ASHLAND — Ashland Main Street had its fourth-annual awards banquet earlier this week that recognizes downtown businesses that “make our downtown so great,” said the organization’s executive director.
The organization, formed in 2011, honored seven entities and a couple during the awards ceremony that took place at The South Street Grille on Monday.
“The greatest part of it was that we have so many businesses to choose from. The first year we had it, we couldn’t do ‘best bar and restaurant’ because we didn’t have very many to choose from,” said Sandra Tunnell, Ashland Main Street Executive Director.
The awards ceremony skipped 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The company that took home the most awards was The South Street Grille, which won best downtown bar/restaurant, best downtown building rehabilitation and best new kid on the block. The restaurant opened in late 2020.
Tunnell touted Ashland Main Street member businesses that survived through COVID-19.
“We lost no businesses downtown due to COVID. Zero. None,” she said.
The finalists and winners are listed below:
Best Downtown Bar/Restaurant
• Finalists: Ohio Fire, Uniontown Brewing Company, A-Town Tap, The South Street Grille
• Winner: The South Street Grille
Best Downtown Professional Business
• Finalists: Ashland University, HER Realtors Downtown, United Way, Rise Studios Wellness Collective
• Winner: Rise Studios Wellness Collective
Best Retail Business
• Finalists: Whoopsie Daisy Bowtique, Blue Pumpkin Boutique, Tuckers Kutters and More, Fig & Oak
• Winner: Whoopsie Daisy Bowtique
Best Downtown Customer Service
• Finalists: Blue Pumpkin Boutique, Tuckers Kutters and More, Whoopsie Daisy Bowtique, The South Street Grille
• Winner: Tuckers Kutters and More
Best Downtown Building Rehabilitation
• Finalists: A-Town Tap, Ohio Fire, The South Street Grille, Rise Studios Wellness Collective
• Winner: The South Street Grille
Best New Kid on the Block
• Finalists: The South Street Grille, A-Town Tap, Ohio Fire, the 121 Exchange, Bella’s 220, Rise Studios Wellness Collective, Blue Pumpkin Boutique, Tuckers Kutters and More
• Winner: The South Street Grille
The Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce won Ashland Main Street’s 10-Year Anniversary Award and Ron and Barb Leddy were honored as “Main Street Hero.”
