The Grove

Oak Haven sits on family land in South Carolina, home to white oaks verified as far back as 1716, hickories from the 1740s, and a grove that has quietly witnessed every chapter of American history. These trees carry centuries in their rings. Their roots run deeper than any boundary line on a map.

This is a thin place—one of those rare landscapes where the ordinary and the sacred feel closer together. The kind of place that doesn’t announce itself, but invites you to listen.

In October 2022, after returning from Hawaii, and a month before AI was released into our world, John came here for a weekend of camping. He never really left. By the next spring, we had built a small workshop under the oaks. Since then, the grove has become both home and calling.

The Work

Everything we make is hand-assembled right here beneath these trees. We work with Celtic symbols—crosses, knots, triquetras, oak leaves—because they speak a language of connection: to ancestry, to nature, and to the enduring patterns that shape both.

Our signature style is what we call the Pinnacle of the Pendant: a stainless-steel Celtic cross paired with a meaningful motif—an anchor, a compass, an oak leaf, a tree of life. Each combination creates a story. Each piece carries intention.

We use quality materials, especially stainless steel for its resilience and longevity, and we assemble each item by hand. Not because it’s faster, but because the work—and the place it’s done—matters.

Stone & Wood Pieces

In addition to our metalwork, we offer a growing collection of stone and natural-wood pieces. We don’t cut the stones or mill the wood ourselves—those are crafts that require specialized equipment—but every piece is hand-selected, shaped, finished, and assembled here at Oak Haven.

Each stone is polished by hand to bring out its natural color and character. Each wooden piece is sanded, sealed, or smoothed as needed, then paired with hardware we fit and assemble ourselves. We source raw materials carefully, choosing them for their beauty, durability, and the way they resonate with the grove around us.

Nothing here is mass-produced. Every item—whether metal, stone, or wood—passes through our hands, our workshop, and our sense of intention. What we offer is honest, place-based craft: selecting materials thoughtfully, finishing them by hand, and assembling them with care beneath the same oaks that inspire our designs.

The People

For two decades, John built digital businesses like HawaiiGuide.com. But as online work shifted, so did his sense of purpose. He found himself drawn toward physical craft, rootedness, and work that requires human hands and a real place.

His spiritual journey eventually brought him back to his own heritage. After years of exploring Hawaiian tradition, he discovered Celtic Christianity and realized that his Irish, Scottish, English, and German ancestry echoed the very symbols he was drawn to. More importantly, he learned he had been living in his own sacred grove all along.

Victoria embraced Oak Haven alongside him. Together, we divide our time between the grove and our home in Lexington, building a workshop that’s equal parts craft space, sanctuary, and thin place.

The Invitation

When you wear a piece from GroveTop Studio, you’re carrying a small part of Oak Haven with you—its stillness, its depth, and its reminder that meaning is made slowly. You’re connecting to a lineage of Celtic symbolism that stretches back millennia. And you’re supporting place-based craft in a world that too often rushes past the things that matter.

We hope one of our pieces speaks to you.

Welcome to our grove.

— John & Victoria

Oak Haven, South Carolina