A Moment of time with the Stars of Checked Inn

I had the opportunity to get a chance to go behind the show and meet the Owner of the Akwaaba Bed and Breakfast, Monique Greenwood, and her eye pleasing Chef of all Chef’s, Shawn Osbey. With it being Atlanta you know the celebs had to stop through.

“Checked Inn” will be airing via OWN TV on November 21st at 10pm, and I expect everyone to tune in to see entrepreneurship at its finest.

Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns is the upscale lodging collection owned by husband and wife team Glenn Pogue and Monique Greenwood. The couple fell in love with inns when they stayed at their first bed and breakfast back in the early ’90s. As guests, they enjoyed the hominess and intimacy of the B&B experience, and Monique quickly discovered that innkeeping combined all of her personal passions – architecture and interior decorating, entertaining and meeting new people, and helping others create wonderful, lasting memories. She serves as president and CEO of the company.

While driving down a block one day in her Brooklyn community, Monique had a brainstorm – “why not create a bed-and-breakfast right here in our own neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant?” Glenn agreed that Brooklyn – which would be the fourth largest city in the country if it were a city unto itself – had no major hotels at the time, and their bed and breakfast idea just might work!

Their dream house was a dilapidated mansion the kids in the neighborhood called “the haunted house.” Friends and neighbors looked at the couple as if they had three eyes when they announced their plans to purchase the 1860s mansion, return it to its original grandeur, and operate it as an upscale inn. And they did have three eyes – the third eye is the eye of vision: the ability to see the possibility.

In 1995, Akwaaba Mansion opened to rave reviews. Guests come from near and far to stay in the elegant mansion offering unpretentious ease. Monique and Glenn are the fifth owners of the Italianate structure, which features original details, such as 14-foot ceilings, ornate fireplaces, intricate parquet wood floors and gaslight fixtures, along with modern amenities, such as a private baths in each guestroom with oversized Jacuzzi tubs. The couple’s extensive restoration of the property was documented by the popular HGTV series “Restore America.”

Now get a chance to go inside the property, into the inner workings of all of the greatness. “Checked Inn” is a show that has something for everyone. Monique brings so much character to the property that you find yourself wanting to make a booking just for the chance to meet her.

Oh yeah, you know I had to get my photo opp on…..

Pictures By: Christopher Mitchell