Howdy: Western boutique arrives

HURON — First insired in the South, a store catering to Western styles recently anchored down in a lakefront community nestled along Ohio's north coast. Ashley Hudson owns Burning River Ranch Boutique, at 519 Main St., in Huron. It's located in the same building as Hello Gorgeous Beauty Bar across from Main Street Tavern. Debuting in 2022, Hudson's roots in retail began about 15 years prior in Virginia. It's where her husband — Josh Hudson, a 2005 Western Reserve High School graduate — was stationed while in the U.S. Coast Guard. "I used to work at a different full-on Western store in Virginia, and I was offered a job there coming out of a bad economy in 2008 to 2009," Hudson said. "I quickly turned it around to make it a profitable business." Since then, she established Burning River, originally located in Medina. It's now settled in Huron. "My husband grew up around here, and we wanted to be closer to family," said Ashley, whose from the Wellington area in Lorain County. "And our store came with us." The boutique, specializing in women's attire, fuses a style of what Hudson coins as "Ohio-style western." "Not everything we have is Western, but there is definitely a lot of pieces of the West found in much of what we have," she said. The boutique carries shirts, sweaters, boots, flannels, printed hats, jeans, tops, purses, belts, jewelry, stickers, kitchen towels, gift items and more. People can see a full list by visiting burningriverranch.com. "I make all the shirts myself," Hudson said. "Anything that is trendy or funny or Western, I have or can make available. I also carry school spirit wear for Edison and Huron." Hudson welcomes people to come check out her boutique, which offers hours, right now, of noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays along with 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. "We really have a small-town feel here, and I can see myself being a part of the community for a long time and being successful," Hudson said. "My plan is to be here as long as Huron will have me and grow my business here." What's in a name? Regarding the name Burning River Ranch Boutique, Hudson provided some background. "My husband came up with it. It's an ode to Cleveland. Having a Western boutique near Cleveland as a nod to the Cuyahoga River catching on fire."