Are you looking for a new place to shop or hang out with friends? Maybe even a new thrift store?
If so, we have the perfect place for you. Ashely’s Room is a local thrift store started and run by manager/owner Ashley Hearron.
“I started it out of college just because I love to thrift… I like working with women and it’s good for the environment too,” Hearron said.
There are currently two locations, one in Sumner and the other in downtown Puyallup just three minutes away from PHS.
The hours for both locations are the same as Ashley’s Room is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
That being said, Hearron says she enjoys picking those hours along with her own.
“I get to make my own hours; I have two kids so it’s nice I can plan my schedule around my kids. It’s lovely being my own boss but it also means if I don’t work hard, I don’t make any money,” Hearron said.
Along with their success they have also had unexpected struggles occur that both the stories have had to preserver from.
“We’ve had two fires; the store in Puyallup burned down once and we were closed for a year. The same thing happened in Sumner, as soon as we opened two months later the store caught on fire too,” Hearron said. “We just had to double down on working twice as hard and not letting that get us down, just showing up and starting over from scratch.”
The Puyallup location first opened in 2010 and they have continued to grow their business since then through the opening of their Sumner store about a year ago. Hearron says that they hope to continue the expansion by adding different locations throughout the local cities here in Western Washington.
“[My favorite] memory is probably having my long-term employee become a new business partner… My store manager who has worked for me for 10 years is now my part owner as of this year, her name is Bailey,” Hearron said.
Hearron says she is very grateful for not only the stores but also the people and items you can find within of them.
“The experience, it’s been good; I’ve met a lot of new people and a lot of new friends. I’ve been able to do some fun stuff in the community, and I’ve got myself a great wardrobe,” Hearron said.
Customers can find different items along the lines of women’s clothing, shoes and accessories; you can also sell your gently used or new items by appointment only.
Hearron says that if all else fails when trying something new, at least you can say you tried it.
“Just go for it, take a risk and [maybe] enlist the help of family and friends to get behind you and just do it,” Hearron said. “Worst case scenario is you try something that doesn’t work out; I used to own a restaurant too, that didn’t work out and that’s okay.”
You can find more information about Ashley’s Room on their Instagram @ashleysroomconsignment or on their website.
Hearron leaves her community with one final thought.
“Give us a try, look through our stuff; anything that you would want to buy at the mall you could buy here and it’s just a much better, greener way for the environment,” Hearron said. “I don’t think a lot of people are hesitant, they think kind of like oh, consignment or it’s going to be gross or there’s nothing good, but we get really good, cute stuff and it’s just so much better for our planet.”
