 
Homes of Color
September/October 2004
Literary Luxury
Written by Quintin Chatman
Eight new telephones, that's what she needs today. People
are arriving later in the afternoon, so there's only
a two-hour window. She's in the car, at the electronics
store, and back just in time to greet her guests. Mission
accomplished.
Welcome to the wonderful sometimes hectic world of
Monique Greenwood.
Last year, with husband Glen Pogue, Greenwood opened
Akwaaba D.C., the newest bed and breakfast to grace
the landscape in the nation's capital. Opening
the B&B is a homecoming for Greenwood, a native
Washingtonian and graduate of Howard University. She
has experienced success on many levels, including the
publication of her bestseller Having What Matters and
two years as editor-in-chief of Essence Magazine.
How does one walk away from a high-profile job at
one of the country's leading magazines? "Writing
the book helped me understand that I needed to change
my life," Greenwood says. "The book also helped
me understand that importance and sacredness of 'me'
time, that special time we should devote to ourselves
and our personal well-being".
Greenwood has been living in New York City for 15
years, but she is in the District of Columbia almost
every weekend. The notion of owning an inn came
to her 12 years ago after having been a guest at various
inns. "I enjoyed the experience from the perspective
of a guest, and it was clear to me that being an innkeeper
really combined all my passions. I love meeting
people and I love entertaining. Decorating is
another passion of mine."
Akwaaba means "welcome" in a language spoken in Ghana. That's
just how Greenwood and Pogue aim to make guest feel
when they arrive at the B&B in the historic Dupont
Circle neighborhood. If this energetic couple
seems to do it with style and ease, it's because they've
had practice. Akwaaba D.C. is not their first
B&B, it's their third. It joins Akwaaba Mansion
(Brooklyn, NY) and Akwaaba by the Sea (Cape May, NJ).
Akwaaba D.C. is an elegant five-story townhouse. Each
of the eight guest rooms has a private bath. The
portraits of 28 African-American writers, by Bronx
artist Gilbert Fletcher, adorn the hallways. There
is also a writer's retreat at Akwaaba D.C., a self-contained
apartment where writers can come for a two-week stay
to work on their book projects. Staying at this
B&B will invigorate and rejuvenate, and Greenwood
would not have it any other way.
At many B&Bs, guest rooms are named after a color
or after a relative. Greenwood didn't want to
go that traditional route. Instead, she named
and decorated the rooms with a literary theme in mind.
"As I thought about furnishing the guest rooms, I
realized that there was no place that honored African-American
authors. There are halls of fame for athletes
and awards for entertainers. Why not have a place
that celebrates writers? In the end, I named
four rooms after authors and four rooms after a particular
genre." Akwaaba D.C.'s guest rooms are named
in honor of Zora Neal Hurston, Toni Morrison, Langston
Hughes, and Walter Mosely, as well as in celebration
of the romance, science fiction, poetry and inspiration
genres. A collection of the authors' works can
be found in their respective rooms, and titles by various
authors can be found in the genre rooms.
After deciding on themes, Greenwood chose a color
palette for each room. For example, she chose
red for Zora Neal Hurston, black and blue for Walter
Mosely and cream and black for the poetry suite.
To find accents and accessories for the rooms, Greenwood
relied on her sisters-in-law and their interior decorating
firm Kuumba Home Staging and Design. "One of
the things they do is work with realtors who are selling
houses. They go into an empty house and place
small accent pieces throughout, giving it a 'lived
in' feeling. When prospective buyers tour the
house, they can actually see themselves living there. It's
so much better than having clients walk into a cold
house with bare walls."
For Greenwood, however, the most important thing about
her sisters-in-law was that they have mastered the
art of decorating on a tight budget. Having high-end
tastes is not a crime, but paying high-end prices is
criminal.
"I'm thrifty," Greenwood admits. "I go to Pottery
Barn and Linens 'n Things. My sisters-in-law
go to Target, Kirkland's, as well as other stores. We
all find great stuff at unbelievable prices."
Sensitivity to gender was an important consideration
when decorating the guest rooms. "To me all of
the rooms are neutral," Greenwood says, but she admits
that "women tend to gravitate toward Zora Neal Hurston's
room." The red in Zora's room sets an exciting
mood and reflects Zora's dynamic personality.
The space named in honor of Langston Hughes has a
haberdashery theme, and men seem to like it best. "He
was a dapper gentleman and very handsome," Greenwood
says. Painted chocolate brown, the room is accented
with suitcases, men's furnishings, and antique furniture. Entering
this room is like stepping back into the days of old,
when bowties, cufflinks and fedoras ruled.
Greenwood stresses that no room is overtly feminine
or masculine. She jokingly adds "there is no
guest room for women with rose petals strewn over the
floor and there is no room for men with a toolbox beside
the bed!"
It was important to Greenwood that the rooms have
no clutter. "There shouldn't be too many knickknacks," Greenwood
says, "because guests need a place for briefcases,
makeup, and toiletries." Finally Greenwood advises
innkeepers not to put their family photos and other
personal effects in guest rooms. "It makes people
feel as if they are intruding."
Walter Mosely is best known for his mysteries. His
room is blue on black, a choice that raised eyebrows
when Greenwood suggested it. "People were skeptical
at first, but when they see the room, they get it," Greenwood
says. The finished product confirms that Greenwood's
instincts were right on target. A feeling of
film noir and mystery exudes from the dark blue walls,
black desk and chairs, and the 1950s typewriter. Easy
Rawlins, arguably Mosley's most popular character,
would feel right at home in these surroundings.
"For the science fiction genre, I decided to go with
blue and green because those colors seem futuristic
to me," she explains. Silver and metal dominate,
giving the space a high-tech, contemporary look. Science
fiction presented the greatest design challenge, but
Greenwood pulled it off. "Thank goodness for
IKEA," she says.
Regardless of the theme, Greenwood says that guests
have to be comfortable, there must be an air of romance,
and rooms have to feel luxurious. Each room should
contain:
- A good bed and mattress
- Good linen (300 thread-counts)
- Ample closet space or a large armoire
- A Sitting area
- A Mirror
- Adequate lighting (ceiling and on both sides of
the bed)
- An area rug
Serenity was the goal for the guest room dedicated
to the inspiration genre. "When we think of inspirational
or motivational books, we want to be elevated," Greenwood
says. Here, a skylight floods the room with natural
light. Guests can soak their troubles away in
the clawfoot tub. This is definitely the place
for rebirth and growth.
Of all her accomplishments, Greenwood is most proud
of the fact that she and her husband developed a retail
strip in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in New
York. Building by building, they purchased all
the property on the block and committed themselves
to bringing in the kind of businesses the neighborhood
needed. Their tenants include an antiques store,
a barbershop, a hair salon, and a bookstore.
Even Greenwood's daughter, Glynn, has been bitten
by the entrepreneurial bug. One day while walking
by her parents' property, she peered into the last
vacant retail space. When Greenwood asked what
she saw, Glynn said she could imagine people on the
other side of the glass drinking tea and eating cake. She
also envisioned the space with mirrors everywhere,
but Glynn said that "when our people walk in, I want
them to see their beauty." Their vacant space
is now occupied by Mirrors Coffeehouse, owned by 12-year
old Glynn Pogue.
Glynn stops by the coffeehouse every morning before
school and works there on weekends. She was three
years old when her parents gave birth to their first
B&B. Seeing her parents develop their business
plans, interact with employees, and increase their
holdings has had a positive effect. Glynn is
confident, comfortable around other people, and already
in possession of business acumen most people acquire
after reaching the age of maturity.
Greenwood lives her life using her parents as role
models. They stressed the value of education,
and her mother instilled in her the importance of family
and community.
From a business perspective, Greenwood's grandfather,
Benjamin Greenwood, inspired her. He owned a
grocery store in Southeast Washington D.C. in the 1920s. When
the white grocer across the street complained that
he didn't want his groceries delivered on the same
truck as a black man's groceries, the food wholesaler
stopped delivering to Mr. Greenwood.
"My grandfather raised enough money to buy a truck
so that he could pick up his own groceries," Greenwood
says proudly. "When he wasn't using the truck
twice a week to get his groceries, he used it to start
his own delivery business. That company, Greenwood's
Transfer and Storage Company, became more successful
than the grocery store."
Like her grandfather, Greenwood is willing to work
hard in order to make her business a success. With
three B&Bs in three jurisdictions, some days it's
a challenge to get everything done. But Greenwood
isn't afraid to ask for help; her siblings are a great
support system and will pitch in if needed.
Why would a person choose Akwaaba D.C. instead of
a hotel? "It's the pampering you get at Akwaaba. While
my guests are out to dinner, I turn the beds down. There
are hotels that have turndown service, but how many
hotels will put on your favorite CD? How many
will light candles and run a bubble bath?"
The search is over. Greenwood's splendidly decorated
corner of the world will provide the memorable experience
you've been craving. She'll leave a light on
in the window for you.
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