Main Street Moms on the Move ~ 12/21/13
I’m thrilled to introduce you to three amazingly gifted women of the Triad. All three are busy moms who took the initiative to turn their creative passions into growing businesses and thriving hobbies. I know you’ll find each of their stories inspiring (and you’ll want to know more about what they’re selling and creating!).
Each month we seek moms we can profile as a “Main Street Mom on the Move” – someone who is making a difference in the lives of their families, friends, strangers, themselves and the community. Do you know such a mom? Are you that mom? Email us and tell us! We love to meet moms we can celebrate here on Triad Moms on Main!
Enjoy today’s profiles…
Juliana Busnello Ramos
Everyone always tells Juliana (“Ju”) Ramos that she has a huge heart. “I am always helping people. It’s very hard to come to another country and learn everything….language, culture, food, the simple things. It makes a difference if you have someone with you. I believe if you help in some way you always have double blessings,” she said.
And blessed she is. A native of the Triad for 12 years (she moved here from Brazil and became a naturalized citizen last year!), Ju and her husband Sandro have a 10-year-old son, Enzo, and Ju is on the brink of starting her own creativity and organizing business.
Soon after her son was born, Ju followed her heart and decided to stay home (she was formerly a psychologist.) She loves to learn new things, and soon she mastered the skill of cake design. Her creative instinct drove her to try more new things, and today she manages a web site called Touch of Ju which is a celebration of Ju’s resourcefulness. The site features advice and ideas on everything from fashion to beauty to crafting, décor, organization and recipes.
“Whenever I see the the look of happiness on someone’s face because of something I created or organized, it’s the best gift I could ask for. This is what inspires me to keep going with my dream to start a business.”
In addition to her family, her website, and her business pursuit, Ju volunteers at her son’s school and is an avid Pinterest follower. She loves to spend time with family and friends – whether that means Facetime with her family back in Brazil, watching movies with her “boys,” or enjoying a cup of coffee with friends, Ju enjoys good company. You can also follow her Facebook page here.
Martha Ann Sutton-Barnard
Greensboro native Martha Ann is the proud owner of Vintage Thrift & Antiques in High Point where she currently resides. She and her boyfriend run the business together, and they liken themselves to The American Pickers. “It’s our passion to go out and find great items to sell and pass along to the next person.”
Vintage Thrift & Antiques features a variety of unique antiques, vintage items, and collectibles – at very affordable prices (lots of items under $20!). Martha Ann has 50 vendors who rent space from her in the historic Sherrod House (where her store is located), and they bring their own items that they find to sell from her store. “My role is to manage the process and help my vendors sell their finds,” she said.
Martha Ann is also a single mom to Patrick, age 9. When she’s not at her store, she’s busy with everyday mom responsibilities, as well as volunteering at her son’s school, and once with Higher Ground in Greensboro.
Before opening Vintage Thrift & Antiques, Martha Ann worked as a preschool teacher for the More at Four Program in High Point where she helped Hispanic children ready for Kindergarten.
“I have a great son and a great store. I am proud, but sometimes I feel like I can’t keep up with the daily grind. But my son Patrick has great advice. He tells me to “Try your best”, and so I do,” she says.
Lisa Witherspoon
Lisa moved to Greensboro to attend college at UNCG. While there, she met her future husband and has been a Greensboro resident ever since. After teaching special needs preschoolers in the Guilford County public schools for several years, she left that job to become a stay at home mom. She now has three daughters, ages 11, 9, & 6.
Lisa has always enjoyed writing and, more than three years ago, stumbled upon the world of blogging. She published her first blog post on February 26, 2010. Lisa started her blog completely on a whim, unaware of the how popular blogging was about to become. For the first three years, her blog was very small; mostly for personal stories and recording memories. Earlier this year, however, once all three of her daughters were in school full time, Lisa was looking for a new direction; a sense of self-accomplishment. She found it in her blog.
Over the last nine months, Lisa has grown her blog following significantly. (Although, she would still like to grow it more!) She has been featured locally on Triad Moms on Main and the Fox8 Morning news. She has also been featured on some larger sites including Scary Mommy and Mamalode. She is now a regular contributor to Felicity Huffman’s site called What the Flicka? as well. In October, she was officially published as a contributing author in The Mother of All Meltdowns, an anthology including stories from thirty different mom bloggers about their biggest mommy meltdowns.
Lisa is excited about the connections she has made with other moms through the internet. She hopes to continue improving her writing, growing her blog, and, perhaps, to even become a freelance writer in the future.
You can click here to view Lisa’s blog, The Golden Spoons and to connect with her blog via social media accounts.
