Royal Bunkhouse because it "seemed kind of country, rustic," Meisner said. "Rustic was kind of the feel, but modern, rustic because it's got all the amenities."

An open house was held at the Royal Bunkhouse, June 25. Twenty-six visitors toured the facility.

"We had a lot of positive feedback, and we had a handful who had been through here over the years or knew somebody who lived here, so it was nice to know that they approved of what we did," Meisner said.

Erin Schwager | SAM

Bunkhouse charm • The Royal Bunkhouse, an Airbnb, opened June 27 in Royal. Accomodations for 10 people are available and amenities, including Wi-Fi and a washer and dryer, are available.

The couple is looking forward to the future of the Royal Bunkhouse.

"We hope that it has a decent income coming in, so we can roll on to our next project and just have a sense of community that people come to recognize that this is just a gem of a town," said Anderson.

"We hope it is a comfortable place to stay, to have repeat customers because they really enjoy the area, just to get away to nature, and to just be a positive asset in the community," added Meisner.