Bennie + Coco: your island stop for good vibes and even better fashion
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If the brightly painted blue trim on the Bennie + Coco storefront on the Sullivan’s Island business district strip isn’t enough to draw in nearby foot traffic, the famous musical notes of Stevie Nicks, The Grateful Dead, or Futurebirds flowing from the speakers will be. The next time you’re on your way to Home Team BBQ or The Longboard for a bite to eat, stop inside the shop. You won’t regret it.
You'll likely catch the storeowner, Katie Poole, while she’s behind the counter and you’ll immediately be greeted by a soft-spoken, easy going blonde jamming out to a classic rock & roll or psychedelic song. Your eyes will then be drawn to the shop's floral wallpaper, big plashy prints, and the vibrant pops of color on all the clothing. Shoppers beware: you don’t enter these doors if you’re on the hunt for anything dull. You enter these doors if you’re in the mood for an explosion of good vibes.
Bennie + Coco is a sincere reflection of its owner. It breathes an oasis of feminine, floral, soulful, earthy, rockstar, hippie energy. The unique blend somehow perfectly captures the essence of summer on an island, when life moves slower, easier, and always in technicolor.
A Richmond, VA, native, Katie has an impressive background in fashion. After earning a degree in Fashion Merchandising from the University of Alabama, she worked at Vogue in New York City before moving to Charleston in 2003 after realizing what a not-so-hidden gem it is while visiting her college friends who moved here after graduation.
When Katie first arrived in Charleston, she worked for an event company for more than 15 years, where she learned the ins-and-outs of coordinating for weddings, corporate events, and so on. In 2018, the event company relocated to a brick and mortar on Queen Street in downtown Charleston. It was there that Katie discovered an opportunity. The space had a tiny nook in the front – too small for office space and too big to lay vacant, to which Katie felt inspired to transform into her own little retail shop. Thus, Bennie + Coco was born.
The name Bennie + Coco is the shorthand combination of Poole’s maiden name, Collier, and her mother Sarah's maiden name, Benson. It’s a beautiful way to honor them both.
Operating that little slice of retail space off Queen Street quenched a thirst for Katie, who’s passion was and will always be fashion. She quickly realized that this was something she needed to pursue full-time, so in 2020 she relocated Bennie + Coco to her now-home on Sullivan’s Island, just beside Home Team BBQ.
“I love the people I meet on Sullivan’s,” Katie tells us. “I love being near the water and surrounded by the other small businesses in the community. Everyone is great.”
There was a time that the building Katie is currently leasing was a dentist’s office before Home Team BBQ acquired it and later released it to Katie at the height of Covid.
While most small business owners had the ill fortune of shutting their doors in 2020, Katie was finding new ways to open hers – car doors, that is. Her bright, hippie-inspired shop was finally open for business but now shoppers weren’t leaving their homes. So, Katie did what she does best: she dressed her customers.
“I started driving around town and dropping off clothing at people’s homes who weren’t leaving their houses. I called them Bennie Boxes. I drop off clothes and my customers can look through what I select for them based off their current style and size,” Katie explained.
Aside from recognizing relevant, timeless fashion, at the core of what makes Katie a successful storeowner is her ability and gift to style her customers. “I love personal shopping. I’m able to figure out what would look great on other people based off their lifestyle and what they do for a living. It helps to have an intimate store like this to really get to know my customers and curate a collection that will appeal to them.”
Katie says that her collection is a perfect fit for any island community and lifestyle. It’s versatile. You can wear it during the day and then later that night out to a cocktail party. “The collection is very transitional,” Katie says, “I think about myself; I come to work for the day, I go home to take care of my three kids, then I will go out to dinner or maybe to a music concert and I need my outfit to do more than just survive it all, I want to feel and look my best.”
On any given day, shoppers will find an eclectic mix of accessories, from surf hats and beaded bracelets to 18-carat gold and diamond jewelry, all locally sourced. The clothing is an intentional blend.
The owner tells us that she never “wants to carry the same items as other stores. I love being unique and having clothes you won’t find anywhere else.”
Bennie + Coco offers a wide variety of casual day-to-day pieces, high-end sweats, to formal cocktail wear. “It’s pretty ageless,” Katie remarks, “I’m 42 and wear all my clothes. My mother, who’s 75, shops in here, and so does my daughter since I also have kid’s clothing and baby clothes.”
Katie is a single mother with three beautiful children, her daughter, Lilly (14) her middle son, Parker (12) and her youngest son, Wilde (10). She attributes her ability to juggle having kids and running her retail store full-time because she multitasks well. “I’m at my best when I have a lot on my plate and lot of goals to reach,” she admits.
Katie will work at the store while her kids are at school and then run them to their sports in the afternoons. “They won’t be young forever and I really savor my time with them,” she tells us.
A self-proclaimed “Dead-Head”, Katie says that she buys what she likes – what she’s drawn to – with much of her inspiration deriving from music and surfing.
“I have a lot of hippie in me and a lot of island girl in me. I stock a lot of high-end bohemian pieces and plenty of pieces that give off real authentic surf vibes.”
Katie says that music is a really great way to connect with people. Bennie + Coco is the ideal host for those seeking high-end fashion and those in the market for a vintage band T-shirt or hoodie. Music is a huge part of the store’s identity and truly adds a unique flare to the resort-wear Katie carries.
Some of Katie’s most noteworthy brands right now are:
Aviator Nation - a unisex 1970’s inspired California lifestyle brand creating hand-made and perfectly distressed hoodies and sweatpants.
Alix of Bohemia - This designer is an offspring of an Italian textile ancestry and generations of French artists. She sews daily in her Atelier with her team, producing limited runs and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Saloni - Very feminine and unique prints on dresses, tops, skirts, jumpsuits and trousers.
Carolina K - Ethical lifestyle brand collaborating with artisans globally in the making of timeless, handmade, embroidered pieces.
Rhode - A proudly proclaimed brand anchor for Bennie + Coco. This is a ready-to-wear collection in vivid colors, evocative prints and timeless silhouettes.
Smythe – Women's contemporary ready-to-wear clothing designed by Canadians Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe.
Shoppers this Spring can expect a lot of new fun colors and prints. Katie recently added Vix bathing suits, a high-end fashion swimsuit line, to her collection and notes that she will be getting a big shipment in this March/April.
“I don’t just buy the skimpy pieces. I buy high waisted suits, Brazilian, one pieces, you name it. I have a body, I’m curvy, and I like to accommodate every body shape. I think bathing suits and denim are two items you really must try on.”
Bennie + Coco has a second location in Birmingham, Alabama that Katie’s best friend currently runs. “I will always keep this location, though,” Katie says. “This is my fourth baby.”
Bennie + Coco
2213 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
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