Hi, I'm Ashley.

I grew up in Florida, where weekends meant saltwater, sunshine, and doing the stingray shuffle before stepping into the ocean. Long before sustainability became a buzzword, I was the kid who loved garage sales, thrift stores, and giving old things a new life. I started thrifting when I was sixteen, and I've always believed that one person's trash really can become another person's treasure. I've never understood why we throw so much away when so much beauty, usefulness, and potential already exists.

As I got older, life became busier, and I found myself spending more time behind screens than outside, dreaming of a simpler, more intentional way to live.

In my mid-twenties, I knew I wanted a change - I just didn't know where. Then one day, a complete stranger walked up to me, pointed at me, and said, "Pagosa Springs, Colorado." That was it. I can't explain why, but something told me to listen. A month later, I packed up my life, arrived in Pagosa with little more than a few hundred dollars and a lot of hope, and never looked back.

Like many people who fall in love with this town, I worked whatever jobs I could to make it work. Over the last thirteen years, I've worn many hats, but most of my time has been spent as a concierge, helping visitors discover everything that makes Pagosa so special.

One part of that job always stuck with me. I often grocery shopped for guests before they arrived, and I was genuinely surprised by how many cases of single-use plastic water bottles ended up in shopping carts week after week. Then I'd watch those bottles get used once and tossed away. It made me realize just how easy it is to create waste without ever stopping to think about it—and how much opportunity there is to do things differently.

Every trip back home to Florida brought another reminder that the places we love are changing. The stingrays I grew up watching became harder to find, while jellyfish seemed to take over the shoreline. I can't pretend to know every reason why, but seeing those changes firsthand made environmental issues feel deeply personal instead of distant headlines.

Barn & Bottle was born from the belief that living more sustainably shouldn't feel overwhelming, expensive, or all-or-nothing. It should feel welcoming, beautiful, and achievable. It's also rooted in something I've always loved: reusing what we already have, repairing what's worth saving, and finding joy in giving things another life. Whether that's refilling a bottle, shopping secondhand, or choosing products made to last, every small choice adds up.

My hope is that Barn & Bottle becomes more than a refill shop. I hope it's a place where neighbors gather, ideas are shared, local makers are celebrated, and sustainability feels less like a sacrifice and more like a way of caring for each other and the place we call home.

Thanks for being here. I'm so glad you found us.