Amanda Valentine - Entrepreneur in Nashville

By Tracy Pulley in ALL THE RAGE http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711080319

After spending a quiet afternoon in 2005 helping Ben Affleck shop for jeans, Amanda Valentine started reflecting on her life. Sure, Ben's a great guy, and there's nothing wrong with shopping as a rule, she mused. In the end, though, it's just picking out jeans.

So the L.A. stylist decided to venture beyond the world of celebrities and their fashion needs. Today Valentine can be found most days at Local Honey, a small vintage clothing store she bought into this year along with original owner Shea Steele. It turned out that the answer to Amanda's early-life crisis was right here in Nashville.

It's hard for some people to imagine walking away from a fame-and-fortune lifestyle, but for Valentine it wasn't a tough choice. She has great memories to look back on while running the store and stitching up custom creations, but she doesn't have to worry about irritable directors or running for coffee anymore.

"It was great picking out socks for Billy Corgan, trying on hats with Ozzy," says Valentine. "I worked with the Osbournes a lot, especially Kelly as she released her album. She was a good learning experience; she would fight me on my choices." Amanda even ended up in Kelly Osbourne's "One Word" video when an extra failed to show for the shoot. "I'm on-screen for about three seconds, which might have been cool except that I was probably on my 20th hour of work. Those overnight shoots are brutal."

Valentine was almost ready for a change when her boyfriend's career moved him to Nashville. She was going to stay in L.A., but when his calls started coming in — "This place is great! I love it!" — Amanda made the move.

She settled in Spring Hill and quickly jumped not only into fashion but music, too, forming the Spring Hill Spider Party ("I like to call us the Spinal Tap of dance music," she says, laughing) and The Valentines, a post-punk rock cover band.

Freed from the nonstop L.A. workload, Valentine found time to do what she loves most: reconstructing vintage clothes. When she found Local Honey, she realized that everything could come together — love of fashion, need for a job and desire to make an impact on her new hometown.

When Valentine isn't minding the store, playing bass or creating hybrid T-shirts ("I love vintage tees but hate the way they feel, so I use the collars and shoulders and splice them with soft cotton shirts"), she's out exploring the city. She recently moved to east Nashville and is already addicted to Alleycat's nachos and the hangout vibe at Red Door East.

One thing Valentine doesn't do is read tons of fashion magazines. She's more inspired by what people wear every day. "I scan street fashion blogs. They're doing much more interesting stuff than designers."

TAKE NOTE

To check out Amanda Valentine's creations (under the label AValentine), visit Local Honey, 1207 Linden Ave., 297-6977, or visit myspace.com/tailorval.

DAD'S COMMENT: Amanda has always loved collecting vintage clothes, which filled our house in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Mandy" has a BS degree from the University of Nebraska in "Clothing and Textiles," a challenging major, one of the top programs in the country! Mom and Dad are very proud of her accomplishments!