We recently connected with Ashley Webb and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose just by looking around and seeing what needed to be done. Sometimes when you grow up in a space, you are so used to “this is just how it is”, you forget that it doesn’t have to be this way. When I moved to New Orleans, I wasn’t used to how things were in that neighborhood and I said, something needs to be done. Then one day you realize, you need to be that someone to do something about it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi, I’m Ashley, I am the co-owner of Barcelo Gardens, a community garden and Fresh produce market in 9th ward New Orleans. When we moved to New Orleans, we quickly learned the area we moved to, 9th Ward, was a food desert. My husband and I decided to do something about that and started a community garden in 2017 which transitioned into a farmer’s market, urban farm, and fresh produce market during that time. We grow produce and work with other local farmers to bring fresh, local produce to our area. Every one deserves access to fresh produce! We are currently working on marketing, so that more people in the area know that we are here and what we stand for.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three most important skills is social media (how to market on it), being will to learn new skills, and being open to asking questions. There are so many how to out there, but the best knowledge is to just go out there, ask people already doing it questions, and to not be scared to put your business online. Most of the time, your closest people aren’t going to be your customers, but so many other people will be. Find your people!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking for people to partner with if they want to teach a gardening or cooking class or put on an event with.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/barcelogardens
- Facebook: Facebook.com/barcelogardens
