Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Bowling.
Hi Ashley, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Ashley Bowling, Co-Founder + Editor-in-Chief of EASTside Magazine, Travel Writer, Founder of Locals Know ATX Food Tours
If you told 2006-me that I’d someday be herding three kids to and from practices, running a women-led creative team, and brining people together through food tours, I would’ve politely asked what you were smoking. Back then, I was deep in the world of design and architecture: cranking out drawings, debating grout colors, and thriving off caffeine and creativity. I loved it. But in 2015, when my husband Will and I adopted our daughter (making her the second toddler in our house), everything shifted. Late-night design sessions turned into sleepless-nights, and I realized I wanted to spend less time on deadlines and more time making every moment count as a mother.
So, I traded AutoCAD for Adobe Suites, joining Will in his creative and graphic design firm. By that point, we had already called East Austin home for eight years, and man, was it buzzing. Food trucks were serving up everything from birria to bánh mì. Artists were painting dreams on warehouse walls. Musicians were playing so close to home we could open the windows and catch a live set from the living room.
All it took was saying “hello”—a curious, genuine, “how are you?”—to realize how many stories surrounded us. And that’s when the idea hit: let’s tell them.
The Birth of EASTside Magazine
In January 2016, we send the first issue of EASTside ATX Magazine to print. With two kids, one double stroller, and about $20,000 of our own savings, we started distributing it. We didn’t have an office—just grit, Google Docs, and a lot of coffee. We wrote half the 52-page issue ourselves, designed every layout, sold ads to pay the printer, and hand-delivered 10,000 copies to 250 local businesses and doorsteps across Central Austin, always with two toddlers in tow. Who needs a gym membership when you’re pushing two 3 year olds and loads of magazines uphill? We perfected our pitching arm.
What started as a neighborhood publication is now a magazine printed eight times a year, reaching households across the city in print and hundreds of thousands of readers online. But the heartbeat hasn’t changed. We still tell stories that make readers feel something—whether it’s the sizzle of a new food truck or the rhythm of a local musician playing under neon lights.
Women-Led and Wonderfully Local
Today, I’m proud to say EASTside Magazine is powered by a team of talented creatives: writers, photographers, editors, and designers who pour their hearts into every issue. They’re the backbone of what we do: passionate, brilliant, often fueled by coffee and creativity. Together, we’ve built a platform that celebrates the city’s soul—its artists, dreamers, and doers—without ever losing that neighborly tone of “come on in, grab a seat.”
As the editor, I live for the details that make a story sing: the cadence of a chef describing her grandmother’s recipe, the soft rhythm in a musician’s backstory, the travel piece that plucks you right out of your chair and plops you down trail in a national park or a night market in Mexico City. My goal has always been to make you feel like you’ve been there—even if you’re just reading it from your cozy corner.
From Magazines to Mesquite
Fast forward to May 2025, and I took another leap. This time into the smoky, saucy world of barbecue. Locals Know ATX was born this year, starting with Locals Know BBQ Tours. It’s a segue to experience Austin through taste, yet, not without bringing people together over a shared story. We take locals and visitors alike on curated journeys through East Austin’s most beloved barbecue joints complete with storytelling, history, and a few comedic puns along the way. Think of it as community connection… with brisket. But it doesn’t stop there. I am already dreaming up The Best of Texas, Tacos & Tex-Mex, and The Best of Austin tour’s schedule, strategy, and script. Because I believe if you can tell a story with a sentence, you can absolutely taste a story too. Our beloved city just has so much to offer and we want people to fall in love.
The Throughline
Whether it’s design, writing, travel, music, or motherhood, my story (and our dream that started 11 years ago) has always been about connection. About elevating voices that might otherwise go unheard. About finding beauty in the small things: a neighbor’s hello, a shared meal, a perfectly edited sentence.
From architecture to art to adventures abroad, I’ve learned that creativity doesn’t fade, it just evolves. And sometimes, the best stories start with opening your heart, saying “hi,” and listening to the undertones of the people around you.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running multiple businesses with multiple kids at various life stages is like trying to host a dinner party on a moving bus; one that’s occasionally on fire and never on time.
Will and I joke that we didn’t birth EASTside Magazine in January 2016. We accidentally adopted it. It’s basically our third child, and just like a third child, it came with a lot of personality, high energy, and resulted in zero sleep. Between editing, soccer games, ad sales, football practices, photoshoots, doctors appointments for our special kiddo, and editorial meetings, we basically turned juggling anything at any given moment into an Olympic sport.
And then came 2020.
When the World Hit Pause, We Hit Print
While the world stocked up on toilet paper, we were hoarding ink and optimism. The advertising world went silent overnight… like tumbleweeds-in-the-inbox silent. Our to do list looked like the set of a post-apocalyptic movie. There were no events, no budgets, and no “normal.” But instead of closing up shop, we decided to double down on what we knew best: storytelling.
We wrote about resilience, highlighted the helpers, and used every ounce of creativity to keep the lights on (and the kids somewhat educated). It wasn’t glamorous, but it was real, and it reminded us why we started all this in the first place: to build community, not just a company.
When the Ink Gets Expensive & the World Gets Weird
Fast forward a few years, and running an independent print magazine feels a bit like selling bread in a gluten-free world. Paper costs are up. Shipping costs are even higher. Trust in the media is somewhere in the basement. And now, we’ve got AI, which at times feels like that coworker who’s “just trying to help” while slowly taking your job.
Still, we keep printing. Because there’s something sacred about holding a story in your hands. No algorithm can replicate the feeling of flipping through pages that smell faintly of ink and spending time with a story. But not just any story, the story of your neighbor.
Mom Life Meets Media Life
And just to keep things interesting, we added a real life baby #3 to the mix as I turned 40. Now with two preteens and a toddler (one with medical needs), it means life doesn’t follow a tidy editorial calendar. Some days, I’m on print deadline while also putting corndogs in the air fryer and attempting algebra homework. Other days, I’m on calls from the carpool line or editing copy during therapy sessions.
It’s chaotic. It’s messy. It’s exhausting. But it’s also the most real thing in the world. Every story we publish, every ad we sell, every tour we host is fueled by love, a lot of caffeine, and a deep sense of purpose. Because when your life revolves around family and storytelling, you realize they’re kind of the same thing: both take patience, teamwork, and a good sense of humor.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What do I do?
I connect people… through words, design, food, music, and the kind of stories that make you want to pack a bag or at least order takeout from somewhere with a passport stamp on the menu. I specialize in crafting experiences on paper: curating photos, design, and storytelling so readers feel transported, whether to a café in Florence, a jazz club in East Austin, or a backyard barbecue with friends who suddenly feel like family.
What do I specialize in?
I’ve always had a love affair with travel: from my early years of working at a deaf school in Bogotá to volunteering at a kids camp in Russia to studying abroad in Italy while in college to getting married on a beach in Mexico to eventually traveling to adopt our daughter from China. (More here: https://www.eastsideatx.com/q-and-a-with-a-travel-editor-ashley-bowling/.) Writing about music is my other love: both living it (hello, playlists) and writing about it (see more here: https://www.eastsideatx.com/acl-2025-preview-the-unmissable-acts-lighting-up-zilker/). We elevate voices; those of artists, of designers, of local makers… because that’s who we are.
What am I most proud of?
Taking a $20K dream and turning it into a magazine that’s now read by more than 100,000 people a month and doing it with a women-led team of talented creatives who make the magic happen. Together, we’ve built a brand that celebrates the real Austin: diverse, gritty, soulful, and always a little surprising.
What sets me apart?
I edit like a designer, travel like a novelist, and write like I’m sitting next to you at a dinner party telling you a story that ends with, “…and that’s how I accidentally started a barbecue tour.” I believe stories should make you feel the way a great song does, or a perfectly timed sunset, an accidental rain shower that begs you to dance, or that first sip of local coffee from a roadside café.
At my core, I’m here to elevate voices, celebrate creativity, and remind people that community is the ultimate destination.
What matters most to you? Why?
My family is my anchor and my chaos, equal parts inspiration and comic relief. They remind me daily that life isn’t about perfection; it’s about presence.
Community is what gives my work purpose. Whether I’m editing a story, sending out a proposal for a private Locals Know BBQ Tour, or chatting with a friend over margarita, it’s that sense of togetherness — of knowing and being known — that keeps me going.
And, last but not least, connection. That’s the thread that ties it all together. It’s what drives every story I write, every photo we print, every adventure I chase. Because at the end of the day, no matter where we go, from East Austin to Asia, what truly matters is the people we share the journey with.
Pricing:
- Locals Know BBQ Tours are $145 per person and you’ll leave happy and F-U-L-L!
- Tours run every Saturday & Sunday while private tours are available during the week.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eastsideatx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashley__bowling/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastsideatx/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-bowling-5310b4333
- Twitter: https://x.com/eastsideatxmag
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eastsidemagazine/videos
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/locals-know-barbecue-tours-austin
- Soundcloud: https://www.instagram.com/eastsideatxmag/
- Other: https://www.eastsideatx.com/foodtours/
Image Credits
Will Bowling, Baptiste Despois, & family photo by Hannah Straughan
