Ashley Leftwich, Ever Atelier | Business Stories Magazine

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

Hello- My name is Ash...Ashley Leftwich...I was born in Dallas, Texas, and still reside here and create here. Most Texans are transplants now...but I'm true. I keep our productions local, as well, to keep lead times short.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now?

I love that I can drive for a few hours west and feel the wind blowing loudly on my face...the sun shining down on my skin...open road and big UNCLOSED sky. I love that I can drive south a few hours and be in a bustling music and eclectic community within a city. I love all the differences in Texas that keep it special. If I had to pick one thing about Dallas itself, I would say that I love the opportunities our city produces.

Tell us a little bit more about what your company does and how it started? How does it help your customers?

My company started in 2019 with a co-founder and was re-born/re-imagined earlier this year as mine only...It has been a windy, challenging road, but I am still here! I am a service-based wallcovering/art atelier that creates wallcovering designs that have significant artistic experimentation in the design and creative process. (ever)ything is story based and intentionally chosen. The designs are about expressing when you live with them, connection or disconnection. I help clients create functional, artful spaces layered with Ever Atelier's patterns as a part of the space's design.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

Be sure you have a thick skin on...Difficulties arise from different directions as businesses start and grow. The owner needs to be solution driven and be able to pivot based on the industry in their area, or other competition. I am compassionate, so I had to learn to have my thick skin on some days when nothing went right. But then other days, I look at my business and am so proud of all that I went through.

What was one feedback from a happy customer/client that you won't forget about?

"Ashley- I see your Ever wallcovering like I see you. Artful, unexpected, changing with the day but, always makes me happy." I love hearing clients connect with my art and n(ever) forget when I get comments like this.

Where do you see your company in the future?

Growing, Adapting, Changing, in ways I can try to predict and not. I am here for the ride. I would like to be able to grow into other grounds/substrates with texture.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception is that all wallpaper/wallcovering companies are the same. We are all different, developing our own language in print and texture...Some are more texture/ground based...some are more print based. I am artistically based, and I grew tired of seeing the same types of design in our industry...so I am here to scream: we are not all the same!

What has been one of your biggest struggle building your business and how did you deal with it?

Navigating small business turns and dips in a world with increasing pricing and tariffs, etc...We live in an expensive world...It is felt on many levels by consumers. I think as a small business owner, it is hard to be competitive and profitable in a world designed to make it not easy to be. My substrate and shipping prices keep going up and up (increases so many times over the last few years), but I have held my pricing the same, to try and stay competitive with the large design houses. It is not easy.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

That's a hard question regarding music...It depends on the time of year when I think of that question...the way my day goes...look into my Ever line and see all the musicians that are represented in all of the pattern names and colorways. I pay homage (from growing up) to a lot of my musical influences in the patterns. But short list, top of my head: Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance, Joy Division, The Cure. As far as athletes, I was not into any of that growing up, but I have become a disciplined boxer in my mid-life years...and I box 3-4 times a week, if I am lucky :). So I would say, athletes admired would be: Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol...for their boxing campaign together as artists :).

Any shoutouts you want to make?

I would like to shout out to my beautiful family and true friends. Thank you for all your Ever support, Ash support and support in general. These last few years have been mercurial, and I would not be where I am with Ever Atelier without you all. And also most of all, to the clients and designers that keep supporting Ever and sharing it, spreading the Ever love with the world...I wouldn't be here without you all.