Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash O’Rourke.
Hi Ash, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Stories have been my whole life for as long as I can remember–not an original line, I know, but true. I grew up reading voraciously, then writing when I temporarily ran out of books I wanted to read (don’t worry, I found more). Flash-forward to college and my predictable degree in English Literature, during which time I also self-published a series that wasn’t anywhere close to publishable. In my senior year and immediately following I began picking up professional editing jobs, scraping up bottom-of-the-barrel gigs that paid too little until my resume was solid enough to pick up bigger work for more professional agencies and clients. During that time (and to this day) I also worked and still often work in marketing to pay the bills; I also met my husband and in 2021 opened Story Sirens Studio, a production company for which we produced That Pretentious Book Club (a comedy podcast for book lovers which I co-host with my cousin), and The Scripturient Society (a podcast for writers co-hosted with my college roommate). During this period I continued my own writing and querying in addition to editing, and successfully ghostwrote multiple cozy mysteries for an industry name in the genre. In 2023 my husband and I welcomed our first kiddo, and a couple years years after that Story Sirens Studio began collaborating with Placeless Events to host seasonal writing retreats for women all around the country. After returning home from our first successful retreat, my husband asked why I didn’t just open a bookshop, since my whole life revolves around reading, writing, and supporting readers and writers. A week later I had a 40 page business plan ready to go, and we opened the doors of The Story Emporium and Bookshop six months later. We offer new and used books in all genres, journals, and games, plus gifts, merchandise, and art sourced primarily from local and indie artists. Our cafe is open all day as well, and offers a range of coffee and tea as well as beer, wine, mocktails, spritzers, and snacks! We host all manner of community events, most of which are free to attend and participate in, as well as ticketed events such as Dungeon & Dragons one-shot adventures, bookbinding workshops, and more. Our programming focuses on supporting creative and professional development for writers and storytellers of all ages, to ensure anyone with a story to tell has the tools they need to tell it well.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I certainly wouldn’t say the road has been smooth to get where we are, but I will say we have been incredibly blessed and our existence here wouldn’t be possible without God’s unbelievable providence and the support of the amazing Hutto community in which we have found ourselves enmeshed. Most of the pre-opening work hit during a time of significant personal challenge (or utter turmoil if you want to be less diplomatic about it); in addition to some strenuous family situations and my sweet Velcro toddler, I was also pregnant with our second child and experiencing a myriad of complications–including but not limited to an emergency appendectomy at 17 weeks pregnant. At this time I continued working a full-time job, co-hosting and producing podcasts, as well as producing and co-hosting writing retreats in Texas and beyond, but we were determined to open in time for the 2025 holiday season. With the help of an amazing community of generous supporters and private donors (and a business loan or two), we opened our doors November 1, 2026 and had a truly stunning holiday season. However, we did experience a serious threat to our continued presence in Hutto when the seasonal retail slump of January/February coincided with a significant dispute between SE&B and a local electric provider. It took months of negotiations to sort out, but again, the community swept in with support and God provided for us in ways we never could have predicted or contrived and we made it through that season — and finally came out the other end of negotiations successfully! As a still-new, small business, every month still ends with a little heart attack as we scramble to make sure we can pay our bills and amazing staff; also, a shout-out to my utterly unbelievable, lovely, competent, life-saving team at SE&B–we could never have gotten this far without y’all’s amazing kindness, graciousness, and positivity — I thank God every day for y’all and truly cannot imagine a better team! Despite all of the obstacles we have faced and the ones I’m sure will continue crop up, I have faith that God will continue to provide opportunities for us to do our best, be a blessing to our community and the storytellers around us, and that every month will continue to be better than the last.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I really want to emphasize the elements of SE&B that make us unique from other independent bookstores. Not only do we offer new and used books in an effort to offer something for every budget, but we prioritize community first in all things. When we stock new inventory–be it indie books, jewelry, toys, gifts, etc.–we prioritize local voices and vendors whenever possible. Similarly, our event calendar is packed to the brim every month with both free and ticketed events designed to serve the specific needs and requests of the people who come into the shop. With coffee/tea, beer/wine, and snacks plus all manner of seating both downstairs and upstairs (including rooms that can be reserved for special events), we pride ourselves on being a welcoming third-space for people of all ages to sit and socialize, work, write, etc. We have free Wifi and we are super kid-friendly! While some days at the shop can be serenely calm and quiet, we do warn guests that we are first and foremost family-friendly, and any given day might involve kiddos joyfully causing a raucous downstairs (typically in the children’s room), often enjoying our signature sweet milk drinks (unicorn milk and pegasus milk, the latter of which is currently my firstborn’s preferred beverage over all others). Finally, we have a whole suite of resources for writers, from free networking support to help writers find cover designers, formatters, beta readers, etc. to professional editing services and free writing workshops, supporting the growth and success of new and long-time storytellers remains a core part of our focus and mission.
How do you think about happiness?
Off the top of my head, the things that make me happiest are my husband and children–especially seeing them play together (another cliche I have no shame in admitting), reading books, and writing books.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thestoryemporiumandbookshop.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestoryemporiumandbookshop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578865563581
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfheK-stZEnwbzabFolc1w
- Other: https://storysirensstudio.com/retreats
