nwlanews.com:
For most people, juggling is difficult. For 20-year-old Ashley Carpenter, she juggles raising her daughter and running her own thrift store.
Those who stop by Beautiful Bowtique will find a shopkeeper that looks fresh out of high school holding a baby while haggling with them.
“I’ve always been an entrepeneur. Ever since I was little, I was always fund raising, there was a way of making money either through a Kool-Aid stand or washing cars or something,” said Carpenter.
That entrepreneur in Carpenter has caused her to open and run her own thrift and consignment store. After only opening Nov. 12, the store already has 30 consigners.
Carpenter wanted to own her own business in order to spend time with her daughter Mary.
“I did this for her, it’s nice to be with her. I didn’t want to put her in daycare,” said Carpenter.
With her husband several time zones away, Carpenter is essentially a single mom. This has made the process of opening up a business difficult, to say the least. She put the entire operation together by herself in four weeks.“It’s very busy, but it’s worth it. I get overwhelmed but her smile makes it all better,” said Carpenter looking lovingly at her daugher in her arms. “I don’t have any time for myself. I don’t have any time off. But I think it will pay off later on.”
Photo by Orin Optiglot.