Meet Ashley Hughes: Owner of Sipnics In The City & Nurse Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Hughes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a Registered Nurse and a new graduate Nurse Practitioner, the COVID-19 outbreak has been influential in my life from caring for patients in the hospital, constantly seeing it on the news station, and social media. It’s easy to get lost in the noise of what’s going on around us. It’s been easy for my anxiety to set in while I am on the frontline and trying to self-quarantine as much as possible, my normal has been shifted; yet; I’m thankful. My thought process behind the Sipnics In The City was to provide luxury service and indulgence for women that looked like me, for women who did not partake in self-care, and for women who needed a damn break from reality and being so strong and provide luxury to people and a sense of normalcy within this pandemic.

I started dating my fiancé, Okechukwu in March during COVID-19 and became very creative with our dates. Our first date was a picnic in Piedmont Park. After enjoying the planning process and the execution with the look on his face, I felt overjoyed. I always had a niche for planning and creating experiences for others to enjoy. I finally decided to utilize my creative side.

Sipnics In The City is a black-owned luxury picnic company that has set a standard to provide a luxury service to people, especially during COVID-19 and has expanded to provide charcuterie boards as known as sipcuteries, because what is a charcuterie without the sip (wine)!II needed a creative outlet to release stress; I always had a niche for planning and creating experiences for others to enjoy; so I realized how much I loved decorating and designed these little versatile dining rooms that go into the park. Curating and executing Sipnics is a balance between the organization, luxury decorating, and creativity. Every time I create a sipnic experience I have always remembered the experiences that I indulged in and crafted for others. Combining nature with luxury is the entire purpose of @sipnicsinthecity. Sipnicking on the lawn, at home, indoors, or wherever with friends laughing and chatting in dresses, sunhats, and sunshine will help ease any problems.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I started Sipnics In The City, I was in my last semester of Nurse Practitioner school. I was juggling starting my last semester online in the middle of a pandemic, working as a nurse without adequate support from nursing leadership, and trying to complete 180 clinical hours in Primary care. I am a current Registered Nurse and a Graduate Nurse Practitioner. I graduated from Saint Louis University with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014; I graduated from Georgia State University in 2020 with a Masters Of Science in Nursing. II have been in the nursing field for 7 years working in the Intensive Care Unit and Perioperative Surgical Services. Statistics have shown that Black business owners and founders have more challenges with adequate funding and investments. I was able to use the money for my career as a nurse to help me build my product inventory. I took a bet on myself, despite it being a different venture for me. Although I have experience in nursing, running a business, and being my own boss was something that I had to teach myself.
Sipnics In The City loves details!! When planning a sipnic, the first thing that I am keen on is colors. After mastering the decor color, I indulge in detail. My company is known for creating mini dining rooms in the park and ensuring the experience is a luxurious one. My clients are able to have an open line of communication when planning and creating the ultimate experience. Sipnics In the City curates and takes care of all details whether they are big or small. The client doesn’t have to lift a finger. No sipnic experience is alike; they all crafted and planned to give the ultimate extravagant feel for that patron.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friends were visiting Atlanta for the weekend, the first place we would go would be Piedmont Park. Piedmont Park holds so much essence and diversity to Atlanta. We would of course have a picnic or even better a SIPNIC. Combining nature with luxury is the entire purpose of @sipnicsinthecity. Sipnicking on the lawn, at home, indoors, or wherever with friends laughing and chatting in dresses, sunhats, and sunshine will help ease any problems.

For brunch/breakfast, we would go to Breakfast at Barneys. This place is very intimate and gives the southern comfort that allows patrons to relax and of course celebrate moments. This is where my family, friends, and fiance celebrated our engagement. I would also recommend BQE. It is full of life and black girl magic. This place provides an ambience while basking in the energy of successful Black People. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am surrounded around girl bosses and one of my best friends owns a law firm that specializes in trademarks and business and “protecting your very important brand.” Brittany J. Thompson, at Your Brands Law Firm, helped me trademark my logo and my name. There cannot be a sipnic without Sipnics In The City.

Thank you to my fiance, Okechukwu, for always supporting me, loving me, and even decorating sipnics and arranging flowers for me! I love you always. Thank you for making my wildest dreams come true, supporting every idea, helping bring it to fruition, and being the muscle when I need you!

Website: https://sipnicsinthecity.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sipnicsinthecity/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sipnicsinthecity

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sipnics-in-the-city-atlanta

Image Credits
Image Credit: Brandon Green