Rustique by Ashley Opens Second Location on Monroe Street in Ellicottville
Rustique by Ashley Opens Second Location on Monroe Street in Ellicottville
The beloved ladies’ boutique expands to Ellicottville, filling the former Gado-Gado space with fashion, décor, and locally inspired finds.
Downtown Ellicottville welcomed the opening of the popular ladies’ boutique, Rustique by Ashley, last Saturday in the space formerly occupied by Gado-Gado at 26 Monroe Street. Well known in Hamburg where the flagship store opened in December 2021, this will be the boutique’s second location. To celebrate, owner Ashley Hoelscher and team hosted an opening day to remember, with passers-by popping in to say hello. EllicottvilleNOW caught up with Hoelscher to get the scoop on what she has in store at her latest outpost.
“It was always a running joke between my fiancé and me that we’d love to open a shop in Ellicottville one day,” she said. “Then one evening, when we went out to dinner and had a wait, we decided to do some shopping and ended up at Gado-Gado. I noticed signs about a sale and started chatting with the owner, Suzanne [Roberts], about a storefront that would soon be available. Before we knew it, we were taking the leap - and now we’re thrilled to be part of this community!”
The Eden native explained that she has always had a passion for boutique shopping. “I always thought, ‘It would be so cool to have one of these someday,’ and somehow here we are!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t start out in fashion; I went to school for psychology and later switched my major hoping to become an event coordinator.”
Per her website bio, Hoelscher spent some time as an administrative assistant in catering and events for a Sheraton hotel, and later managed a spa before following her true creative passion for design. “Looking back, it all kind of worked out. I’ve always loved being creative, putting spaces together, and meeting people, so owning a boutique just felt like the perfect fit,” she added.
“The business started from my passion for painting and flipping furniture. During Covid, I was flipping furniture regularly and realized I could turn it into something more, which led me to find a storefront,” Ashley continued. “Once I opened, the furniture would sell almost as soon as I brought it in, so I needed more pieces to fill the space. That’s how I began adding apparel, accessories, and home décor, and I quickly fell in love with the entire concept. We’ll officially be celebrating the five-year milestone on January 10th, as December was especially busy with opening our new location.”
The grand opening was well-received. “We were really happy with the turnout and the support from the community,” Ashley said. “We opened at 10:00am and had a steady flow of people coming in throughout the entire day. With the Christmas Stroll happening as well, we saw lots of folks popping in and out, which kept us nice and busy. We met so many people - from locals to out-of-towners - and so many locals stopped in just to wish us the best of luck. Everyone we met was incredibly sweet and welcoming, and it made the day even more special.”
As for the name, the inspiration behind it came from her mother and stepfather. “I had a list of potential names for a store if I ever opened one,” she explained, "and they chose Rustique by Ashley - even going so far as to get my business license for me!” she said, adding that it was a birthday present. “I loved it because it combines my ‘rustic vibe’ with the ‘-tique’ from boutique shopping, which felt like the perfect fit.”
As for her current offerings, Rustique by Ashley’s online store boasts a selection of apparel, accessories, jewelry, home décor, and more. The boutique also stocks a wide selection of unique Buffalo gear, custom Ellicottville items, and game-day apparel which she creates herself. “In addition, we carry a variety of items from local vendors, so there’s always a mix of unique, handmade, and boutique finds in the store.”
Expect the new store to offer similar goods. Some of the furniture and displays in the store are for sale, and Ashley anticipates adding more. “They’re made locally in Hamburg from reclaimed wood, which gives the store a really unique, handmade feel.”
“One of the things we’re most excited about [with the new store] is hosting lots of fun events and pop-ups,” Ashley said. “We love bringing in local vendors to create a really unique and enjoyable shopping experience. The store has a lot of heart put into it; I wanted it to have the same cozy, welcoming vibe as our Hamburg location, with chairs on the wall and little touches throughout that make it feel special.”
Stay tuned for the official store hours which will be announced soon. In the meantime, Rustique by Ashley is open for business at 26 Monroe Street (next door to Nature’s Remedy) and online at https://rustique-by-ashley.square.site/. Hoelscher says she plans to create a tab for the Ellicottville location on her website in the future. To reach the boutique, email ashley@rustiquebyashley.com, call 716-699-1039, or message the store via Facebook or Instagram. A sign-up for the monthly email list is available on the website.