Grand opening draws 300 people; Grocery Outlet makes donation to Ashland Food Project and adds dozens of jobs
Ashland.news staff report
A long-vacant retail space in south Ashland officially came back to life Thursday, Jan. 22, with the grand opening of Grocery Outlet at the Ashland Shopping Center.
A ribbon-cutting hosted by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce drew about 300 people, according to store owner Jonathan Lawton, who, along with his wife, Jennifer, own a Grocery Outlet in Medford.
During the grand opening, the Lawtons donated $1,000 to the Ashland Food Project, a local nonprofit that helped stock a third of the food Ashland’s food bank distributed in recent years through the organization’s “Green Bag” program, as reported by Ashland.news.
Eager shoppers began lining up as early as 5 a.m., in part because the first 100 customers received “Bliss Bucks,” or gift cards, ranging from $5 to $500, Jonathan said. He said it was an emotional moment when an early-bird shopper with a special needs child discovered a $500 gift card in the envelope they’d been handed.
In addition to the gift cards, the first 100 customers also received other giveaways, including reusable bags.
Local officials, including Ashland Mayor Tonya Graham, attended the grand opening, which brings 20 full-time jobs to the city and 13 part-time positions, as previously reported by Ashland.news.
The space at 1644 Ashland St. had sat empty since 2020 after Coming Attractions Theater closed its doors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The space had been a Ray’s Food Place before then.
Grocery Outlet in Ashland will be open every day from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. To learn more, visit groceryoutlet.com.
Email Ashland.news associate editor Steve Mitchell at stevem@ashland.news.
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Grocery Outlet ready for shoppers at new Ashland location on Thursday, Jan. 22 (Jan. 16, 2026)
Grocery store could move into former theater on Ashland Street (Jan. 21, 2025)
