Saturday, October 10, 2020 by Gabrielle Martin
The Anchor is excited to introduce the incredible Hingham-based Instagram influencer Amy L. Hendy as our latest Human of Hingham!
Hi there, Amy! Thank you so much for agreeing to an interview with the Anchor. Let’s just jump right in: can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am an Ohio girl, born-and-raised on a farm. I attended college at a small Christian college, Cedarville University, and obtained both my Master’s Degree in Business Counseling and my Law Degree all in Ohio.
My husband Dan and I met through a large law firm in Cincinnati and married a year later. I quit practicing law and Dan was working for a global company, so we had the opportunity to travel; that’s when we fell in love with exploring.
When our oldest daughter, Lola, was 2 years old and our middle daughter, Sylvia, was 7 months old, Dan’s company moved us to Italy. It was one of the most incredible and defining years for our family!
Wow, Italy! That’s amazing. So how did you end up here in Hingham?
Well, after Italy, we found ourselves on the East Coast in Fairfield, CT, where we had our third daughter, Camilla. Only a year later, in 2016, Dan’s job moved us again to Boston. While searching for a place to live, we visited the South Shore, and I fell in love with Hingham.
We’ve lived in Crow Point for four years, and it’s now the place we’ve lived the longest as a family! My girls call it home.
I’m so happy to hear that you've found a home here! What do you love most about Hingham?
Like many “Hinghamites,” I am most attracted to Hingham because of its proximity to the water and the city. It’s such a charming town.
Oh, I absolutely agree! How about for when you need a getaway: what’s your go-to vacation spot?
Because we enjoy traveling, Hingham (and New England in general) allows us easy access to beach getaways and/or skiing. We don’t necessarily have a favorite vacation spot; we tend to travel to new destinations every year, but we just returned home from our third trip to Maine, so I think it’s safe to say the coast of Maine has worked its way to the top of our list!
Dan and I love to sneak in a getaway at least once or twice every year. We’ve enjoyed time at Chatham Bars Inn on the Cape and recently at The Wauwinet on Nantucket. We travel back to Europe when we can as well.
And what's your favorite local spot around town?
You will often find me at Red Eye having a coffee date with a Red Chili Hot Chocolate (and most recently a donut since they've added Donut King to the menu), Cava with my girls, or with Dan at Trident for date night over Carnitas Tacos. We enjoy riding bikes to Hingham Bathing Beach or spending the day at Nantasket Beach. Our family hops on the ferry as often as possible to explore in the North End or the Seaport–we love bartaco, Tatte, and Martin’s Park.
One of my favorite and most meaningful activities in town is attending a weekly Community Bible Study class offered in Hingham. I am entering my fifth year this fall, and last year I had the privilege of being a core group leader. Studying and teaching the Bible are passions of mine. My family is very active in our church, New Hope Chapel of Norwell, and in the greater South Shore Christian community. Together with a few friends, I helped lead the first IF Gathering Hingham earlier in February 2020, and I'd love to see it grow even bigger this coming March.
If you had a different career, what would it be?
If I could do it all over again, I would most definitely work in full-time church and/or Christian ministry!
Is there anybody in Hingham who you find inspiring?
It has been both a pleasure and an inspiration to meet so many strong women in Hingham. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive in our town, and you needn’t look hard to find women who are using their creative energy, talent, gifts, and resources to bring beauty to our world and help others in the process! In fact, I actually started my Instagram style blog about six months after moving to Hingham at the encouragement of a close friend I met through our church.
Can you speak about your experience as an influencer? When did you begin building your brand?
Since childhood, I’ve enjoyed fashion. My first job was in retail. I was voted one of the "Best Dressed" during my senior year of high school. Even throughout graduate and law school, I was known as a student who cared a lot about fashion. I think my love for style has a direct connection to my grandmothers, who always dressed well. Plus, much of my time spent in the church community, where I was often expected to dress nicely. I was required to wear dresses and skirts during college which is probably why I continue to gravitate towards them today!
When I quit practicing law, I decided to go back to the retail sector by selling a clothing line called ETCETERA out of New York City. I was living in Cincinnati and built a small client base of friends and former colleagues; I also offered clients/friends personal shopping services and closet edits. I left the clothing business after we moved to Italy but began paying close attention to the then up and coming world of female fashion bloggers on Instagram.
I dreamed of starting my own style blog for a few years. I laid the groundwork by using my free time at home with toddlers to follow the trends, online shop, create outfits, and build my reputation as a style expert. Finally, after much encouragement from friends and family, I posted my first outfit on Instagram. Everyone was so supportive, including (and especially) the Hingham community!
How has your account grown since you started it?
My follower base grew quickly simply by being myself, posting outfits of the day, and forming friendships with other newly-minted style bloggers. In addition, I had been fortunate to build relationships with individuals and stores at Derby Street and the former Guesthouse of Hingham. So many talented business women in the fashion industry took a chance on me! I am grateful and do my best to extend the same courtesy when I meet someone new to the style blogging community.
Blogging in general looks much different today than it did even three and a half years ago, when I began. The market has become quite saturated, most women now consider themselves "lifestyle" bloggers versus just "fashion" bloggers, and the pay can be quite lucrative if you push to make yourself known in the industry. I decided a couple years ago not to pursue that route: I have kept my following smaller by concentrating mainly on Hingham, South Shore, and Boston shops.
That’s part of why we love having you on our feed so much: the amazing local looks! Do you have any interesting ambassadorships to share?
I’ve been so blessed to work with Derby Street retailers, including J. Crew, Evereve, Anthropologie, Madewell, Loft, and Bonobos. I was one of the first bloggers to host several “Shop with Amy” events for nearly a year at J Crew, which were very well received by customers and corporate. Thank you to my lovely friend Bess for the genius idea and taking the chance on me! I have held similar shopping events at Madewell and Loft.
Over a year ago, I was named Evereve’s Derby Street Ambassador, an incredible role that I've enjoyed thoroughly. I conduct monthly try-on sessions to introduce my followers to new products at our local shop and show them how it can be styled. It’s a very cool relationship because I worked for Evereve nine years ago in Cincinnati as a stylist when the store was starting to make a name for itself. I am honored to now represent the brand, which has grown by leaps and bounds to nearly a hundred stores, as an influencer. I love the talented Evereve Team and their mission to do all "with heart" and consider them great friends.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
I often get asked to describe my style, and I find it a nearly impossible question to answer! I guess the word I most hope reflects my fashion choices is "chic.” I try very hard to strike the delicate balance between sophisticated but easy, classic but on-trend, and feminine but edgy. I am often in a dress, my absolute favorite item to wear. Blazers are my go-to layering piece with denim. I love to wear color and prints and hardly a day goes by that I’m not wearing something leopard. I always have on a pair of earrings, my single stone diamond necklace, another chain by my creative and talented Hingham friend Falk Jewelry, and a ring (in addition to my wedding set). I am also an Ambassador for MZ Wallace (yes, dream gig) and carry one (or two) of their incredible bags every day. But if I’m honest, shoes are my weakness. Aside from date night, I have (mostly) traded heels for sneakers, birks, or booties since having kids and as the culture continues to go more “casual” in style. I would admit that living by the sea and close to the mountains has most definitely influenced my creativity with respect to style. I tend to wear and post outfits that reflect these aesthetics as often as possible.
Where are some of your favorite places around town to shop?
Hingham, and Boston at large, offers such rich shopping destinations! As I mentioned earlier, Derby Street is a regular for me. I wear something from Evereve more days than not; they carry an exhaustive selection of fun and easy pieces for busy moms, including cool sweatshirts and sweaters, premium denim, and footwear like P448 sneakers and Schutz boots. Lorri and her team of talented stylists are amazing to work with and very knowledgeable.
Anthropologie is my fav for dresses and one-of-a-kind tops. Many of their stylists are friends of mine as well and so good at their job. I’ll also always be a fan of J. Crew’s classic looks, and my girls love their Crewcuts. Kloth Boutique offers the best “cool girl” designer brands, many of which I wear and love. I’m thrilled to soon check out Chel Bella’s designer selection, now under new ownership; Lisa has teased us with so many gorgeous pieces on Instagram. Assembly in both Hingham and Cohasset has the best denim selection, offering my go-to brand and great tops/knits! Finally, I have to mention Crush Boutique in Boston because I adore the Crush ladies (Rebecca resides in Cohasset!) and always swoon over their dress collection, cozy knits, dreamy jackets, and chic accessories.
Although my blog and work focus mainly on fashion style, I also enjoy home accents: we are very fortunate to have the creative Doublemint Home ladies, Jenny and Megan, offering the latest in home accessories and styling. They just opened a gorgeous new showroom in downtown Hingham that I cannot wait to visit!
Any fall fashion tips for our readers?
As we head into fall, I recommend heading into one of these spectacular Hingham and Boston boutiques to do some shopping! Because so many of us ladies are remote or homeschooling and/or participating in Zoom meetings, I’m focusing my wardrobe on killer tops and sweaters that I can pair with easy bottoms.
I’ll wear flowy dresses for church on Sunday and for date nights. I’ll occasionally rotate in my go-to straight leg denim jeans with a blazer and tee. Make sure to have a great pair of boots (combat are all the rage this year) and hip sneakers (I prefer high tops)! And if shopping simply sounds too overwhelming, reach out to me! You can also follow my style for inspo. on Instagram and Facebook and shop my looks online directly in the popular and highly useable LIKETOKNOW App, all at @amylhendy.
What about your goals for the future? Personally, creatively, career-wise?
Looking towards the future, I anticipate that with the rise in online shopping (partially due to COVID, but also the general busyness of women/moms these days) my online platform will continue to offer a convenient way for followers to gain outfit inspiration and buy online. The RewardStyle community has seen a sharp increase in followers utilizing the LIKETOKNOW App. My goal has also been and will continue to be building real and authentic relationships with local women by offering them style inspiration and assistance. My goal is shining light, my avenue is sharing style.
Anything else?
Thank you Hingham Anchor for the invaluable opportunity to let you into my world–and hopefully into my closet!