Sandra and Jerry Jenkins stumbled into their seven-year love affair with the Randall House Bed and Breakfast in Annapolis. They will take away many memories.
Already longtime homeowners in Crofton, they decided about a decade ago they would feel more at home in nearby Annapolis. The couple sold their Crofton home and rented an apartment on Randall Street in the heart of Annapolis’ historic district, just blocks from the city dock and the Naval Academy.
As renters, they hoped to get a better feel for the neighborhood before becoming permanent residents. It didn’t take long for them to realize that they didn’t want to leave Randall Street, which Sandra fondly describes as a “boardwalk,” convenient to shopping, sailing and eateries. In fact, they liked the location so much, they ended up renting for five years. In 2001 the empty nesters purchased a Victorian home across the street.
“I had to have the house,” Sandra Jenkins said. Known as Randall House, this 1880 home had been in the same family for 85 years and still had some of its original features, including the front door, pine floors and an upstairs chandelier.
When Sandra Jenkins found out the home came with a bed-and-breakfast license, she wasn’t the least bit daunted. Instead, she was inspired to put the license to use.
In Annapolis, a B&B license is becoming harder to obtain, so buyers should hold onto it even if they don’t plan to use it, said Thomas Eicher, a Realtor with W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors. Sandra has been running the Randall House Bed & Breakfast for the past seven years, renovating along the way. The Jenkinses restored the plastered walls, installed modern appliances and filled the rooms with Sandra’s family’s art and antiques from Europe.
“Literally, there is not a wall that has not had our hands on it,” Sandra said, noting that the four-bedroom home “could easily work for a family.”
The home also has a driveway with parking spaces for six cars, a porch with a swing, and a second-story balcony overlooking the courtyard — highly coveted features in downtown Annapolis. Sandra and Jerry, who works as an engineer, had hoped to retire in this house. But they long to be closer to their grandchildren in southern Virginia and have put their beloved home up for sale.
At a Glance
- Property: 30 Randall St., Annapolis
- Description: Two-level renovated Victorian home across from the U.S. Naval Academy with four-bedrooms, four baths. Fireplace, deck overlooking tree-shaded courtyard, front porch and parking for six cars are some of the many features.
- List Price: $1,944,700
- Lot square footage: 2,850
- Contact: Thomas Eicher, W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors.
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