Pound House Passes into caring hands

Couple buys Rothschild-Pound House Inn; fell in love with bed and breakfast during first visit
BY LILY GORDON

Jocums and Stracks met 11 years ago at a National Federation of the Blind conference in Chicago. Three conferences later and the two were dating. The couple found it serendipitous and sweet that each harbored a deep-seated desire to one day own an inn. The search soon went national and one day the couple viewed a listing online for a Southern Charmer in Columbus. "We considered it, then dismissed it because we are not familiar with Georgia at all," Jocums said. "But we came back to revisit it. There was just something about even the listing that caught our attention and we just had to come down and see the inn. It was perfect from day one."

Mamie Pound, the former owner, said she saw something in the way the couple interacted with a couple staying at the inn. "They were so sweet to them," Mamie Pound said. "They really spent a lot of time talking to them. The fact that they really care about other people will help them in this business. This is an experience and that's what makes it so special. I think they're going to be great at it."

It still amazes Jocums and Stracks that their lives have led them and their two children to Columbus and the Inn business. The couple said they've prepared themselves to take over the day-to-day operation by enrolling in inn-keeping courses, hiring advisers and enlisting the help of the current team of employees at the inn.

They said guests can expect the same services -- and service -- the Pounds offered when they were in charge.

The Rothschild-Pound House has been catering to an eclectic influx of guests since the main house opened in 1995. The inn's first guest was Mercedes Ellington, Duke Ellington's granddaughter, Mamie Pound recalled. Famous visitors have graced the halls and bedrooms of the AAA-rated four-star inn. Garrison Keillor, Denzel Washington, Kerri Russell and Sidney Poitier are just a few.

"You really can't say enough about what Garry and Mamie Pound have done to put this place together," Stracks said. "It's an amazing property in every aspect in Columbus and the region. I think it's just fantastic. The potential for this place is amazing," Stracks said. "It just seems like Columbus is going to leap off the map."

Jocums and Stracks said they don't plan to make wholesale changes to the property. They insist any changes they do make will only build upon the traditions begun by the Pounds more than a decade ago.