Introduction
Meet Ashley Smith, mother, wife, accountant, 
horse lover, and seller of Amish goods. I was first introduced to Ashley when we both worked together. I had recently been promoted and was given a budget for the first time in my new position. Honestly, I didn’t understand the process and codes. It was all Greek to me. I was told to “go talk to accounting.” So, the testing of patience for Ashley and her fellow accountants began and continues even to date. And patient she was, as well as understanding and helpful. Truth be told, I do my best to make the folks in accounting my best friends and they truly are.
Ashley no longer works with us, but her friendships continue. As so often is true in life, her passion turned her in another direction. I and the accountants have been fortunate to keep in touch with Ashley and her adventures which often take her and her family to Tennessee to the Amish country. I caught up with Ashley and I asked her if I could share my conversation with her with you. She generously agreed.
Our Conversation
Me: “So, Ashley, I would like to introduce you to my friends. You good with that?”
Ashley: “Absolutely.”
Me: “Great. So, tell us a little about yourself and your family.”
Ashley: “I’m 42 years old, married to Stacy for 15 years, have one child (13 year old girl-Carsyn). We enjoy living in the country & riding horses. I have a BS & a Master’s in Accounting. I work at Harris Tire Company during the week as their comptroller.”
Me: “How many horses do you have?
Ashley: “We only have two right now.”
Me: “You say you work as a comptroller during the week. I know you ride horses in your spare time, but you also like to travel to Tennessee a lot, especially the Amish Country there. Do you own a house in Troy where you live and in Tennessee?”
Ashley: “We live in Troy but my parents have a second house in Tennessee.”
Me: “I see. I know from other conversations and via Facebook that you sell Amish items. Mostly handmade. How did you get into that?”
Ashley: “For the past 20 years I have been 
visiting the Amish in Tennessee several times each year. I have accumulated several of the things that they make. After having people repeatedly tell me how they like my purchases and how much they would like to have the same thing; I decided to start trying to sell some of the smaller Amish handmade items myself. So, in the summer of 2015 I started selling Amish handmade wooden items such as birdhouses, cutting boards, bird feeders, rolling pins, etc.”
Me: “That’s pretty cool. Tell us more about your experience with the Amish people.”
Ashley: “We love going to visit the Amish and relaxing at the house in Tennessee. Over the years we’ve made friends with some of the Amish. I like selling stuff the Amish make so that hopefully people can learn to appreciate the craftsmanship the Amish have and all without electricity!!”
Me: “Would you be willing to give up being an accountant in making this a full time pursuit?”
Ashley: “I would love for this to turn into a full time job one day!!”
Me: “Somehow I see you loving this too much to call it a job. So, you have a store online. What is it called?”
Ashley: “Going Back In Time.”
Me: “How can people get a hold of you or get an idea of what it is you are so passionate about?”
Ashley: “People can reach me by phone/text at 334-618-3201, Facebook, or email ashsmith.1974@yahoo.com.”
Me: “Great. Ashley thanks for your time. It was good conversing with you again.”
A Little More Information
If you would like to see more of Ashley’s line of handmade Amish items, click on the link below to go to her Facebook Page “Going Back In Time.” When I approached Ashley about doing an interview she told me that she was excited about it and thanked me for thinking of her. I think you will agree that even though this article is listed under “Everyday People” on our blog site “The Salty Eclectic”, Ashley is an interesting Everyday Person and I thank her for letting me introduce her to you. Be sure to like her Facebook page.
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