ASHLAND — A new restaurant is coming to downtown Ashland. But first, residents will have to say goodbye to another.
A-Town Tap changed hands in early March and closed in early April so it could open up with some improvements, according to the new owner.
Melissa Lawrence, of Clear Creek Township in Ashland County, said she’s excited to grow her business in an “up-and-coming” downtown Ashland.
She and her husband bought the building -- at 49 E. Main St. -- for $265,000 from Field of Diamonds LLC, according to county property records.
Field of Diamonds LLC is owned by Scott Donley, the former owner of A-Town Tap, according to state filings. Donley was not immediately available to comment.
Lawrence, a 2007 Ashland University graduate, said she does not have a timeline on when the revamped restaurant will re-open. She hopes it can open by summer, but said it depends on the contractors’ availability to build and finish a larger, more efficient kitchen.
The restaurateur hopes to offer a full menu. Not much else will be altered in the restaurant, she said, other than a few cosmetic changes and some reorganizing in the back.
The new restaurant, which currently seats 75, will also feature a different seating arrangement. But the seating capacity will not change, Lawrence said.
Lawrence does not plan on revising the restaurant’s fully stocked bar.
It’s too soon to know what will be on the food menu in terms of dishes, but that her hope is the new restaurant will be symbiotic.
“I don’t want to be in competition with what Ohio Fire, South Street Grille and others downtown are already doing," Lawrence said. "I want to complement the great offerings already here.”
Lawrence has owned and operated City Grille in Mansfield for 12 years. When she saw the opportunity to buy the downtown Ashland building through a connection to Donley, she jumped on it.
GALLERY: Inside A-Town Tap
“When I graduated (from AU) I worked in bars and local restaurants. I’ve just liked it. I enjoy the people, the fast pace, the faces, the regulars. There’s a sense of community,” she said.
The sale included the building and A-Town’s assets, but not the name. So she is currently brainstorming on ideas for a new name, she said.
The sale also included a vacant space next door to the restaurant, which is currently being used for miscellaneous storage. Lawrence hopes to fix it up to eventually lease it out, she said.
