Hidden Gems: Meet Kelley Andrews-Edwards of Charleston Oyster Tables, LLC

Hi Kelley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was raised in Charleston, South Carolina, by parents who love entertaining and the outdoors. My father is an avid fisherman, and one of his greatest joys was to bring local catch back home to cook. In the fall and winter months, it was bushels of local wild oysters, and my brother and I relished in excitement because we knew this meant an oyster roast would soon ensue. Friends and family came over to eat steamed oysters, gathered outside around a table, chatting and laughing, and being warmed by the bonfire nearby. This was a family tradition we grew up on.

Oyster roasts were always casual, and the tables we ate them on reflected that. A plywood board over a trashcan, some haphazardly built platform put together for utility, not design. I never really thought about it until the Christmas of 2019, when my brother and I were racking our brains trying to figure out what to get our father for Christmas. He’s the kind of parent that is impossible to buy for because he already owns everything he needs – or wants. So in desperation, the idea hit me, “Why don’t we buy Dad new oyster tables?.” His plywood-based oyster tables, basically a board of wood with a central hold held up by a couple of saw horses, were hideous and truly an eyesore against the pristinely manicured yard my parents spent thirty years perfecting.

My brother agreed it was a good idea, so I did what I did best – I went online shopping. But I found nothing. I could not find a single company online that manufactured and sold high-quality oyster tables for purchase. I was blown away. And while I did find some carpenters or woodworkers down the Google rabbit hole, I would have had to contact them directly and engage in back-and-forth discussions over the project. That was too much work; moreover, they weren’t local and didn’t ship. I just wanted to press “add to cart,” press “purchase,” and have a beautiful oyster table delivered to my door. But no luck. No one did this.

To my fortune, at the time, my husband – a lawyer by day – was dabbling with woodwork, and out of frustration, I told him, “Why don’t we just build dad some ourselves?” So we did. With the help of my best friend’s husband, an experienced carpenter, and our close friend David who dabbles with his CNC machine for fun – we successfully built two oyster tables for my father just in time for Christmas. And they were the best present he had ever received. I still have the video of him walking into the garage and finding two mahogany-stained oyster tables, engraved with his favorite bible verses on the side, wrapped in big red ribbons. The joy on his face was priceless, and I knew instantly that there was something here, an untapped market. A product people wanted but not made or accessible. That was December of 2019. Three months later, I had a baby girl, then COVID-19 shook the world, and the idea stayed an idea, pushed to the recesses of my mind. But every so often, over dinner, my brother, husband, sister-in-law, and I would bring it up, always saying, “someone should make these and sell them!” So three months ago, I pulled the trigger and did.

I have no business background, but I have a law degree. I was the best legal research student in my class, and one thing I know how to do well is to find, source information, and learn. So I gave myself a crash course in business, came up with a company name, bought a domain, opened social media accounts, and drafted a 42-page business plan. At first, most people didn’t take me seriously at first – even my father. After all, what does Kelley, a family law and human rights lawyer, whose sole hobby is online shopping – know about running, let alone starting a business? Nothing, you would think. But I proved them wrong. After all, there is no better motivation than someone telling you you can’t do something.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve got a team of people in place helping launch Charleston Oyster Tables. Builders, engravers, a website and design firm we love who has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. My husband, brother, and right-hand lady/sister-in-law, Rachel, are all involved, and each of us brings something different to the “table” – pun intended. We have a rapidly growing following on social media and a waitlist of customers who want to be first in line to order when we launch nationally in the Fall. It has truly been a dream and one that keeps getting better.

Charleston Oyster Tables has organically evolved into something more than the original idea. It is a lifestyle brand bringing luxury and excitement to a coastal tradition that has brought joy to friends and families for generations. We don’t sell tables. We sell an experience. That might sound, cliche, but it’s true.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Other than the expressions of doubt I first received from people thinking I was unqualified or incapable of starting a business, everything has fallen seamlessly into place. It took a couple of months of R&D to improve the design of the tables from the original prototypes built for my father three years ago. The prototypes have held up wonderfully. They have a permanent place in my parents’ yard and have withstood hurricanes and 24-7 exposure to the outdoor elements for three years. But there’s always room for improvement, and we wanted to ensure that our products were worthy of the luxury label we ascribe to them. They are now made from solid wood, and the overall design and engravement are much improved. We have even re-designed the legs to fold inward, allowing our tables to be stored flat when not in use. Not only does this increase the longevity of the tables, but it also facilitates shipping logistics and vastly reduces shipping costs.

The most important message for our brand to readers is that our products are outdoor entertainment tables that serve many uses. While a table with a central hole may be dubbed an “oyster table,” as our company name reflects, these tables serve multiple purposes. The beauty of the tables is that they bring a socially engaging experience. Friends and family gathered around a table, facing inward, discarding food waste into the central hole. But the hole is not just for oyster shells. It’s for any food comprised of a disposable part discarded after eating: blue crabs, low country boil, clam bakes, crawfish, mussels, you name it. We have also made custom turn tables that fit perfectly in the center holes, increasing their functionality to year-round full-service entertainment pieces. Just last weekend we kicked off football season using our small table as a charcuterie board. It was a hit. The possibilities are really only limited by your imagination.

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Find your purpose-driven life. What makes you, you? Figure out what gives you joy and find a way to make a living doing it. Never be afraid to re-direct your life. Inertia is the biggest enemy of progress, happiness, and success. Everyone has good ideas, but not everyone acts on them. Follow your gut, figure out your purpose, and don’t be afraid to make a change in your life to pursue it.