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Tulsa WorldNew B&B opens in Tulsa
SARA PLUMMER / Tulsa World
Janet Mobbs (left) and her husband, Mark,
recently opened the Inn at Woodward Park.
The couple renovated a 1920s home and turned
it into a three-bedroom bed and breakfast.
By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
12/27/2006
There’s room at this inn. Three rooms in
fact.
The Inn at Woodward Park, a bed and
breakfast, opened Dec. 1 at 1521 E. 21st St.
Janet and Mark Mobbs bought the 1920s
home almost three years ago.
“We were looking for properties to invest
in,” Janet Mobbs said.
The house was listed as tear down or major
renovation.
“The moment we walked in, although it was in
disrepair, I thought it was perfect for a
bed and breakfast,” she said.
Janet Mobbs works in health care, and her
husband is an accountant. “I had been
contemplating a career change,” she said.
“Mark is an accountant. He knows about
budgets and financing.”
Janet Mobbs said it took more than that to
open their home to the public.
The couple spent more than two years
renovating and preparing the house.
Mark Mobbs said after the framework was done
and the Sheetrock went up, the couple and
their sons did the rest.
“I think with any renovation, it costs twice
as much as you think it will,” Mark Mobbs
said.
“And twice as long,” Janet Mobbs said.
The couple moved from a home in the White
City neighborhood to the historic row of
homes across from Woodward Park.
“I knew I wanted to live in an older home,”
she said. “We wanted to see older homes
saved and kept.”
The Mobbs live downstairs in the back of the
house. The three guest bedrooms are
upstairs, each with its own bathroom, and
there is a common room upstairs with a
couch, refrigerator, microwave, board games,
movies, magazines and a view of Woodward
Park.
“A lot of bed and breakfasts are Victorian
and frilly,” Janet Mobbs said. “Men aren’t
always comfortable.”
The couple decided to turn the house into a
1920s bed and breakfast.
Each bedroom has its own ’20s theme: jazz,
Hollywood or Moroccan.
“The Moroccan room is a favorite with
honeymooning couples,” Janet Mobbs said.
They also hope to attract business
travelers, visitors and people looking to
relocate.
“I think Tulsa has a lot to offer visitors,”
she said. “We want to promote midtown
Tulsa.”
Mark Mobbs said they also hope to
accommodate people visiting relatives
hospitalized at St. John Medical Center.
The Mobbs are familiar with bed and
breakfasts. They try to stay in one whenever
they travel.
“It’s more personable, homey. I sleep better
in a bed and breakfast,” she said. “When you
stay in a bed and breakfast, you can ask,
‘Where should we eat?’ and they might tell
you a local place to go. You get more of the
local taste and history.”
Mark Mobbs said guests receive personalized
service at bed and breakfasts.
“That’s the point of a bed and breakfast;
you get more personalized care than at a
hotel,” Janet Mobbs said.
“Mark and I both like to be around people.
Both of our kids are grown, and it’s nice to
hear footsteps again. This house needs
people in it.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bed & Breakfast
The Inn at Woodward Park
Where:
1521 E. 21st St.
Rates:
Room rates are $95 to $125 a night.
For more:
Call 712-9770 or go to
www.innatwoodwardpark.com.
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