Love is a game of give and take. Nobody understands that better than these Isle of Palms couples, who aren’t afraid of mixing business and romance. This Valentine’s Day, we celebrate the couples who prove that love and labor don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Several of the most beloved local businesses on IOP are powered by passionate business partners in love and that’s not a coincidence. These couples have found a healthy way to balance and blend their personal life with their work life.
From iconic restaurants to real estate offices and longtime island institutions, these couples have turned their relationships into rock solid business ventures.
1. How did you meet and when did you know you’d make a good team?
2. What’s the biggest challenge of working together and how do you handle it?
3. What’s the most rewarding part of running a business together?
4. What’s one rule you have for keeping work and home life balanced?
5. What’s your ideal date night on the Isle of Palms?
Below is how they responded:
Mel & Shelley Miles
Exclusive Properties
1. We met at Clemson University on the first day of our public speaking class. She was dating a guy for seven years, but I just kept asking her out until she finally said “yes.” We didn’t really know we would make a good business team together until we bought a second home on Isle of Palms while living in Greenville. We have developed and owned about 10 to 12 homes on IOP and figured out our individual strengths during those projects. Shelley emphasizes that we work well together when we each “stay in our own lane.”
2. We are both very headstrong, so conflicts do arise, but they have subsided greatly since I stay out of the office now and have learned that she is right practically all the time.
3. A few things stick out over the past 25 years we’ve been running Exclusive Properties. First is witnessing the happiness we have seen from so many multi-generational families who come back to vacation on Isle of Palms and hearing them share with us the wonderful memories they have made being together here on our island. Also rewarding is the relationships we have developed with our homeowners who seem to appreciate what we do for them.
4. I stay out of the office since she runs almost everything. I try not to bring up work-related issues that could impact our “home life” time together.
5. Our best date nights are when we take a peaceful walk on the beach together, cruise around town on the golf cart and eat at one of the great restaurants on the island.
Bret & Kristina Jones
The Dinghy
1. We met in summer of 2006. We knew right from the start we were a good team.
2. The biggest challenge is when we both think we are right because we are both stubborn. We take time away from the topic and usually end up compromising.
3. Now that the business is established, we are able to spend time with our family, be at our kids’ school events and make our own schedules.
4. Don’t talk business before coffee and phones on silent before dinner.
5. Dinner on the island, walking on the beach and hearing live music.
Garc & Katie Osborne
The Windjammer
1. We met bartending at Coconut Joe’s. Working behind a busy bar together requires teamwork, but we also had a lot of fun.
2. The biggest challenge is communication in a stressful environment. We have to deliberately make an effort to handle the challenges without taking things personally.
3. It’s fun to work with your best friend and to continue to grow the community you love.
4. We try to “clock out” when we’re home and keep work conversation to a minimum.
5. An ideal date night would be in the fall – dinner at Acme Lowcountry Kitchen, followed by drinks and late-night music at The Windjammer.
Dave & Chrissy Lorenz
Islander 71
1. Chrissy and I met in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She was in the restaurant business already and needed a line cook that had called out and she called me to fill in.
2. We talk way too much about work and restaurants. Our kids are a great distraction and bring us back to family life.
3. Building a brand together and seeing our managers and crew grow and develop it.
4. Try not to talk about the restaurants before 9 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
5.Hit the beach in the morning for a surf session. Drinks on the deck at The Windjammer in the afternoon. Dinner at Islander 71 … of course.
By Zach Giroux
Leave a Reply