Madison, Wisconsin will soon boast two vomFASS shops, thanks to Ashley and Jessica Morrison. The Morrison’s have found their ideal location in the landmark Castle & Doyle Coal Company building (c.1921) on the bustling corner of State Street and Fairchild in downtown Madison. Located opposite the city’s cultural hub, the Overture Center, this location experiences exceptionally high foot traffic of savvy, sophisticated customers. 
119 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin
Toni Jakovec: Good morning, Ashley. Congratulations on your new shop. Tell us, how did you become aware of vomFASS? Ashley Morrison: It was about 3 years ago, Jessica and went to the Shorewood Hills shop. At that point, we had no idea this was a franchise opportunity. Then we went up to visit the Mall of America shop in Minneapolis. TJ: I understand you two are very talented, and bring a lot of expertise to your new venture. Why don’t you tell us a bit about your and Jessica’s background? AM: My background is primarily retail. I have worked for a large retail organization for several years now and bring a great deal of hands-on experience to vomFASS. Jessica works in advertising. Needless to say, her promotional experience will be invaluable as we “get the word out” about our new vomFASS store. TJ: How did the two of you meet? AM: Jessica was enrolled at UW La Crosse, working part-time at Woodman’s Grocery Store, where I was also working. We just hit it off. When Jessica graduated we moved down to Chicago where she started her advertising career and I transferred within the Woodman’s network to a store in Kenosha. We got married in Evanston, Illinois. That was 15 years ago. TJ: Ah, love triumphs, how romantic. Do you have any children? AM: Yes indeed, and it was the decision to start a family that brought us back to Madison. I am originally from Madison, so it was an easy decision. We were looking for that perfect town to raise a family, and Madison met all of our criteria. We had a lot of friends and family here. It was an easy transition for us from Chicago, and we now have Ellen who is 10 and Colin who is 5.
New vomFASS owners, the Morrisons’ Jessica & Ashley with (l) Colin and (r) Ellen
TJ: Who will be doing the day-to-day at the State Street store? AM: I will be managing the store, at least for the very beginning. Jessica will keep her advertising job. Also, Jessica has a great interest in doing the store’s events. TJ: Given your background, Ashley, that seems like a smart decision. I understand that you have worked for Bed, Bath and Beyond. AM: Yes, I was with them for 13 years. I just left in June. I was definitely ready for a new direction. We had done a little research on franchises, but at that point, we didn’t know that vomFASS had franchises. Once we found out about the opportunities with vomFASS, the decision was an easy one. We have a family member who is involved in franchises, in fact he has 25 Anytime Fitness locations right here in the Madison area. After spending a fascinating couple of hours with him, I was convinced a franchise was the perfect fit for us. He explained the benefits of finding a good company with a proven business model that can be easily followed to virtually guarantee success. I was sold on the franchise idea. With this information, I began researching franchises and something he said really stuck in my mind, “be sure you find a business that you really like and will enjoy doing on a daily basis. If you can find one that fits you, then that’s the ideal choice.” During this research period, Jessica and I were strolling State Street and we found this spectacular space that was for lease. I said, “Wow, this is a wonderful location. All I need is something to put there.” I actually found my location before I found vomFASS. With my background, I knew I wanted to do retail, preferably a higher end retail product line.” About a month later, Jessica and I were sitting on the porch and I told her I just couldn’t seem to find the right business fit. Jessica said, “Just a minute.” She went and got the iPad and found the vomFASS website and said, “How about this?” That was the first I knew that vomFASS was a franchise. After reading all we could about vomFASS, I sent an email to Jeff Young, who actually responded within an hour or so, even though it was a Sunday night. We had a wonderful conversation and he put us in touch with Alayne Gardner-Carimi. Alayne and I started talking locations, and I told her, I already had picked one out. And the rest, as they say, is history. TJ: Good story. Have you picked out any favorite products yet? AM: Absolutely. I am very fond of the liquors and I love to drizzle Pumpkin Seed Oil over my ice cream. TJ: Would you like to share a recipe with us? AM: I have a great drink recipe. TJ: Excellent. Thank you.