Sam and Ashley Stegall
FAITH, FAMILY, AND FURNITURE
story by MICAH PEPPERS photos by JENNY PHILLIPS – 1111 MARCOM
A year before the world turned upside down due to COVID, Pastor Sam Stegall and his wife, Ashley, felt led to move to the Lowcountry. As a minister for over 20 years, the couple traveled all over the world, preaching as evangelists until they settled in Beaufort, SC, to plant roots as a family and to start a new church. In 2019, they officially landed in Beaufort.
Originally from different parts of South Carolina, the Stegalls met in Louisiana, where Sam was stationed as a member of the United States Marine Corps Band, and they married in 2003. Although the two knew they wanted to continue their ministry in the Lowcountry, they also needed to have financially stable careers. Prior to moving to Beaufort, Sam was a college professor but wanted to shift gears a bit. Sam explains, “I got into home inspections first and opened my own business. In the summer 2019, I started another business selling mattresses over in Fairfax, SC, as a bit of a side hustle, and then in 2020, I began selling mattresses in Beaufort. Selling mattresses began to expand rapidly, and so we sold our home inspection company in 2022 to focus full-time on our mattress company, BoxDrop Beaufort. We just decided to take a leap of faith and go for it. We also made the decision to go all in by adding furniture to our business. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s so rewarding. We had to determine what works and what doesn’t, learning a lot along the way. At the end of the day, we just tried to continuously get better, and as a result, we have grown every year.” The Stegalls are almost always present when a customer walks into BoxDrop. “We have a very small staff because Ashley or I are usually always there. Our customers will most likely talk to one of us when they come in, and we like to keep it personal and build relationships that way.”
In 2020, when businesses were shutting down, BoxDrop just continued to grow. Ashley states, “During COVID, we were appointment only, so we met with our clients one-on-one. We saw other furniture businesses close, but we seemed to thrive during adversity. We were flourishing.”
Six years later, BoxDrop is continuing to grow. “It’s a very easy process when our clients walk through the door,” says Sam. “We aren’t high-pressure or commission-based, and we have more to choose from now than when we first started. What began as a mattress-only shop, eventually turned into a place to fully furnish a home. We offer living room, bedroom, and dining room sets. With summer coming, we will be offering outdoor furniture. And, of course, we still have our mattresses. It’s not off-brand either. We sell the same high-quality name brands as other places. We just don’t have to mark it up to full retail price. We charge a lot less to make it more affordable for our clients, and as a result, we have a large volume of sales. A lot of our current clients are repeat clients that keep coming back again. We love our customers and look forward to meeting new people each day.” In 2021, the Stegalls were able to successfully purchase the entire commercial property, including the buildings and warehouses that hold all of their furnishings, which has allowed the expansion into more products.
When asked what makes BoxDrop different, Sam didn’t hesitate to answer. “Three things: We don’t operate on high profits and consistently have lower prices than most other retail stores. We strive to have the absolute best customer service including a great delivery service. And we are committed to giving back to the community.” The Stegalls are making a name for themselves in the Lowcountry. “We want everyone to feel like family, the kind you want to come and see, and we have a lot who come back to see us. BoxDrop is veteran and family-owned and operated. We are a small business that loves our community and loves being in Beaufort. We want to continue to bring more to the business, so that we can offer our customers more options.”
When asked if they still feel they are meant to be in Beaufort, it was an easy answer. Ashley responds, “Absolutely, we love it here! We have met so many great people, we have great friends in town, and we love calling it home. It’s just a really beautiful area to work, live, and grow.”
