Sun staff
Just a short walk on North Market Street from downtown Batavia lies Ash and Eish, a charming women’s and girl’s clothing store.
Ash and Eish was opened at the end of November by two friends, Elisha McPartland and Ashley Schraut, with a love for fashion and affordable clothing, Schraut said.
“We wanted to be able to offer people something different and unique, where in here each piece is one of a kind and we wanted to offer them something you would maybe see in the magazines or with the higher end celebrities and stuff like that but at an affordable price,” McPartland said.
Ash and Eish offers a mix of second hand clothes, new clothes, items from local vendors and custom design items for girls and women from 1 year old to over 50 years old, Schraut said. The store reflects the owners’ tastes.
“We really stick to our favorite trends,” Schraut said, which are currently bohemian and flower child styles.
The two got started after Schraut decided to make some alterations and update some of her old clothes. She and McPartland were out one day over the summer and she realized they were both wearing clothes she made and looked cute.
“People do ask us a lot about our clothes, you know, ‘where did you get that?’ And we’re like Meijer, somewhere cheap, you know, we don’t have to spend a fortune, and so we wanted to be able to give that to people,” Schraut said.
McPartland has a degree in fashion, and while Schraut has a degree in nursing she is talented at designing clothing, she said. So, the two now run their business in a building they share with the Village Art House.
Ash and Eish is located in a house, which only adds to the comfortable atmosphere in the shop that McPartland and Schraut provide with welcoming, friendly conversation and offers of snacks, coffee or wine.
“No two people can walk out of here looking the same,” McPartland said.
Business has been going very well so far, Schraut said. Some customers drive as much as 45 minutes to visit the shop.
Ash and Eish makes a lot of connections with customers through Facebook, she said.
Schraut and McPartland get a lot of customers asking for if they can find clothes that they saw on places like Pinterest, but can’t find where to purchase the clothing.
The two have been able to find a lot of clothes that are the same or very similar, Schraut said.
The two will also serve as a customer’s personal stylist and alter clothes for them, McPartland.
“The personal shopper, personal stylist is a big part of what we do,” McPartland said.
The personal touch to their business is reflected in how much they put into helping a customer, she said.
“We love doing it, we love seeing the finished product with them all dressed from head to toe in Ash and Eish,” McPartland said.
In the future, McPartland and Schraut are hoping to become vendors at The City Flea, an urban flea market that is open from May to December, Schraut said. The market is a bit exclusive because it looks for unique vendors.
The two hope someday to also have multiple store locations and become a known name, McPartland said, but they always plan to keep a Batavia location open, as the two are both Batavia graduates and love their hometown.
McPartland and Schraut are currently working on a website, but they can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and can be contacted at (513) 484-0149 or at HYPERLINK “mailto:ashandeishco@gmail.com”ashandeishco@gmail.com.
Winter hours are from 12-6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, by appointment Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and 12-8 p.m. Friday. Appointments are encouraged. In the spring, hours will be extended to 12-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Ash and Eish is located at 120 North Market St. in Batavia. Look for St. Patrick’s Day outfits and transitional outfits coming in soon.