By Lanier Laney

Floridians Chris and Kate Dennison moved to Beaufort eight years ago and promptly started a family. They now have three children who are “Beaufort natives,” James (8), Michael (7) and Aly (3). This family-centric couple is devoted to their children and sports. Chris is an avid tennis player and Kate, a marathon runner. The kids play basketball, soccer, football, and tennis.

[caption id="attachment_6041" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The Dennison family: Parents Chris and Kate, and James, Michael and Aly."]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/The-Dennison-Family.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-6041" title="The Dennison Family" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/The-Dennison-Family-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a>[/caption]

Says Chris, “Our weeknights are spent shuffling from practice to practice, but we love it.  We believe in spending most of our free time with our family.”
They’ve also got a big vegetable garden at their Lady’s Island home.
“We grow a little bit of everything but always plant plenty of tomatoes.  We’ve already began plantings for this year’s spring garden. The kids help with everything from raking to picking bugs off plants. All three kids are quite the little gardeners,” said Chris.
What Chris and Kate love about Beaufort is its small town Lowcountry feel and the historic downtown. They both grew up in St. Augustine, Florida, and met in high school. Then both attended the University of Florida and got married. They recently celebrated their 10th anniversary.
Chris’s family in Florida has been with Badcock Furniture for more than 40 years. Chris helped deliver furniture during his college summers and his three brothers all own different stores in Florida. After working for ExxonMobil for three years, he joined the family business and then purchased the Beaufort Badcock Store on Lady’s Island in 2004, which first opened there in 1987.
Says Kate, “We originally were looking to stay in Florida, until we heard the Beaufort store was for sale.  We made the short trip up to visit, and we were struck by the natural beauty.  We were dining downtown on the waterfront when we made the decision to make Beaufort our home.”
Badcock is a retail furniture chain with more than 300 stores found throughout the Southeast and has been in business for over 100 years. They carry a vast selection of home furnishings from upholstered furniture to mattresses to appliances and electronics.  They sell recognized brand names such as Lane, Ashley, Serta and Tempurpedic. They are unique in the close knit relationships they maintain with their customers.
Says Chris, “Our staff knows many of our hundreds of customers by name, and most of our customers are return customers.  Our manager Sandra Strange has been with us for seven years, and sales associate Katie Braden has been with us for five. This stability helps us to forge our unique close relationships with our customers. Without this capable staff and the dedication we try to bring as owners, this would not be possible. I’d also like to mention our great delivery team Daniel McKeliver and David Richard.”
Badcock’s philosophy is that “We will treat you right.”
“And to me that means that customer service is paramount to my mission,” says Chris. “It is not uncommon for me as an owner to make house calls to ensure customer satisfaction. We also make purchasing easy with access to a wide variety of financing options. We want to do everything we can to make your vision of your ideal home come true.”
Chris’s involvement with the community goes further. He has coached YMCA youth basketball for four years and PALS flag football for two. He plays on a local Beaufort Men’s Tennis group whose league team has been to the state championships the last couple of years. And he’s competing in the Fripp Island Spring Clay Court Championship. Kate completed her first marathon in November on Lady’s Island.
If you have not been into see Badcock Furniture, then Chris invites you to please come for a visit and introduce yourself to him and his staff.
With great, dedicated young families like this deciding to make their lives and raise their families here, we can look forward to an even brighter future for Beaufort.
Badcock Home Furniture &amp; More is located at 102 Sea Island Pkwy, Ste A, Beaufort, SC 29907. Visit online at www.badcock.com or call (843) 522-0366.