How it started…
Hi! My name is Amanda; thank you so much for coming along on this journey with me and many others who are making this dream happen! The two most common questions I get asked are, “What made you want to do this?” “Was this always something you had envisioned?” The answer to both of those questions is a hard “NO.” The truth is I always thought I would follow in my mother’s footsteps in corporate banking. With a passion for helping others in the community, I found a calling in the Credit Union and Banking industries, where I was proud to work in the areas of Community Development and Philanthropy. I had my dream job, at a dream company, but life had other plans…
In 2021, my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and very shortly after, she passed away. That same year, my father was diagnosed with dementia, and life shifted very quickly. I took a leave of absence from my job to take care of my family, and, to be perfectly honest, myself. I am no stranger to loss or grief, but sometimes life really has a way of stopping you in your tracks. When I made an attempt to go back to my career in banking shortly after, I found my head and heart were no longer in the right place to continue on this trajectory. Scared and unsure, I made the difficult decision to walk away from what I had known with no clear plans for what would be next.
Two weeks later, I found myself asking my husband, “What do you think is next for me?” “Do you think we could ever own a business?” “What would it be?”
In true Chris (my husband) fashion, he entertained my ideas willingly. Soon enough, a Zillow search led to “commercial properties near me.” Then, I see it! The building, one I have always driven by and admired, one I had shopped in previously…I had no idea it was for sale. They did not have a sign out front, but here it was.
Chris agreed to go with me just to look for fun. Once I was inside the building, the history, charm, character was overwhelming in the best way! The property was split up into 3 units; the first floor had a commercial storefront, with a small studio apartment in the back, and the second floor had a larger 2-bedroom apartment. All units were rented, so the risk of taking on the property did not feel as risky since we knew we would have income coming in from our tenants.
We knew it would be crazy, and we knew it would be a lot of work, but I KNEW THIS WAS IT.
Did I have a plan yet? NO. Did I have experience as a landlord? NO. Did it scare me? YES. Did I do it anyway? HELL YES.
November 2021, we signed the papers, and it was ours for better or for worse. Check out our next post to see how it’s going!
XO Amanda
Amanda on the stairs at Sand Lake Merchant.
The historic Sand Lake Merchant building when we purchased it in 2021.
The interior of the building when we purchased it.
