Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Converse.
Amanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised on Cape Cod and went away for college and graduate school and got degrees in the Environmental field. I ended up coming back home in 2006 and working for a local nonprofit that supports and promotes small businesses; my first time not working for an environmental organization. It was then that I realized how incredibly important small, local businesses are to the Cape Cod community.
In 2009, I decided to open my own small business – an eco-boutique called Shift. All of the women’s and baby clothing we carry in Shift is made from eco-friendly materials using fair trade labor. A few years after I opened Shift, I started to question why people were not shopping locally for clothing, instead, most people were shopping at chain stores or online, which is detrimental to the local economy. So, I started The Current Quarterly, the Cape’s only dedicated fashion and shopping magazine, which only features products from locally owned stores. This past year, along with local wellness center owner Beth Madden, I started Ebb & Flow, a health, wellness and sustainability magazine, which shares information about local wellness practitioners and treatments as well as pressing environmental areas in our region.
Shortly after launching The Current Quarterly in 2012, I partnered with Jen Villa and Kate Sheehan to create LoveLiveLocal, which started as a way to share stories, happenings and lifestyle tips about Cape Cod, and has since evolved to include festivals featuring local businesses, artists and artisans, a local travel guide, as well as a lot of advocacy work and information to educate people on the importance of spending their dollars locally.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anyone who says that conceptualizing, starting and running their own business is easy is lying!
Everything I have done since deciding to open Shift has been entirely new to me (I hadn’t even worked retail before!), but this past decade has been the hardest, best, most challenging and most rewarding of my life. There are daily struggles in every business and there are big challenges that have come along the way, but I think it’s key to learn how to cultivate your instincts to know when to step up to a challenge and when to let it go.
Another piece of advice is to know that you are going to work a lot and work hard, but self-care is key throughout the whole journey. Whether it’s exercising, eating well, doing yoga, sleeping, traveling, spending time with friends that make you happy and less stressed, make sure you take care of yourself, it will make you better in every aspect of your life.
Please tell us about Shift Eco Boutique, The Current Quarterly, Ebb & Flow and LoveLiveLocal.
Everything I do is to ensure that the Cape Cod community is sustainable – environmentally, socially and economically. This means encouraging people to spend their dollars locally, to appreciate and protect our natural environment that our economy depends on, and to be supportive of our local community in good times and in bad.
If that is what I’m known for, I’d be incredibly proud.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I hesitate to say I am a “success” but I do know this: this place – Cape Cod – is where I was raised and is a big part of who I am, and that’s why I want to give back to it in any way I can. I also know my family and friends have always been encouraging and supportive of anything I have ever been involved in. And I have a fire inside of me that motivates me every day to be the best I can be.
Contact Info:
- Address: Shift Eco Boutique
539 South Street
Hyannis, MA 02601 - Website: wwwshiftboutique.com www.thecurrentquarterly.com www.lovelivelocal.com www.ebbandflowcapecod.com
- Email: amandaconverse@hotmail.com
- Instagram: @shifteco @thecurrentquarterly @lovelivelocal @ebbandflowcapecod
- Facebook: shiftecoboutique thecurrentquarterly lovelivelocal ebbandflowcapecod
- Twitter: amandabconverse
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
