Meet Jessie Carmon! Jessie is a Realtor with Next Boulevard by Abernathy Cochran Group. She has been a Realtor since 2003 and loves the Hall County community.
“I’m married to David, and we have a son, Evan, who is married to Amanda. They have two children, Reeves and Rhodes. I’m a lover of animals and art — my house is basically a museum,” she said.
We want to thank Jessie for spending time with us recently and telling us more about her life and love of Hall County.
Question: Please tell us a little bit about you and your family.
Answer: “I was one of the original kids in the first-grade class during Lakeview Academy’s first year and went to Lakeview through eighth grade. When I was five, my mom started the Gainesville School of Ballet, and when I was nine, the ballet company was formed. I was the youngest charter member, which I think is a pretty cool. I danced all the way through high school and graduated from Gainesville High School. Then I went to the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, Ill. as a post-grad for a year and a half. I came back and was dancing with the Augusta Ballet as a soloist. After our first performance, we were rehearsing for The Nutcracker when I got hurt — and they told me I’d never dance again. And then, through a long and winding path, I ended up back in Gainesville. I started working for a summer program at Brenau called Firespark, which was designed for gifted students in the arts. The head of the Fine Arts department was Dr. John Upchurch. I didn’t want to go to college — absolutely not. And he said, ‘I want you to go to college.’ I was like, ‘Nope, I’m not doing that.’ So he said, ‘Okay, let’s make a deal. Take two classes at Gainesville College. If you like it, great. If not, I’ll leave you alone.’ I thought, ‘Okay, that’s a good deal. I’ll do that.’ So, I did exactly that — and I fell in love with learning for the first time in a long time. My first two classes were a terrible math class and a wonderful history class taught by Heyward Gnann. I have never in my life worked so hard for an 89. But he got my brain going and made me fall in love with learning. I started dancing again thanks to John’s help, I got some academic scholarships, some dance scholarships, a few student loans — a mix of everything — and that’s when I started at Brenau at age 24. (When I graduated from Brenau, I founded the Dalton School of Ballet and Ballet Dalton.
“I’m married to David, and we have a son, Evan, who is married to Amanda. They have two children, Reeves and Rhodes. I’m a lover of animals and art — my house is basically a museum!”
Q: How long have you been a Realtor?
A: “I have been a Realtor since 2003.”
Q: You’re going to teach dance again? What are you planning to teach now — and where?
A: “I’m going to teach at Heather Wayne’s Performing Arts. I’ll be teaching ballet two nights a week to her older students — two classes each night.”
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
A: “I have two — Consuelo and Recess. They’re very different, but those are my two.”
Q: What’s one of your favorite things to cook at home?
A: “Something that’s just a Jessie creation — honestly, I’ll just come up with something and make it my own. I don’t really have a favorite dish. I do love making Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, though. The big, all-in kind. Tons of food. I love a project. I love the whole thing — because that’s for my family.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “To travel to Europe for three months.”
Q: What is something you are proud to have checked off your bucket list?
A: “I spent a summer in Monaco with a good friend — and I dated Prince Albert, so I got to check that box! I dated a prince. I was 25 years old, and it was so much fun. My girlfriend Robyn was living there while getting her master’s degree in Monaco. She became friends with all the locals — and Prince Albert hung out with all of them. He was just part of the crowd, and that’s how we met. I was fully immersed in their culture. Honestly, it was pretty amazing.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in our community?
A: “Enrique Montiel is a wonderful friend of mine. He is absolutely brilliant — and I love smart people. He speaks six or seven languages, loves to cook, enjoys entertaining, and has a genuine curiosity about the world. When he talks to you, he is truly interested in you. He is generous, loyal, and he truly cares about people.
“And then, Julia and John Cromartie — brilliant people as well. Julia was my mom’s best friend. John was an attorney for many years, and later, he followed his calling and became a Methodist minister until he retired. And he just passed away, a very hard death. Julia, though — she is a silent force. She was one of the founders of Elachee with my mom. She helped found Gateway. She helped start WomenSource. She’s been at the heart of so many meaningful things in our community.”
Q: What’s your favorite month, favorite holiday, and the best single day on the calendar?
A: “Favorite month? October. Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving.”
Q: What are one or two of your favorite smells?
A: “The smell of freshly cut grass and someone cooking garlic as you walk into the house.”
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
A: “Decorating at Christmas is my thing, and I love it. It’s a project — it’s mine, no one else’s (with a little help) — and it’s completely over the top.”
Q: What do you like about working in real estate?
A: “People. Always something different. Figuring things out. Making a deal. I like all of that.”
