Cabin Source and Hilton Realty  opens in Vining

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Some of Jenny Nyberg Hilton’s favorite memories were on East Battle Lake as a child. There was time in the lake, riding bikes around Vining, friends, family and just space to roam across the countryside. 

While her family lived in the Twin Cities area, strong family ties brought them back to the Vining area. Each summer the family packed up their car as soon as school got out for the year and moved to their temporary home in Vining.

Hilton is hoping to give other families an opportunity to make similar memories with her Vining-based Cabin Source and Hilton Realty business in Vining.

Hilton’s family ties to the area date back generations. Her dad grew up in Vining and her grandparents owned Sunnyside Resort on East Battle Lake. When the resort closed, her family had the opportunity to purchase a cabin, which they did and made their summer oasis on the lake. 

“I’ve spent every summer of my entire life at the lake.”

Jenny Nyberg Hilton, daughter of Marven and Mary Nyberg

Those experiences have given Hilton a unique outlook on area lakes that allows her to steer people to a lake or location that fits their individual needs. For example, some of Otter Tail County’s lakes are better for fishing, some are more for recreation and others have more weeds. Knowing what lake and area would best suit her clients helps to make a seamless transition into lake life for people who may be new to the area. 

“I think it is important for people to work with someone who knows the area and the lake,” said Hilton. 

Hilton began selling real estate in 2003 and got into the business under the guidance of long-time family friend, the late Milt Paulson. Hilton said Paulson was a friend of her uncle’s and helped her get into the real estate business. He also provided some sound advice, like having a secondary income like providing appraisals to help get through the slow times in the real estate market. 

In 2019 Hilton moved her real estate business from the Twin Cities area to Vining and is now located in the former grocery store near the Vining Palace. After an extensive remodeling project transformed the storefront that most recently was known for catchy decorations to go along with the time of year, Hilton was ready to open the doors of her new business when COVID-19 took a stranglehold on the world. 

“I got the building done at exactly the same time that Covid hit,” said Hilton.

In addition to her real estate business, Hilton specializes on lake property rentals. She is able to act as a bridge between people who want to rent a cabin or lake house on the lake and those who own the property. 

While most people in the Otter Tail County area spend countless days at one of the nearly 1,000 lakes in the county, Hilton said some people from the Twin Cities area have never been to a lake or cabin, other than a city swimming beach. She is hoping to give residents from across the region the opportunity to experience lake life, while visiting some of the unique communities in the region. 

“There are so many people who have never been to a cabin or spent time at a lake other than at a city beach,” she said. 

While Hilton still resides in the Twin Cities with her family, she spends a majority of her summer at her family’s East Battle Lake cabin. She jokes that, in a way, she is a snowbird who just heads a few hours southeast every fall.

“I just love it here. It is very comfortable here. I just feel at home,” she said. “I am like a snowbird, but as far as I go south is St. Paul.”

For more information about Cabin Source and Hilton Realty, contact Hilton at (612) 834-0079 or visit them online at www.cabinsource.com. 

Hilton said the housing market remains strong and she specializes in selling cabins and residential homes, while also helping to fill some of the summer rental cabins and homes that make up the greater Otter Tail County area. 

She is planning an open house of her new location on July 8 from 5-8 p.m. Cabin Source and Hilton Realty is located at 3040 E Front St in Vining.