It was a fun day on September 28, 2018, when Agave, 5 Granite Street, was featured on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Fieri showed up with his TV crew and entertained staff and customers with his usual comedic flair, helping to put Agave on the Ashland culinary map.

For Shane Bloodworth, resurrecting the old American Trails Gallery store was something that had been on his mind for a long time. He arrived in Ashland from Texas in 1997 to visit his mom and liked it so much he decided to stay. He was also a fan of indigenous art.

Owner Bryant Helgeland of Mountain Provisions, an outdoor store on the Plaza, was fairly confident that retail stores would be allowed to open in mid-May and he actually spent most of March and April re-stocking the store ready for the onslaught. After so much cabin fever for the last six weeks, Ashland residents are hungry for the great outdoors, and Mountain Provisions is the place to start.

The restaurant business is definitely in the genes of the Allen family, and you can feel the family-oriented vibes when you visit Oak Tree Northwest Bar & Grill, located at 2150 Ashland Street.
Owners Gerald (dad) and Gary (son) are proud of what they have accomplished, and they’re confident they’re going to get through the COVID-19 crisis.

Beyond the Plaza is a grouping of 12 restaurants, one Spa, one retail store and one mortgage lender. They’re BEYOND because they reside just slightly off the Plaza, on the corner block of North Main and Water Street or across the street to that block. Their link is their landlord, Lloyd Matthew Haines.