Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Berry.
Hi Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m from Oklahoma but I have been living in California for the last 30 years with a few departures to here or there mixed in–Portland, Alaska, Hawaii. I met Brian Girgus (who I co-own the bar with) in LA about seven years ago and we’ve been together since.
We had our eye on a little bar and bottle shop that our friend and bandmate, Dan, was working at. It was down the street from our house and it was always good to go up there and hang with him. It was clear to see the place was being neglected by its owners at the time. After a while we started scheming on the possibility of buying it and giving it the TLC we thought it needed.
After conversations with the owners that went on for a few years, we finally were in a place where we could come to an agreement to buy it and take over ownership. We got the keys on Jan. 27th and started working like crazy to turn it into Western Station–a bottle shop as well as a neighborhood bar. We were able to open the place up on my birthday!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Opening a business in Los Angeles is not particularly easy, there is so much bureaucracy! This was not our first foray into it though. I used to own a pizza shop and owned and operated a breakfast restaurant for the past 13 years. Brian owns The New California Barbershop, and it’s been in business for 10 years. You don’t go into something like this expecting it to be easy but overcoming the challenges is what makes it rewarding. We’re living our dreams right now! Doing a lot of work and getting through the obstacles is part of it and we feel confident in our abilities to weather the storms that inevitably come up.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We just want to provide quality beer and wine in a comfortable place that is inclusive for the community. We offer a variety of international and domestic wine focused on small batch productions. Most of our beer is sourced west of the Colorado river and most from California. We also offer plenty of non-alcoholic options too!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Having integrity and being consistent. Hiring our friends and treating them well.
Contact Info:
- Website: westernstationbeerandwine.com
- Instagram: @westernstationbeerandwine
Image Credits
Photos by Brian Girgus
