We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Wheeler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This sentence is so true. I work a lot more now than I did when I just worked 9-5, but I actually enjoy and take pride in what I am doing so it doesn’t feel like work. I really enjoy the new balance I have. Before, I was just living for the weekend and now I actually have the time and energy to focus on creating the things I want to create. My weekends are usually spent at flea markets working pop-up shops for the vintage store I co-own (Unusual Retail). I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else because I get to connect with people in the community who enjoy secondhand finds and mingle with other small business owners.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business is a pandemic baby. I was unemployed very quickly after the pandemic began. I wanted to use the time to go back to school and learn something that would set me a part from others. I graduated from UNT back in 2017 with a degree in Merchandising and Marketing. Shortly after graduation I worked for large retailers in their eCommerce division as a Merchandise Assistant and Assistant Buyer. Through both of those roles I worked in the backend of websites doing some light coding. Coding was something I was always interested in, but had never gone into depth with it. During the pandemic I learned basic HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python and Ruby. Upon graduation I decided to build a website for myself so I could begin building a portfolio. With me having an interest in fashion and my boyfriend being the owner of a vintage store, it wasn’t a hard decision to start a fashion blog about my journey towards a sustainable wardrobe. I quickly learned that I would need to have a great Social Media presence in order to drive traffic to the blog. I started taking classes on Social Media Marketing and that’s how I’m High and This is Fashion was born. I launched both the website and the Instagram in April of 2021 and it has really started to grow into something I am very proud of. I provide secondhand style inspiration, thrifting tips/tricks, educational content and sell pieces from my personal curated vintage collection. I am really proud of the community I have built over the past six months. I have made awesome connections with other bloggers, resellers, small business owners and others passionate about fashion. I love that I am able to provide a space for others to leave the stress of life behind them and just enjoy fashion together for a moment. Over the past six months the blog has turned into a place where small business owners can come and feel supported. I have recently started putting together vendor markets around Dallas for small business owners to get their products and brand in front of potential customers. I definitely feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and cannot wait to see where this takes me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Eat: The Last Stand, Invasion, Monta Ramen, Jimmy’s Food Store and Tacos y Mas Dessert: Top Round Frozen Custard
Drink: Peak Inn, Charlie’s Star Lounge, Double Wide and Lakewood Landing
Entertainment: The Balcony Club and Bowlski’s Lakewood Theater
Shopping: Deep Ellum Outdoor Market, Lola’s Rock’n’Roll Rummage Sale and Lula B’s

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Robbie Prater, hands down. Before I met Robbie I was working a job I didn’t enjoy and quite frankly a tad lost in life. Meeting Robbie and seeing that he was taking a leap of faith to own his own business in an industry I used to be in sparked a fire inside of me. I am very thankful for him mentoring and teaching me the ins and outs of vintage reselling. I used to be the Queen of Fast Fashion and he opened up the door to Secondhand Fashion for me.

Website: www.imhighandthisisfashion.com

Instagram: instagram.com/imhighandthisisfashion

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/amy-wheeler

Facebook: facebook.com/imhighandthisisfashion

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.