I had seen an ad for this store, and it showcased some Balinese items, so that was an open invitation for me. I later discovered that this one was of the "Charleston Place" shops. Chuck and I entered the store and spoke to the manager, Penny Skoog . She moved here from New Jersey, where she lived prior to this. She has been living in Charleston for the last 6 years and loves it. Before her job here, she was Director of Concierge services at a hotel that turned into time shares. All of the items here are made in Indonesia, mostly in Ubud , as there was quite a bit of wooden carved material, from furniture to small boxes. Rumah Saya means "my house" and you can probably furnish an entire apartment with the offerings here, if you so desire. Unlike other stores we've seen in Charleston and other cities, there are no mass produced items. Each item is very unique and can easily fit in any decor.

Penny told us that the store has been open for one and a half years and has a sister store in Naples, Florida. The store here is open daily, and may be closed on an occasional Sunday when Penny needs a day off. When I asked her why people should consider purchasing items in this store, she responded that there is such versatility in the objects carried in the store that they can be integrated with any taste in decor. Some items are made with reclaimed wood which adds to their attractiveness as the wood has already aged and is being used again. The hot items selling right now are drape hangers with very ornate ends which can also be used to display some of the batik designs she sells.

She also carries the blocks which are used to make block prints. No inks are carried, so you'd have to buy them elsewhere. She was playing an Indonesian CD and I told her the story about how we bought our CD in Bali. I told her I'd make a copy for her, and mail it. She's planning to make the trip to Ubud herself next year.

If you go to Naples, Florida you can find the other store at this address:

1170 Third Street South
Naples 34102
941-659-5399