Ashland Craft Is Turning Her Love For Thrifting Into A One-Of-A-Kind Concert Experience [Exclusive]

Ashland Craft just launched her first-ever headlining tour and she’s taking this run as an opportunity to not only share her music, but also her passion for thrifting.

In order to do this, the rising star has added a special element to her Dive Bar Beauty Queen Tour – a rack of secondhand clothing, handpicked by Craft herself, that she will be selling near the merch table of every show. She explained to Country Now that the idea came from years of sifting through Goodwill stores and various vintage shops around the world to find décor for her home and to elevate her wardrobe with unique finds.

“I really love finding stuff that you can’t just go and buy off a rack. And then it’s also the exciting part of somebody asking you where you got it and you get to tell ’em where you got it and they can go on their own little hunt. So it’s just fun all the way around, and I really enjoy doing it, and I hope people will enjoy having us bring that experience to them,” she explained.

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Where Craft’s Love For Thrifting Began

Craft’s passion for thrifting began at a young age when she was living in her small town in South Carolina and didn’t have many options for places buy her clothing from. So at first, thrifting was necessary in order to find new things to add to her closet, but it continued to be something she enjoys doing in her adult life. Craft explained that there’s something about the mystery and magic of secondhand shopping that keeps her hooked.

“I honestly hate shopping in general. I’m not a shopper, but for some reason with thrifting, I enjoy it so much,” she shared. “I think it’s because when you find things, you kind of picture the story behind it, who maybe had it before you, why they gave it up in the first place, but thankful they did. It’s just kind of an adventure. It’s kind of cheesy, but it just became a fun pastime with my friends.”

Best Shopping Approach For Good Finds

The “Kick Rocks Cowboy” singer says she tries to make as many stops at thrift stores as she can while on the road, and she has started to share her progress with fans along the way. Giving a glimpse into her best methods and tips as a pro thrifter, Ashland Craft revealed that the best approach for her is to go in not looking for anything in particular and to stay open-minded while rummaging through the racks.

“I rarely ever go in with very specific finds in mind. I think it’s more about, and just visiting different places, visiting random places that are kind of in the middle of nowhere that you wouldn’t expect is where you’re going to find the coolest, most unique stuff. So I think it’s just like don’t limit yourself to your chain and stores like that. It’s definitely worth visiting the mom and pop stores taking some time to dig, but not too much time either.” 

Craft’s eye for second-hand shopping is more than just a hobby. It’s now become a big part of her lifestyle. She calls her home “an entire thrift store itself” and lit up when discussing some of her favorite finds, which includes a beaded top that she customized and can be seen wearing in her tour promo photo and two unique chairs she scored for just $15 each at separate stores.

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Bringing Thrifting To The Tour

Eventually, Craft started collecting more things than she knew what to do with, hence the idea to bring her finds to the Dive Bar Beauty Queen Tour was born. At each stop on tour, fans will find a section at the “Yard Sale” merch table that will be stocked with pieces Ashland has thrifted herself. Items will be affordably priced and ready to mix and match with what fans are already wearing.

“I was like, I wonder if we bring this to the tour…So it’s just been such a fun pastime for me at this age pretty much to decorate my house and add to my wardrobe in a way that’s also secondhand and not just buying something new and throwing it away and not wearing it again. 

This will be the first time Craft has ever sold some of her thrifting finds to fans on the road. She says she hopes it will further elevate the experience for those who attend her shows throughout the year.

“I’ve always loved yard sales, thrift stores, knicknacky things, and I’ve also just really been passionate about fashion. I love throwing clothes together, finding pieces that you can wear with a bunch of different outfits. So I think that was always there for me to maybe open a boutique down the road or secondhand boutique of something of that nature. And I felt like this was just a good first start to be able to bring the clothes that I found that I love, that I hope other people would love, and maybe at a show they can throw it on with the outfit they already have on and elevate it.”

“And then hopefully when people ask ’em where they got it, they’ll be like, I got it at the Ashland Craft Show. So fingers crossed, it just adds another layer of fun and something new to the whole experience,” she added.

First-Ever Headlining Tour

The Dive Bar Beauty Queen Tour was named after Ashland Craft’s sophomore album which dropped in May. The project spawned fan-favorites like “Yard Sale,” “Morning Person,” “Momma Don’t Pray Like She Used To” and her current single climbing the charts at radio, “Lie A Little.”

This current run also marks her first-ever headlining trek. Following her opening dates on Luke Bryan’s Country Song Came On tour, Craft launched her own tour on July 25 in Owensboro, KY, She will make he way around the U.S. with stops in Iowa, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia, Oklahoma and more. She also recently announced additional dates, which will extend the tour through November.

When preparing for this stint of shows, Craft stated that her goal was to make sure people who show up get to hear the songs they’ve been loving since the beginning as well as her newest releases. Along with just figuurieng out the set list, she’s also poured her heart into making it a full experience by amping up the merch table and including moody lighting and props in her performances.

“We’ve just been rehearsing a lot of older songs, some songs off the old record as well, along with some of my first releases ever. And then also trying to work in some songs that I featured on that people have been requesting, but I haven’t necessarily been able to perform without somebody else there. So just really trying to cover all of those songs is first priority for me,” she noted.

A full list of Ashland Craft’s 2025 tour dates can be found HERE.