Thrift with Ash: Young mompreneur transforms online resale business overnight with Photoroom
The challenge: Ashleigh Patten, founder of Thrift with Ash, started her business in 2020 while looking for a way to declutter her space and earn some extra income. Although her lifelong love for thrifting and fashion set her on the right path, she quickly faced challenges in growing her business, particularly with creating a professional, cohesive look for her online resale listings. Despite her passion and early success, Ashleigh realized her store lacked the polished appearance that could help her stand out and grow her brand.
Our solution: Ashleigh discovered Photoroom at a Depop conference, where the app’s ease of use and powerful features—like the Background Remover and Batch Mode— caught her attention. These features helped her transform her business by turning her disorganized product photos into sleek, professional images that matched her vision for Thrift with Ash. The simplicity of Photoroom allowed Ashleigh to optimize her workflow while elevating the overall visual identity of her store. This upgrade not only improved her listings but also enhanced her brand's appeal and helped boost visibility and sales through better SEO.
Results: Since incorporating Photoroom into her process, Thrift with Ash has seen swift and lasting growth. Ashleigh's sales skyrocketed, going from a few sales a month to several sales every week, and eventually turning her side hustle into a full-time, thriving business. The professional look Photoroom provided has helped Ashleigh support her family while maintaining the flexibility of working from home as a stay-at-home mom. Today, she continues to scale her business, selling multiple items daily and embracing Photoroom as an essential tool in her ongoing success.
In 2020, Ashleigh Patten of Tallahassee, Florida was stuck at home recovering from surgery and going stir crazy in the process. That’s when she started thinking about decluttering her space and making a little money at the same time. While researching how to sell things online, she came across a woman on YouTube who was doing it full-time—something that had never occurred to Ashleigh. Like, “Wait, I can essentially create my own job and work for myself from home?” Amazing.
Growing up thrifting and loving fashion, and already building her wardrobe with some great pieces, Ashleigh quickly realized the perfection in this opportunity and went straight to work. So she started a deep dive into all of Bexa Boss Lady’s videos and tips in addition to any additional information she could find online. Soon, Thrift with Ash came to life.
Freshly married and living in a one-bedroom apartment, Ashleigh remembers having nowhere to store or photograph all of the items she was trying to sell. But today, what started with a couple of bags of clothes has turned into over 1,000 pieces of active inventory across Depop, Poshmark, Mercari, and more. Selling mostly in the U.S. for now, Ashleigh has her sights set on global sales in the future and expanding her brand's reach worldwide.
“Using Photoroom has completely transformed my business, especially my Depop store. At first, I had entirely different photos, but after spending hours updating them all with Photoroom, I saw an overnight change. My store was suddenly filled with beautiful images, and I noticed an immediate impact—going from a few sales a month to a few sales every week. And as I became more proficient with Photoroom, Depop became a regular source of income for me and my family.” - Ashleigh Patten, Founder, Thrift with Ash
From drab to fab: How Photoroom transformed Thrift with Ash’s visual identity and overall brand
“It was a really clear moment for me when I decided that I needed Photoroom for my business.” - Ashleigh Patten, Founder, Thrift with Ash
In 2022—at a Depop conference for up and coming sellers—Ashleigh and other eager conference-goers divided up into small groups to review and discuss their individual closets in community, and learn from each other.
“It felt like everyone around me had a very cohesive look to their closet. They just looked more professional. And even though I was doing really good, I didn’t have much to show for my business as a whole. I didn’t have a very unified, cohesive look to my products that I was putting out there,” Ashleigh remarked.
She walked away from that discussion at the Depop conference feeling both discouraged and disappointed with how her business appeared to the world. She didn’t want Thrift with Ash to be represented by a messy, confusing mass of ordinary online products. She wanted it to look like a cohesive brand with a lot of very special items to offer; like Thrift with Ash.
Ashleigh had often heard other online sellers rave about Photoroom, but ever the cautious consumer, she had been hesitant to take the leap on a new product she wasn’t sure would work—let alone be reliable enough to entrust with her business.
“There’s so many apps out there that claim to do amazing things, but it’s hard to know what’s really worth your money and your time. It was that eye-opening realization at the Depop conference that finally pushed me to take the leap. I downloaded Photoroom and it was so ridiculously easy to use that I wondered why I had waited so long. It’s amazing.” - Ashleigh Patten, Founder, Thrift with Ash
From that day on, Ashleigh says her Depop closet (and other resale platform closets) went from a mish mash of disorganized and cluttered photos to looking like a very specific store, brand, and aesthetic.
“When you’re selling vintage clothing, it's crucial to show customers what kind of silhouette they’re looking at. So the fact that I can photograph my inventory in my literal bathroom and then use Photoroom to make my photos look as nice as any online stores’ is just amazing.” - Ashleigh Patten, Founder, Thrift with Ash
While she continues to learn more about all that Photoroom has to offer, Photoroom’s Background Remover and Batch Mode features have been enough to transform Ashleigh’s entire business and brand. They’re lifesavers, she says, and she uses both every single day.
“I’ve seen a lot of information online that a white background is best for search engine optimization (SEO) and of course, I’m trying to get my items seen by as many people as possible. So I use Photoroom’s Background Remover and there’s no distractions. People can just search for something online and be directed to my item.”- Ashleigh Patten, Founder, Thrift with Ash
Thrift with Ash goes from side hustle to full-time success with Photoroom
Photoroom’s impact on Thrift with Ash has been swift, transformative, and lasting. In fact, it’s taken the endeavor from side hustle status to a full-time, thriving enterprise. Post-Photoroom, Ashleigh went from making just a few sales every month to a few sales every week, pretty much overnight. Today, Ashleigh sells anywhere from 1 to 10 items every day, and helps support her family doing something she loves; something that gives her the flexibility to be a full-time stay-at-home mom and a full-time boss.
“I have a 2-year-old that I look after all day, every day. It’s very challenging to work alongside the schedule and the emotions of a toddler. So I am always looking for unique ways to get my work done and Photoroom makes a lot of that possible.” - Ashleigh Patten, Founder, Thrift with Ash
Building a sustainable future: Thrift with Ash’s journey forward with Photoroom
Ashleigh’s journey with Thrift with Ash is one of rapid growth, sustainability, and constant learning. Reflecting on her achievements, she’s most proud of how her business has not only grown significantly in a short time but also how it has contributed to reducing textile waste. By sourcing predominantly from places like the Goodwill Outlet, she saves clothes that would otherwise end up in landfills, giving them a new life and contributing to a more sustainable fashion ecosystem.
Her passion for fashion and her desire to keep clothing moving through the economy makes her work that much more rewarding. Beyond the numbers, it’s the fulfillment of knowing she’s playing a role in saving perfectly good clothing from being discarded that drives her.
What has surprised Ashleigh the most is how much there still is to learn, even after years of experience. With each new discovery—whether it’s a fresh style or a brand she’s never heard of—Ashleigh continues to enjoy the process of learning and growing. She’s excited about the future of Thrift with Ash, especially as it evolves alongside her personal life, from a newlywed side hustle to a full-time business that supports her family. As she looks ahead to growing her family, and exploring more new income streams online, she’s eager to see where her business will go next and how Photoroom will be a key part of that process.
Her advice to anyone considering Photoroom?
“Don’t wait. For my business, it’s been a game changer. Photoroom is an incredibly easy-to-use app that makes an immediate visual impact and helps people take you seriously online.” - Ashleigh Patten, Founder, Thrift with Ash
Try Photoroom yourself today. Available on Android, iOS, or the Web.
And make sure to follow Asheigh’s journey on Instagram where you can find links to all of her fabulously curated online closets, including Depop, Poshmark, Mercari, and more!
