I have been a creative person all my life and an entrepreneur. It runs in the family…but I will talk about this later in “The History of 14th Street Vintage”. And we have a family of entrepreneurs. I have been a lifelong cook—starting cooking at age seven and I am 71 now. The first thing I ever learned to cook was Southern Sweet Tea made with loose Tetley Tea and to this day, this is the brand I use. Coming from the South, I learned to make of course, Biscuits With Red Eye Gravy, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Pimento Cheese, etc. I love Sweet Tea and that is my beverage of choice every single day. Do like a Vanilla Latte at times…

Oh and the photos…me and my daughter at her wedding and of course it was at a historic chapel. And the other photo is @ Seabrook Island and is my daughter and granddaughter. The other picture is a family photo from this trip and from left to right are my SIL, daughter, granddaughter, son and partner, and my husband and me. We love the beach and my husband was a surfer all of high school and college on.

I grew up in Phenix City, AL and was born across the river in Columbus, GA. I moved to Savannah, GA when I was 14. Went to college at University of Georgia in Athens, GA. We both worked through college as we had too to afford to go. Then married my husband about six months before we graduated from college. We both went to the same high school in Savannah and as I went to UGA all four years, Craig transferred up to UGA for junior and senior years. Our first jobs were with Southwire Company in Carrollton, GA. And I remember fondly the Deep Dish Pizza and Sangria Pitchers every single Friday night @ The Mansion while we lived there. We walked home as we just lived across the street.

Our next jobs were in Norcross, GA. We bought our first house there and later we had our first child. My husband worked for Atlantic Building Systems and Georgia-Pacific and I started my Artists’ Representative Firm. I represented and sold the artwork and photography of architectural illustrators, photographers, graphic designers to corporate marketing and advertising firms and departments in companies, graphic design firms and commercial real estate companies.

Regarding my husband’s jobs, they afforded us the opportunities to travel all over the US and Caribbean. He was responsible at both companies for researching and checking out all the resorts for conventions with our best customers and their spouses for 3-4 day excursions. So we were able to check out the amenities, foods and recreational ventures for these events. We have been to and stayed in most of the resorts across the country and the Caribbean. Amelia Island; Williamsburg; Jamaica; Bermuda; Puerto Rico; Cayman Islands; and many, many others. And I will be telling you about the food in other areas of my pages.

I have always gravitated to the design, art and graphic arts. I did my undergraduate work at UGA in Social Work. I took 65 hours in Business Education (graphic side of computer sciences) and Family & Consumer Sciences @ ECU. I am dual-licensed in Business Education and FACS. I am retired now but taught middle and high school BE and FACS for over twenty years. In Business Ed I taught Keyboarding, Computer Applications, MS IT Academy, Business, Multi-Media & Webpage Design. In FACS I taught Food I & II, Foods and Nutrition. Introduction To Culinary Arts & Hospitality, Parenting, Interior Design. I have been Serv-Safe Certified In Foods & Food Safety since 2012.

Other Foods Experience: At UGA I worked in the Faculty Dining Hall in Catering and Bakery. I was an Independent Rep for Longaberger, Tastefully Simple for many years.

When we moved to Chicago in 1989 (West Dundee, IL) I started and in-Home Day Care and Pre-School called “Smiling Faces” and was licensed and certified by IL.

After I started teaching and teaching Foods, I for ten straight years applied for a coveted Internship Experience with the Biltmore House Restaurants. I finally after all those years gained a coveted spot in 2016. It was a week-long internship at all the restaurants. They usually only had six chefs per year for the internship but in 2016, they had 10 spots and I received my invitation. It was magical and so rewarding…

I have been an event planner and concentrated on the vintage arts (vintage tea parties and vintage candy bars, etc.). I have always been sought out and complemented on my planning parties and event and my decor expertise.

In 2016 after I retired from teaching, I started repurposing vintage items and selling them in booths at antique shops (Bee’s Knees and Farmhouse Market in Indian Trail, NC). Such a fun experience, especially since I love perusing through antique and thrift stores and rifling through old barns out in the countryside.

I love everything old and vintage—vintage lace, doilies, tea towels, linens, aprons, depression glass, old dishes, tea cups, etc. Which leads to my latest passion, making all sorts of product mixes using mason jars!

I have sold my products on Etsy for ten years but also Farmers’ Markets, Town Festivals, Craft Fairs, Church Bazaars, etc. and some direct marketing of my products to corporate customers. I gave up my Etsy Business this month to create my own webpage/shop/blog and I now market my brand and products through my webpage. I have dreamed of creating an online store and blog — and now I have: 14th Street Vintage Blog.

I hope to become a notable blogger on many topics: Foods; Organization; Mindfulness; Tea Parties; Teas; Your First Apartment; Basic Finance; Design; History of Mason Jars; Genealogy; Decorative Arts.

All of these gifts combine to make me the person I am today. My hope is to continue my love of food and creative interests on my blog in my retirement years. Do what you know best and you are passionate about…

My webpage is a work in progress…will continually be updating it and eventually you will be able to order from my webpage too. I will deliver locally in Matthews/Mint Hill and the Charlotte areas. In the meantime, check me out on:

Facebook: 14th Street Vintage

Instagram: Crazy Food Lady

BlueSky: 14thStreetVintage@blsky.com

Email: mrspsdomain@gmail.com

Phone: 704/954-4033

Website: https://14thstreetvintage.com

Bon Appetit!

Mrs. P

P.S. Photos Top To Bottom:

My Daughter and Granddaugher

Me & My Daughter @ Her Wedding

Annual Granddaughter Birthday Trip To Beach

Vintage Church & Granddaughter Where My Daughter Got Married

The Granddaughter & Her Spirit

Our Dog & Cat

Craig & Me While Dating Before Marriage

Son & Partner

Wedding Photo

Photo Of Us After College Visiting UGA

Husband & Me @ The Mark Of The Potter (where we went frequently during college — all over North Georgia Mountains

Favorite Family Photos

Family Candy Store Location Of Paternal Side In Chicago, IL In 1900s