ASHLAND — Hello, friends, and happy June! We are pretty jazzed up on giddiness (and filthy chais) over here, with some super amazing news! (And to introduce our giddiness-inducing news, a short history lesson! Yippee!)
One of the biggest issues we struggle with downtown (after parking, which was resolved in our last column, so that is put to bed), is hours.
Back in the first heyday of downtowndom, there was usually one spouse at home, so most of America had retail hours that fell within working hours: 10-5, more or less. Then those darn malls came along, which were open much later and all weekend, and as we grew up, we expected to be able to shop way into the night (which was also convenience as more two-income households emerged, so the only time you could shop was after work).
Then Al Gore invented the Internet, and e-commerce became a thing, and we could shop and pay and receive goods from the comfort of our own homes, in our softest pajamas. And now we’re back with downtowns ruling the world again, and where does that leave our downtown merchant? Well, that is where our grooviest of news comes in.
Drumroll, please.
Many of our downtown retailers have jumped on the Stay Open Late Wagon, and will have extended hours on Fridays! Cue the bells! Whistles! Confetti! Balloon drop! Woot woot machine! This is transformative for all of us.
First of all, we must applaud the store owners who are doing this, as well as SUPPORT THEM BY SHOPPING THEIR LATER HOURS. Look around when you’re next downtown. The vast majority of our businesses are mom and pops, and even more often, just mom. Staying open later is a massive strain for our retailers, when they are an army of one.
And yet, if our customers need to shop after 5, well then, our shop owners want to see you, so they are doing it! Staying open after 5 in downtown Ashland – it’s happening!
Who, you ask, are the super amazing awesome shops who will be open past 5? Get out your pen and paper, or screen shot this, or cut and pasting this:
Willow & Vine will be open until 6, Ashland Books will be open until 8, Perk will be open until 8, Farm & Home Hardware has been and will be open until 8, Clothes Minded will be open until 6, Whoopsie Daisy will be open until 6, South Street Antiques will be open until 6, Bagnabit’s will be open until 8, Bikesmith will be open until 6, and Ashland Bike Company will be open until 6. Add on Masterminds, who is always open late, and our adult beverage spots Uniontown Brewery, Linder’s, Bullshooters, and Riley’s, who are open laaaate on Fridays, can we say, “wow!”
Now, we have stores staying open later. (Again- yay!) This Open Later Thing has been tried before, but it was not always successful, because it was new, and new ideas take a while to catch on, and by the time people remembered to come downtown on a Friday at 5:30, the experiment was over. But now, things are different.
Many many many of our downtown peeps are trying this. We have some new draws (see: Uniontown Brewery) to bring you to us.
We need you to support us and our snazziness and come and see us. This great experiment won’t work unless you are here to help us make it happen. So, we are open late; come and see us! And shop us. And tell your friends. And do it again.
The dream of coming to downtown Ashland and exploring and doing some shopping and having a dinner, a.k.a, a Friday night date night like you used to do in other downtowns but now can do here, is a reality.
Summer in downtown Ashland also means live music downtown. That’s right- our awesome summer concert series, Sundown Sounds, is back, sponsored by the wondiferous Coldwell Banker Ward Real Estate!
We will have a cash bar; we have invited our friends from Dan’s Deli to park their food truck and have hot dogs, etc. available for your consumption and purchase; and if it rains (boo!), Uniontown Brewery will let us come inside.
Our band for June is Acoustic Super Friends, who are an amazing duo who can sing anything. For reals. You must come check these guys out! We will be doing the live music thing Friday June 8th from 6-8 in PNC Park, on Orange between Main and 2nd. So Friday, you will work, go home, change, come downtown, shop, listen to music, have dinner, have a beverage, and basically live life to its fullest, right here in Ashland.
You don’t have to leave town to be living the dream — the grooviness is all right here.
Sandra Tunnell is the Ashland Main Street Executive Director.
