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SATURDAY February 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 12, 2004 Downtown anchor adrift By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings A downtown Ashland business landmark is undergoing extensive renovations. Paddington Station, a gift store that has been in business for more than 30 years, closed its doors last Monday so renovations to the store's 100-year-old location, the JP Dodge building at 125 E. Main Street, could take place. The business will move to temporary quarters in the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, probably by Saturday. The store is tentatively scheduled to reopen in Ashland sometime in May, co-owner Pam Hammond said. Hammond, who has owned the business for 11 years along with her husband said it was important to preserve the building, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places. "One Twenty Five East Main is such an incredible property," Hammond said. "It has had a retail business since day one and has such a long history. We want to make it one of the best shops... It's so important to preserve this historic building." An early trendsetter The JP Dodge Building first housed the Dodge Furniture Store, said Steve Wyatt, curator for the Southern Oregon Historical Society. When it first opened, it was the only building located that far east from the downtown plaza, he said. The consensus in Ashland was that the building was too far away from the hub of town and the store would not be successful. The skeptics were wrong and the building housed the furniture store for many years. The structure will be retrofitted and improvements will be made to the air-conditioning and lighting. Stairs, the bannisters and the floors will also be renovated. "When things are 100 years old they get tired and worn-out." Hammond said. "We really felt it was time to do this care to maintain the building and we're committed that. We have put a lot of thought into it." Employees have been busy packing merchandise that will be moved to the temporary location on the upper level of the mall between Eddie Bauer and J.C. Penney Corp. Inc. Hammond said it was quite a challenge to find a space for such a short period of time. Most of the retail spaces in the area were available only on a long-term lease. After much searching, they were able to find a short-term lease at the mall. The new space is 1,800 square feet compared to the 8,300 square feet of the Ashland location. Hammond said while Paddington Station could have been closed during the renovations, it wouldn't have been fair to the 12 people who work at the store. "My employees are very important to our success," she said. "It's important for them to continue to maintain their lives, and for us to keep serving our customers." Mary Pat Parker, tourism and marketing manager for the Ashland Chamber of Commerce commended the renovations to the Dodge Building. "I think it's a project well worth undertaking," she said. " I think it will be a beautiful re-addition to our community when it's all done... It will help us preserve the unique character and flavor of our town." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: The new search is here! Click here for more information. .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams