Sharolette Blake

Love a gal who loves cars and motorcycles? As a Mike Smith sales associate, gorgeous Sharolette Blake, 36, is an expert on everything from two wheels to four, including the hot new Indian Motorcycles. Hop on! She'll take you for a spin!

Sharolette Blake, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! You're darling! Do you love working for Mike Smith?
Yes! I'd worked there in 1995, but left in 2005 for a bit. Then I was going through my divorce, and it was really tough as a single parent. I was praying — I knew God needed to do something. And then Mr. Smith and his son Dustin called me out of the blue and asked me to sell cars. It's been a blessing.

Had you sold cars before?
No, I'd worked in the office. Mr. Smith called me the Scotty Pippin of the dealership. But they felt I could sell cars, so I said I'd give it a try. I've been pretty successful. Every day I go in, and I want to help people find the car that makes them happy.

A lot of women enjoy seeing a woman salesperson. I'm going to be honest. I'm a single mom. So when I see people in that position, I definitely want to treat them the same way I'd like to be treated.

OK, so here's my experience with buying a car. Everything's all nice and sweet until you negotiate the price — then the salesperson turns into a cranky freak who acts like he's never been so insulted in his life. What's up with that?
Mr. Smith doesn't like that kind of treatment either. He doesn't want to just sell a car. He wants to build a personal relationship with our customers.

Whether someone buys a car or not, we treat them like they've just bought a Lexus. They might not buy a car today, but you never know what might happen. I had a customer who was looking at one of our trucks and another truck somewhere else. He bought the other truck, but he brought his mom back two weeks later and she bought an Avalon.

Yeah, totally! Every dealer should do that! What do you drive?
A Toyota Sienna from Mike Smith, of course!

Good one! So tell us about the Indian Motorcycles! They're gorgeous!
They're American-made motorcycles that have been around since 1901. We're one of the first dealerships to get the 2009 Indians. So we invite everyone to come to our grand opening on Saturday, December 20. In fact, if you register at mikesmithindian.com now, you might win a leather jacket!

Excellent! I love motorcycles! You must have a lot of people coming in to look at them.
Yes, there's a lot of excitement for them. People are eager to buy them. Plus we have the Vespa line and the United Motors line. We have a bike that fits everyone's budget. We also carry accessories and have a service department with a mechanic who can service your bike on location.

Mike Smith Vespa sponsors this iDate page! Love them! Are you selling the Indians now?
Yes, we just got them in the other day. We have them at our new store at 3790 Hinkleville Rd., Suite A, in Paducah, where the old Hooper's was before it moved Downtown.

Sharolette, Are you from Paducah?
Yes. I grew up in Paducah and went to Heath.

And after that?
I went to Brescia College in Owensboro. I went there for a year, then I got married and had three kids.

What are their ages?
I have a 16-year-old son, a 12-year-old son and a 5- year-old daughter.

And you're divorced now?
Yes, it's been a year. But my ex-husband and I get along very well. We go to church together, we're in the same Sunday school class. He's remarried now, and it's important for the kids to see all of us communicate and get along.

That's awesome. How did you pull that off?
We went through that Divorce Care program at Heartland Worship Center. Fletcher Schrock leads it.

We have that in our iList Paducah calendar! People speak so highly of that program.
It's great. There's a workbook you go through. You learn that it's normal to have all the emotions — that divorce is worse than death because with death, there's closure. But with divorce, there's really not. And it teaches you how to be alone without being lonely.

It's Biblically based, but it doesn't push religion. And you get to hear other people's stories. I was relieved because my story wasn't nearly as bad as some of the others!

Hah! So are you ready to date again?
After you get a divorce, they tell you that you need to take time to make sure you are emotionally available to date someone. It's been over a year now, and I've dated a few people just to get my feet wet. But I have three kids to think about, so I've got some rules.

Oh! Tell us Sharolette's Rules!
I just do lunch dates. And my kids have never met anyone I've dated. When you first date someone, it's like vacation. Then you decide if you want to add days to that vacation.

A lot of people want to include their kids in all that, but that's not for me. I think it's confusing for them to see you with a different man every week. So until I know this is someone I want in my life, why involve the kids? It's scary out there — and I'm pretty picky. I have a checklist.

Rules and a checklist! Smart girl! What's on your checklist?
My big thing is teeth. Good hygiene. I understand that things happen. But personal hygiene is really important. No smokers.

Right on! And what else?
I want someone who has his life together. That he's in a good place in his life. So you can make each other happy, but you're not responsible for his happiness.

I've developed great relationships with people. Sometimes you date for a few months and get something from each other and you learn to form healthy relationships. And you move on. Sometimes you think that a relationship is a bad one, but you learn something from each relationship and you take that and use it.

I've come to learn that God put that person in front of you for a reason, a season or for life.

Oh, that's a good way to look at it. OK, good teeth, no smokers, got to have his act together — what else?
Faith is important to me.

Where do you go to church?
Southland Baptist.

So if someone isn't a church-goer?
No. No. There's no hope if he doesn't go to church. Church is very important to me.

Does it matter which church?
That's something that would need to be discussed.

OK, teeth, faith — what else?
Job stability. Not necessarily somebody who has a lot of money, but someone who doesn't live above his means. Someone who's a little laid back — no anger problems. I'm not so interested in looks.

Really? But you're so gorgeous! You should date someone gorgeous!
Looks can change in a heartbeat. Someone can be in a horrible accident. I want to fall for someone on the inside. Looks can get you only so far. I heard a comedian once say, there's no surgery for stupid.

That's true.
And you know, I'll see someone and think, wow, and then they'll open their mouth and it's, ugh.

Bad teeth?
Bad teeth.

What do you like to do when you're not being a mom, selling Indian Motorcycles and protecting yourself from bad teeth?
I'm in the Mid-Continent Advantage program one night a week to finish my college degree. You can get a master's or an associate's degree while working full time. It's an awesome program.

I also enjoy reading, traveling, watching sports events and I love to ride motorcycles. I love to go four-wheeling. One thing you get out of a divorce is you really find out who you are, and you recognize your likes and dislikes.

Sharolette, you're every guy's dream! You're beautiful, you're fit, you're funny, you like cars and motorcycles. Do you get hit on all the time!
Not a lot. I don't know if I just don't get it or if I'm unapproachable. I'm pretty quick-witted. If I'm being picked up, I put them in their spot.

I don't want someone to go out with me just based on looks. There needs to be a certain chemistry. I meet a lot of people through friends.

Blind dates?
A few. Some good and a couple of really bad ones. I had to have a girlfriend call me with an "emergency" so I could leave one once.

No! Why?
The guy had really bad teeth.

Well, Sharolette, if local dentists see an upswing in teeth repair over the next few weeks, they've got you to thank! Ride on, Mz. Sharolette, ride on!

---