Ashley Dupre, the woman once linked to the downfall of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, has now opened a lingerie shop in New Jersey.
Her new business venture, "Femme by Ashley," focuses on selling luxurious swimsuits and intimate apparel for women.
Since the Spitzer scandal, Dupre has written a sex and relationship column for the New York Post and posed nude for Playboy. But now the 27-year-old is looking to get out of the media spotlight and behind the doors of her new boutique.
In an exclusive interview with local blog RedBankGreen, Dupre said she was excited to move forward.
“I made a bunch of mistakes when I was younger, and I feel like, for the first time in my life, I’m growing into an adult, and I’m really excited about that," she said.
Visit RedBankGreen for the full interview and pictures of the boutique.
According to the store's website, the concept for "Femme by Ashley" came from Dupre's "passion for fashion and design."
The store's "femme philosophy" includes the following description:
The femme collection is inspired by my desire to provide luxurious swimwear, lingerie and accessories to encompass all the beautiful moments of your life.
The shop is scheduled to hold its grand opening on May 16.
Once dubbed America's "most famous hooker" by the Village Voice, Dupre -- or "Kristen," as she was named in the federal affidavit -- has previously said that dwelling on the past is a "sign of a weak person."
Still, Dupre has tried to escape negative press since her first interviews surrounding the prostitution ring investigation that began roughly four years ago.
"I just don’t want to be thought of as a monster," she told The New York Times in a March 2008.
In her 2010 Playboy issue, which ran with the cover line "An American Affair: Ashley Dupre and the Seduction of Power," the New Jersey native even hinted Spitzer was at fault for her new image.
"Some people call me the girl who brought down the governor of New York, but in reality he brought me down ... I was an escort. As much as I wish I could make that go away, I can't," she told Playboy at the time.
Despite Dupre's attempt to start on a clean slate, some Red Bank, N.J., residents aren't too excited about the new business and the attention it's bringing to the town.
"Red Bank has now been compared to The Jersey Shore & Snooki --DUE TO THIS AFFILIATION. It was the few of the towns that was kept out of that disaster that has ruined NJ's reputation," one commenter wrote in response to RedBankGreen's article.