Like the famous lyrics sung by Julie Andrews in the King and I: "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you..." we wanted to take a pause and share a little bit more about the 'birds' behind Phoenix Phurnishings, LLC.
First, neither of our names are Phoenix, we're Amanda and Michael (or Muscles). The name of the business comes from Greek Mythology about the bird that rises from the ashes, known as the Phoenix. Amanda started the business in 2017 doing furniture refinishing but now we're a full online boutique. It's been a fun journey watching the business evolve.
So, without any further delay, let's jump in to our top 10 list!
The first thing you didn't know about us...
We met online and after the first date, Amanda asked her Private Investigator friend to run a full background check on Michael because she liked him and wanted to see if there was anything she should know about. (Ha!) Well, her PI friend came back with a few pieces of paper and said, "well... he's BORING, he doesn't have anything on his record"! Six months later, this photo happened. (We were just babes!)
Here's the second thing you didn't know about us. We went through an intensive Dave Ramsey experience (personal finance program) to get to a point where we could launch the business. Then we kept with the program so Amanda could leave her day job and run the business full time. It's been a rewarding experience and if you've ever been curious about the Dave Ramsey program, we can't recommend it enough!
Here's the third thing you didn't know about us. If you've ever seen an "A-Team" painted suburban driving around Salem, Oregon, that's Amanda. Mentioning the Dave Ramsey aspect of our lives, we needed a bigger vehicle for the business and lo and behold there was a cheap suburban on Craigslist... we wonder why? :) It's mechanically sound and a real eye catcher, but hey, we paid cash! (And then turned around and bought tires for more than what we bought the rig for! Ha!)
The fourth thing you didn't know about us is that we love the show Parks and Recreation. We may have watched the entire series several times now. Whenever we need a laugh, we boot up Netflix and just pick an episode. We're both fond of Ron, Andy, and April. And there's always John Ralphio. Ha!
The fifth thing you didn't know about us is that we are big baseball fans. In fact, one of the reasons Michael even responded to Amanda's initial email (the whole online dating thing) was because Amanda had uploaded a photo of her playing co-ed softball. With Michael being born and raised in Los Angeles, he is a die hard Dodgers fan. Trips down to Los Angeles may or may not revolve around the Dodgers's schedule.
The sixth thing you didn't know about us. We used to commute one hour in opposite directions, one way, for both of our jobs. Thankfully Amanda is at home and Muscles is based in Salem now, too.
The seventh thing you didn't know about us. We have wanted to get a Golden Retriever puppy for quite sometime now... I mean, aren't they just the cutest?! One day...
The eighth thing you didn't know about us is that during high school Michael played baseball (he's really good) and Amanda learned how to weld. She even rebuilt a lawnmower engine, much to her dad's surprise!
The ninth thing you didn't know about us is that we love board games. Even our wedding had various tables set up with board and card games for all of our loved ones. We really enjoy Ticket to Ride and Dutch Blitz.
The tenth thing you didn't about us is that we regularly burn our own candles because we enjoy the fragrances so much. Even after pouring candles for as long as we have, we still enjoy the fragrances in our own home.
And there ya have it, 10 things you didn't know before! Thank you so much for being part of our journey.