Get the Porch Ready for Spring

For all of your outdoor furniture needs, Sunset Porch & Patio in Sunset Beach is a must.

Kris and Mary Meredith’s dream of owning a place in Ocean Isle Beach finally came true 18 years after they fell in love with the area. They were introduced to the beach by a friend and instantly fell in love with the island and everything it offers. They had a dream of retiring and moving to Ocean Isle Beach, and lucky for them their dream became a reality much sooner than expected.

The Merediths are originally from Statesville, North Carolina, where they met, married and raised their daughter Summer, who is now 26 and married living in Evans, Georgia. Kris had worked in the automotive industry for more than 25 years, and Mary spent years in medical sales and had recently gotten her real estate license.

After numerous family vacations over the years, they dreamed of moving to Ocean Isle Beach one day. In 2019 they purchased their first vacation home and always had a hard time leaving when it was time to go back to Statesville. Driving over the bridge when they arrived was exciting and always happy, but leaving was an entirely different feeling. They were sad and upset and would talk about ways trying to figure out how they could just stay and not have to leave. A little over a year ago, they made Ocean Isle Beach their full-time residence after Kris had a health scare that forced them to re-examine their priorities.

When it came time to purchase outdoor furniture for their new home, they had a friend order them a set of high-density polyethylene furniture, which led to a conversation with the manufacturer about bringing his line of furniture to the Brunswick County area. Kris and Mary both saw a need for a local outdoor furniture store with the high growth Brunswick County is experiencing, and they felt like the high-density polyethylene line was a perfect fit. The sun, sand and salt air are hard on everything, and this kind of furniture can withstand the harsh elements that come with living on the coast and still look new even after years of use.

“For a while, we thought opening the store was just going to be a dream,” Kris says.

Finding the ideal spot with enough road frontage, parking and square footage was harder than they thought it would be.

“Then while driving around the area we saw a ‘for lease’ sign in the store and called the owner for additional information,” Kris says. “It’s the perfect location for us, across the street from Food Lion and next to Walgreen’s in Sunset Beach.”

Their dream began and so did the hard work!

It was hard for them to believe that being able to run their own business and enjoy the coastal Carolina lifestyle dream was about to come true. After a long and stressful renovation process, they were finally able to open their doors to Sunset Porch & Patio on April 28, 2021.

“Our manufacturer of the high-density polyethylene outdoor furniture offers a 20-year warranty, he offers a well-built, high-quality line that is maintenance free other than a little cleaning every now and then,” Mary says. “It’s extremely durable and offered in vibrant color options that adds some additional personality to your home.”

Sunset Porch & Patio has a 2,400-square-foot showroom that is open Tuesday through Saturday.

In addition to the large selection of high-density polyethylene outdoor furniture, they also teamed up with several other local small businesses and artists to offer a selection of beachy wooden outdoor furniture and home décor, making them a one-stop shop for porch, patio and pool furniture and decor needs. There is a nice selection of wall decor options including wooden surfboards, various coastal themed paintings, metal art, hand-carved wooden pieces and birds and wall art made out of PVC.

“All of the items we sell are made in the U.S.A., and most are made here in North Carolina!” Mary says. “That’s a priority and is important to us and our customers.”

Kris and Mary also support local nonprofit organizations through various fundraising efforts. They have Turtle Tumblers in the store for sale with the proceeds going to the Sunset & Ocean Isle Beach turtle protection programs. They raised money for Brunswick Family Assistance through a holiday raffle and have made donations and given items to other local fundraising efforts.

The Merediths like the flexibility of owning their own business and enjoy being able to immerse themselves into the Brunswick County community.

Mary adds, “Moving from one part of North Carolina to another was a big change for us, but we are enjoying every minute of it. We are extremely thankful for all the support from the community. Buying local means the money goes back into the local economy, and we are forever grateful for our customers who have allowed us to do just that.”

Want to go?
Sunset Porch & Patio
850 Sunset Boulevard N., Sunset Beach
(910) 579-8900
sunsetporchpatio@gmail.com
Facebook: Sunset Porch & Patio

Open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm.