Meet Ashton Greene

Happy April! 'Tis the season for things fresh and new. We're making it Savannah and Salacia style – with a little eco-twist with this edit of Rising Tide. Why not? It's Earth Month, and creativity is popping. We've interviewed Ashton Greene, wearer of many hats. One as an artist, another as a clothing swap organizer, and by day as the Director of Marketing & Merchandising for Savannah Taste Experience. 

So, Ashton, I met you as the buyer of Savannah Taste Experience (thank you again for finding us and offering our Savannah-themed products in your amazing gift shop!). I have since discovered you are so much more. Please share. 

L. R. Fern is a Savannah-based souvenir and stationery brand centered around my art. We offer tea towels, tote bags, magnets, stickers, cards, and more! A lot of our current product line is directly inspired by Savannah, one of my longest-standing muses. I wanted to create keepsakes that reflected the love I’ve had for the city since first moving here in 2010. 

When people ask how long I’ve been doing this, referring to L. R. Fern, I like to say that I’ve been an artist since before I had memories but that I started the business in 2024. This project felt like a long time coming and overseeing Savannah Taste’s gift shop on Broughton Street gave me the push I needed to try something new. 

I started L. R. Fern as an outlet for my art and expertise and as an experiment to see if I could figure out how to make some extra cash with the skills I’d been honing over my last decade in design and merchandising. I’ve always wanted to work for myself, and this seemed like the best starting point I could ask for. 

I started working full-time with Savannah Taste in 2022. Stu and Donald hired me to open the gift shop or in their words, “learn to retail.” I’d worked in shops but never run one or purchased for one either, so they were awesome to trust me with such a huge project. Savannah Taste Marketplace opened in 2023, and I gained a lot of knowledge that I know helped me launch L. R. Fern the next year. 

I was surprised to learn you had so much going on. Tell me more.

I’m mostly a one-woman show when it comes to drawing the art, designing the products, managing inventory, selling the products, and fulfilling orders. 

My husband also likes to say that I walk into projects backwards. I designed the business with other small local businesses in mind, creating highly specialized products that I knew shop owners in Savannah needed. 

The fact that I didn’t start by selling directly to customers is surprising to people sometimes, especially since I now sell some days in Forsyth Park. 

I continue to run the business with other small businesses in mind. I want to create quality items with attention to detail that captures the heart of a place and how it feels to be a visitor exploring it with new but also highly observant eyes. 

I always ask this, and this month, it's even more imperative to dig deeper. What’s your REAL JOB title? 

Creative Tornado. Or that’s how I feel most of the time. On any given day, you can find me packing wholesale orders, taking marketing meetings, drawing on my iPad, selling my product line in Forsyth Park, or creating Savannah Taste’s window display. 

If I’m not on the clock, I’m probably organizing the next Ladies’ Community Clothing Swap, an event that I’ve been running for almost seven years. 

What’s the most FUN thing about the work you do? 

I love so many aspects of the work that L. R. Fern requires. Of course I love coming up with product ideas and bringing them to life. But I also love meeting new people whether it’s through new wholesale customers or interacting with customers in Forsyth.

Sometimes gathering information is the best part. One of my favorite things to do for L. R. is exploring other small-to-medium communities centered on tourism. The change of scenery inspires me, and I’m always thinking about other areas that I could try to expand into. 

How does your organization align with innovation, sustainability, or community engagement?

I consider myself a “sustainability girly,” and strive to carry those values into my business. I choose minimal packaging that considers sustainability, such as compostable protective sleeves for greeting cards and reclaimed yarn to pack cases of tea towels. 

Most of my community engagement centers around our Ladies’ Community Clothing Swaps. L. R. Fern spreads the word for the events that happen about 3 times a year. I’m struggling to cohesively marry L. R. Fern and the work I do with the Swaps, but I know they’re both important to me so they live under the same umbrella.

Not only do we rehome thousands of pounds of clothes with these events, we also make it possible for any woman to revamp their wardrobe without the financial burden that traditionally comes with that. 

If you’ve ever been to one of these events, the energy can be so empowering—dozens of women freely playing dress up, knowing that whatever they love, they can have. It’s a shopping utopia, in my opinion.

At Salacia, we’re all about relaxation. What does relaxation look like for you? 

Cuddling with my dog. Hanging out with my husband. Going to the playground with my bestie and my godson. Spending time in my backyard. Running, yoga. Gabbing on the phone to my friends. Soaking in the tub…or the hot tub (at a cabin in the mountains). 

I love just leaving my phone on DND, ignoring it for hours, and cozying up. Whether it’s at my house or on vacation, I’m relaxed when I have all the time in the world to read, be outside, and soak in the moment around me.

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You can see Ashton's work (visual creative works) at LRFern.com, IG: @leerufusfern or where she works at savannahtasteexperience.com, IG: @savannahtaste

Savannah Taste Experience will also be hosting our quarterly Rising Tide social. Grab a subscription box and you're on the invite list. ;) Also in the box will be an illustrated gift from L.R. Fern and a Peach Hand Sanitizer Spray custom-made for Savannah Taste Experience's walking tours client gift bags, from your truly.