After graduating in BS, Biology from the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Karen decided to be the first of her four siblings to move away from the city. Although she had studied Biology, her career quickly took a different direction as she became more interested in feed, wine, and travel. She found herself spending more time away from home than with her family and friends, constantly traveling by planes, hotels, and rental cars.

In 2007, Karen began staying in vacation rentals for extended periods. have a more comfortable place to work and relax. This al. allowed her partner Mike and friends to join her occasionally. It was during this time that Karen realized how much she had missed the warmth and familiarity of home during her first 20 years of work.

In 2006, Karen purchased her first vacation rental, a cozy condo in Charleston, which she furnished to feel like her favorite destinations such as Italy, Napa, and Charleston. Karen wanted her guests to feel like they were staying in a five-star resort, so she provided plush towels, high-quality linens, and the best quality mattresses. The kitchen was equipped with cookware and cutlery, so guests could cook meals for their college-aged children when they visited for Parents’ Weekends or grill steaks and drink wine for multi-generational family reunions.

Karen’s first vacation rental received all five-star reviews, and guests were booking weeks so quickly that she bought a second and a third condo in the same unit. After nine years, she combined the profits from the sale of these condos to create one vacation rental on the II of Palms, SC, where large families or groups of friends could gather and create lasting memories. She named this vacation rental “Carolina Elegance”. Conveniently located near the beach, it was only 20 minutes from downtown Charleston and 30 miles from the Charleston International Airport.

A year later, Karen and Mike purchased a second vacation rental, “Carolina Elegance North”, in the Wild Dunes resort on the same island. With these two properties, Karen continued to create comfortable and inviting vacation rentals for travellers to enjoy the comforts of home while away.