Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina & Ashley Westbrook & McGee.
Hi Christina & Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hey there! We are a mother/daughter duo and we own Southern Junk. We have always dreamed of having a home decor and gift shop but just never could seem to make it happen. In March of 2019, I (Christina) became critically ill with bacterial meningitis and spent 8 days unconscious on a ventilator and a total of 17 days in the hospital fighting for my life. With continued therapy for months, lots of prayers and the help of my family I was able to make a full recovery. I am truly a miracle and thank God for every new day and every breath. That was a turning point in my life and for my family. It made me realize life is truly too short to not follow your dreams so after recovering I decided not to return to my job and chase my dreams with my daughter Ashley! We opened Southern Junk in October of 2019. Shortly after we opened, Covid happened and we had to close for several weeks because we were not considered an essential business. We sold items online and had contactless porch pick-up to pay the bills until we could reopen. We are so thankful to say we made it through those difficult times and now have a thriving brick and mortar home decor and gift boutique and a website that enables us to ship items all over the United States. We are so thankful for our business, our community, our customers that have become friends, and the ability to work together everyday. We are open Wednesday thru Saturday 10am – 5pm, we also host several vendor markets and pop ups throughout the year to showcase other local small businesses and makers. We are thrilled to be in the little town of Jamestown, conveniently located between High Point and Greensboro, NC. We hope to be here for many more years to come!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been easy by any means. Our first big challenge was Covid. We had only been open around 5 months and had to close for several weeks.
We have also had some difficult times due to changes in the economy and have had to make adjustments to keep our business going.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our shop is a mix of lots of things! We sell home decor and seasonal decor, boutique clothing, jewelry and handbags, devotionals, children’s clothing and baby essentials, puzzles, specialty food items, garden flags and other outdoor decor items, candles, and all kinds of gift items.
We especially enjoy each season and holiday and decorate our store accordingly.
We search out unique items you don’t see in other stores, quality is important to us while also remaining affordable.
We are Mother/Daughter co-owners and we love working together. We play well off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses to make a great team!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
We don’t see things from the perspective of luck. We believe hard work and treating people in our life, whether it be personal or professional with respect and honesty determines the outcome of our success. Sure we have hard times but we don’t consider that as good luck or bad luck…. It’s just life, and we make the best of whatever we have to face each day. We feel more blessed than lucky!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shopsouthernjunk.com
- Instagram: southern_junk
- Facebook: southernjunknc
