Gladstone, MO - There is some 'girl power' behind the counter, and back in the shop, at a decades-old family-owned lawnmower business in this Northland city.
Emma and Sarah Martin, sisters, work at AAA Lawnmower Sales and Service. Emma, 20, is behind the counter, and Sarah, 29, is the service technician
The women recognize they're not fulfilling a 'traditional' role by working in the lawn care industry. And they say they have deal with things like 'mansplaining' sometimes.
"There's definitely times where people ask to speak to a tech. Sometimes I think that means they want to speak to a male, so then I'll grab my sister," explains Emma.
Sarah says she got her first set of Snap-On tools when she was just six years old. She says in today's world, there's nothing that woman can't do.
"I don't really think that there's a lot of things that woman aren't going after anymore. Whether it's running their own business or breaking in to industries that are male dominated," says Sarah.
In their free time, the sisters race dirt bikes. Emma is one of two females in her group, and Sarah is training to join her sister on the track this year.
Emma feels women and girls shouldn't have to choose how they want to be.
"If one minute you want to be a tomboy and you want to be playing in the mud, or the next minute you want to be wearing a dress and putting on makeup, you ultimately define who you are and no standard can tell you what's different because you are your own person," says Emma.
The sisters attribute their strength and determination to their parents, John and Beth Martin, who own the business.
