“Life is too short not to enjoy the little things,” says Bob Yearick, when asked to describe the philosophy behind his store We Took to the Woods on Stone Avenue. The store is a collection of items both old and new, and stepping through the door is like walking into a friend’s house, albeit a friend with amazingly good taste. The store changes every six months—new paint, new furnishings, new items—but the underlying aesthetic of a cozy cabin filled with candles, cookbooks, and vintage tableware, clothing, and accessories is unwavering. “The best compliment I get from people is when they walk in and say ‘Oh, I’d like to live here,’” Bob says. “That’s when I know the store is right.”
We Took to the Woods opened six years ago as a temporary solution to a simple problem: Bob had too much stuff. An avid and longtime collector of vintage clothing, jewelry, blankets, watches, and antiques, Bob had acquired enough items to fill several warehouses. When one of the warehouses was broken into and robbed, Bob decided he might as well sell off the remaining items. “We got a permit to do a ninety-day pop-up store in the space we are in now,” he says. “But people really responded to it and ninety days turned into six years. I’m still getting rid of some of that stuff. Some of the things in the store I may have bought over twenty years ago.”
“It doesn’t take a lot of money to live well and enjoy the little things in life. It’s just important to savor the moment.”
We Took to the Woods is not Bob’s first foray into retail. For more than twenty years, in two separate stints, Bob worked for Ralph Lauren, commuting each week from his home in Greenville to New York City. During his first hiatus from Ralph Lauren, Bob opened three distinctively different clothing stores in the short-lived Greenville Mall on Woodruff Road. “When Williams Sonoma and Chick-fil-A couldn’t make it in that mall, we knew there was a problem,” Bob says. “We thought it was a new opportunity, but it was the wrong move. When our stores went south, that’s when I called Mr. Lauren and said I need to come back to work.”
Bob parted ways with Ralph Lauren two years ago and is now back in Greenville working full time as brand manager for local clothing brand OOBE. “When I left Ralph Lauren, I had the We Took to the Woods store but it was during an off-season, and I called the owners of OOBE and told them I’d like to help,” Bob says. “I’ve known them for a long time. We’ve been friends through the years.” Bob’s first assignment was to design an OOBE store on King Street in Charleston. “I spent about six months putting that store together,” he says. “We made it very comfortable and want it to feel like something that has been there for a long time. That was a dream job.”
Leaning against an antique table in the middle of We Took to the Woods, Bob reflects on what has been most important in his life as husband, father, collector, retailer, and creative force. “It’s taking the time to enjoy the little things,” he says. “I guess that’s just part of my upbringing. My father was a minister and we never had much money, but I remember my mother always trying to make sure we didn’t eat off paper plates. I remember her cooking spam and putting it on a nice piece of china that may have come from a flea market. It doesn’t take a lot of money to live well and enjoy the little things in life. It’s just important to savor the moment.”
Bob Yearick, owner of the Greenville specialty goods boutique We Took to the Woods, has put his creative stamp on companies from Ralph Lauren to OOBE, directing the visual presentation and messaging of their brands. Shop his wares at 106 E Stone Ave, Greenville. wetooktothewoods.com
