Roxanne Knight
Leap of Faith
When you trust in a higher power-regardless of the name you give it-things often seem to just flow. Roxanne Knight insists she doesn't want to get too "metaphysical" when talking about how she decided to change careers and move across the country, yet it's obvious she's put her faith in an overarching plan.
Roxanne and her daughter, Sandy, own the Blue Crab restaurant in Beaufort. But less than a year ago she was still in Phoenix, Arizona, working for a commercial real estate company that built shopping centers and Walgreens drug stores all over the Southwest. As project manager, Roxanne was responsible for every stage of development, from purchasing the land to building and selling to an investor. She liked the work, but when Sandy asked her to come out to Beaufort and help open a restaurant, Roxanne packed her bags.
"It was at a time in my life when I was feeling restless," she admits. "I'm typically a logical person and I need to plan and make decisions that way, but here everything just fell into place."
She arrived in Beaufort last April, and by August, the restaurant was open. As far as how they picked the name Blue Crab, neither of these longtime desert dwellers had a clue that the blue crab was a revered species in the Lowcountry. They just thought it sounded cool-hip, but not trendy ("Like the Blues Brothers," said Roxanne). Only later did they realize the significance of the totem they'd chosen. Not surprisingly, their Thursday night all-you-can-eat crab leg special is consistently a huge draw.
"We're big believers in God, or the Universe, or whatever you want to call it," said Roxanne. "Things just happen for us, and when we saw this place we knew it was right. I don't know why I have that faith, but I guess it just has to work out."
In the current climate of fear and uncertainty, it's easy to get discouraged or allow negative thinking to take root in one's mind. But even as a small business owner-a rather scary thing to be these days-Roxanne refuses to give in to pessimism.
"Even in this economy, I'm very optimistic about the future," she said. "I'm a big believer in energy and you have to be positive. Yes, there are obstacles, and every day something might come up, but you just deal with it and then you move on. I think that people make their own destinies."
Up Close
Hometown: Phoenix Hobbies: walking on the beach, reading, and watching TV or movies Favorite genre: "I love any sci-fi books or movies, even the stupid ones. You have to suspend belief and be open to all possibilities when you get into sci-fi." Favorite things about Beaufort: lack of traffic, slow pace of life, and being near the water Hopes for the Blue Crab: "I want the restaurant to be a place where people come to have fun. I'm not doing this to get rich." Her favorite thing on the menu: the salads, especially the Gorgonzola, which has apples, grapes, pears and walnuts Things she'd like to do before she dies: visit Machu Picchu and get married again What life is: changes