About the Designer

Ashley Bradley was born in Brooklyn, NY and at the age of 7, moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, where she resides today. After being diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 14, Ashley soon realized her dream of becoming a doctor was a bit out of reach. With much surprise, the artistic gene passed down by her father’s cousin, Jasper Johns, soon showed through in her art of logo designing and watercolor painting. After two years of college, it was time for Ashley to get into the real world and start working. She stumbled upon her first job as an assistant in the local philharmonic orchestra, which later ended due to loss of funding. The president of the orchestra decided to open up a needlepoint shop and wanted Ashley to be a part of it. After working and learning all that she could about the needlepoint industry and how to run a small business, Ashley quickly decided to open up her own needlepoint shop. At the age of 21, Ashley and her mother, Mary Bradley, opened the doors to A. Bradley Needle Arts, Inc. in March of 2001. They ran the shop for 7 years, specializing in custom canvases, and met wonderful people along the way, some of which Ashley to this day, still designs for. During the latter part of Ashley’s shop-owning days, she decided to dip into the wholesale business. With a little push from her dear friend, Bruce Vann Dam, her line of designs were quickly in retail shops around the country.