Now that her kids are grown, this single mother of 4 has started a whole new chapter. With the launch of her artisan gallery , Amanda Vernon offers her customers a mindful approach to shopping
How do you describe your work? "I would describe it as fulfilling. Independent. Creative."
What three adjectives best describe you? "Outgoing. It’s so hard when you have to describe yourself. Independent and I would say thoughtful."
Cats, dogs, birds … describe your pets? "My dog is loving and smart. She’s a soul mate in a fur suit."
Favorite season? "I like the Fall."
Name a city you’d love to visit. Why? " I always think of countries. I would love to go to India. It’s amazing how it can be so impoverished and so full of riches at the same time. And the culture and the spiritual aspect and the colors. Whenever I see images, I’m like I wanna go there."
Two years ago Amanda drew this picture of the store and started focusing on it.
What’s the best thing about being single? "It sounds cliché but really freedom. I’ve gotten very comfortable with myself and I feel complete on my own. I don’t feel incomplete because I’m not with somebody... and my dog can sleep with me and no one will complain about it!"
Describe your ideal “Girls’ Night Out.” "Actually my ideal girl’s night is in. I’m a karaoke nut and there is nothing more fun then finding yourself in the living room at 3 in the morning singing Elton john songs or Stevie Nicks. Serious bonding going on with the karaoke."
What’s the nicest thing a friend (or friends) have done for you? "Gosh. So man but this is the one that came to mind. A very long time ago I was raising 4 kids and we didn’t have any money. I wasn’t complaining. I was just sharing with a friend.
She said I’m going to go out and buy us some burritos. She came back and she had put a $100 bill in my burrito. The fact that she didn’t have any money either but she could still give to me was unbelievable. It meant a lot to me."
Amanda with Co-Owner Jennifer Hardaway of Kleanspa
What do you do for “Amanda time"?
"I do a lot of walking. I take a walk every morning and that’s really important. It’s a constitutional to clear my head."
What’s the best advice you ever received? " From my grandmother. It sounds awful. It has to do with men. You can love a rich man, just as easily as a poor man. I have dated poor men my entire life but then I dated a rich man and I thought, she’s right. My grandmother always had things she would say. Water seeks its own level. It’s true if you think about it. You’re as good as the company you keep. It made me think about where I was spending my energy and time and I started making better choices for myself."
What quality do you admire most in a man? "Integrity."
What quality do you admire most in a woman? "I wanna say clarity. When what you see is what you get. When someone is comfortable in their own skin. Because with women there can be play-acting and airs. It’s nice when you meet someone who is down to earth and available because that’s when you’re able to really learn."
Who are your real life heroes? "My kids. They really are. I’ve learned so much from being a mother."
What is your guilty pleasure? "Really bad television shows. I love all the ghost things, ghost lab, ghost adventurer and Hoarders. I think, why am I watching that? It’s awful!"
What is your biggest fear? "I don’t live in a lot of fear but being a mother, I can’t imagine anything that would be more awful that something happening to one of my kids. I don’t even want to go there."
If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be? "I totally live by I’ve gone through everything to be who I am right now and I’m okay right now. You know what? I would have worn sunscreen in the 70s."
Other than your own talents, what talent would you most like to have? "I really appreciate art and I’d like to be able to paint or draw."
What is your motto? Or what words do you live by? "If something frustrating is happening, a lot of this too shall pass. I’m a breather and I stop and breathe. We forget to breathe."
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Writer. Television Host. Photographer