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What's Happened to Craig Conover's Businesses with His Southern Charm Cast Mates?
The lawyer likes to launch ventures with friends like Austen Kroll, Paige DeSorbo, and Leva Bonaparte.
Craig Conover is more than just a Southern Charm cast member and attorney: He's got a budding business empire, which he's built with the help of his friends.
He was first able to prove to all the naysayers when he turned his embroidering hobby into a very successful “eight-figure business” with a little help from cast mate Patricia Altschul.
Since then, Craig — who attended Charleston School of Law and opened the short-lived Craig Conover Law Firm in March 2021 — has shown that the sky’s the limit for his business aspirations, which include expanding into whiskey and restaurants with other Charm-ers.
Craig Conover’s Pillow Collaboration with Patricia Altschul
On Season 5 of Southern Charm, just as Craig was just beginning to hone his pillow-making passion, he received a special custom order from Charleston’s grande dame Patricia Altschul.
However, Craig unceremoniously missed his pillow deadline, and Patricia canceled her order. Still, he redeemed himself by making Patricia a peace offering of flamingo pillowcases, and the two then joined forces to create two whimsical cat and dog pillowcase designs.
The line features pillows splashed with a variety of dog breeds and cats sipping from alcohol bottles and martini glasses — which is very on point for the martini queen herself. They launched on the Patricia’s Couture website in April 2019.
He parlayed that into a 2020 partnership with HSN for an exclusive pillow collection, which later expanded to include candles, blankets, apparel, and even dog accessories. He's opened the Sewing Down South flagship store on King Street in Charleston in 2021.
Craig Conover and Paige DeSorbo's Sewing Down South Collaboration
In 2023, Craig announced he had officially teamed up with his NYC-based girlfriend Paige DeSorbo for The Paige Collection, which featured chic black-and-white pillows.
“The Paige Collection is alive,” Craig shared on Instagram, with Paige adding in a separate post, “Stitching up North.”
Venita Aspen teased a potential collaboration with Craig Conover
In January, cast member Venita Aspen answer fans questions via an "Ask Me Anything" session on her Instagram. One follower questioned the fashion maven about a potential "collab" with Craig and Sewing Down South.
"I'll ask Paige to ask Craig to see what we could do but I think that would be sew cool!" Venita replied in the Story, getting us very excited for what could be coming down the pike for the pair.
Craig Conover and Leva Bonaparte worked together on Mesu
Craig also partnered with long-time pal and eventual Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality cast member Leva Bonaparte for the 2019 launch of her and husband Lamar Bonaparte's Mexican-Japanese fusion restaurant Mesu.
"I grew up in restaurants and bartended for six years of my life," he told BravoTV.com. "It has always been a goal of mine to become involved in the food and beverage industry once I was more established. This was an amazing opportunity with amazing people that I have been friends with for years."
In 2020, Leva clarified that Craig was an investor but not involved in operations.
Craig Conover and Austen Kroll’s podcast, Pillows and Beer
Craig teamed up with his friend Austen Kroll in January 2021 on a podcast titled after their respective business ventures, Pillows and Beer.
On the podcast, the pals “discuss their lives outside of reality TV and show who they are behind the camera,” according to their Apple Podcasts page, and they are often joined by celebrity guests and friends. As of March 2024, the podcast has launched over 170 episodes.
Craig Conover and Austen Kroll’s New York City restaurant, Carriage House
In August 2022, Craig and Austen shared an Instagram video announcing their investment in a forthcoming restaurant, Carriage House. “Coming soon this fall,” Craig wrote. Austen shared the same teaser clip to his Stories, tagging the restaurant’s owners/operators Chris Maier, Philip Testa, and Jordan Andino. “I’m super excited to be a part of this new venture coming to the West Village this Fall,” Austen wrote.
The restaurant opened its doors in 2023.
Craig Conover and Austen Kroll's Charleston Restaurant, By the Way
The besties then announced their plans to open a new restaurant — a “neighborhood tavern" dubbed By the Way — in Charleston during an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight in January 2024.
“Charleston has grown so much in the last few years and brought in a lot of travelers, so we wanted to create a space where locals and travelers could hang out together and enjoy the neighborhood,” Craig told the outlet. “It’s going to be a really intimate space. We put a lot of thought into the design to try and make it as warm and inviting as possible. We’re leaning into the local, upscale, tavern vibes, so the menu is going to have elevated bar fare and approachable cocktails.”
The concept is a collaborative effort with Uptown Hospitality Group, which has bolstered Charleston’s food scene with eateries like Bodega, Share Room, and Uptown Social.
Craig Conover's work as a project manager and partial investor in Gentry Bourbon
For a while, Craig also dabbled in the world of spirits, working with friend-of-the-show JD Madison on his Gentry Bourbon Business. The company's public launch was featured on Southern Charm during Season 3 in 2016.
“My partnership with JD is kind of complex,” Craig said in Season 3 Episode 2. “Essentially, like, he gave me an option to buy into his company, however, I can only make a partial investment, so I’m working full time for the group [as a project manager] to work off, in the form of sweat equity, my buy-in.”
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