In our post-COVID tourist town where employees are scarce, the cost of housing at record high, and budget-friendly options to vacation long-gone, we felt like we needed to act fast. Since bank-lending for the hospitality industry is currently a no-go and building contractors are booked out for many months, we decided to turn to our local community, fellow travelers, and hostel lovers around the world to help make this possible. After all, we are not just building a place to stay, we are expanding our community and the global outreach of our small lakeside town.

To some, hostels are a very new concept. Especially those of us in the United States. We hope Hostel SoHa will not only help the community of South Haven, but encourage a new way of thinking among Michigan’s lakeshore towns and rural areas across the United States. There are so many beautiful areas to visit in our country, but yet so few options for young travelers. Which is why my ultimate goal is not just to open a hostel here, but to increase cultural awareness, harbor a more worldly mindset in generations to come, and help young people everywhere realize their dreams of traveling.

Your contribution goes directly towards the rehabilitation of old, once-loved buildings in South Haven’s community that may otherwise be torn down. Help us bring a one-of-a-kind hostel to  Michigan’s one-of-a-kind lakeshore town.

So, without further ado:

NADIA

From backpacker to business owner, Nadia has stayed in over 30 hostels around the world. She has the marketing and construction know-how with a background in architecture and design, a strong passion for all things travel, and a love of Michigan’s lakeshore. The mastermind behind the business, she handles all the creative decisions as well as the graphic design. Nadia wishes to open a nonprofit that operates in conjunction with Hostel SoHa, with how-to-travel resources for young adults while hoping to continue to travel abroad during the off-season.

NATALIE

The mentor of the group, Natalie, has 20+ years of experience as a property manager and also helped out with her husband’s construction company, building over 200 homes in the Kalamazoo area. Currently she is helping to grow the family’s local plastic processing company and is also a registered nurse here in town. She oversees and mentors Tyler and Nadia on the business operations, does the bookkeeping and organizing, as well as provides her expertise on the building renovations. She and her husband have recently taken up sailing and hope to one day circumnavigate the globe.

TYLER

With his contractor’s license underway and plenty of colleagues to consult at a moments notice, Tyler has the tools to guide this project from start to finish. He is from a devoted military family and has called 4 states home growing up (including Hawaii!). While working construction, Tyler has traveled all across the United States, visiting many of our most prominent landmarks and lesser-known gems. You’d be lucky to find Tyler without a book in his hand, but when you do you can find him self-teaching graphic design. Like the rest of our team, Tyler loves traveling and is making plans to backpack the Appalachian trail. 

We have the hostel know-how and dedicated individuals to run it. Not to mention, we have a combined 25+ years of construction and renovation experience. After consulting with architects and dozens of hostel goers from around the world we have devised these plans for each of the buildings. With these updates we will be able to create a fun, safe, and welcoming atmosphere affordable to young adults visiting South Haven. 

Building 1 will include all the accommodations for our long-term guests. This includes bedrooms, bathrooms, and pantry space all separately accessed from hostel guests staying night to night.

Building 2 will have a large common area and a stage where fun events will be hosted. There will also be an outdoor space accessed from the right side of the building and a small loft for quiet study. The lobby and reception area will be in the front of the building and the surrounding bedrooms will be for nightly-rate guests.

This unique business called for a unique location in South Haven. Unfortunately the buildings need work. A lot of it. All funds raised will mainly go towards the following repairs and updates:

$15,000

Hostel Exterior Beautified

These once-loved buildings have been an eye-sore to the South Haven community for years. Directly off M-43 on your way into town from Bangor, these buildings are one of the first impressions people have upon arrival in South Haven. Help us reach our first goal to turn these buildings into something beautiful again.

• Buildings pressure washed
• Exterior paint on Building 1
• Windows replaced on Building 1
• Acrylic roof coating on Building 1
• Brick staining on Building 2
• Revived landscaping
• Gutters installed on Building 1

$65,000

Phase 1 Hostel Open

Twenty beds will now be available beginning of our Summer 2022 season! These will be exclusive to South Haven’s local businesses’ summer workforce.

• Everything listed for previous goal above
• Ventilation added to Building 1
• Spray foam insulation, replacement windows, and AC unit installed in Building 1
• Electric updated and added to new rooms in Building 1
• Bathrooms added/updated in Building 1
• New rooms framed for Building 1
• Replacement floor coverings, drywall, and paint for Building 1
• Bunk beds, mattresses, and bedding for long-term guests
• Kitchen furnished
• Parking lot barriers added, lot restriped

$100,000

New Roof

• Everything listed for previous goals above
• Long overdue roof replacement on Building 2

$210,000

Phase 2 Hostel Open

An additional 62 beds at a nightly rate will now be available to local business employees, young travelers, and South Haven vacationers. A large common area and bathrooms will be available to use for all guests.

• Everything listed for previous goals above
• Bathrooms upgraded to have showers and accommodate more people in Building 2
• Electric added and updated in Building 2
• Floor coverings in Building 2
• Drywall replacement and additional framing in Building 2
• Built-in bunk beds constructed in all rooms in Building 2
• Mattresses and bedding purchased for all beds
• Reception area finished
• Common area and rooms painted
• Common area furnished in Building 2
• Parking lot repaved and striped

$300,000

Phase 3 Hostel Open

More common areas, activities, meals, and free transportation can now be provided for all guests. Hostel SoHa is now complete!

• Everything listed for previous goals above
• Outdoor common space added
• Shuttle van 
• Small commercial kitchen to provide guests with occasional dinners and free breakfast
• Small loft addition for common room quiet space
• Secure bike storage for guests

We know that not everyone can give financially and we appreciate your support in our project just as much as any sum of money donated. 

Share Our Fundraiser 

• Share our fundraiser on social media by hitting the share button at the top of the page
• Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about us

Donate Materials

We are looking for donations of the following items plus tons more you can ask us about. Get a full list of items by signing up for our email list at hostelsoha.com

• Commercial Kitchen equipment (fridges, pots/pans, plates, fryers, griddle, ovens)
• Drywall
• Framing lumber
• Latex wall paint
• Drywall mud
• Painting and drywalling supplies

Donate Time

With labor and material prices skyrocketing and most contractors fully booked out, we are seeking both handy individuals and professionals who can donate their time.

Community Help

Even if you only have a small amount of experience with home repair, your help will be appreciated. Our team is experienced and can always use extra hands with the following tasks:

• Hanging drywall
• Framing walls
• Mudding drywall
• Installing floors
• Painting
• Demolition
• Landscaping

Professional Help

If you or someone you know is a retired professional in one of the following trades, consider donating your time and expertise to the hostel. We are looking for:

• Electricians
• Carpenters
• Plumbers
• Roofers
• HVAC experts

If you back this campaign, we won’t let you get away empty handed. We not only share our love of travel through hostels, but through design too. Whether you’re after some mural cred or are eying those stickers, we’ve got you. 

Stickers

Tees

Wall of Names

You read that correctly. We are putting together a massive art piece in the hostel with everyone’s names who donate. Think street art mixed with colors that scream “beach day”. This will be a wall in the common area of the hostel. We won’t design the wall until we know how many names we get to include but we put together this rough representation to show you how it will work:

You can claim this prize to get your name on here in size mini ($5), small (included with other rewards), medium ($50), large ($250), or extra large ($1.000).

Sponsor Wall

Rather than boring plaques, we want to say thanks to our business sponsors properly. We will be displaying their names, logos, and social media in vibrant lettering in the hostel lobby to go along with our street-art look. Differing from our wall of names, these spots in the reception will be for local businesses in South Haven, businesses that love hostels and all things budget-travel, and of course businesses seeking to help communities like ours. Here is a representation of how the sponsor wall will work:

Mural

Did we mention we are also designers? We are taking this old, beat up steel building below and turning it into an artistic landmark in South Haven. We are sectioning off our building into pieces of art that represent all our favorite things about travel, intercultural exchange, and Michigan. But–we also want our mural to represent the people who made this possible. Whether you’re an avid hunter or vacation in THE BEST place every year, we want to work with you to represent your vision for your own mural. Not only will we work with you to design an awesome section that represents YOU, but we’ll give you a signed and framed copy of your work of art to hang in your home.