ASH + LIME

10/10/2025

Thanks to WFAA’s Good Morning Texas for running a five-and-a-half-minute interview about Experience Main Street in Downtown Irving. We’re already hearing buzz and kind words from colleagues and partners who saw the segment!

This project is about bringing life back to Main Street and showing what a more human downtown can feel like.

Ash + Lime was brought in to lead the pop-up storefronts, starting with ZZ’s Ice Cream Puffs, a local pop-up dessert shop, and Workshop on Main, a creative vendor and gallery space.

The opening weekend starts tonight at 6 PM and continues tomorrow at 10 AM. Come check it out!

07/19/2024

Hello, everyone!

I'm seeking advice from professionals who deal with challenges related to vacant and underutilized storefronts. This may include City staff, economic development professionals, Main Street organizations, property owners, and small business owners.

We're finalizing a new collaborative service focused on revitalizing these spaces, and we need your feedback! Right now, our core team includes:

Jaime Izurieta Varea, founder of Storefront Mastery, a New Jersey-based creative and design studio
Myself (Rik Adamski), founder of ASH+LIME, a Dallas-based downtown/neighborhood planning firm
We're also seeking to expand our team with additional members!

Our approach, tailored to the unique needs of each place, will typically cover topics such as:

* Engagement with property owners, business owners, and citizens
Strategies for pop-ups and other temporary uses
* "Third Place" and local business support
* Storefront-specific designs
* Code enforcement policies
* Place-based marketing

Our team will be well-positioned to help communities of all sizes, ranging from small towns to larger cities.

Some questions:

* Of these topics, what is most pressing to your community?
* What types of organizations would be most likely to use these services?
* Are we missing anything?

Your insights will help us create a service that truly meets community needs. We look forward to helping transform empty storefronts into vibrant neighborhood assets!

07/11/2024

Welcome to episode 79 of the Small Nation Podcast! This podcast is created for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, economic development, and small town su...

04/04/2024

Woo-Hoo! 🎉

What a fantastic landmark addition to Downtown Rockdale! It’s been an pleasure to watch this downtown continue to evolve over the last year.

Keep an eye out; our work on the Comp Plan for Rockdale (as a sub to Freese and Nichols, Inc.) will be coming out soon.

03/20/2024

Ash+Lime is excited to announce our involvement in an inspiring project with the University of Houston (UH)!

UH hosts a thriving on-campus Arts District, encompassing an array of vibrant artistic programs and resources — including design, theater, dance, music, art, and architecture. The district features a museum, art galleries, theaters, programmable outdoor spaces, and captivating public art installations.

In conjunction with its upcoming 2027 centennial celebrations, UH is planning various large capital projects and renovations, including in the Arts District, which will help to both better serve student needs and to bring the Arts District to a new level.

The Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts recognizes the need for short-term strategies to complement these large-scale projects.

Creating a cohesive and dynamic on-campus arts district requires meticulous attention to detail, a focus on the students’ experience, and active engagement with those who contribute time, money, energy, and passion to UH’s arts programs.

Ash+Lime’s approach is strategically centered on student and staff coordination, temporary art installations, creative outdoor programming, dynamic event planning, and targeted marketing.

Our goal is to complement the University’s larger planning efforts with modest, low-cost strategies that can be implemented in weeks and months.

By fostering collaboration among various programs, we aim to celebrate, support, and promote the exceptional creativity within the district, extending its reach to the broader campus community and city as a whole.

We see this as a unique opportunity to leverage the Arts District to enhance student experiences, optimize creative spaces, attract new audiences, and become a valuable resource for neighboring communities.

While this marks the initial phase of our involvement, we have already had stimulating conversations with students and staff. We are confident that our efforts will generate effective, actionable recommendations — laying a strong foundation for future planning. We look forward to sharing our progress as we help shape the future of the on-campus arts scene at the University of Houston!

02/21/2024

02/02/2024

Join us this coming Wednesday for our Neighborhood Oriented Development Community Happy Hour!

We welcome developers, city planners, architects, small business owners, and anyone passionate about small-scale and human-centric development! This happy hour is part of our commitment to connect those dedicated to building environments where people thrive.

Don't miss this opportunity to share a drink with fellow community builders throughout the city and region (Hosted by Community Focused Ventures and ASH + LIME).

We're gathering on February 7th, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Jaquval, located at 312 W. 7th St. In Bishop Arts.

More details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/786918496593418/

02/01/2024

In July 2023, the City of Seguin - Government approved the Downtown Master Plan, developed in conjunction with Seguin's Comprehensive Plan. ASH+LIME, as a subconsultant to Freese and Nichols, Inc., played a significant role in this initiative.

We're thrilled to share the remarkable progress in Seguin's downtown, both during and after the planning phase. Here are some recommendations from the plan which are currently being implemented:

• ADAPTIVE REUSE: The City is acquiring a two-story bank building, paving the way for its remarkable transformation into a valuable Downtown asset. Check out the details here: https://lnkd.in/gyRugURf

• REVISED FACADE GRANT: Modifications are being made to help ensure that storefronts are well-lit at night, enhancing the overall evening ambiance

• RELOCATION OF CHAMBER/ MAIN STREET/ TOURISM OFFICE: These key offices have moved near the City's Central Park, in large part to enhance park activities and activation.

• CREATIVE STREET ENHANCEMENTS: Exciting changes are being planned for Donegan Street, a side street in the heart of Downtown. This includes integrating string lighting and other elements to elevate its sense of place.

• NEW ARTISAN MARKET: The frequency of artisan markets has increased from 2 to 8 a month. This includes a new weekly Farmers' and Artisans' market at an important, previously-vacant location.

• OPERATIONS FUNDING: There is a coordinated effort to direct funding towards driving incremental and transformative change.

• 2-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN: The City aims to implement 15-20 recommendations from the Master Plan over the next two years.

The plan has also been accompanied with the establishment of new ventures, including a cozy coffeehouse/bookstore, a quaint teahouse, a wine bar, an outdoor patio bar, a cocktail bar, and a six-room Victorian bed and breakfast - with several more new businesses set to open soon.

A downtown transformation on this scale, on such a short timeline, is exceptionally notable - particularly for a town of less than 30,000 residents. It stands as a testimony to the impact of combining occasional large investments with a consistent, local, incremental, and results-driven strategy. We are optimistic that progress will continue, and we believe it will serve as a model for the rest of the state.

We are grateful to Seguin for including us on this incredible journey. Stay tuned for more updates as Downtown Seguin continues to flourish!

(Image Credits: Freese and Nichols, Andrew Douglas of TBA/Douglas Architects, Sterling Morris)

12/29/2023

ASH+LIME President Rik Adamski's interview on Third Places was the most listened-to episode of 2023 for the Eyes on The Streets Podcast by CivicBrand. The podcast had some fascinating interviews this year, so it's great to see so much interest in the topic!

"Third Places" is a term used for places which are not home or work, where people can come together, socialize, and participate in the life of the community. This is a place anybody can go — the lower the barrier the better. The rising cost of entry into the public realm limits diversity — creating boring, monoculture cities. “If you’re not connected to the people, if you’re not connected to places, then you could be in any city you want. Why should anyone be in your city?”

In this interview, Rik talks about what third places are, why they're disappearing, and what can be done to help bring them back:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6jwi7DbzAriAa6uu1UtGhw

Discover more about the concept in Rik’s thoughts shared on ASH+LIME's website: The Death and Life of Great American Third Places - Ash + Lime
https://www.ashlime.com/insights/third-places

Let’s keep building meaningful and memorable cities.
We’ll see you in 2024!

05/27/2023

Super excited to be here! We’ve long been fans of Downtown Weatherford!