Many years ago, Brent McHenry wanted to build his pregnant wife, Krista, a swing so she could have a relaxing place to rest and take in the fresh air. Everyone loved the swing and wanted one. Brent had a full-time career but kept making swings for his friends and family on the side. Jerry Lepore, a good friend from Bible-study with amazing business experience, encouraged Brent to take his garage hobby of building swings for all his neighbors and friends into the corporate world. And Vintage Porch Swings was born and became huge, with our products landing in all fifty states, Canada, and many island countries. Some of our customers have even taken their Vintage Porch Swings to Europe.

I came along in the summer of 2019, when John Hennis, a McHenry cousin operating Vintage Porch Swings at the time, found my resume and invited me to the shop to consider a sales role. I had just moved to Charleston to take a breather and settle down a bit after a 27-year stint all over the country in business development. When John said “Vintage Porch Swings” my first thought was of those creaky little country swings they have at country restaurants. But I had a day off and visited the shop off Maybank Highway in Johns Island. I fell in love with Vintage Porch Swings that day.

So I came on board as an inside salesperson, working twenty-five hours per week at the shop but quietly researching target markets at home in my spare time. Hotels, resorts, AirBnBs…I was determined! Jerry took the helm in 2020 and we had a record year despite the pandemic. 2021 was another year we reaped nice rewards. I took over social media and started spending hours upon hours posting, following, liking, sharing, commenting, and messaging people and businesses about our little business. (Those corny Facebook/Instagram posts ever since? That’s been me.) I became Operations Manager in 2023. I hired more builders to keep up with demand and found myself dabbling in the paint room and shipping and receiving while answering calls and emails from 7am to 10pm, from New York to California and Canada.

But as Fleetwood Mac sang, “Time makes you bolder, children get older, and I’m getting older too.” Jerry and Phyllis wanted to spend more time with family and their grandchildren and Brent and Krista had their hands full with children starting college and new projects out of state. The company needed a new owner. Obsessed with the company and all the time invested in growing it, I needed to find a way to keep it going. It took two years to hammer out a deal. When all was said and done, Jerry told me “You were the ideal person to take over. This is what we wanted for you.” I tear up every time I think about that.

So here we are, the last day of 2025. I am so grateful for Brent and Krista and their kids, Jerry and Phyllis, our loyal customers, and our crew that craft everything by hand for us. I now own Vintage Porch Swings and am tasked with making some changes stipulated in the purchase. (They will be nice changes.) But ownership is one of the biggest dreams-come-true I have ever experienced or will in my life!

Please take advantage of our extremely low prices this week; you can even set a date for delivery at any time later in 2026. Please also like, share and follow our social media posts on Instagram (@vintageporchswings) and Facebook (Vintage Porch Swings), do the noodle dance or whatever, shout our name from the rooftops, and help a girl out. I’ll be eternally grateful for this opportunity and your support.

Happy New Year!

Vicki Johnson, *New Owner, Vintage Porch Swings