Today’s Meet a Mom is Ashton Bowden, the mama owner of the new, local business, Sippin Down South! Sippin Down South is a full-service mobile bar that adds the perfect touch of vintage charm to any event ❤. After being laid off in 2020 from her 10+ year career in oil & gas, Ashton was able to take some time to be home with her young daughters and reflect on what she wanted to do next. Ashton has always loved to be creative and party plan, so she began renovating a vintage 94 horse trailer into the perfect mobile bar. Sippin Down South bar is the perfect addition for any event – weddings to birthdays to corporate events. Ashton began working events at the end of last year and is excited to see what 2022 brings!
Check out Ashton’s #meetamom interview below to learn more about her inspiration behind Sippin Down South, her dreams for her new business, and how she balances it all with 2 young daughters.
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in the North Houston area?
I was born and raised in Spring, Texas and moved out to North West Magnolia about 3.5 years ago.
How many kiddos do you have and how old are they?
I have two daughters; they are 4 and 2 years old.
What are your favorite local things to do? (with kiddos or just for mom!):
I love to try and shop and discover small local businesses. Some of the best treasures are these small businesses in little towns.
As hard as it is to find the time, what’s something you do just for yourself?
Becoming a mom of busy girls has kept me close to home a lot, so when I get the chance to catch up with a girlfriend to have a drink or get a pedicure, you’ll most likely catch me just about any-where outside of the house.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I love to be creative! If I have a chance to throw a themed party, I’ll put everything into it to make a vision come to life. I love hearing someone say “wow! I would have never thought of that”. DIY is so much fun for me.
What’s the best mom advice you have ever been given (or your own advice to mamas out there)?
It may be cliché but the saying “the nights are long, but the days are short” really hit home with me now seeing my daughter about to start Kindergarten this fall, I’m just not sure where the time went and just makes you realize how precious it all is. “Soak it all in, the good and the hard” best advice ever. Also to “pick my battles with toddlers” ha..
Tell us about Sippin Down South! When did you start your business and what do you offer?
Sippin Down South was started at the beginning of 2021 and is a beautiful vintage 94 horse trailer converted into a unique mobile bar. We have the ability to be a full-service mobile bar that adds the perfect touch of vintage charm to any event. From weddings to birthdays and corporate events, our expert mixologists and unique mobile bar are sure to leave a lasting impression on your guests.
What was the inspiration behind starting Sippin Down South?
After working in the corporate world of Oil & Gas for over 10 years, 2020 hit and like so many I was laid off from my job and the company shut down. 2020 gave everyone so much time to reflect on their lives and what truly mattered, and I was blessed to be able to stay home with our two girls. I have always loved wedding/party planning but at that point it became just a daydream I couldn’t stop obsessing over. I loved all the special things people were doing these days to make their weddings and events uniquely theirs and I wanted to be apart of that with something fun! One day my oldest was spending time with me and said, “Mommy I want to be just like you when I’m big”… not going to lie after wiping away the happy tears that came after hearing that, I realized I wanted to show her she could be anything she wanted, especially following those once “day-dreams”. We wanted to be able to bring the party anywhere and with that Sippin Down South was created!
What did you do before starting your own business?
I worked corporate sales & marketing in oil & gas for 10 years before being laid off in late 2020.
What was the biggest challenge in starting your own business?
Renovating our trailer during a pandemic was a whole new level of patience. We hit every back order or delay you could think of. There were weeks where the trailer just sat not even being touched and that killed me inside, I’m not one to just sit around and wait for things to happen. There were many times where I rolled up my sleeves and got to work attempting to fix things myself.
What has been the most rewarding thing about your work?
I LOVE seeing my customers have a great event! Although my business my be a small part in their event, the fun they are having and the praise of them enjoying our service makes it ALL worth it.
What is your favorite type of event to be a part of?
So far, we’ve only done private and smaller public events, but I cannot wait to do weddings! I’m hoping 2022 will offer us that opportunity to be a part of someone’s magical day!
How do you balance owning your business and being Mama?
Some days aren’t easy, taking phone calls with Frozen playing and girls singing in the background isn’t ideal, but I’m so glad to be able to put things down when I can and spend time with them. During actual events, I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of this business without my husband… Not only has he supported this dream he has also been a huge help with not only the physical heavy lifting but also co-parenting our daughters and taking them to do something while mommy works even after a full work week himself.
What are your future plans and dreams for Sippin Down South?
Starting actual service at the very end of the year was not what we had planned for, but we had a lot of fun success and growth in those two short months. I’m so excited to see what 2022 has in store! I hope to be a part of many people’s special days, to expend our team, to grow and building some amazing relationships while also getting to be a present wife and mom my girls can look up to.
To learn more about Sippin Down South, make sure to follow Ashton on Instagram!