Meet the Staff

Meet one of our newest employees, Ashlin Hassell. Ashlin works at the Inspired by Oregon store and we love that she is an Ashland native and has some really neat skills and hobbies!

1. Where did you grow up?
   I was born and raised here in Ashland.
2. What is something about you that would surprise people?
   I am forklift certified! For my first job, I was a shop assistant at a metal fabrication shop here in town. After that, I was a grocery manager at Albertsons briefly and you also need your forklift certification for that. It’s my favorite fun fact about me that people never expect.
3. What is the best meal you ever had?
   There’s this restaurant in Disneyland in the middle of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride called The Blue Bayou. I had a really good ribeye there!
4. What is your favorite time of year?
   Spring, specifically the first couple weeks of March when all the daffodils are popping up. I love that it’s the first signal of the year that Winter is finally over and we can stop being sad and cold!
5. Where is your favorite spot in Ashland?
   Old Hwy 66 going up to Mt. Ashland. It’s my favorite road to drive on in the Summer and I just feel like all my cares go away when I’m on it.
6. What are some of your hobbies?
   I have a 1970s Triumph Spitfire that I work on. It’s an old British roadster that was my dad’s senior project in high school. I took it over my senior year and re-did the suspension on it and gave it a new paint job.
7. Tell me about your favorite pet you’ve ever had.
   I have two actually! Our family dog growing up was named Max and he was a yellow lab. He was the nicest dog ever but he hated baths. We figured out that he really loved apples, so that was how we lured him in to take a bath whenever he really needed it! My family’s current cat is named Suki and she’s a very fluffy tortoiseshell cat.
8. Who has been the most influential person in your life?
   Easily my dad! He’s always been the most supportive person in my life. Since a young age, I’ve always had an interest in science, technology, and engineering, and I know how lucky I am to have had a dad who encouraged his daughter to go into a male-dominated field! He nurtured me to always do what I want and what makes me happy.
9. What is your favorite thing about working at Paddington Station?
   My coworkers! I started pretty recently, back in September, and I feel like I instantly had a group of friends that I could hang out with and who cared about me. I feel so welcomed and appreciated by them every day.

Have you ever walked into our store or looked at the display window from outside and thought, “Wow, that is a beautiful design!” Well today, we’d like to introduce you to one of the women responsible for our displays, Sarah Gore.

In addition to the photo of her posing in front of Sally’s (as we affectionately refer to Sarah and her display partner, Ally) most recent design, we also found this throwback from the 2013 Fourth of July parade, where Sarah twirled baton to celebrate Paddington’s 40th anniversary!

1. Where did you grow up?
   I grew up in York, Pennsylvania, which is just over the river from all the Amish people in Lancaster! I lived there until I was 18 and decided to move to Ashland because I visited and really liked the feel of this city. I have a specific memory of seeing people walk around the streets in fairy wings and no one bat an eye at it. I thought, “This is the place for me!”
2. What is something about you that would surprise people?
   I was in the Junior Olympics for baton twirling!
3. What is the best meal you ever had?
   It was a pesto pasta dish from Mercato della Pescheria at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
4. What is your favorite time of year?
   I love Fall. I just feel like it’s the time for trees to shine!
5. Where is your favorite spot in Ashland?
   Probably my house. We’ve got forty acres and sheep, goats, llamas, chickens, and a greenhouse that my partner and I built. I love it!
6. What are some of your hobbies?
   Dancing, theatre, gardening, cooking, and art. I had an apprenticeship with a sculptor for three years when I first got here. I love ceramics and clay and I think it’s something that really lends itself to display work- being creative and looking at it with a sculptural eye.
7. Tell me about your favorite pet you’ve ever had.
   Yoshi is my Border Collie/Lab mix and is about nine years old. I’ve had him since he was a puppy and he’s just a really good dog. He loves to cuddle and is good at helping herd the sheep and llamas.
8. Who has been the most influential person in your life?
   Aside from my mom for the first twenty years of my life, it would have to be Pam [Hammond]. She is a driving force and is smart and giving with her knowledge. I also feel like she’s really generous with letting her employees and company learn. She allows us to be creative, she allows us to try new things, but also guides us in a way that makes sense for the business and personally.
9. What is a mantra you like to live by?
   “It’s easy, it’s fun!” Both of my parents passed within three years of each other pretty early in my life and there was a lot of paperwork to do and grief that I had to process all at once. I came up with this mantra to help put my mind in the right perspective to keep on going when things were really tough.
10. What is your favorite thing about working at Paddington Station?
    I just love everybody here and I feel like I’ve found my second family.

We LOVE our employees! Another way we’ll be celebrating our 50th birthday this year is to share pictures past and present, tell the stories of, and highlight the incredible staff that we have working here at Paddington Station.

First up is this fabulous woman who has been an owner of the store since 1993 – Pam Hammond!

1. Where did you grow up?
   I spent the first part of my life in Anaheim, California about a mile away from DisneyLand and was actually born the same year that it opened! When I was 10, my parents moved to Palos Verdes and it was such an amazing, beautiful place to grow up.
2. What is something about you that would surprise people?
   I love the outdoors and am an avid backpacker and camper. I’m happiest in the woods!
3. What is the best meal you ever had?
   It was at my wedding with Rick in May of 2014 at the Elks Lodge! We hired Cindy Bernard as the caterer and she made a Greek feast for us. It was the most fun wedding spread and such a joyous day and I have so many fond memories of it!
4. What is your favorite time of year?
   I love Christmas and working in retail at Christmas so much, despite the grueling hours and endless to-do lists. There’s just something about Christmas magic and making everybody joyful! It’s really nice to serve people during that time of year.
5. Where is your favorite spot in Ashland?
   Besides Paddington Station?! I would say the surrounding woods, I love walking on the trail in Lithia Park along the creek. I really appreciate getting away from the hubbub of life and how close by it is.
6. What are some of your hobbies?
   I like to do lots of stuff! I’m a musician and when I was in high school, I thought I wanted to be a professional flute player. I just think music has always taught me that with hard work, you can get to a desired end result. I took some time off when my kids were growing up, but now I love playing piccolo with the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band. I also really enjoy entertaining in my home.



7. Tell me about your favorite pet you’ve ever had.
   I got my first dog when I was 10, a little black poodle who was the runt of the litter. Her name was Licorice and I had her for 18 years. She was always glued to me and was so scrappy!
8. Who has been the most influential person in your life?
   My high school band director, Warren Balfour. He was really good at bringing out the best in our ragtag group of musicians and we always held our own against the larger schools at competitions!
9. What is your favorite thing about working at Paddington Station?
   My staff. I feel so blessed to have a core group of people who enjoy being here and love to work together to get to the end result.
10. Anything else you’d like to add?
    I just hope that 100 years from now, this store will still be here serving the community!