A Grocery Counter Is Back on Railroad Avenue, and Ashland's Fall Calendar Fills In Around It

"What I'm trying to do here is provide a service that Ashland does not have right now, especially for seafood and meat, because they've just got the big-box stores," Hugh Lee told Richmond BizSense in September. His answer is Center Street Market, which opened in early August at 107 S. Railroad Ave. It sits in part of the downtown building that housed Cross Brothers Grocery for decades.

Most of this year's new Ashland restaurants opened out on the England Street corridor. Layne's Chicken Fingers opened at 807 England St., and Zaxby's opened at 806 England St. on July 13. Downtown got a market instead. It opened just before a fall calendar that keeps returning to the same few blocks around the tracks.

A Food Counter on This Site Since 1912

Cross Brothers Grocery first opened in 1912, in a building on this site. The current building replaced it in the 1920s, and the grocery ran there until 2018. Ashland Meat Co. at Cross Brothers took over after that and kept a butcher counter going until it closed in spring 2026. Lee bought Ashland Meat's equipment and took over its lease, so the gap between the two businesses lasted only a few months.

The new store covers 3,000 square feet. It sells meat, seafood, produce, cheese and wine, and much of it comes from businesses in Hanover and the wider region. Some details worth knowing before you go:

• Prepared meals come from Ash & Olive, the restaurant next door.
• The Virginia products on the shelves include pasta from Richmond's Bombolini and crackers from Firehook of Chantilly.
• Hummus and pimento cheese are made in-house, and Lee plans to add more house-made items.
• The wine selection leans on bottles from France, Spain and Italy.

Lee spent three decades in supply chain management, with stints at C.H. Robinson and RXO. His wife, Trina Lee, helps with marketing. The store held its ribbon cutting with town officials on September 9. Lee also said that the town and the people who live here "are very supportive of local businesses," and that he asks customers what they want so he can stock it.

That matters for the next three months. On an evening with a show, a concert or a light walk downtown, there is now a place on Railroad Avenue to pick up dinner ingredients on the way home.

October Moves Down Center Street

October's events start at the theatre and the college and end at the Hanover Arts & Activities Center at 500 S Center St.

Ashland Theatre opens the month with a one-night showing of 9 to 5 on October 1 at 7 p.m. Sense & Sensibility runs from October 16 through October 29, with the 29th listed as the final showing. The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays October 24 at 8 p.m.

Randolph-Macon's Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra perform "Frequencies" on October 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Blackwell Auditorium, 205 Henry St. The concert is free and open to the public.

Ashland Fourth Fridays wrap up for the year on October 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 121 Thompson St., with The Ham Biscuits listed as the band.

Halloween takes two nights at the Arts Center. Haunted Halloween Eve runs Friday, October 30, from 6 to 10 p.m. Halloween at The Center follows on Saturday, October 31, from 5 to 8 p.m., with trick-or-treating and a "spooky" concert from the Hanover Concert Band.

The Trail Starts at the Library Lot

The Fall Line's northern trailhead is in downtown Ashland, and it is open. As of summer 2026, the open section runs just under five miles. It starts in Ashland, passes through Hanover County and crosses the Chickahominy River into Henrico.

From downtown, the first stretch is the Trolley Line Section, which is 0.6 miles long. It connects to the 4-mile Power Line Section. There are two places to park on the Ashland end:

1. Ashland Library Downtown Parking, at 201 S Railroad Ave, a short walk down the same street from Center Street Market.
2. Carter Park, at 1112 Maple St. The trail page notes that parking there is limited during pool season, and that matters less now that it's fall.

The southern end connects to Woodman Road by a connector trail. That means a fall walk or ride can run from the library lot to the edge of Henrico and back without driving.

November and December, Date by Date

The holiday season keeps to the same downtown addresses, plus the train station. Here are the dates posted so far for 2026.

Light Up the Tracks is the longest-running event on the list. The Downtown Ashland Association decorates the trackside historic district with more than ten thousand lights along a free, mile-long route, with Dominion Energy as presenting sponsor. You can walk, bike or drive it, and the lights come on every night at dusk. The association's page describes six weeks of special events, but it doesn't list dates for a tree lighting or other kickoff events yet. Check back there in November.

Randolph-Macon describes A Christmas Carol as an all-ages show and says the 2026 performance continues a tradition of more than 35 years. The Kiwanis Club hosts the holiday parade, which runs through the college campus.

The Santa Train leaves from Ashland's Amtrak station. Before boarding, there's complimentary coffee and cocoa with Mrs. Claus. The train rides in reserved Amtrak cars to Williamsburg, with Santa, elves and the Polar Express Conductor on board. It arrives at 10:36 a.m., leaves Williamsburg at 4:07 p.m. and gets back to Ashland at 5:47 p.m. The Downtown Ashland Association is raffling two 4-packs of tickets, sponsored by Tiny Tim's Trains and Toys, and the proceeds support the association's nonprofit mission. The winner will be emailed on Monday, November 30, and can choose four tickets for either December 13 or December 20.

The Small Changes on the Way Into Town

Phase I of the England Street streetscape, covering the 100 and 200 blocks, was reported complete as of June 8, 2026. The town says Phases II and III aren't fully funded and have no timeline yet. A June 11 town update described the stamped-asphalt medians as in place and said final striping was the last remaining step.

On U.S. 1, VDOT is still widening the half-mile stretch of South Washington Highway between Arbor Oak Drive and Ashcake Road. The project adds turn lanes, raised medians and sidewalks. VDOT's page, last updated May 28, 2026, estimates completion in fall 2026. Plan for work zones through the season until the state calls it finished.

A few smaller notes for the months ahead:

• Paper Ashland gift certificates are about to expire. The town launched a digital Ashland Gift Card in July. Paper certificates are good only through their printed expiration date or December 31, 2026, whichever comes first. If you have one in a drawer, holiday shopping downtown is a good time to use it.
• The Ashland Eats Passport is still running. The town launched it in June, and checking in at six different restaurants earns a commemorative pint glass.
• Tacos at Center of the Universe. Casa Herradura started a permanent mobile-kitchen partnership in September at Center of the Universe Brewing Co., 11293 Air Park Road near Ashland. It serves a limited menu of tacos, burritos, nachos and quesadillas Thursday through Sunday.
• Revival Spa is expanding. The spa at 10384 Dow Gil Road has added a salt cave, red-light therapy and an infrared sauna. It is aiming to add a cold plunge and float tank by the end of the year, pending approvals.

All of these sit around the same downtown core. The library lot where the trail starts is at 201 S. Railroad Ave., and the Cross Brothers building is at 107. The Arts Center hosts Halloween and both holiday markets at 500 S Center St., and the Santa Train boards at the station by the tracks. Center Street Market opens just in time for the busiest stretch of the downtown calendar.

If you've been watching Ashland's downtown change this year and want to talk about what that means for your own home on these streets, Iris Hernandez is happy to walk through it with you in English or Spanish, at whatever pace works for you. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.