Hidden Gems: Meet Joshua Cerreta of The Rosebrook

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Cerreta.

Hi Joshua, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always balanced a standard W2 job and real estate. I bought my first duplex in 2015 because I couldn’t afford a whole house for myself. I slowly built from there organically until finally acquiring The Rosebrook building in 2020. It took a while before I was in a position to perform much needed renovations and updates to the building (HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.). At the end of the day I pulled the trigger and somehow boot strapped $1M+ of renovations, often feeling like I was days away from bankruptcy. Upon completion I started down the familiar path of traditional rentals, but there was one studio apartment that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I had a lease in hand and all I had to do was sign it, but I backed out last minute and decided to give Aibnb a try. It was a huge learning curve, but I pulled from my corporate experience and immediately setup strict SOPs and even cleaned the 1st 3 weeks between daily guests myself; dragging my 4yo daughter along with me. Long story short it worked out, and I fell in love with hospitality. We’ve now converted 6 out of 7 apartments to Airbnb (6th will launch in a week or so and is by far my favorite yet).

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. I had 3 major renovation projects, COVID and a Divorce to contend with all at once. It’s truly a miracle that I made it to the other side, but God has a way of pulling us through dark times. I was desperate for cash and pulled from every corner I had anything squireled away. I even fell victim to a crypto scam in my desperation. I had never completed a project on this scale before. There was red tape and hurdles behind every corner that I never contended with before. We had to work with the EPA, OSHAA, Lakwood BoR, and so much more. Trustworthy contractors can be hard to find, and there was plenty of work that got paid for 2-3 times before finally assembling an amazing crew that I haven’t stopped working with since.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Rosebrook was named after my Great Grandmother who was a bootlegger during prohibition as a single mother trying to provide for her family. My ultimate goal for the building someday would be to tie that heritage in via a micro-brewery or speakeasy.

As it is now, The Rosebrook is for short term rentals. Lakewood is a hotel desert, which is a shame, because it is one of the best cities in the US in my opinion. I provide limited access with the short term rentals, but there so much more that it still needs.

I’ve traveled the world and lived abroad for much of my adult life. I’ve see the luxury that a lot of the world, especially Asia, expects in this industry. I’ve carefully curated, designed and brought that into short term rentals, and leaned into my experience as a Project Manager in the automotive industry to streamline everything to not only make this one of the most luxurious STRs in the area, but one of the most functional and affordable as well!

What was your favorite childhood memory?
How do you narrow it down to one? We didn’t have much growing up. I lived in a part of Canton where I had a bike stolen almost every year. I think some of my favorite memories were just made at home playing board games and sports with my older brothers, neighbors and my mom. We would get pretty creative with our adventures and at one point used some paper route money to buy a map from the gas station and plan a cross country bicycle trip (never made it past the driveway).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TheRosebrook.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therosebrook/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582084166144