For Amy Arant, Owner/Interior Designer of Wrapsody Outdoor Living, furnishing an outdoor space is about far more than choosing a sofa or arranging a few chairs. It is about helping people create a place where they can slow down, connect with family and fully experience the natural beauty that makes the Blue Ridge Mountains so special.

A Foundation Built on Quality

That philosophy has helped distinguish Wrapsody Outdoor Living from larger retailers and lower-cost alternatives. Amy carefully selects furniture lines based on quality, comfort, durability and the willingness of manufacturers to stand behind their products. Her goal is not simply to make a sale, but to help customers make an investment they can enjoy for many years. As she explains, “I wanted quality. I wanted longevity. I wanted the customers to be able to have furniture for a long time.”

For Amy, that long-term approach is also an environmentally responsible one. Outdoor furniture that lasts only a few seasons eventually has to be replaced, often sending another set to a landfill. By offering better-made pieces and helping customers care for them properly, Wrapsody provides an alternative built around lasting value. One customer returned to the store after owning the same outdoor sofa for more than 20 years—not to replace it, but simply to purchase cushions in a new color. For Amy, that was exactly the kind of experience she hoped to create.

A New Chapter in Blue Ridge

Amy’s path to the outdoor-living industry was anything but conventional. After working in accounting for 27 years, she began looking for a change from the stress of that profession. Her family owned a lake house in the area, and during one of their visits, her father mentioned that a downtown Blue Ridge store was for sale. What began as a conversation and some tentative number-crunching ultimately led Amy to purchase the business and move to Blue Ridge in 2014.

Once here, Amy began studying the local market and looking for a need that was not being met. She recognized that high-end, high-quality outdoor furniture was difficult to find in the area. Rather than rush into the opportunity, she spent about two and a half years researching manufacturers, questioning representatives and carefully determining which lines met her standards. That work eventually led to the launch of Wrapsody Outdoor Living and, as the business grew, a dedicated location that opened in 2019.

The business was a natural fit for a mountain community where porches, decks and outdoor rooms are often among a home’s most important gathering spaces. Amy understands that people come to Blue Ridge to enjoy the views, the changing seasons and the opportunity to step away from a faster pace of life. She and her team take a personal approach to helping each customer choose furnishings that fit the space, the home and the way the family intends to use it.

“We’re here to be outside,” she says. “We’re here to be a part of the beauty, a part of nature.”

Bringing Parade Homes to Life

That shared appreciation for craftsmanship and quality has made Wrapsody Outdoor Living an especially strong partner for the Blue Ridge Mountains Parade of Homes. The Parade’s builders create exceptional homes with remarkable outdoor living spaces, and Amy helps ensure those spaces are furnished in a way that complements the architecture, setting and level of detail found throughout the home.

The result is more than attractive staging. It helps visitors imagine what life in the home could actually feel like. They can picture sitting by the fireplace, watching a football game, spending time with grandchildren or telling stories around the fire. Amy believes that thoughtful furniture and design can bring a space to life and help prospective homeowners see how they would fit into it.

It is also an opportunity for Wrapsody to support the builders and the Parade experience as a whole. Amy and her team do more than deliver furniture. They spend time in the homes, welcome visitors, explain the pieces and often help guests appreciate the surroundings, from the direction of a sunset to the mountain visible from the porch. Their goal is to enhance each space while helping visitors appreciate the craftsmanship of the home and the beauty of its surroundings.

Believing in the Next Generation

As meaningful as that partnership has been for her business, Amy’s deepest connection to the Parade comes from its scholarship mission. Supporting young people is already part of how she operates her businesses. She makes an effort to hire local high school students, introduce them to the workplace and help them learn how to interact with customers, understand business operations and grow as employees. She sees those early opportunities as an important part of helping young people discover what they are capable of accomplishing.

That commitment became even more personal when Amy attended one of the Parade’s scholarship banquets for the first time. Sitting near the back of the room among students and their families, she noticed two young men becoming increasingly nervous as the scholarship announcements approached. When the first student’s name was called, Amy watched his expression change.

“To see the gratitude on his face, to see that someone believed in him,” she recalls. “I literally had goosebumps.”

The feeling stayed with her throughout the evening. She saw not only excitement, but also what the scholarship represented: encouragement, recognition and tangible evidence that an entire community was hopeful for each student’s future.

“It’s an experience I will never forget,” Amy says. “That’s what made me just want to be more and more a part of this organization.”

Amy understands how meaningful that support can be for students pursuing careers in construction and the skilled trades. A scholarship can reduce a financial burden, open the door to training and help a young person begin a career with confidence. She believes the trades continue to offer tremendous opportunities for young people to build successful and financially rewarding futures.

A Commitment That Extends Beyond the Parade

Her advocacy does not stop when the Parade weekend ends. Amy regularly encourages others to attend, promotes local businesses and looks for new ways to bring attention to the scholarship mission. Whether speaking with customers, fellow business owners, friends or furniture manufacturers, she is eager to share what the Parade is accomplishing for the community.

That generosity of spirit is what makes Amy and Wrapsody Outdoor Living such valued members of the Parade of Homes family. Her furnishings help transform beautiful porches and outdoor rooms into spaces where visitors can picture a life. Her involvement helps strengthen the Parade. And her commitment to local students helps create opportunities that may shape their lives for decades to come.

“I just believe in young people,” Amy says. “I want our young people to do great things in this world!”