Meet Newlyweds Catherine & Thomas Murphy and their dog Rivers. The Murphy's have lived on Barquentine Drive for about two and a half years and have no plans of leaving! Thomas, a Hampden Sydney grad from Richmond, Virginia and Catherine, a Sewanee: The University of the South grad from Fredericksburg, Virginia met in Nashville, Tennessee after college - despite growing up 45 minutes away from each other and having tons of mutual friends. 

 

Catherine is an Executive Assistant for a tech sales company based out of Washington, D.C. Her job is totally remote and she enjoys taking advantage of the remote work set up during the warmer months in Charleston. Thomas is the owner of Bedrock Retirement Partners. He helps members of the community with their retirement planning, more specifically, ensuring that they receive a guaranteed stream of income in their retirement years. Bedrock Retirement Partners is also one of our new partners in “Stroll Old Village” and will be sponsoring the ‘Financial Fitness’ page starting in April! 

 

Thomas and Catherine love taking advantage of all that Charleston has to offer. In the summertime you can find Catherine and Thomas roasting in the sun at their favorite local beach, Sullivans Island.  Throughout the year you can find them walking their dog, Rivers, in the morning time out at Sullivan’s Island. They love golf carting around Old Village, stopping at Pitt Street Bridge to catch the sunset, Sunday Church service at Grace Church Cathedral and taking Rivers to Alhambra Hall to run around and get muddy - but don’t forget your bug spray!!! 

 

In their free time Thomas enjoys playing chess, golf and watching college football on Saturdays (GO DAWGS!). Catherine is a phenomenal artist and paints a lot in her spare time. She also enjoys needlepoint, as well as collecting antiques, especially from Village Emporium which Catherine jokes is her ‘second home’. Catherine and Thomas love the movie Home Alone and watch it about twice a month, even in July, they joke. Catherine loves to indulge in Bravo shows and says, “Thomas denies it but he is just as addicted!!”

 

Since Thomas and Catherine tied the knot in December of 2023, they have tons of new kitchen gadgets from their wedding registry, so the two have been experimenting a lot in new recipes. They have since mastered breakfast on the Blackstone - the classic Waffle House style. But, like many others, Thomas and Catherine love exploring all of the great restaurants Charleston has to offer.  A few of their favorite restaurants are: 

 

Cooper River Coffee on Ben Sawyer Blvd is Catherine and Thomas’s #1 coffee shop. They love the owner, Sean, and say that he plays the best music. They have also started going to Old Village’s very own Gala Café & Bakery recently. Catherine says, “the staff is fantastic and it's a wonderful place to bring your laptop, have baked goods, and work,” which we love to hear. 

 

When it comes to music, Thomas is a die-hard Widespread Panic fan which is the music that Cooper River Coffee often plays. They have also since become super fans of the Windjammer which Catherine says, “this is one of the best music venues we’ve been to. It doesn’t matter who’s playing, we love live music.”

 

Thomas and Catherine are huge fans of the east coast so when asked about their favorite vacation destinations Thomas and Catherine answered with simply replying, “Charleston.” The two feel that it is hard for them to pull away for a vacation because, “We are just so content living here in paradise, 2 miles away from Sullivans Island.”

 

Catherine also noted that being in their late 20’s, a majority of their vacation time goes toward the wedding circuit, traveling all over the southeast United States for friends' weddings. However, this late February and early March Catherine and Thomas are headed to Thailand for their long-awaited honeymoon. So exciting!! 

 

The Murphy’s have created a few pretty cool traditions over the years. As we have come to learn, Thomas is a die-hard Widespread Panic fan and every year they travel to Savannah, GA for Halloween weekend for two nights. It is a tradition for Thomas and Catherine to go and dress up in ridiculous costumes for the concert weekend. Catherine is not the biggest fan of Widespread Panic but her favorite holiday is Halloween and she LOVES a good costume, so this compromise was perfect for the Murphy’s. 

 

Thomas’s birthday is on the Fourth of July so it is a tradition to have a “double whammy good time.” Friends will come into town, all pile into a boat at breach inlet, have a beach day at Sullivans, go to Shem for some drinks, watch the fireworks, grill out and finish the day off with a homemade birthday cake. Sounds not only like a great Fourth of July but also a great birthday! 

Catherine and Thomas love the Old Village for its charm, small town feel, sense of trust, welcoming neighbors, and so much more. The two definitely love of all that Charleston has to offer, enjoy where they live, and have such a bright future ahead of them.