Rachel Elise
While studying Fiber Art at the University of Texas, Rachel Elise Aughtry put her passion for arts and crafts to practical use by designing and making bags she then sold at a local coffee shop and on a crafts marketplace that was brand-new at the time: Etsy. “As my art business grew, my husband Bo was able to make it his career for many years as well,” she says. “We had always loved this area and aspired to live here, so while we were both self-employed through the business, we took the leap and moved to Western North Carolina in 2017.” In 2022, she moved the studio out of her home and into downtown Mars Hill, where the space serves also as a gallery and gift shop.
Aughtry strives to create bags that are beautiful but also functional and durable, and that highlight the region’s natural history and craft heritage. “It’s a real joy,” she says, “to use my shop as a showcase for my own work and the work of other artists that celebrate these values.”
Rachel Elise Studio is located at 10 North Main Street, Mars Hill. Learn more at RachelElise.com and follow on Facebook (rachelelisestudio) and Instagram @rachelelise_studio. Rachel’s work is available also at the Grovewood Gallery and the Southern Highland Craft Guild galleries, and she will participate in Mars Hill’s First Friday on May 1 from 5–8 p.m.
