Hi! We are Tom and Kelli Kline, the owners of The Grey Goose at 702 East Street. (tekline1887@gmail.com) We were born and raised on the East Coast -- Tom in Pennsylvania, a grad of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, and me in Delaware, where I graduated at The University of Delaware. Before attending college, Tom served six years in the Navy on the USS George Bancroft, a nuclear submarine based at the time in Charleston SC and stationed in Rota, Spain. Today Tom is proud that the sail of the Bancroft remains intact as a memorial to the U.S Navy Submarine Service, gracing the entrance to the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay on the southeastern coast of Georgia.

After college we both went into the communications field working in Philadelphia; Tom in the corporate world and me in broadcast television where I earned an Emmy award in 1995. In 1997 a job change took us to Chicago and we now live in the historic suburb of Oak Park, home of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway. We love history and believe strongly in preservation, which is why we bought an 1887 Victorian in need of TLC. It took us ten years to restore the house head to toe, including period wallpaper and antique fixtures and furniture. We choose Oak Park because it's a unique and historic community with world renowned architecture. We also love Oak Park because it is a close knit community --everyone knows everyone. We also own a 1955 cottage in Stevensville, Michigan, decorated in mid-century modern kitsch -- Rattan and Flamingos, lots of fun. Since moving to Chicago 18 years ago, I have served on the board and as president of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.

Kelli Kline purchased this bungalow in 2016

When we started thinking about retirement there was no question we were going back to the East Coast because we love the ocean, we love golf and we hate the cold and snow after almost 20 years in Chicago. So 10 years ago we started looking in South Carolina and Georgia for our perfect retirement location. We went looking with my sister Kim and her husband Steve, and the first place we explored didn't excite us.

On their way home, Kim and Steve stopped to check out Beaufort, a place they had heard about from friends. Kim called us that same day and said "This is it, we love it!". We knew we wanted to retire to a place that reminded us of Oak Park -- historic, quaint, friendly -- but most importantly NO SNOW, NO BITTER WIND CHILLS. We were anxious to see Beaufort for ourselves!

The next year we all went on vacation to Beaufort and Tom and I fell in love too. We immediately knew this was where we wanted to be! My husband loved his time in Charleston while in the Navy, and Beaufort reminded us of Charleston on a smaller scale. We walked all around The Point neighborhood on that first trip and dreamed of someday owning a home there. In May 2016 we became the proud owners of The Grey Goose. Kim and Steve are also retiring to Beaufort and are building on Dataw Island.

We definitely wanted something historic but since we have owned a large victorian house for the last 20 years we knew we wanted to "downsize". Since we were moving to the "Low Country" we wanted a house that had the feel of a low country style cottage. There were only a few in the Point that fit the bill, but on our first trip 10 years ago we spotted two sweet bungalows next to each other on East St., and we thought how cute, something just like those would be perfect! Ten years later we contacted a realtor to help us in our search, and as fate would have it, she and her sister owned the Grey Goose, one of those two very bungalows we had admired long ago -- and they were ready to sell!

We believe things happen for a reason so we jumped on it. It was love at first sight ... everything about the house was charming and comfortable. The house sits on a corner with lots of sun making it bright and cheerful. There are palm trees in the side yard and a live Oak dripping with moss in the back. The front porch stretches across the the front of the home and is so inviting. Take a seat on the rockers and watch the carriage rides go by. We get a kick out of listening to what the tour guides say about our corner! When people pass by there is always a friendly greeting with a wave and a smile.

Our favorite detail of the house is the front door -- one of several original features that remain from 1923, the year our home was built. The panel door is solid pine with a wonderful large sailing ship carved in the center. Could it be a pirate ship from the early days of the town of Beaufort? Possibly Blackbeard's? That's our story and we are sticking to it. What's not to love about a house with a welcoming pirate ship on the front door?