Meet Ashley Nguyen | Cafe Owner & Artist

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

Hi Ashley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My family has always encouraged owning your own business and as an artist, that encouragement led to selling my own artwork and merchandise. I did freelance work, I did markets and conventions, and I did online orders- It was a lot of fun!

At some point I casually came up with the idea of combining the concept of an artist alley with boba. Bubble tea shops were always my go-to places to hang out at with other artists, and they’re popular venues for hosting small popups too so I think it was only natural for me to think, “It’d be nice if we had a place that did both all the time”.

The broth part of Boba & Broth came after we started seriously thinking about making it happen. My mom wanted to offer light, casual and affordable meals at the cafe and as a soup enthusiast that was my first thought. The alliteration also sounds really nice so we didn’t think twice about the name, haha.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a huuuuuge fan of animation, video games, and music. I started creating (and still do) fan content out of pure love and passion for the things I was into of as a kid, and that honestly never changed as I grew into an adult. I drew illustrations, I made videos, and I composed music. I even majored in college for Music Composition for Film and Games because of how much I loved soundtracks. I think a lot of people can relate to that, and the communities built around that sentiment are honestly so inspiring and fun to be in.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The obvious first place would be my spot, Boba & Broth haha. After that I think I’d like to take them to my favorite restaurants around Chinatown. The honest answer to this question isn’t very exciting because my best friend and I are both homebodies (lol) and we’d be satisfied with some boba and window shopping.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shoutout my parents and my Aunt Tudi for making this dream happen. I had the idea, but without them I don’t think I would’ve even thought about taking any steps to make it a reality. They’ve owned businesses my entire life and everything I’ve learned about owning my own comes from them.

I also want to shoutout my fellow artists and friends in the community for showing us so much love and support! Artists support artists!

Instagram: @boba.brothtx

Image Credits
Natalie Nguyen