From Diplomatic Service to Southern Hospitality: Reimagining a Historic Inn in Clayton

[00:00:00] Jonathan Breeden: On this week’s episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast our guest is Jordan Robinson, the new owner of the Magnolia Inn that used to be the Morning Glory Inn in downtown Clayton. We talked to her about this unique bed and breakfast, the history of the house itself. That dates back to the late 1800.

Why she decided to get into the hospitality business and her vision for what that house can become and the services they provide. So listen in.

Welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it’s a deep dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.

Jonathan Breeden: Hello and [00:01:00] welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden, and on today’s episode we have Jordan Robinson, the somewhat new owner of the Magnolia Inn and Clayton, that was the Morning Glory Inn, owned by the Grannis for many, many, many years.  Grannis, is some of the best people you’ll ever meet in Clayton. And her and her husband have now taken it over and they’re revamping it and they have some new services and we’re gonna talk to her a little bit about that and maybe some mistakes people make when choosing a bed and breakfast.

I got a couple questions about that. But before we get to that, we’d like to ask you to like, follow, subscribe to this podcast. Wherever you see it, there’ll be Apple, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, or any of the other social media channels of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. Best of Johnston County Podcast comes out every single Monday and has now for about 30 months.

So we’re well over 110 episodes now. We’ve had a lot of great guests. You can go back and listen to any of those. Most of our conversations are timeless, [00:02:00] so if you love Johnston County as much as I do. This is the podcast for you. Welcome, Jordan.

Jordan Robinson: Thank you, Jonathan. I really appreciate the invite.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. I know we’ve had quick scheduling. We got this straight. I’m glad you’re here. It’s a fascinating place. I’ve not been to it since it became the, I’m gonna get messed up.

Jordan Robinson: Magnolia.

Jonathan Breeden: Magnolia, I said it right in the intro, right? Magnolia, right? Yeah, Magnolia. And even though I know, ’cause it’s always gonna be morning glory to me, and I went there for a bunch of chamber events over the years. And other types of things. So anyway, so tell the audience who you are, what you do.

Jordan Robinson: Right. So I’m Jordan Robinson. I am the current owner of the Magnolia Inn. So we opened a year ago, February 1st, 2025 and it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, so it’s really taken off.

You know, because there is such a deep-seated community aspect to the end. As you mentioned, it was morning glory for 20 years, so a lot of people have relationships with that house long before I came along. So I will [00:03:00] say that it’s an honor to take over the house. I feel like we’ve done it a great justice.

We have made some renovations and improvements. We’re really elegant and we’re basically positioned as a boutique luxury inn now. So we are excited to be here. We’re excited to grow in the community and I’m excited to tell you about the Inn.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, that’s awesome. That’s awesome. So let’s tell us a little bit about you. Like I, I know you’re from South Carolina, upstate, not low state. I always get that mixed up, so I’m assuming that means you must be from the Greenville area. That is right, because that’s upstate. Yes. I, I finally, it’s taken me 50 years of life to finally understand. The difference in South Carolina?

Jordan Robinson: Yes. That Greenville. Yeah. So I was born and raised Greenville, South Carolina. It’s a lovely city. It’s beautiful. The downtown is awesome. So when I think of the South, I don’t think of Greenville ’cause it’s quite posh. But yeah, I lived there until I was 18 and then I enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after high school.

Never thought that I would end up in the military. I was a varsity cheerleader in high school, so it shocked a lot of my friends when I did that. And it’s [00:04:00] just been an amazing ride since. So I was in for almost six years. Most of my time was spent as an embassy security guard, so I got to travel the globe.

I really found a passion for diplomacy and pomp and circumstance and working with people. So that really helped build my hospitality skills in a way. And I did a lot of restaurant jobs in high school. So before I even enlisted, I was a hostess, a waitress, you know, you name it, I’ve worked quite a bit in the restaurant industry, so, all of those experiences have led me to this perfect role.

So my trajectory after the military then was I went to school. I went back to school first at Syracuse University. I ended up getting a, a bachelor’s in television, radio. Film. Didn’t like doing that, so it’s a fun hobby, but I really didn’t like it as a career. So what I decided was to continue school.

I got a dual master’s in public relations and international relations. And from there I’ve worked for the federal government for the last 10 years in public communications. So I’ve worked in the intelligence community, I’ve worked [00:05:00] at the Department of Homeland Security. My last role was working with the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency.

So it’s been very interesting to make that transition from government DC life to, I call it Green Acres down here.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, I mean, yeah. Compared to what you’ve been doing and stuff. It’s funny ’cause you know, my brother-in-law. Is a regional security officer for the State Department.

Jordan Robinson: Oh, great.

Jonathan Breeden: And so his job is to help, you know guard embassies as well as process visas. And he always talks about, there’s always a couple of marines there.

Jordan Robinson: Oh yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: You know, and, and you know, they’re the ones with the guns. ’cause he’s supposed to be a diplomat, but I mean, he’s definitely trained how to use guns and stuff, so

Jordan Robinson: Yep

Jonathan Breeden: and you’re the first person I met that was a marine. Who did that because he’s got all these stories of the different Marines he’s worked with around the world.

Jordan Robinson: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And, you know, them hanging out together and, you know, it’s, always been a lot of great stories.

Jordan Robinson: It was amazing.

Jonathan Breeden: Some funnier than others.

Jordan Robinson: Oh yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, to be a 21-year-old in a foreign country and wasn an experience.

Yeah. So.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, right.

Jordan Robinson: It was amazing.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, and then, and then of [00:06:00] course he’s got all the stories of, of guarding the Dalai Lama and the Secretary of State. Right. Some of the same stuff that you got to do. And, you know, sort of, sort of witness history, kind of up close and personal, you know?

Jordan Robinson: Absolutely.

Jonathan Breeden: The other part is though, he does have to live in several third world countries

Jordan Robinson: right

Jonathan Breeden: which, which, you know,

Jordan Robinson: builds character.

Jonathan Breeden: It does build character. It probably wouldn’t be for me and I can’t learn languages in six months like he can.

Jordan Robinson: Right.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s a skillset

Jordan Robinson: indeed.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. Did you have to learn the different languages?

Jordan Robinson: I did. So they did put us through some classes when we were in the country. So I was in Mozambique, they speak Portuguese there, Austria, German, and then Cuba, Spanish. So I did actually take Spanish in high school and it’s, it really helped improve it when I lived in Cuba. But yes, it really was a life changing opportunity.

It really showed me a, a lot of culture around the world, and that’s really changed my perspective in how I deal with customers. And especially being a b and b owner, you’re getting people from all over the place.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, that’s true. So how did you decide to buy [00:07:00] a bed and breakfast? And particularly this bed and breakfast.

Jordan Robinson: Right? Well, I would say it’s a little bit of hard work, a little bit of luck and maybe the stars aligned. So, my husband and I, we got married in the summer of 2024. He’s from England, and I planned a basically a week long wedding adventure and planned everything for my family and friends to come. Many of them had never left the states, so I’ve been doing events for the last 10 years, even when I was a marine security guard doing the embassy job, I was planning diplomatic events. So you’re talking about military balls with 500 people. You know, try consulates and things like that.

So you’ve got a lot of people coming together. I planned you know, events for when I was in the military, when I was in the Department of Homeland Security State Department. I did work for them for a while as well. So I’ve been doing events, I’ve done trade shows. I’ve been a booth babe, I joke that, you know, if you go to the conferences and you talk about whoever you work for. That was interesting. But all of those [00:08:00] experiences really I found my niche in running events.

So I never intended to be a hotel owner or run a bed and breakfast. I really, first and foremost was looking for an event venue. So after we got married, my husband has a daughter. Her mom is down here, so we wanted to make the change. We were kind of tired of DC life at that point too. So I was ready to strike out on my own, start my own events business, and we were looking for somewhere to live.

So we’re scoping out. I like old houses. Anyway, so the filters that I had on Redfin were, you know, has to be before 1940. And then the end popped up and I pursued it aggressively, and one thing led to another, and then we ended up scoring the end.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Well that’s interesting. So instead of just getting an event place, you actually got a hotel.

Jordan Robinson: That’s right. Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: Which is a whole different thing than just running events.

Jordan Robinson: It certainly is, yes. I like to say that the hotel keeps the lights on, it pays the bills, and then the events are the bonus.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, well that could be a way to look at it.

Jordan Robinson: Right.

Jonathan Breeden: So how many. Bedrooms. Does this inn have [00:09:00]

Jordan Robinson: It has seven rooms.

We have five kings and two queens. They all have a unique theme, which is really fun. We’ve only been open a year, but we have a lot of repeat customers who just want to see the different vibes in each room. I will say that the Inn has not always. Been a bed and breakfast, so it was converted to a, b and B in 2000.

And that’s when, as you mentioned, the Grannis took over the home and they are the ones who really built the reputation in the town. But the house, a little bit of history about the house. It’s 130 years old. it was originally owned by a textile cotton textile tycoon, Oscar Smith. So, as some of you may know, the Clayton was originally called stalling station and it was a big spinning mill town.

So a lot of the industry and gentrification of the town came from the cotton mills. So it was owned through the family until the 1920s, and then it was taken over by a couple families in between then. In the 1950s, it was purchased by the little family. They are still, you know, doing really well.

They came [00:10:00] to our open house when we first opened the business, so it was amazing to have them come. The Grannis came to the, the grand opening. We also had the owners of Mc Wade’s in, which is who we purchased from. So to have all those generations of history, people telling me stories about the end it really has been.

It’s really amazing to see the evolution of the house from 18th century, or excuse me, 19th century to, to now. it’s been remarkable.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, that’s cool. I guess one question I’ve got about bed and breakfast is that, I don’t know that I’ve really stated it more than one or two. How many bathrooms are there?

Jordan Robinson: What’s nice about us is we actually have a bathroom in every room. So they all have their own en suite bathroom.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, I didn’t know that.

Jordan Robinson: No sharing.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Jordan Robinson: Yep, yep. And two of them are, we have tubs. So those are our honeymoon suites.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So I guess when somebody, I guess, had to add these bathrooms when they were turning it into, because that’s not, you don’t see that every bed and breakfast.

Jordan Robinson: Yes, yes, that’s correct. So the renovations were extensive. The electrical was [00:11:00] upgraded. I know there were a lot of plumbing, you know, changes in improvements. So the owners actually before the Grannis, and unfortunately I don’t have that time block of history. They are the ones who really put in the effort and the money to convert it to a bed and breakfast.

And it’s my understanding that after they accomplished that, finished it up, they were ready to retire. So they didn’t have the energy to open the bed and breakfast, and that’s how the Grannis came to procure it.

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Jonathan Breeden: Alright. So how does it work? I mean, I say a lot of hotels, but you check in after 4:00, like you would a normal hotel, check out times 10:00 AM is that right?

Jordan Robinson: So we are a little bit different.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Jordan Robinson: And I think that’s important for people to know is [00:12:00] that every bed and breakfast is different. Whatever expectations you have, just throw them out the window. Because some places they certainly are manned, but a lot of times with a bed and breakfast, it really is owner operated.

So we operate lean. What’s great about us is actually we lived on site until very recently. We moved out across the street. So our operating method is similar to others but I will say our check-in time is at 3:00 PM. We have staff on hand every day from 8-3, and I’m always there during the day as.

Well, but I do have a life, so I find it interesting when, you know, folks come and try to ring the doorbell at 8:00 PM expecting someone to be manning the hotel. But I am just across the street if anything happens. But we provide a lot of communications up front. So folks are getting an email and a text.

This is how you access the house. Here’s your front door code, here’s your guest room code, wifi, parking, all of that. So we are very thorough and I’ve received great feedback that people feel well informed when they’re checking in. But I will just say it’s a different process. Them what you can [00:13:00] expect at a traditional hotel.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay, so it’s not a key, it’s a code.

Jordan Robinson: It is, that’s right.

Jonathan Breeden: That makes sense. You change the code every day.

Jordan Robinson: That’s right. Yep. So it is, it’s for security. It’s a unique code. And guests can come and go as they like. We actually have a lot of people who come stay with us for weddings, for example. People, people will book the entire inn for a wedding and their family might stay out late partying till midnight and you know, come in.

But you don’t have to worry about noise ’cause they’ve got the whole house to themselves.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that’s cool. So is the breakfast served at the same time everybody has to eat at the same time?

Jordan Robinson: No, actually, what I like to joke that we put the word breakfast in bed and breakfast because we really do a phenomenal breakfast at the Magnolia Inn. My husband is the chef. I joke that he’s a Michelin star. And I’ve actually had people call and make bookings with us inquiring about that. But he is good. He is really good. He does have a day job, so he’s a volunteer. Gotta love it. Bless his heart. But yeah, he’s from England. I don’t know if I mentioned that.

So we actually do offer a menu with an [00:14:00] English breakfast. We do things like a loaded New York salmon bagel, fresh blueberry waffles. We have a robust menu that you can order from every day, and it’s cooked to order. So guests will submit their order, the time that they would like to eat, and then we either serve it in the dining room or we’ll bring it to your guest room.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So, and you can order, you can eat anywhere from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM?

Jordan Robinson: So we do have a slot of hours because my husband does have another job. So we do during the weekdays, it’s 7:30-8:30, and then on the weekends 8:30-9:30. Now I do wanna mention when we do host full groups for weddings or reunions, we tend to do a communal brunch for that.

So we offer a variety of breakfast meats, eggs, pastries, hash brown casserole, that sort of thing. That way they can kind of hang out, enjoy the time, and it’s less stress on us.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Well that’s interesting. I learned that. So what are some of the other things, I know you said you’re an event planner, I know you’re getting into the wedding business.

Tell me a little bit about that.

Jordan Robinson: That’s right. Yep. So, the first year was surviving. [00:15:00] And I’ll say that 2026 is about thriving. And I’m really excited because we just brought on a new director of events at the end and this is my dream. So now it’s actually coming to fruition. I’m very excited about it.

So we brought on a new director. She’s been with us for about two weeks now, and it’s already really taking off. So the things that we’re starting to do this year are not only private events, so we’re hosting bridal showers, birthday parties graduation parties those, we have a cap of 40 people.

So we are positioning ourselves as more of an elegant, intimate gathering spot. We’re not a rental hall. Or places where you can kind of DIY it. We provide all of the services. The catering is included so you can really show up and enjoy your event and not worry about the little details ’cause we handle that ourselves.

The other cool thing that we’re starting to do this year is ticketed events. So most of our listings are on Eventbrite. We’ve. Started doing afternoon tea the last Sunday of every month. And that’s been really popular in the community. Everybody’s asking for afternoon tea. I know that there were places in [00:16:00] downtown Clayton before, like the Wagner House

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah.

Jordan Robinson: And some other places where you could do things like that. But now there’s a void. They’re no longer in operation, so we’re happy to fill the space. And anything along those lines that meet. You know, our brand as far as we’re offering etiquette classes, we’re offering Mahjong 1 0 1 and Mahjong Open play.

So we’re trying to fill both, you know, weekends and private gatherings as well as get the community out and involved and meeting new people. So we’re really excited about both of those areas of operation.

Jonathan Breeden: What is Mahjong?

Jordan Robinson: Mahjong? Yes. Mahjong is the new bridge. So if you recall, bridge was really popular and there were a lot of playing clubs. So it’s a game where you play with tiles and it’s a lot of strategy. I think people get really high off of it. It’s an addiction. So it’s really blowing up right now and I think we’ve got both of our 101 classes fully booked. And the intent is that we would start a Magnolia specific chapter club. Sort of thing with us.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. I didn’t know that. I know my [00:17:00] parents played bridge

When I was a child and had bridge clubs and.

Jordan Robinson: Right.

Jonathan Breeden: My grandparents played bridge and I learned to play bridge for a little while and then I forgot because I played with my grandparents. I played my parents, but then I forgot.

Jordan Robinson: Gotta keep it sharp.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, you gotta keep it sharp.

Jordan Robinson: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: A lot of rules to bridge. I do much better at spades.

Jordan Robinson: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Lot less rules. Simpler.

Jordan Robinson: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: So anyway, so if you have your wedding there, is it capped at 40 guests too?

Jordan Robinson: Currently? So we are reevaluating the structure of weddings. This year we’re looking to do intimate weddings more so, on the lean side. And I say that as part of a pilot program, we wanna make sure that we get the details right. So we’d rather keep it small, get a good system in place, and then see about expanding. So what’s nice about the end is there’s this beautiful canopy area on the property. We’re looking to actually build a paved courtyard out there a wedding gazebo for couples to get married under.

There’s also some really other nice. Spots on the property. The porch, for example, is a lovely place to get married. So this [00:18:00] year will be all about understanding the audience and what the interest is and then building on top of that. So the plan is actually I’m in Launch JoCo, which I would love to give a plug about Launch JoCo.

That has really had me reevaluate the business and where it’s going. So initially we were just a mom and pop bed and breakfast. And then at the start of launch, JoCo early February, we’ve decided to pivot and be more of an elegant luxury event venue and a southern estate for refined stays. And then actually as of last week, it’s just keeps going up and up.

So now we’re looking at being a really high-end, intimate wedding venue. Where everything is done for you. You know, wedding planning can be so stressful. It takes people a year just to plan the vendors and the, you know, run of show. But we’re putting everything in one package. You’ve got three days together, a Friday, Saturday, Sunday with your closest people.

People always make the, reference that you know the most. Times that people come together in your life are either gonna be your wedding or your funeral. [00:19:00] So why not capitalize on that time together?

Jonathan Breeden: It’s true. Well, I’m a big fan of Launch JoCo. I’ve been a mentor and Launch JoCo was a mentor last year.

I hope I’ll be to be a mentor this year. And we’ve had a lot of Launch JoCo businesses on this podcast. It’s a tremendous program and I’m looking forward to trying to help with it again, Dana Wooten and Clayton Chamber of Commerce, Melissa Overton, who’s been a guest. Both Dana Wooten and Melissa Overton have been a guest on this podcast.

Melissa Overton has now written a book, so she is gonna be back on this podcast in a few week weeks about her new book that she wrote. And all about the overage and experience and all that. So be listening for that podcast in a few weeks. But yeah, I think it’s great you’re in Launch JoCo. I’ve enjoyed it.

I’ve done Launch Garner. I’ve been a mentor in that. And it’s always fascinating to try to help new businesses because like my business is no different than yours. Right. And I’ve made every mistake in the business in almost 26 years of growing this to one of the largest family law firms in North Carolina.

And you know, I try to help [00:20:00] because I watch owners and we all make the same mistakes. And so hopefully we try to keep giving back and

Jordan Robinson: absolutely

Jonathan Breeden: I think it’s great that you’re in it because you do learn a lot about business planning and marketing and you know, I just got off a call with my CFO, you know, about what are your margins

Jordan Robinson: mm-hmm

Jonathan Breeden: and what do you spend on advertising? What are you making and.

Jordan Robinson: Right.

Jonathan Breeden: And all of that stuff. Because it, you know, if you don’t know those numbers, it can get outta hand and you won’t actually make any money.

Jordan Robinson: Absolutely. And so I will say Launch JoCo has been an eyeopener. You know, a lot of entrepreneurs are self-trained, so for me, what an amazing opportunity to get some professional mentorship training. So I’m really grateful for that. I love how much Johnston County invests in the community, especially in small business. So I’m a member of the Chamber as well. I’m actually the chair of the Veterans Outreach Council, so we’re also trying to put, you know, feelers into all pockets of business locally.

But Launch JoCo has just really changed how my outlook on my business, and I’m really excited to see, even by the end of the course where it’s gonna go.

Jonathan Breeden: [00:21:00] So I’ve only stayed in like one bed and breakfast in my life, maybe two. If you’re looking for one, what are some mistakes that people make?

Jordan Robinson: I would say when looking for a bed and breakfast, as I mentioned, not one size fits all, everyone’s different. I’ve been to bed and breakfast that have 20 rooms. I’ve been to bed and breakfast with 3 rooms. So I would say if you’re looking for probably the traditional experience, you’re gonna wanna make sure that they cook breakfast. That is a must. So if it’s a continental offering, I would personally skip.

It really depends on what you’re looking for. Maybe you don’t need breakfast in the morning, but if it’s a bed and breakfast, they really should be offering breakfast. Another thing to look for is the amenities. So you wanna make sure that. You’re getting the comfort that you don’t get in a hotel.

So what’s nice about a bed and breakfast is it almost feels like a home away from home. So I would say the mistake is if you’re looking for something corporate or if you’re looking for something just. You know what to expect, then definitely go with the hotel avenue. But if you’re up for an adventure [00:22:00] and you’re up for, you know, exploring new spaces, I highly recommend taking that route whenever possible.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Well that’s cool. Well, how can people reach out to you and learn more about what you’re trying to do?

Jordan Robinson: Absolutely. Well, our website is claytonmagnolia.com. We’re also on social media, Facebook, Instagram. We’re starting up our TikTok and, you can also reach us our phone line is (919) 971-5982.

If you give us a call, we’d love to help you plan your next event, whether that’s a bridal shower, a birthday party, or we’d love to have you come out to one of our candlelight concert series. We’ve got a lot going on, so just highly recommend you check out our site, see some of the events that are on there, and we’d love to meet you.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, that’s great. That’s great. Last question we ask everybody on this podcast, what do you love most about Johnston County?

Jordan Robinson: Well, Johnston County. What can I say? It’s amazing. I used to joke around that I’m crazy for Clayton, but I’m actually crazy for Johnston County, and I’ll tell you that because the resources expand far and wide beyond Clayton.

Launch [00:23:00] Joco is a program, the tourism visit, Joco that angle of things. They’ve really been helpful in getting people in the doors. So it really is the resources, the care. There’s a lot of energy in Johnston County and a lot. In the community as well. So I just, I feel like this place is alive and awake.

It’s not like those towns with the downtown just disintegrating. We really are building something special here and I’m happy to be a part of it.

Jonathan Breeden: I think you’re absolutely right. You’re absolutely right. We’re glad to have somebody from downtown Clayton. We’re gonna try to get some more downtown Clayton businesses to come be on our podcast.

That’s not been as easy as I’d hoped it would be, but I’m awful for glad. That Jordan and the Magnolia Inn came to be our guest on this week’s episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. As we mentioned earlier, please like, follow, subscribe to this podcast wherever you’re seeing it right now, so that you’ll be aware of the future episodes of The Best of Johnston County Podcast.

It’d be so kind to give us a five star review down below. Tell us what you like about the Johnston County, The Best of Johnston County Podcast. And if you’d like to be a guest or know somebody who would be interesting for us to talk to, please reach out to us [00:24:00] at The Best of Johnston County on any of our social media channels.

Until next time, I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden.

That’s the end of today’s episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.

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