Welcome to MADE in Lake County! MADE introduces you to the people and stories behind local Lake County businesses. Today it is our pleasure to introduce you to Ashley McDowell with Usborne Books & More!
My home is utterly littered with books that have been handed down or gifted over the years because it seems there can never be too many books in a home. Books make the perfect gift and when they’re well made, thoughtfully written and entertaining, they can be pulled out again and again. When I met Ashley, a seller and lover of books, I just couldn’t wait to share her story and products with you!
When your childhood home is frosted with books from generations before you, millions of pages secure a special place in your heart. Ashley is a Lake Villa mom who works by day as a speech pathologist and by night is able to spread her love for literacy while raising two stellar boys.
Ashley is quick to praise her mother’s own love for reading that overflowed into her life and welled up into a passion for literacy from a young age. She is one of those readers who had it in her blood and simply couldn’t shake her desire to fill her home with quality books when she became a mom.
Working as a speech pathologist, she attended a conference every year to better her skills and found herself at the same book table year after year. The quality of the books intrigued her, the language and interactive features captivated her, and each year she found herself bringing home more and more books to use with her clients at work and children at home.
Shortly after one of the many conferences Ashley attended, she saw her cousin sharing the same books on Facebook. She was excited to see that these teaching tools were available to everyone, and she no longer had to wait for the yearly conference to grab more! It didn’t even occur to her that she could become a sales representative for Usborne because she didn’t know their sales model. Sometime during her cousin’s party, a “kit special” was shared and she couldn’t deny the desire to share these products for such a great price.
From there, Ashley’s influence in spreading literacy boomed. She was able to use more books in speech with clients who weren’t usually interested in them. Her reluctant readers were becoming engaged and were able to focus even better on their skill development through therapy.
Ashley found an incredible bang for her buck with many products because she saw her clients gaining in areas such as: attentiveness, engagement, reinforced skills, exposure to language, comprehension and parental support was increasing. These books are developed to help parents and children read better together. The interactive elements give reluctant parents questions to ask their children guiding them to become stronger readers with great ideas
As a mom of two boys with medical issues that keep them in and out of doctor’s and specialist’s offices on a regular basis, she has fallen even more in love with the products she is able to sell. Usborne Books & More offers books, activities, cards and more that families can pack along for adventures and I cannot wait to share pieces Ashley shared with me to try out! It is no wonder that Ashley has found great fulfillment in hosting parties and booths sharing these dynamic books and products offered by Usborne Books & More both online and in person.
Usborne Books & More – Ashley McDowell
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Disclosure: Usborne Books & More – Ashley McDowell, is our featured Business of the Month. This series is part of a paid promotion partnership with Little Lake County. All thoughts and opinions belong to the writer of the story. If you are interested in featuring your locally-owned business in our series please contact the sales team.
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