Meet Medea Duffy | Local Retail Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Medea Duffy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Medea, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Shelly and I both had our own separate businesses prior to starting Local Love CHS and really enjoyed the creativity and independence of it. Plus, it gave us the flexibility to prioritize our kids and their crazy schedules. But after rolling solo, we both knew that we wanted the benefit from a partnership. A perfectly matched partnership is the Holy Grail of business ownership!

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
If someone asked, “What is my dream job?”, my answer would always be, “retail shop owner”. It’s funny because I really never thought it would happen. My background is in advertising and marketing and I really loved doing it. But when three little kids came along, I realized that they needed a lot of attention. My husband has a very demanding job so it was me or a nanny, and for me it needed to be me. I spent a lot of time dreaming up ways to find or create a job which would be fulfilling, but also super flexible. I took a stab at a few. Thanks to my business partner Shelly, I ultimately landed on Local Love CHS and the rest is history. So I guess I sort of manifested my dream job. Lucky me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Now this is a loaded question! Charleston has the most amazing spots…again, lucky me! We would definitely hit up all of the local markets (Feminist Magic, Night Bazaar, Pickers, Marion Square Farmers Market, Sunday Bruch, etc.) One day we’d head up to Park Circle to hit up The Station. Then maybe we’d have lunch at Jack Rabbit Filly or The Cod Father. If Charleston County School of the Arts was having a performance, we’d definitely check it out. Other parts of town we’d visit are Sullivan’s Island (can’t miss indulging in a burger at Poe’s), Folly Beach (my absolute favorite beach)….I have to pause on Folly for a minute to talk about the food! We’d eat and drink our way from Low Life, to Chico Feo, to Jack of Cups…The Lost Dog is a must for breakfast! Downtown is incredible, of course. I’m not even going to start the downtown restaurant list, but a few that I can’t not mention are Herd Provisions, Chubby Fish, Chasing Sage, The Harbinger Cafe and Basic Kitchen. Oh, and we’d definitely grab a drink at The Little Palm Bar. We’d shop until we drop at spots like True Lucia and Filagree and then hit up a Friday evening art walk. Back on James Island, we couldn’t miss popping in at Patina Market and Local Love CHS, my favorite James Island shop ;), lunch at Huriyali, a drink at Bar George, and a bite at Kwei Fei before checking out a movie at The Terrace. One day would absolutely be spent on the water taking in nature’s beauty. Strike up conversations with everyone you encounter. You never know what you might learn. This is one friendly city and inspiring city!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jessica Beran, CEO of Dance Moves, Reiki Master, and Intuitive Life Coach gets the shout out! She helped us get organized and get the Local Love train rolling!

Website: www.LocalLoveCHS.com

Instagram: @LocalLoveCHS

Facebook: Local Love CHS

Other: Check out our line up of Workshops and Pop Ups www.LocalLoveCHS.com/events

Image Credits
Photos by Vision Balm