Women in Business: Barbara Ashford and Judy Hill - Henhouse Antiques

After nearly 20 years in business together, Henhouse Antiques co-owners Barbara Ashford and Judy Hill seem to always be on the same wavelength.

Ashford and Hill bring a variety of European antique furniture and decor to their English Village shop from multiple yearly trips to Europe, where they pick items by hand.  

“We’re sort of old school. We still love to see the pieces, see the patina and see the style and the size and the condition,” Ashford said. “We have to love it enough that we would want to own it.”

Their complementary strengths are on display when a new shipment arrives, as Hill decides where each piece will sit in the shop and Ashford puts the finishing touches.

Henhouse Antiques serves quite a few repeat homeowners and interior designers, who return for the great selection and fun to be found inside the shop. They gladly go to customers’ homes to give design opinions and sometimes end up redesigning an entire room.

“If you’re going to spend the money and buy something, we want you to be happy,” Ashford said.

Though their business is established, neither Ashford nor Hill wants things to stay the same. They’ve enlisted the help of their daughters Laura Ashford, Libby McGowan and Jamie Hill to keep the store fresh. “We don’t want to be an old ladies’ antiques store. We try to keep it current,” Hill said.