Medina family sells Cozy Corners Motel after 80 years

After about 80 years in the Reardon family, Cozy Corners Motel has changed hands, closing a long chapter for one of Medina’s most familiar stops along Old Highway 10. The sale marks more than a business transfer in Stutsman County; it ends a stretch of family ownership that helped define a small town where one landmark can shape how the whole community is seen.

Cozy Corners Motel sits at 413 Water St. E. in Medina and has long been more than a place to sleep. North Dakota Tourism lists it as a cafe, gas station and motor lodge with five efficiency units with kitchenettes, two larger apartments, air conditioning, digital TV and Wi-Fi. In a town of 264 people, according to the 2020 census, that mix of services made the property a practical stop for both residents and travelers moving through south-central North Dakota.

Medina was founded in 1899 and is about a mile north of Interstate 94, Exit 230, according to the city. That location has helped make roadside businesses like Cozy Corners part of the town’s identity for generations. The City of Medina still lists the motel among local businesses and describes it this way: “Our rooms have the comforts of home, for your next stay over or hunting expedition.”

The motel’s setting also ties it to a broader travel corridor. North Dakota Tourism describes the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway as an alternative route paralleling Interstate 94, a road network that has long supported cafes, gas stations and motor lodges in places like Medina. For a community that small, a business like Cozy Corners is not just another property on the market. It is a daily convenience for locals, a recognizable stop for visitors and a piece of the town’s memory.

What happens next will matter well beyond the building at Water Street East. A new owner can bring stability, investment or a different business model, but the sale still signals a change in how Medina’s history is carried forward. After eight decades with one family, Cozy Corners has entered a new era, and residents will be watching to see how much of the old landmark remains in place.