Photo Credit: The Select 7
School is out for summer and I'm sooooo excited! I can't believe that June is finally here because it's also by birthday month and the first day of summer is soon. With it being summer I can now focus and do more with my interviews and blog. I'm truly excited and hope you enjoy this new interview! Last year I interviewed Ashleigh Hults; she created POOLSIDE Bags. I saw her bags like forever ago and still want one of the mini's I saw on the website. The bags are fun and have sayings on them that make me laugh. It is neat that she took a dream of hers and made it into something that people can actually buy and carry around with them. The bags can be worn with anything like a fancy gown or even shorts from the mall. The name POOLSIDE works awesomely with the bags because that's the perfect place to have the bag! They are also lightweight even if there is a lot of items in it. The bags have shown up in some of the most amazing magazines - uhm, Vogue! Hello?! That's really major. Ashleigh took time to answer some of my questions and I hope you enjoy them. She's super nice and definitely fashionable. Okay, bye! Thank you mom for the title! - Bean
Photo Credit: The Select 7
7+ Questions with ... Ashleigh Hults of Poolside
1. What is the best bag you have ever made?
My bags are like my children - I don't think any one of them is "best," and I love them equally. I love when people customize bags with sayings that mean a lot to them. It's so cool to see how everyone has something unique and special that they want on a bag.
Photo Credit: POOLSIDE
2. What is the best hotel you have ever visited?
Hmmm this is hard. I don't normally choose luxury hotels because I am managing a start up, and I'm definitely on a strict budget. I went to Capri last year* and stayed at Hotel Il Girasole. It was not fancy or luxury in any way, but the position of the hotel in Anacapri was amazing. It was close to all of the shops and delicious food and a beautiful, one hour walk to Lido del Faro (my favorite beach club in Capri). There was a grandma at the hotel who ran the "snack bar." This snack bar was the MOST DELICIOUS homemade Italian food that tasted like what my grandma used to make. Again, not fancy and no frills, but a quality establishment that let me bask in the magic of life. Sometimes you lose that feeling at luxury resorts because you wind up spending frivolously for a commercialized experience.
* “last year” = two years ago since these questions were posed in 2018
3. Have you ever been to a lavender farm? If not, or if yes, what purse would you take with you?
No, but I have thought about this. I would carry a bag that says "lavender fields forever."
4. How did you know you wanted to make purses?
I've always loved bags and the beach. So, this combines both of my passions!
Photo Credit: POOLSIDE
5. What purse would you take to have ice cream?
Definitely one of our bags that says "gelato".
6. Would you ever make a purse for someone my age? And if so, what would it say?
Of course, a lot of mommies purchase our L'petite mini bag for kids. I think the child's name or simple monogramming is super cute.
7. Is there more than one of you or do you work by yourself?
My sister in law manages our shipping and customer service. I also have a sales team, a freelance design team and a freelance graphic designer. We are building the team in a slow, focused way!
8. How did you come up with the name Poolside?
The POOLSIDE brand started as a little hotel boutique, which was situated poolside. It was called Poolside Collective. "Poolside" became the brand for my product line as well.
FIN.
