Chablis Dandridge was born to a 16-year old single mother and raised in Newark NJ. Some of his many harsh life realities by age 18 include; dropping out of high school at 15, he suffered four gunshot wounds leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, fathered two children, was institutionalized for mental health concerns and found himself in and out of jail. At age 27, he received a federal prison sentence for drug trafficking that would transform his life and rewrite the ending of his life’s book. While in prison Chablis received a college degree and paralegal certification, learned Spanish fluently, focused on reform advocacy and community outreach work, and authored several books.
Today, he lives in Charlotte, NC, is a real estate professional who devotes part of his professional attention to providing transitional housing for individuals returning to the community from incarceration and those suffering with chronic homelessness. He also works in leadership at a nonprofit that helps at-risk youth stay out of prison, strengthen families and teach incarcerated men and women life-skills. He speaks publicly on human rights and social justice issues and is a tireless champion for recidivism reduction initiatives and youth intervention programs. Learn more about Chablis below.Â
Allison: How would you describe your swagger? What makes Chablis, Chablis?
Chablis: The very long and short answer to this question is that I’m honest and carefree. What I mean by that is I’m unapologetically me. I move with integrity and I don’t mind if you like me or my way of being, as long as I feel comfortable with my choices and actions.
Allison: How long have you been in real-estate?
Chablis: I’ve been in real estate for close to 20 years. I started with my mother, helping her, so it wasn’t by choice.
Allison: What sparked your interest in Real Estate?
Chablis: As I said, I got in by default working in the family business. I didn’t take it as seriously as I could have and I had to learn on the fly later on in life. The blessing is that I had her expertise to defer to when I did get serious about doing it.
Allison: So tell us more about Creative Space & Interior Design International, LLC and what type of services you all offer.
Chablis: CSID is my parent company. We invest in real estate and use platforms like AirBnB, VRBO, Booking.com and other short-term rental platforms to serve our clients.
That’s our primary focus and business function. We also do interior design work sparingly. My father, who is our design master is very temperamental, lol, so most clients back out after he states his terms. Unless you have a healthy budget and don’t mind giving up complete creative control we probably wouldn’t be able to serve you, lol.
CSID also provides transitional housing to people recently released from jail or prison, and those who suffer from chronic homelessness. It’s a business as well, its just not the kind you’ll get rich off of. It’s the kind that you do because you want to do a little good in the world. It brings in a few pennies, but the real value there for any investor is building equity by owning the houses.
Allison: Your publication A Letter to my Sons was recently reprinted and launched. What can readers expect from it and what was the inspiration behind it?
Chablis: When I first wrote and completed the book I was incarcerated myself. I was doing a 15-year federal prison sentence. My sons were 8 and 10 when I left them and had been growing up without my input for all of their teen and young adult lives. They were my inspiration for writing the book. In it, I share the things I value, the lessons I’ve learned and who I am as a man and person. Anyone who reads this book can expect an honest look into me; my hardships, and overall, they’ll be able to see the flaws that make us human. Beyond that, I hope that people come away with a sense of hope and inspiration that the power to create and recreate is within them.
Allison: You’ve endured several hardships in your past. What keeps you motivated and moving forward?
Chablis: Honestly, what keeps me going is my will to win. I have failed so many times in the past. Today, I want to win so that when people look at me they think, “If he can do it, then I DAMN SURE know I can!†People need to know that nothing is impossible. Unless you make it impossible. So I live my life in a way that will capitalize on all the hard-knocks lessons I’ve endured. And in a way, that adds value to whatever I touch these days. If it’s true that we will be judged by our deeds, I want to have more positive impact deeds vested than anything. That’s what keeps me doing what I do.
Allison: How do you practice self-care?
Chablis: I’m probably the worse at this. People tell me all the time that I need to take better care of myself. If I had to say anything here, it would be that I make the best effort I can to workout. I make an effort to eat right (although, that is an ever-growing challenge). I also don’t watch TV or do the movies thing. I feed myself good information. I’m becoming more and more sidetracked with this whole social media thing and wasting too much time there, but there too it’s a choice. There are good things on there as well, for me, it’s just a matter of not getting caught up in the mind-sucking things that’s all.
Allison: Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you care to share?
Chablis: Can I list them all lol. The biggest project I have coming up is the new location that I’m building three Airbnb’s in Charlotte, NC. I’m also in the market for some investors who might be interested in investing in short-term rentals internationally. I have several prospective projects going on now.
Beyond that, I have some community events that I’m working on which people can find out about via my social media if they are interested in checking that out.
Connect with Chablis and Dynasty Solutions, LLC below.
Business Website: www.chablisdandridge.com Currently Under Construction.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/therealchablis
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ChablisDandridge
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chablisdandridge/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkq1k2DKF8EIlBCdfynwWGA
If you are a member of our SwagHer Fam- Group, you are welcome to join a free workshop presented by Chablis tonight. See flyer for details.Â
