August Newsletter

Welcome Starbucks!

Town of Ashland and the Ashland Business Association officially welcomed Starbucks to town! Last week, members of the community gathered in an official ribbon cutting ceremony in conjunction with Starbuck's friends and family event just one day before the store opened to the public.

Located at 399 Union Street, this spot was home to Walgreens for many years before Starbucks showed interest in Ashland for their newest store. The owner of the site at 399 Union Street began the planning process for Starbucks in July 2022. In August 2022 the ZBA approved the special permit for this site. The planning board then began their process and the owner was granted site plan approval in February 2023. They began construction and are now ready to open*! (*pending all final inspections this week)

This state of the art store is planned to be one of Starbucks most efficient and high tech locations to date. They will use this as a model for other locations moving forward. We are thrilled to welcome the Starbucks team to Ashland and hope you can join in the celebration!

Restaurant Week Wrap up

Thank you to our sponsors and restaurant participants! Our first Restaurant Week with Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce was an absolute success!

The Spoon in Hopkinton was the most visited establishment, but overall, restaurants in Ashland were visited more than Hopkinton- with a very small margin!

Take a look at the charts below for the breakdown!

Congratulations to our Restaurant Week Gift Card Winners!

Thank you to all of those who dined out and supported our local eateries.

Congratulations to this year's scholarship winners!

Jerry Judge

Pursuing Managerial Economics at UMASS Amherst

Tanush Garg

Pursuing Economics/Computer Science at Brown University

Jerry Judge and Tanush Garg are the two recipients for the 2024 Ashland Business Association Scholarship!

These two scholarships were appointed by the committee comprised of members, Chrissy Reynolds of Annemarie’s Dance Centre, Paul Netopski of Critical Prism Defense LLC, Ron Stone of Law Office of Ronald M Stone, Peter Chisholm of Expedia Cruises, and Bill Gath of Realty Executives.

Upcoming ABA Events

The MetroWest YMCA Regional Barbeque & Business Networking Event

August 13th from 5:30- 7:00 pm

MetroWest YMCA Family Outdoor Center

45 East Street in Hopkinton

Enjoy the company of friends in a casual setting with food and beverages provided, including ice cream! Hamburgers, chips and watermelon along side beer, wine and sodas and an ice cream truck is all you need for a great night!

Free for members to attend, $10 for non-members. Registration is necessary to estimate how much food is needed.

Participating organizations: Ashland, Hudson, and Sherborn Business Associations, Medway Business Council, and Hopkinton, MetroWest, and Marlborough Chambers of Commerce.

Thank you to our event host and co-sponsor, the MetroWest YMCA!

Learn more

Back to School Movie Night

September 6th from 5:30- 9:00 pm

The Corner Spot 6 Cherry Street, Ashland

Celebrate the end of summer with MOVIE NIGHT! The film begins at dusk, but don’t miss out on the fun beforehand! Before the movie, enjoy activities, music and food!

Vendors include Sentie's Kitchen, Refreshin' Concessions, Fresh Lemonade, Wine Empire, and Imagine that Face Painting! Music by Danny Silverman too!

This years movie is "IF"! This film is an adventure into the world of imaginary friends. After Bea discovers she can see everyone's imaginary friends, she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten imaginary friends with their kids.

Networking at 126 Self Storage

Thursday, October 10th Register Here

Comedy Night Friday, November 15th Register Here

Holiday Party

Thursday, December 5th

Community Happenings

Ashland Lions Golf Tournament

Sponsorships due August 10th

Enjoy the company of friends in a casual setting with food and beverages provided, including ice cream! Free for members to attend, $10 for non-members. Registration is greatly appreciated to estimate how much food is needed.

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

AT& R Insurance, 126 Self Storage, Mr. Handyman Central MetroWest, Ashland Mini Storage Inc, Minucci Auto Body, Critical Prism Defense, Our Town Publishing, David Fox Photography, Clocktown Liquors, and Refreshin’ Concessions!

Sponsorship Opportunities with the ABA

We LOVE working with our community’s businesses and organizations. We need your support, and want to shout out our gratitude from the rooftops!

Partner with us and sponsor one of the many events we are hosting this year and promote your business while supporting our organization.

When you become an event sponsor- your logo appears at the bottom of each event’s promotional item, your business is mentioned by name in event descriptions, and recognized at the event. We have sponsorship options ranging from $100- 500.

Learn more

Become our next Member Spotlight!

As an organization, we are dedicated to increasing our members' profitability and visibility, and advocating toward a positive business environment within the town. We are also dedicated to increasing the success of its members' businesses within the Ashland community and beyond.

Help us support our mission, and sign up for a Membership Spotlight!

Join us!

Become a Member or Renew Today

If you're interested in becoming a member, we offer memberships for individuals who own or manage a business with a physical location or business office in Ashland, Mass., or live in Ashland who own or manage a business elsewhere. We also offer Associate Memberships for individuals classified as an employee or associates of a Regular Member (these applications will be reviewed prior to approval). Community group members are also eligible for our non-profit rate (with approval).

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