Make sure your family and business are in the Yearbook
March
27, 2008 (Contributed to the Herald Progress)
The deadline for inclusion in the Ashland 150th Anniversary Yearbook is April 1. Placing stories and photos in the book is free and a purchase of a yearbook is not necessary to be included.
One photo and 300 words may be included free of charge. The committee is looking for narratives from schools, churches, cemeteries, businesses, military and organizations (social, civic, fraternal).
The Caboose's Ian Kirkland, left, turns in his business narrative to Town Manager Charles Hartgrove.
A sample Yearbook may be viewed at the Pamunkey Regional Library in Ashland. Please take a moment to write down your stories. The Ashland Yearbook will become a treasured part of Ashland's history. Your story is part of Ashland's story. Submission guidelines are available on the Town's Birthday Web site: www.ashland150.com. The deadline for Ashland Yearbook Submissions is April 1. For more information, please contact Susan Tucker at 798-7123.
The following is the submission from The Caboose:
The Caboose: In 1995, Ian Kirkland returned to his hometown of Ashland from Savannah, Georgia. While working at the Ironhorse Restaurant at the time, he and the restaurant's owner, Mimi Siff, began to talk of incorporating a wine shop into the town. They were fortunate that when they were looking for retail space, Art McKinney was remodeling one of his buildings for office space at 108 South Railroad Avenue.
In the planning, Art had allowed for a retail store front which he was generous enough to lease to Ian and Mimi as his first tenants. The doors opened quietly in September of 1997. The store struggled through the first few years, but with true Ashland support and patience, they were able to grow.
2004 was a year of big changes for the little store. The year began with Ian taking over full ownership of the Cabooose. Business had been growing slowly over the past few years and the store was doing well. Ian thought some big improvements needed to be made if the store was going to continue to support the community. In the spring of that year, Ian's sister, Shannon Cooke, came on board. She immediately began re-working the food aspect of the store in order to introduce a broader range of cheeses and specialty food items.
In the biggest change of the year, after years of operating in the original layout, Ian closed the store at the end of September for a full remodel to make better use of the space. When the doors re-opened on October 1st, patrons were treated to a wider range of wines, cheeses and beers.
The store continues to operate in its original location today and is proud to be a part of Downtown Ashland's landscape.
--Submitted by Ian Kirkland