Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Watters.
Hi Amanda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Iowa, where the land stretches wide and time moves a little slower. I met my husband in high school, and together we carried that Midwestern steadiness with us when we moved to Kansas City in 2009. I began my adult life as a middle school English teacher, living downtown in the River Market, and alongside teaching I also worked at the Phoenix Jazz Club, a place that grounded me in rhythm, creativity, and community during those early years in the city.
As our family began to grow, I stepped away from teaching to stay home, but I never stepped away from creating. Writing, cooking, and making a home were not hobbies so much as instincts. I was drawn to living close to the earth, to natural materials and handmade things, and to a way of homemaking that felt grounding and connective rather than decorative. I have always valued thoughtful creating more than mindless consuming, and I wanted our home to reflect that philosophy.
I began to blog as a way to keep a creative thread running through my days and to cultivate community in a new city. My curiosity widened into food, gardens, old houses, light, and restraint. I shared what I was learning, and slowly a community gathered. Instagram became an extension of that curiosity, and eventually it became clear that what I was living wanted a physical form.
I have always loved antiques. I grew up among them, and later, years of travel, especially to France and Japan, deepened my reverence for craftsmanship, patina, and objects made to last. In 2019, I opened an online home goods shop, offering vintage pieces, old world wares, and sustainable handcrafted goods meant to honor the art of making a home.
The shop outgrew our house, and our family did too. Our fourth child was born in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, a season that asked all of us to slow down and look more closely at how we live. Eventually, we found a storefront and opened a brick and mortar space. Each year since has brought more clarity, more confidence, and more depth. We are now in the Crestwood Shops, stepping into our seventh year serving the community. We host monthly online flea markets, source handmade goods from around the world, and continue to build a life shaped by intention. We live in Brookside, travel often, have an apartment in Paris, and stay rooted in supporting our local Kansas City community.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been smooth, but it has been aligned. The pandemic arrived without warning, yet it met us in a moment of openness rather than fear. I did not have rigid expectations, only a willingness to follow what felt true. People were suddenly home, noticing their surroundings, and craving fewer but better things. There was a collective return to intention, to usefulness, and to meaning. In many ways, that pause gave my work room to breathe and grow.
Another ongoing challenge has been learning how to navigate motherhood alongside being a small business owner. I am still learning the ever evolving dance of where to place my time and energy, what deserves my attention, and how I can continue to grow and learn while honoring both my family and my creative work.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I see myself as an artist first, a harbinger of beauty, with shopkeeping being one meaningful extension of that work. I find deep joy in creating sacred spaces that feel steady, nourishing, and alive. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to believe my true work is rooted in energy and frequency, in how materials, light, objects, rituals, and rhythms shape the way we feel and flow within our homes.
Through natural home care, antiques, and handmade goods, I help others create environments that support presence, rest, and connection. What I am most proud of is building a brand that mirrors my inner life rather than competing with it. What sets my work apart is that it is not driven by trends or what is flashy in the moment, but by what connects us more fully to ourselves, to one another, and to the earth as our greatest teacher. Everything I create and share is guided by intuition, restraint, and reverence for the everyday.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Spending time on my grandparents’ farm in Iowa. So much of my childhood was spent outdoors, gardening with them, riding on the tractor, playing house in the forest, and learning the quiet language of seasons and soil. That early connection to the natural world taught me how to pay attention, and it continues to shape the way I live, create, and make a home today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://homesongmarket.com
- Instagram: @homesong_market
