Ashley Marie’s named Business of the Month

PERRY, Ga. — Business is booming for a small business as they are awarded the Business of the Month award.

On June 28, Ashley Marie’s Boutique, known for its astounding window displays and fashionable products, recieved the Business of the Month award from the Perry Chamber of Commerce. The boutique has been run by mother and daughter duo Lynn Bassett and Ashley Marie for the last 11 years.

When asked what it meant to receive the business of the month award, Bassett responded, “It was an honor. We love Perry. When they called us and told us, we were so excited.”

Vague and strenuous criteria must be followed to get a Business of the Month award. Some aspects include innovation of a business’s said product or service and being a model representative of a small business community.

Bassett also runs Peach State Delivery Service, which she has owned for 26 years. On top of this, she is married with two kids and three granddaughters.

She decided to start the boutique business because she and her daughter, Ashley Marie, had wanted to. Despite not knowing much about how to run a boutique, she dove right in.

“We came to downtown Perry and there was an empty spot… we jumped in wide open and here we are almost 11 years later,” said Bassett.

Over the years they have learned and implemented various things, like being able to better discern what clothes people would want to buy from their shop and adding in a men’s section of clothing.

“We don’t even have a website but we’re able to keep growing every year, just by word of mouth I believe,” said Bassett. They are looking to change this, however, as they seek to start their website very soon.

Being a local business has only become tougher, due to larger corporations and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic that caused many local businesses to close their doors permanently. Remarkably, the boutique only had to close for eight weeks during the pandemic.

“The minute we opened back up, it just went wide open. I mean, we haven’t slowed down,” said Bassett.

For the generous inflow of business, they have been very grateful to the community and have tried to pay it forward by sponsoring various schools and their sports teams.

If you are looking to buy or find out more about the boutique, their store is located at 913 Carroll Street in downtown Perry. You can also visit their Facebook page or call their number (478) 224 2667.

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