Hey Kittens - LiLi here. When talking to customers they often ask me “What brought you to Greenville?” which leads to a discussion of not just how my husband Todd + I got here, but what keeps us here.
The first part is easy. The pandemic lockdown had just begun, which meant a cancelled trip to the Caribbean + us looking for somewhere to go where we could get out + explore. Todd had been reading a lot about Greenville, SC + telling me about the downtown waterfall (Wait, holdup. There’s a waterfall in the middle of the city? That’s insane!), the multiple parks, the walking trails + nearby lakes. He had been bugging me to go there for a while. So, with some time on our hands + nothing to lose - we decided to head to “Yeah That Greenville” to check it out. We confirmed The Residence Inn was open, which meant with their built in kitchenettes we had a way to feed ourselves + figured even if everything was closed, we could walk around + get a sense of the city, take advantage of the trails + then go back post-lockdown for the full-on experience. When we arrived, we were immediately awed by the downtown waterfall (more on that later) + the city’s overall beauty. Even though our entertainment options were limited, we could get a good vibe of Greenville walking around. Several hours after arriving, as we were riding our bikes on the Swamp Rabbit trail, Todd turned to me.
"Uh oh, you've got that look on your face", he said.
"What look is that honey?"
"We're moving again, aren't we?"
"Damn straight", I said. "I absolutely love it here!"
What made us pick up + move to GVL + decide to launch LiLi + KoKo here? So many things y’all it’s hard to decide where to begin! There's a reason Greenville is voted #1 on multiple lists like The 10 Friendliest Cities in the U.S. + The Best Place to Live?. Greenville has also landed on many others as a great place to live such as Living in Greenville, SC + 5 Reasons to Call Greenville, SC, Home, as well as visit like 10 of the Best American Cities (Travel & Luxury) + Fall in Love with Greenville. To tick off the top 3 reasons why we (+ so many others) find Greenville attractive:
The Food - This city is yummy! Greenville has made a name for itself as a foodie destination + there is no shortage of family-owned restaurants in town. There is literally something for everyone. Greenville is also the first city we’ve been to in the South that caters to vegetarians & vegans. It's easy for Todd + I to find somewhere to eat, as well as places that cater to both us + our carnivore friends + family.
The Arts - Not to brag (but I will), Greenville has more culture to offer than Charlotte + Atlanta. Yup, I said it. Multiple museums, a vibrant artist community, a rocking music scene, multiple theaters that host local + national shows, nationally recognized arts + music festivals, a zoo, + the list goes on. Todd + I have seen more shows + attended more festivals in the two years we’ve been here than we ever did in the eight years we lived in Charlotte.
The Community - Greenville is a city that is large enough to offer great arts + entertainment but is also small enough to be a community. There's a reason why it was named #1 friendliest city as outlined in the article linked above. But more than that, Greenvillians look out for their own. Whether that's through community support programs like Project Host (who happen to have one of the best food trucks in the area, wink, wink) or the Mill Village Ministries who not only provide community services, but also a pathway to entrepreneurship for residents. Speaking of entrepreneurship, as soon as KoKo + I learned how much the city of Greenville does to support small businesses, we knew it was the right place to launch + grow LiLi + KoKo Boutique. It's not just the city that supports local businesses, the residents of Greenville make sure the small businesses in their communities thrive by supporting them. There's just a vibe to this city that is hard to put into words. I can honestly say this is the first place we have lived where we feel at home (+ we have moved around a lot y'all).
But there's another reason why we love living here. It's because Greenville is a city that lives up to its name. I mean there's a waterfall right in the middle of downtown! Okay, that's technically blue not green, but you get where I'm going with this. The city of Greenville has over 40 city parks + gardens within the city limits, which occupy more than 400 acres of land. Falls Park on the Reedy is the most commonly visited because of its central location in downtown + has been named #1 by USA Today several years.
A great family oriented park is Unity Park, which sports picnic shelters, playgrounds + a splash pad for the kids, as well as easy access to The Commons for some good adult beverages. One of my favorite tucked away spot is Rock Quarry Garden. This little oasis sports its own waterfall + rock ledges, along with lots of beautiful trees + flowers. It's a favorite spot for weddings + photo shoots.
In addition to the copious number of parks in the area, the city itself sports lots of greenery. As you walk along Main Street, you can't help but notice the numerous trees, bushes, + planters dotted up + down both sides of the street. + Main Street is not alone. As you drive around town, the city is full of vegetation + flora everywhere. The city of Greenville takes their name seriously, which is why in 2021 they passed a tree ordinance that requires both developers + homeowners to replace any trees they remove in the city.
My absolute favorite part of my day is my daily walk with my pup Jack as we stroll through Falls Park. Our favorite route we take is through Cancer Survivors Park where we say hi to the beautiful The Welcome statue.
Then on towards Cleveland Park past the Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. Memorial + towards the zoo. The best days are when the monkeys are active. I can't tell you how many calls I've been on where people have asked "Where the heck is going on over there?!" when they hear the monkeys grunting + squeaking during feeding time. "It's not me LOL, it's the monkeys!" During the spring, the flowers along our journey are breathtaking. But the best part? Our journey takes us past the waterfall twice every day. Our daily walks make my heart happy.
As you can tell, there are many reasons to love Greenville. So, the next time someone asks me “What brought you to Greenville?” I think I'll just sum it up by saying: "Everything".
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