Chinaberries

As a collector of vintage goods and antique treasures for the last 30 plus years, I have been fortunate to make some great connections with people from all over the Southeast and beyond! My favorite finds are architectural salvage pieces and unique, small furniture pieces. I can't wait to share these little beauties with you!

The back story ~

Why the name Chinaberries? Let's begin with the tree. Symbolically, the Chinaberry tree is often compared to the Knowledge tree in the Garden of Eden as well as a symbol for hope and strength in the deep south.

Growing up in the small town of Anderson, South Carolina, I was surrounded with the beauty of green pastures, Dogwood and Chinaberry trees that acted as canopies in the hot summer sun.

When did I develop a love of design? Since I was a teenager, I redecorated my childhood bedroom constantly and cut out pictures in magazines, dreaming of one day having a store of my own. A shop of curious, unique and beautiful things. A trash to treasure section that would include rescued, broken pieces of furniture; restored, healed, and made beautiful again.

Life is like that as well. People start out with certain intentions and often times, by no fault of their own; they lose their way. They are cast aside to live among the broken pieces. This is how my shop's dream came to an end. The building was purchased, the inventory was in place and years of planning were all coming together for a dream to be realized.

Weeks before opening "Chinaberries", I experienced a severe personal injury and was unable to move forward with my long awaited aspirations. I lost my full time job, and due to mounting medical bills, had to sell my home, donate the entire contents of my store and put a for sale in front of the building that I was so proud of.

After years of planning, everything would crumble in a matter of a few short weeks. God had other plans.

Fast forward ten years. I met a wonderful man that would later become my husband. As a business owner of a financial institution, he needed a building to house his new venture. My building, my dream location, would be the very spot that housed HIS new office. It wasn't what I planned, but it was exactly what God allowed.

Today, there are incredible sites like ETSY and Facebook, enabling business owners to have a virtual store front! In August of 2014, we were blessed to locate and purchase a 100 year old farmhouse just minutes from our residence. Chinaberries finally had a place to call home! By the grace of God, I have been able to share this experience with some wonderful customers and sell custom furniture pieces and home decor from a house that is the epitome of antique. After a year of doing just that, I made the decision to relocate Chinaberries to a space in the City limits of Anderson and even considered having a physical location with daily store hourse. This year holds several options and many ideas for the future of Chinaberries. There is much to do but even more to be grateful for! Welcome to our page, thank you for your interest. The best is yet to come! ~ Dana