MERLE MONAHAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
merlemonah@aol.com

IVOR—Ashlyn Scott Scarborough has learned a lot since she started working in the family business, Ivor Furniture Company, seven years ago.

“Now I have a much better understanding of the way my grandfather felt,” she said. “He always said a customer is not just a customer. He is a friend and a neighbor and, more often than not, a member of our community. If you treat him with respect, he will respect you.”

Scarborough’s grandfather was Russell West, who founded the furniture company in Ivor. Having grown up in the small town that he loved, West supported various community projects along with running his business.

Scarborough feels the way her grandfather felt, she said.

“He was involved in just about every community organization in this area. I can’t do all that, but I am involved.”

The young wife and mother works in retail sales and is the full-time bookkeeper for the business. The third generation to help carry on the business, Scarborough works with her parents, Dixie and Alice Scott. Her mother is West’s daughter.

Scarborough’s community involvement came when she was asked to take over the secretary/treasurer position on the board of directors of the Ivor Volunteer Rescue Squad.

“I wanted to help,” she said, “and I knew I couldn’t ride the ambulance, so I accepted.

“Since I did the same kind of work at the store, the work wasn’t hard, but it is just like a professional job.

“There is much more to it than most people realize. It is also time-consuming.

“But I love this kind of work,” she added with a smile. “I’m happy that I am able to help and I want to learn as much about the rescue squad as I can.”

Scarborough, 29, her husband, Robert, and seven-month-old daughter live just outside of Ivor. Married for six years, she and her husband graduated from Tidewater Academy in 2002.

She then graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in sociology, while her husband graduated from Christopher Newport University.

She joined the family business full-time at Ivor Furniture in the summer of 2006 and was “hooked right away,” Scarborough revealed.

“Of course, I had followed around after my grandfather in the store when I was little, but this was different.

“I suppose it is because I love people and this is just the kind of work I enjoy.”

Scarborough ordinarily works a full week, but takes a little more time off now because of the baby. She does have help, though.

Her husband, a Virginia State Policeman, “is a wonderful dad,” she said. “He takes care of her when he has a day off, and of course mom takes time off to help, too.”

Scarborough said she doesn’t have the time to volunteer as much as she would want, but like her grandfather, she supports community activities.

“They do so much good,” Scarborough said. “How many times has a volunteer rescue worker saved the life of someone you know, or a volunteer fireman saved your neighbor’s home?

“I wish more people would support these and other organizations,” she said. “It could mean the difference between life and death.”

NAME: Ashlyn Scott Scarborough.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THIS AREA: I moved here with my family from the Eastern Shore when I was seven.

HOMETOWN: Ivor.

OCCUPATION: Retail salesperson and bookkeeper for Ivor Furniture Company.

MARITAL STATUS: Married to Robert Scarborough for six years.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND AGES: We have a seven-month-old daughter, Briar Grace Scarborough.

FAVORITE NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN: A quiet dinner out with my husband.

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Mama Kwan’s Bar and Grill at the Outer Banks.

FAVORITE FOOD AND BEVERAGE: Pork tenderloin and sweet tea.

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU: That I have a degree in sociology.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOU: I love people.

WHAT IS YOUR WORST HABIT: I am a perfectionist and I can’t say no.

PETS: We have a four-year-old pug named Otis.

FAVORITE HOBBIES: Reading and doing things with my family.

PET PEEVE: I don’t like mean people.

FIRST JOB: I worked in the office at Wakefield Peanut Company.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED: As a person who helped others and the community.

IF YOU HAD 10 MINUTES ON NATIONAL TELEVISION, WHAT WOULD YOUR TOPIC BE AND WHAT WOULD YOU SAY: I would like to see people more community-minded and I would talk on this subject. I would urge people to join civic organizations whose main goal is helping people in the community. Volunteer to help your volunteer rescue squad or fire department. These organizations need help and just a few hours at the time could make an enormous difference.