Meet Ashlie Weisel | Owner and designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashlie Weisel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashlie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Community and connection. It’s making sure we include everyone in what we are doing. It’s capturing the lifestyle of the mountains and sharing positive, uplifting vibes in the designs I create.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started the sunny side up studio out of our home when we were stationed in Germany. At the time, I was 22 years old and the thought of living in a new culture was just as horrifying as it was exciting. It challenged me but opened my heart to also challenge myself in my abilities and how I wanted to spend my time there. I started working at the aquatic center where I taught swim lessons which was familiar and comfortable to me. However, when asked to take a weekend off to go to Prague, and my time off was denied, it was this pivotal moment when I knew I couldn’t let anyone control the way I wanted to spend my time. So I started my own swim school, which eventually turned into an art school out of our home. When we got out of the military in 2013, we moved to Colorado where this same mindset followed me. We knew we loved to travel so we found awesome art shows to participate in around the country so we could pay for our trips. We fell in love with summit county in 2014 and moved there in 2017. The opportunity to open our shop happened in 2018 and it was the opportunity of a lifetime . I had the opportunity to design with the brand , Be Hippy for awhile and it really have me to confidence to know that my designs would sell well in a retail location. Our first 2 summers went so well that we decided to open a sister store, The Groovy Moose, on main street Breckenridge. We were only open for 6 months when the pandemic hit, and unfortunately decided it was best for us to close that location and focus on sunny side up. I’m most proud of us for our resilience during uncertain times and always trusting the process, listening to signs and taking leaps of faith. Today, I have pivoted into the world of clothing design and I’m so thankful for the challenges and abundance of opportunities this has offered our business to continue to make us a one of a kind brand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would start by taking them to grab some breakfast at sunshine cafe because it’s our fav and can’t be beat. Next up we would hike mt. Royal because the view from the top is incredible. We would head back down to Frisco for drinks on the patio at pure kitchen in Frisco and then shop around – a few must see shops are rivers and funky trunk! Grabbing a beer and brat at ein posit is a must and then catching the sunset from the rooftop at uptown!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband for always being my biggest cheerleader and support through every step of the way, my mom and dad for daily inspiration and my daughter for helping me to see creativity through her eyes. Cayla who is my front line gal at the shop for making it a sunnier place everyday with her presence, my friend Vick for always being there to help at the shop and constant encouragement, and the summit county community for coming through with some of the scariest days of the pandemic. I am forever grateful

Website: www.thesunnysideupstudio.com

Instagram: Sunnysideupfrisco

Facebook: The sunny side up studio