A Vibrant, Livable Downtown

When we first moved to Ashland in 2006, Gilbert’s Furniture was still open for business, anchoring the west end of Main Street while Home Hardware and Irwin’s Office Supplies and Equipment held court near the corner of Center Street and East Main. Two out of three remain open today, although the faces at each have changed a bit, with a new name and ownership for Farm and Home Hardware.

I did wonder back then how much longer Gilbert’s would survive. Once home to the best furniture in Ashland, by the time of our arrival, its inventory was limited, and its sales floor often deserted. In the thirty-six months of organization, design, and construction of the new Salvation Army Kroc Center, our offices were still located on the edge of downtown, in the brick storefront on East Third Street. Enamored by the possibilities I saw for the community, I claimed my place as a stakeholder in downtown Ashland. As such, I climbed the steps to the upstairs meeting room at Gilberts a few times, trying to brainstorm ways the charming but tired storefronts could find new life.  

In the intervening years, my personal attention shifted as the Kroc Center rose from Cook’s Field and the Third Street Salvation Army building was demolished. During that time, Gilbert’s Furniture went out of business, but at least some downtown business owners continued to hold on in hopes of gaining enough momentum to steer the ship in a more positive way for downtown Ashland’s future.

Wanting to work towards redevelopment in a more systematic way, Ashland Downtown was formed in 2010 to help create a “vibrant, livable downtown.” Yes, they’ve planned some fun times, including summer concerts, car shows, and tours of its “hidden places” (coming again on May 10^thand 11^th). But they’ve also worked to bring funding for building restoration and increased investment in the center of the city of Ashland, with the goal of “building community by strengthening our downtown.” Thank you, Sandra Tunnell and the board of Ashland Downtown, for your vision and encouragement for all things “downtown.”

As part of those revitalization efforts, Gilberts claimed new life, with its main venue the Uniontown Brewery. The building’s heritage in Ashland is long and storied. It was first the McNulty House, a first-class hotel that hosted future presidents William McKinley and James Garfield. Past its prime as a hotel, George Hemmingway operated it as a rooming house for single gentleman, but the facility had been vacant for a time when Mr. Gilbert bought it for his growing furniture business, which included casket sales and funeral services. And we think the full-service big box store was a new idea!

Now, the building has been re-born once again. “Seat yourself,” the sign directed me as I entered. I chose a table in the front window, where I could observe the patrons and take in the rhythm of Main Street in downtown Ashland. 

On a Monday night, downtown in small-town America, the place was booming. Anna Mary was there with family, including a son from Chicago who had just run the Toledo Marathon. Seminary friends chatted nearby, while a table of college women enjoyed each other’s company companionably, with lots of laughter. Approaching 7 p.m., familiar faces entered an adjoining space, gathering for Bible study led by the inimitable Tom Snyder, pastor emeritus to the entire City of Ashland. 

Down the block, two men carried load after load of demolition debris from a nearby storefront to a waiting dumpster. In the other direction, a reincarnation is under way as Fig and Oak prepares to move into the space recently vacated by Ashland Books. I also noticed a mini-crane down the street –another sign of progress to be sure.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it anyway, Ashland. In the neighborhoods, in downtown, and in gathering places of all kinds, new life is springing up and deep roots are bearing fruit. As Oprah Winfrey counsels, “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” Preach it, sister!