Akwaaba Mansion
“My mom gave birth to me in Washington, D.C., but I was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn,” says Monique Greenwood, owner of Akwaaba Mansion bed & breakfast. “This is where I became who I am.”
After graduating from Howard University, Monique moved to Bed-Stuy in 1981 and worked in magazine publishing, climbing the ranks to become the editor-in-chief of Essence. But the business that tugged at Monique and her husband, Glenn Pogue, was innkeeping. “I love meeting people, creating memorable experiences and decorating,” she says. “And I was like, ‘That’s at least half of this job, right?’” ⠀
Monique and Glenn also recognized real estate as a savvy financial investment. In 1994 the couple paid $225,000 for the freestanding 1860s villa (which neighborhood kids at the time called “the haunted house”), living on the top floor as they rehabbed the property. A year later, they opened Akwaaba Mansion: a bed & breakfast blending historic Italianate architecture with Afrocentric design that reflects the area’s culture.
“We wanted people to really see us for who we are,” says Monique. “That this is a community with gorgeous brownstones but even more gorgeous brown people.”
Jason Flakes/Akwaaba Mansion
“We wanted people to really see us for who we are. That this is a community with gorgeous brownstones but even more gorgeous brown people.”
Jason Flakes/Akwaaba Mansion
Though we arrived too late to catch the day’s breakfast — scrambled cheese eggs, challah French toast, sauteed pears and turkey bacon, cooked by Monique herself — the host explained that she keeps it simple at Akwaaba Mansion. “I need to be able to do every aspect of my business,” says Monique. “And what people really care about is a warm meal that somebody has prepared.”
Other special touches include afternoon tea and refreshments in the cozy parlor room or sun porch, as well as in-room spa services and a personal concierge. Monique and Glenn are so good at what they do, the couple owns four other Akwaaba bed & breakfast inns in D.C.; Cape May, NJ; the Poconos; and Philly (not to mention starring in their show, “Checked Inn,” on OWN). But the Akwaaba in Brooklyn, where they live, will always be their first and dearest.
“We think we can take some measure of credit for the number of new Black-owned businesses here in Bed-Stuy,” says Monique, who sees Akwaaba as an anchor. “And we’re delighted to have all these partners in making our community self-sufficient.”
347 MacDonough Street, 718-455-5958, akwaaba.com
