When it comes to Do-It-Yourself projects at home, there’s no better place to start than Ashland General Hardware (ACE), located at 249 A Street in the Railroad District. The store itself has been an Ashland institution since 1936, and it’s been owned and operated by the Emard family since 2010. Owners Jill and Kate Emard are proud of the one-on-one customer service at the store, which has been a hallmark at Ace Hardware since its inception.

It’s been twelve years since Melissa McMillan opened the popular sandwich shop Sammich at 424 Bridge Street, and it reflects everything she loves about Ashland, Chicago, and baseball. While she was born in Texas, she spent most of her childhood in Lake Bluff, a suburb 20 miles north of Chicago.

Art Presence Art Center, a member-based nonprofit business at 206 N. 5^th Street in Jacksonville, is celebrating 13 years in business in 2025. In 2009, the gallery’s founder, Anne Brooke, and a group of local artists, began working with local businesses creating what became known as the Art Amble. 

It’s been a long and winding road for local attorney Sarah Vaile of Siskiyou Law (223 5^th Street, Suite 3). A resident of Ashland since 2008, she briefly relocated to Minneapolis last spring to be closer to family but decided that Ashland was where she really wanted to be.

Medford photographer John Neilson of Oregon Studio Group has over 25 years of experience in a variety of photographic specialties. These include Creative Fashion photography, High Fashion Portraiture, Commercial Branding photos, Scientific Documentation photos, Business Headshot photography for professionals, and Landscape Photography.