Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica R. Edwards.
Hi Monica R., thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to introduce yourself.
You can say that hospitality is in my blood. Ever since my husband Daniel & I have been together, we’ve hosted social events and had people living with us in our home. Our friends and family looked forward to our annual NCCU Homecoming parties. In 1995, the UK-based biotech company that I worked for here in the triangle was sold. The new company, located in Boston, promised us that it would be a smooth merger of companies. Well, about 2 weeks later, they came back and said that they had decided that they were going to shut down our office, and they wanted us to pack up the office so that operations could be moved to the Boston area. During this time, one of my husband’s colleagues at the Durham Police Dept gave him a gift certificate for a night’s stay at a local B&B that he’d won at his grandkid’s fall festival.
The colleague said he’d never use the certificate because he was from Durham and wasn’t “into” Bed and Breakfasts, and he thought it would be the perfect surprise for me since I was having a stressful time at work. Daniel planned the perfect date night/staycation for us. He left the house early Saturday morning because he had a PAC meeting to attend. When Daniel returned home from his meeting, he scooped me up to make our monthly trek to Bracey, VA, to play the lottery. After playing the lottery, Daniel asked if he could blindfold me for the ride when we returned to the car. I did not know where we were going or what was about to happen. We rode for about an hour, and he made me promise not to take off the blindfold when the car stopped. It’s amazing how your senses are heightened when one is taken away. I could tell that we had exited off the highway because our speed had slowed. I still had no idea where we were. We turned off of a paved street onto a gravel surface. This made me more curious. However, I could hear wind chimes, so I knew we were still in civilization. When the car stopped, Daniel got me out of the car and guided me up steps, where I heard a door creek open, and a woman’s voice said, “Welcome to Virginia, Monica.” I asked if I could take my blindfold off now and was told, “Not Yet,” by Daniel and the greeter. I was led up a flight of stairs, and when we stopped, I was told I could take off my blindfold. When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the doorway of a beautifully decorated guestroom; lingerie was lying on the bed, accompanied by chilled champagne. I was boohooing by now.
Daniel then asked me if I knew where I was. I had no idea, so he instructed me to look out the window. I looked out but didn’t recognize anything, including the street sign that said Holloway Street. I was in Durham at the Blooming Garden Inn. We enjoyed a wonderful evening with Daniel’s dinner on the grill at the inn’s gazebo. He’d thought of everything; I was excited to converse with the other inn guests at breakfast the following morning. I wanted to know all about their B&B adventures. All the while, I was thinking we could do this and get paid. We’d been hosting folk in our home since we’d been together. We were hooked! From then on, when we traveled, we sought out B&Bs. We decided that when we retired that we’d open a B&B. This thought was because all the innkeepers we met during our travels were older and had retired to open their inns. Well, I became a Trust Tax Officer at a regional bank in Durham. Opening an inn was still on my mind; however, we both were far from retirement.
One day in August of 1996, Daniel casually mentioned to an Interior Designer friend, Jack Mitchell, that he was looking for the perfect place to open an Inn. After fielding a few questions, Jack mentioned the Tom-Cobbs house and said it would be perfect for a B&B. The location and the house were perfect. However, the house was currently not for sale. My optimistic husband’s response to Jack was to call the owner and see if he could schedule a conversation. In the worst-case scenario, Daniel would ask for the first right of refusal when the owner was ready to sell. The call was made, and Daniel headed over to see the house. He immediately fell in love with the house. I received a call at work that said,” Hey, babe. I’ve found the perfect place for us to open a B&B. I’m on my way to get you so you can see it too. I’ll be there in 5 minutes to get you.” What?! It’s 3 p.m., and I’m at work. I couldn’t just leave and go and tour a house. Well, I did. I gathered some papers and told the receptionist I had to go to the courthouse to file some estate papers. I toured the house and fell in love but was overwhelmed because this was not what we planned to do and when. That evening after we got home from work, we sat down and mapped out our plan to purchase and open an inn.
We chose the name Morehead Manor because we’re in a stately Colonial Revival Styled Mansion circa 1910, located in the historic Morehead Hill neighborhood at the corner of Vickers & Morehead Avenues. Since we were the only B&B in the neighborhood when we opened, we figured if guests got lost that the locals would direct them to Morehead Ave. The rest is history. We closed on the house in February 1997 and opened our doors in April. I continued to work outside the inn for the next two and a half years. Daniel continued his career with DPD and retired in 2019 as a Police Captain with 30 years of service. We love what we do!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road as an Innkeeper has been pretty smooth. The minor obstacles we have encountered have fallen by the wayside with little or minimum work. Covid and the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic were the most unnerving when we shut down in March 2020 with the rest of the world. We were coming out of our slow season, and everyone canceled their reservations and demanded their deposits back to the tune of about $14K. This was money that we had earmarked for operating funds. Fortunately, we survived until we re-opened our doors a few weeks later, in June. Business since we reopened has been pretty steady.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
In February 1997, we purchased the Tom-Cobbs house, a 1910 Colonial Revival Styled Mansion located in the historic Morehead Hill neighborhood. A few weeks later, In April, we introduced Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast to Durham and the rest of the world. Morehead Manor is a 5-guest room, traditional bed, and breakfast that offers locals and travelers to the area a relaxing and rejuvenating place to stay. We also host events such as baby and bridal showers, corporate and private meetings & retreats, intimate dinner parties, and weddings. We love Durham and consider ourselves Ambassadors to the Durham Community. At Morehead Manor, we have always been in the business of paying it forward. We donate our time and space to other local small businesses and non-profits to further their causes. We have hosted many business and community events here at the inn. We’ve donated stays at the inn to local organizations as fundraisers. We’ve held Holiday Bazaars that showcased local artisans and craftspeople and provided internships for students in the local college and university hospitality programs. Having been in business for over 25 years, we recognize the importance of sharing our business expertise with other business owners and aspiring business owners. We regularly share information with other entrepreneurs and business colleagues about business opportunities that may assist them in being more successful. Both Daniel & I are and have been active in our industry trade associations on both the local and national levels. We are proud Durham residents and business owners. We are the oldest Black-owned Bed and Breakfast in North Carolina. We proudly offer “Southern Hospitality” at Morehead Manor, where “Elegance, Excitement, and Hospitality meet.
What do you think about risk?
I am a risk-taker. Mostly a calculated risk-taker. I will do quite a bit of research before venturing out on a new adventure. Purchasing a property and opening an inn was one of the most adventurous risks that we’ve taken. We jokingly said that we’d operate as a brothel if we didn’t make it as an inn. Neither of us had done anything like this before, but we were determined to make it happen. We attended an Aspiring Innkeeper course 2 weeks before we opened the inn.
As previously mentioned, our first stay in a B&B was in 1995, and we spent the next year visiting B&Bs when we traveled. When we did visit other inns, Daniel & I would discuss what we’d do when we opened our inn, which was supposed to be when we retired. This was primarily because all the innkeepers we’d met on our journey had retired to open their inns. The opportunity to purchase the perfect property fell in our laps before we were even close to retirement, and we went for it. Failure was never in our vocabulary.
As a small business owner, I am constantly taking risks. I stay up on the latest trends to know what my customers want, what marketing tools work best, and what automated systems will allow me to work smarter and not harder. The benefit of being a small business owner and a woman is that I can change my mind and not have to clear it with shareholders or corporate execs because I am SHE!
Pricing:
- 5 Spacious Guestrooms
- Rates start at $159/night
- Rates include complimentary beverages, homemade desserts and a full breakfast each morning
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.moreheadmanor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moreheadmanor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoreheadManor/
Image Credits
monicaanddaniel photo credit = Eric Waters
