Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Buzzy McHugh.
Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up at the age of five, I would have responded, “an artist.” In high school, I focused on theatre and performing arts, to the degree that I got accepted to a summer program geared towards developing those skills. At the summer program, I found myself spending most of my free time in the visual arts rooms. I would linger in the painting room and study what I loved about my classmates’ work. I checked the art books out of the library and posted my favorite pieces to my Xanga (yes, I did). When I arrived as a freshman at UGA, I quickly declared a major in fine arts; there was nothing else I could envision myself caring about consistently for four years.
I haven’t always been passionately creative or even remotely productive at creating art, but I’ve always known that I could never really picture myself walking away from art in the long term. I have dozens of hobbies and interests and I spend lots of my time traveling, cooking, eating, exercising but how I apply myself and use my energy will always be rooted in making. I enjoy the process of being creative just as much as I love celebrating and showcasing other people’s creativity.
The world is full of pressing deadlines and non-negotiable needs, and I am always grateful to the people who focus on helping people meet those needs for their careers. But, I truly believe that life on earth without curiosity, exploration and beauty wouldn’t be quite worth it for reasons that are hard to explain and justify. Humans need to feel seen, heard and mirrored and art has the ability to do that in so many transformative ways.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life has included a lot of surprises, stress, change and privilege. I have faced plenty of struggles but I’ve been lucky to have emotional, and later in life, financial support to help carry me through seasons and challenges that were overwhelming. I feel like I always need to say that when people ask how I’ve built my business – you can hustle for a long time, but finding proper funding is important for growth. Running a profitable business is just as important as being talented at what you do.
I’ve dealt with lots of confusion about what exactly I should spend my energy doing – should I create art for myself or work with clients on commissions? Should I have a small business that I run alone or should I grow with a team? Should my business be attached to me as a personal brand or should I create a stand-alone brand that I could hand off or sell? I’ve tried running my business pretty much every one of those ways, and in the past few years, I learned that I prefer working on a brand that exists outside of myself (as a person) with a team of people who feel equally invested in the exploration and growth of that business. It’s difficult to learn how to run a (larger) small business, and managing people has its own learning curve, but I’ve found that I love building something that’s greater than the sum of its parts and collaboration is a huge part of what brings me joy in both art and business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Press Shop?
Press Shop is a thoughtfully curated gift shop with a strong local and online presence. Our focus is on connecting the maker with the buyer in a way that feels genuine, nonobligatory and meaningful.
Our goal is to create a unique space where all types of people feel welcome, inspired and excited to shop.
Press Shop is, as a whole, a gift store. We specialize in letterpress printing and custom stationery, but we also carry a curated selection of low-intervention wines, a thoughtful range of books for all ages and interests, art from across the country with an emphasis on Atlanta-based female artists, gifts for babies and kids, meaningful and high-quality home goods and barware and a small sampling of plants and home garden accessories.
People often come into the store and tell us it’s all of their favorite things in one place. That makes sense because it’s all of my favorite things, too! We make sure to keep our values front and center when buying and sourcing for the store: small productions, sustainable practices, diverse perspectives, plenty of female and BIPOC representation and a refined, elevated sense of taste. We try to keep anything disposable or too trendy out of the store – our goal is to provide our customers with gifts that are thoughtful, useful, and well made.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Growing up, I spent a lot of time traveling. My mother immigrated to the United States from Iran, so her siblings and my cousins have always been dispersed all around the globe. I’ve been visiting my family in different countries like Sweden and Germany since I was a toddler, and I believe that has been one of the most transformative parts of my life – seeing the world from different perspectives at such a young age. I learned very quickly that there’s a lot more than one way to do something, and what I know and am exposed to is just the tip of the iceberg. This understanding has always kept me very curious and open-minded. I try to hold my opinions loosely and leave room to learn or discover something new every day.
Pricing:
- Press Shop’s wine selection is in the $15 to $50 range, with a few pricier bottles for special occasions.
- Custom stationery orders start at $250 and wedding invitations start at $350.
- Press Shop carries lots of quick gifts for family and friends between $20 and $40.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@pressshopatl.com
- Website: www.pressshopatl.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/press.shop
- Facebook: facebook.com/pressshopatlanta
Image Credits:
Haley James Photo
