We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Pasquini a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Throughout my life I had trouble deciding what I wanted to do as my career. I wanted to do something that I could have a solid work-life balance while also engaging and spending time doing something fulfilling and meaningful.
My parents always encouraged me to start my own business so that I could have the freedom to make my own decisions. I had seen them be successful business owners and also work 9-5 jobs, so starting a business of my own seemed like the ideal choice.

Once I reached college age, I had to make the decision of what my next step was going to be. After a period of stress and confusion, I finally decided that I was going to start my own business. Something that I have always been passionate about is thrifting- finding a good deal on any secondhand item. I wanted to turn this passion into profit. I came up with the idea of starting a thrift store that sells clothing, jewelry, and accessories at an affordable price. This idea checked a lot of my boxes in what I wanted for my business- mainly saving pieces of clothing from the landfill and encouraging people to shop secondhand instead of relying on mass-produced fast fashion.

I ran this idea by my parents who then helped me set up all the documentation I needed to get my business up and running. I started to use the money I had saved up to purchase everything I needed to get started like inventory, a website, and various supplies. I then officially opened my business to the public by listing my items on various marketplaces like eBay, depop, and mercari. I wanted to test the waters for in-person markets as well and completed a few of those. Finally, I am almost finished with building my website and am almost ready to open it to the public.

Even though I have only been in operation since January of 2025, I am excited to see where the years take me as I continue to grow and invest in my business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Ashley Pasquini and I am a 19-year old entrepreneur. I got into the thrifting, secondhand merchandise industry through my personal love of thrifting. In my store, Dragon’s Den Thrift, I sell secondhand and preloved clothing, jewelry, and accessories for an affordable price. My business is set apart from others because everything in my store is $10 and under. Keeping the prices at this low amount allows customers to be more comfortable buying secondhand while I am also making some profit on each sale. I want my customers to know about the impact we are making on the textile industry. I want them to understand how many beautiful, usable pieces of clothing end up in the landfill daily and how fast-fashion is a main contributor to this issue. My customers can know that, through one piece of clothing at a time, we are helping these beautiful, usable pieces from ending up in the landfill.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the beginning of adulthood when I had to decide what my next steps were going to be as far as my career goes, I had a period of stress and confusion when it was time for college. Out of fear of the unknown, I started my first year of college without a specific direction or knowing what I wanted to do. At that point I was assuming I would follow the “default” plan for life- go to college, get a degree, get a 9-5. But I knew deep down that this was not what I wanted to do and I would not feel joyful or fulfilled doing this. During my second year of college, that’s when things took a turn. Something clicked in my brain where the idea for a thrift store sparked. Since this is what I wanted to do, I had to pivot my way of thinking from working a regular job to being my own boss and starting something of my own. It was through this dramatic change in my life where I was able to shift mentalities to becoming a business owner.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I was fortunate and blessed to have the kind of business that doesn’t require a ton of initial funding. I was able to start my business completely debt-free, using the money I had saved up from working for my parents’ business on the weekends. A good chunk of my savings have gone into starting this business, but I believe that it will pay off in the future once I am more established and have grown.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dragonsdenthrift.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dragonsdenthrift/
• Other: https://dragonsdenthrift.carrd.co/