The draw of Charleston, SC is strong—kind of like a riptide—except instead of pulling you out to sea, it sucks you in with a welcoming charm unlike anywhere else on the East Coast. Just ask husband and wife team Ryan and Missy Green, vineyard vines veterans for 10 years, who got bit by the Charleston bug almost a decade ago, made the move south and haven't looked back. We sat down with these two locals to talk about living the Good Life in the lowcountry.
"It's always been a dream to live in Charleston and something that we set as a goal, to be living here as soon as possible," Ryan, our district manager for the Coastal Atlantic region, told us. Comment end "And once we found out that the Charleston store was opening up, it was just kind of a natural progression to want to be here. And we were lucky enough to get to move here."
Perhaps the toughest thing for any Charleston resident to do is to narrow their list of "favorite local activities" down to something manageable. As our local experts, we had to put Ryan and Missy on the spot.
"The reason I love living in Charleston is the proximity to the water," Missy, our regional merchant for the South, said. "We both really enjoy being out on the boat and going to the beach. And so this was the perfect place to move."
Ryan added: "My favorite thing about living in the Charleston area is just the whole vibe. It's such a warm, welcoming environment, and obviously living close to the water, you can't beat that."
When they're not working, Ryan and Missy are usually somewhere off the South Carolina coast. "Outside of vineyard vines, if we have a warm, sunny day, we're going to be on the boat out on the water," Ryan said. "We have a dock that's not too far away, so we grab a couple of drinks and ride out there and just enjoy the sunset."
You'll also find Missy strolling through the heart of the city on her days off.
"When I have a day off from work, I love going downtown, walking around the historic area," she told us. "The Battery is so beautiful, and during fall, there's nowhere better to be than downtown Charleston."
And don't forget to check out their favorite local hangouts—the sidebar at Husk for Ryan and the Dewberry's rooftop bar, the Citrus Club, for Missy—next time you're in town.
With their calendars filled with favorite recreational activities—boating, golfing, relaxing at the beach—it's easy to forget that Ryan and Missy are valuable members of our team, too. They make sure that everything in our Southern stores runs smoothly, from new openings to new arrivals, and that customers enjoy an Every day should feel this good shopping experience every time they visit. Although their roles are different, both agree that the family feel of vineyard vines is the best part of the job.
"My favorite part about working for vineyard vines is all of the friendships and relationships that I've created over the past 10 years," Missy told us. "I've made friends for life working here."
The same is true for Ryan. "My favorite part is the family atmosphere. I talk about it all the time. I could pick up the phone and text Shep, send him a photo of the boat or a fish that I've caught. I don't think you get that anywhere else."
Both are excited about life getting back to something resembling normal in the near future, and the chance to reconnect with team members and customers they haven't seen in a while as they help us open new stores across the South. And both know that, living in Charleston, their days will be filled with Every day should feel this good moments.