Tina Marklew is something of a free spirit. Born in Thailand where her American father met her mother, she moved to the states while still a young baby.  She grew up in Savannah, where she went to school and where she graduated from St. Vincent’s Academy. Out of high school, she worked for her family’s business, a commercial construction business constructing new buildings and remodels for large chain stores.

Then one day a friend suggested they move to Costa Rica, so Tina did and lived and worked there for a time until she decided it was time to return and be near hear family again. She then trained to become a massage therapist in Florida before moving back to Savannah to work in a chiropractor’s office. After a time, sunny California called her, and she moved to San Diego. She returned a few years later to live in Charleston before returning to Savannah.

Even though Tina was growing through her life experiences, through her different careers and the cities she had lived in, she started to really miss her family and felt an instinctual pull to be closer to them. Tina did not want to miss the milestones her nieces and nephews were accomplishing, and so she moved back to North Carolina.

Apart from the wide variety of places Tina has lived, she has traveled extensively as well—Italy, Greece, Iceland, and even her favorite summer retreat of New Orleans. She found these places rich in history and historic architecture, and, as such, these experiences instilled in her a love of historic architecture.

“It has always amazed me the beautiful architecture inside and the genuine rare beauty these homes possess,” she says. But there is also the fact that, as they have lasted a hundred years or more, it seems a testament to how well constructed they are, and how much longer they will and in fact deserve to continue to stand.

It was while visiting her sister on her birthday that the two of them got the wild hair that Tina perhaps ought to look at buying a house in the area. And, considering her love of historic architecture, it was of course a historic home she was primarily looking for. When the house at 854 Main Street showed up in the listings, Tina knew she had to see it.

“I only saw it once before I knew it had to be mine,” she says. “It’s a bucket-list house, and for the price, how could I not make an offer?”

Unlike many of the homes that have gone up for sale in the neighborhood, Tina’s did not require much work. She was able to move in and immediately began enjoying it. And she has! Since 2019 when she purchased the house, she has really come to feel that it is hers. Elephants are her totem—an animal that, for her, has a lot of symbolic meaning—and the house featured elephant statuary in the beautifully landscaped back yard. Other signs seem to point to the fact that she is where she is supposed to be.

Indeed, Tina has really enjoyed her time in Danville. Though it lacks a night life (everything closes too early she says) she does think that will change as Danville grows and more opportunities for entertainment arrive here. She’s made good friends here and feels as though she is part of a real community of people who care for the neighborhood and for each other. An extrovert, Tina loves attending parties, particularly during the holidays when the houses are dressed up and shown off at their best and most festive, and she looks forward to entertaining in her own home before too long.

Tina is warm and effusive with outgoing charm. She’s truly a wonderful addition to our beloved neighborhood community, and we are blessed to have her here. And the Lipscomb house is blessed as well!