Local woman starts delivery business

RITZVILLE – A local entrepreneur is entering her third month operating a delivery business.

With input from ladies at the local Nazarene church and encouragement from her sister, Ashlee Simonsen. 31, started a delivery service in September.

"I was working at Akin's Fresh Market and we received a lot of phone calls from people who needed shopping help. I thought, 'This is the perfect time,'" she said. "I gave Akins a month's notice and worked harvest to earn enough to get started."

When she was younger, Simonsen traveled back and forth between Spokane, where her mother lived, and Ritzville, her dad's home. She attended school in Ritzville for part of her sixth- and seventh-grade years.

She graduated from North Central High School in Spokane.

"As a teenager, I fell in love with Ritzville," she said.

No stranger to hard work, as an adult she moved to Ritzville and worked several minimum-wage jobs, including stints at Starbucks, McDonalds, Subway, Carl's Junior and Akin's Fresh Market.

Before opening her delivery business, she also worked for Walli Farms and Ritzville Warehouse.

Simonsen plans to deliver groceries from Akin's Fresh Market to anyone within a 15-mile radius of Ritzville. She'll also make runs from the town's coffee stands and eateries.

"It's like Uber Eats and Instacart put together. Once I get the proper licensing and insurance, I'm hoping to expand the business," she said. "I'll take folks to appointments outside of Ritzville, and may even drive them to the Spokane airport."

Her business is mainly focused on people who can't drive or leave their homes, she said.

Simonsen and her sister are also contemplating another venture: a jointly-operated downtown thrift store to open next spring.