It’s no surprise that Amanda Sparks has a passion for rich textiles, luxurious fabrics, and cutting-edge fashion. She spent her childhood surrounded by clothing designers and fashion buffs.

“I grew up in the costume room at Orcas Center,” she said.

Her mom is theatre productions director and designer Deborah Sparks, and Deborah’s good friends, well-known textile designer Kate Geddes and her sister Rachel, who owned the Kismet shop, were a frequent presence. And another family friend, Laura Lake, carried Geddes’ designer clothing line when she first opened Laura’s Clothes Horse about 10 years ago.

So it was a natural move for Amanda to purchase the Clothes Horse boutique this January, located in the courtyard next to Orcas Homegrown Market and Gourmet Delicatessen. She redecorated with the help of her mom. She reopened the store on Valentine’s Day weekend.

While Amanda is hoping to add some contemporary, youthful touches, loyal customers need not fear; she has kept the tried and true Clothes Horse classics loved by her clientele, like Cutloose, Papillon, tencel separates from Tianello, and sumptuous MaryGreen lingerie, silk nighties and long underwear. The Clothes Horse will continue to carry options for women of all ages, along with a few hats for men, and will be offering men’s dress shirts some time this summer. The Chapeau Collection has been expanded to include more offerings and ranges from military “Newsie” caps to men’s fedoras and cowboy hats.

Amanda has also brought her own flair with burlesque “feather fascinators” and some new brands of clothing and jewelry. The shop now carries Italian-made Cosabella lingerie, famous from episodes of “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy” and reportedly a favorite with Hollywood celebrities. Also new are the Hollywood Fashion Tape Products and rich, vibrantly hued scarves from Sacred Threads. A little-known couple in New York creates her Juneau jewelry line, “hammered gold at a really fabulous price.”

Amanda described Ollypop, another new jewelry line, as “really outrageous, fun and flirty.” She’s also added Susan Osborn’s bead necklaces and exotic Obi bags made from kimono material, and hopes to be featuring even more local artists in the future.

“I love to support island artists,” she said.

Amanda has carefully selected her product lines to offer mainly local and American-made items, which tend to meet higher environmental guidelines and support American jobs. She makes sure that anything imported from overseas has been responsibly dyed, like her MaryGreen line, which has won awards for eco-responsibility. Her passion remains to offer “beautiful textiles that feel wonderful and look wonderful,” she said.

Amanda worked as the banquet manager at Rosario for seven years, and still does catering for local events, often volunteering at food service fund-raisers to benefit local non-profits.

At her shop, she enjoys helping customers find clothing and accessories that perfectly suit them.

“It’s a no-pressure environment,” she said. “You have to feel fabulous in what you’re wearing, and want to walk out with it.”