THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603140147
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JEWEL BOND, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 203 lines
OUTSIDE, LIGHT flakes of unseasonable snow swirl around the Lords Proprietors' Inn, and a chill air frosts the windows.
It's too early in the day for the fireplaces to be lit - that happens at tea time. But from a warm vantage point in this popular inn, Room Five is bathed in sunlight.
A cheery bouquet of yellow tulips and a blue-and-yellow interior sing springtime, defying the dark, cold and drab day. Bold black lettering on a white door distinguishes Room Five, one of 20 memorable rooms in this elegant inn owned by Arch and Jane Edwards.
The Edenton inn is among a number of Albemarle bed and breakfasts that have become an increasingly popular option for travelers who want to enjoy the homey side of town - or to experience the personal touch a bed and breakfast offers.
Since the Lords Proprietors' Inn opened in the early '80s, a host of other bed and breakfasts have sprung up in the Elizabeth City-Edenton area, catering to tourists and also people visiting on business.
Most inns are owner-operated, and owners feel it's important to the guests that they be around.
``You don't want to lose that personal touch,'' Jane Edwards says. ``We are a fully staffed inn, and Arch and I are here every weekend. ``Of course,'' she adds with a laugh, ``we're here all the other times as well.''
Travelers' needs in the '90s have brought about a new emphasis in overnight accomodations. An inn's guest today could well be a business traveler with a different set of demands from a vacationer - not only do they need lodging, they also need workspace.
With this in mind, savvy bed and breakfasts are outfitting their rooms for business as well as leisure.
``We have adapted our inn for business travel by installing phones and a workspace in all our rooms,'' Edwards says. Most rooms also have a desk, electrical outlets and televisions. If a fax is needed, the owners gladly share theirs.
By and large, the majority of the Lords Proprietors' guests come to enjoy the inn, its gourmet food, and historical downtown Edenton.
But the Edwardses say at least 40 percent of their weekly clients are business travelers who have become repeat customers - visiting year in, year out.
``It takes a long time to become recognized,'' says Edwards, who is tapping away on a home computer in between phone calls from suppliers and would-be guests. ``We have more occupancy during the week now, because we've had more exposure.''
Inns are usually highly respected businesses in a community, and they are generally considered prestigous places to
work. Most often, owners employ their entire families.
The Edwardses' daughter, Minter, a University of North Carolina at Greensboro student, comes home frequently to help out, especially when the inn is booked for the weekend. Her duties are ``whatever I'm told to do,'' she says.
The Edwardses purchased the main part of their inn, known as the White-Bond house, in 1982, and converted it to an eight-room breakfast inn.
But it wasn't long before they felt the need to expand and were able to buy the property next door, called the Satterfield House.
``This added four more rooms to our original eight,'' Edwards says, ``but by 1988 we expanded even more by adding the Pack House.''
The tobacco Pack House, the last major agricultural structure built in Chowan County, came from Strawberry Hill plantation on the edge of Edenton. Arch Edwards had the building cut in two and moved it closer to the White-Bond house. This added eight more rooms to the inn - making a total of 20.
Each of the rooms has its own charm, and each offers spacious comfort, large immaculate bathrooms, comfortable sofas and chairs and four-poster canopied beds.
All of the beds in the the Lords Proprietors' Inn are antique reproductions made by an Albemarle furniture maker, Ben Hobbs of Hertford.
Hobbs and his wife, Jackie, also offer lodging - at The Beechtree Inn, located in a secluded country setting in Hertford.
He calls his lodging ``educational.'' It really started not as a place to stay, but as a collection of pre-Civil War buildings.
Lovers of architecture and design will appreciate the beauty and history of the old buildings, and will surely recognize the time, talent and ingenuity that it takes to restore these structures.
``It's an expensive hobby,'' Hobbs says. ``These houses were built during a specific period. So it will be period restoration, and I'll build the furniture to be 18th century authentic.''
Hobbs has collected 14 buildings from Chowan, Perquimans and Gates counties so far. All are related at some point to the 18th century.
``Every piece of glass, every nail was done by hand,'' he says.
Hobbs says he will restore each building with as much of the original design as possible.
The buildings, grouped at odd angles, will have a specific design and purpose. Some will be for touring. Some will become lodging, complete with bath and working fireplace.
``Of course,'' Hobbs says, glancing at the groves of trees surrounding his property, ``I'll supply the logs.''
Two of the buildings are ready for occupancy now, Hobbs says: the Bear Swamp House and the rear wing of the Richard Pratt House. The Pratt House is the Hobbs family home.
Any homeowner can open up their guest bedrooms and call it a bed and breakfast, but the Hobbses have something entirely out of the ordinary in mind.
``Some B&B's are not built for progress,'' Hobbs says. ``This one will be.''
Hobbs plans to make all the period reproduction furniture, and each piece will be for sale.
There is no tourist industry in Hertford, and Hobbs hopes to change that with these buildings. He hopes to complete the restoration within two years, providing a quiet retreat for guests who want to step back in time.
``Of course, the houses will also make wonderful honeymoon cottages,'' he says.
Some bed and breakfasts lean toward the elaborate. The Culpepper Inn in Elizabeth City, for instance, offers 11 finely decorated rooms, plus a conference room, soaking tubs and a 20- by 40-foot swimming pool.
``Chet Atkins, the popular country musician, built that pool for his daughter when she lived here in the '80s,'' said Judy Smith, who owns the inn with her husband, Hank Brinkman.
Smith and Brinkman took an early retirement from the Air Force and were living in northwestern Florida when they started looking for something more to fill their days.
Pondering what they would be good at doing, they reached the same conclusion: vacationing. They felt owning a bed and breakfast inn would make a great vacation.
The couple were not familar with the town of Elizabeth City, but both had landed there a few times while in the Air Force. They put their reliance in a business plan and research showing that most Albemarle bed and breakfasts were on the Outer Banks and in Edenton.
It may be the location, or maybe the business plan, or just good business - but something is working.
The Culpepper Inn has been open only three years and Smith says ``occupancy is sure to hit 60 percent this year.''
Tourism, conferences and local businesses help keep occupancy at a high. Visitors to local plants, three regional banks and Albemarle Hospital have given the inn word-of-mouth exposure.
``That's our best advertisement,'' Smith says. ``People know and remember quality and the atmosphere they are looking for.''
In an effort to meet the demands of their guests, the couple is now buying another Culpepper home, taking over the rest of the original property.
``We'll take the third floor of the main inn, known as Manor House, and convert it to a honeymoon suite,'' Smith says. ``We have lots of weddings here in the spring, summer and fall, outside around the pool.''
On warmer days, from the porches that are a must for every bed and breakfast, guests can relax and survey the surroundings of the beautifully landscaped inn.
The three porches provide a gathering place for evening socials, where lasting friendships are made. At other times, the patios are sites for napping and reading.
``We try to surround our guests with a feeling of total environment - a living painting,'' says Smith.
The life of an innkeeper can be fun, but it's not necessarily an easy one. There are problems with leaky pipes, disgruntled employees and appliance breakdowns.
Disgruntled guests, Smith says, are more rare.
``Depends on which side of the smoking fence you're on as to how disgruntled a guest you are,'' she says. Most bed and breakfasts forbid smoking, ``so smokers can be less happy than others.''
But for determined puffers, ``there are always the porches.'' MEMO: ALBEMARLE B&B's
EDENTON
Albemarle House B&B, 204 W. Queen St. 482-8204.
Captain's Quarters B&B, 202 W. Queen St. 482-8945.
Dram Tree Inn B&B, 112 W. Water St. 482-2711.
Governor Eden Inn B&B, 304 N. Broad St. 482-2072.
Granville Queen B&B, 108 S. Granville St. 482-5296.
Leigh House, 120 W. Queen St. 482-3184.
Lords Proprietors' Inn B&B, 300 N. Broad St. 482-3641.
Mulberry Hill B&B, Soundside Road. 482-8077.
Trestle House Inn B&B, Soundside Road. 482-2282.
ELIZABETH CITY
The Culpepper Inn, 609 W. Main St. 335-1993.
Elizabeth City B&B, 108 E. Fearing St. 338-2177.
HERTFORD
1812 on the Perquimans, Old Neck Road. 426-1812.
Beechtree Inn, Pender Road. 426-7815. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by DREW C. WILSON
Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
The interior of Room No. 20 at the Lords Proprietor's Inn in Edenton
demonstrates the plush nature of a stay at the bed and breakfast.
Arch Edwards, co-owner of the Lords Proprietor's Inn, has expanded
the operation from its original eight rooms in 1982 to 20 rooms
today.
The original brick paving on Fearing Street in Elizabeth City
dominates the view from the Elizabeth City Bed and Breakfast.
The Culpepper Inn, located on West Main Street in Elizabeth City,
offers 11 finely decorated rooms, a conference room, soaking tubs
and a swimming pool. The inn is owned by Judy Smith and her husband
Hank Brinkman. The couple took an early retirement from the Air
Force and were living in northwestern Florida when they decided to
move to the area and start a bed and breakfast.
Antique reproduction furniture maker Benjamin Hobbs, co-owner of The
Beechtree Inn near Hertford, has collected old structures from North
Carolina's rural past for use as cottages in his bed and breakfast
operation. Hobbs restores the cottages and makes the period
reproductions to be used in them.
by CNB