Ashland, Virginia and anti-consumerism
Find me at the corner of Main Street USA and Existentialism
Day two of anti-consumerism and things are off to an absurd start.
It’s no longer ethical for me to shop at Walmart, Target, or Amazon because I refuse to submit to the oligarchy this country is slowly turning into. Bezos isn’t even trying to hide his evil nature anymore. He has made it clear that the WaPo editorial page will only reflect his views from hereon out, and as a journalist and a citizen who believes in freedom of speech and the press, I cannot support that. Walmart has always been evil, and Target is taking the cowardly (albeit unsurprising) stance on DEI, shrinking like a violet in the enormous shadow of Trump 2.0.
Because of this, and because of a desire to not spend money, I found myself pulled to an anti-consumption subreddit discussing how to make your own bread, laundry detergent, etc.; I even found a post from someone claiming to be adopting a “Great Depression”-esque lifestyle, eating only beans and growing their own veggies.
I need to do something, I thought. I’m addicted to spending money and I need to stop supporting these huge companies just because it’s easy. I started Googling how to make my own makeup primer. I just have to shop local and everything will be fine. Right?
Well, imagine my surprise when I found myself in Ashland, Virginia on a Tuesday afternoon eating a salmon bahn mi wrapped in pita and drinking a glass of rose. Not quite your Depression-era lifestyle.
I came to Ashland for research. That morning, I went up to Kings Dominion to interview the general manager for a piece on the park’s 50th anniversary. I finished the interviews, got in my car, pulled into the parking lot of a nearby gas station and pulled up Apple Maps, trying to figure out what was nearby. I found downtown Ashland on a map, and the first thing that popped up was this place—the Caboose Market & Cafe. I was like, why don’t I go to an adorable local place and get a feel for the town? So there I was, eating a salmon bahn mi, drinking a blood orange Spindrift, and a glass of Lafage Miraflors rose—$8 from France.
My knowledge of Ashland is limited to this: There’s a race here and my former colleague lives here. I knew it had a downtown that was probably cute, and I can see that is in fact true. Train tracks run through the middle of it. Do you think that has something to do with some sort of industry here? Couldn’t be.
There’s a statue of a man riding Secretariat on the campus of Randolph-Macon College. There are small restaurants and bakeries selling decorated sugar cookies and a little park with benches in the center and stones to guide you there. There is a toy store called Tiny Tim’s Trains and Toys—the kind of place that could only exist in a small downtown in 2025—a tattoo parlor, and a shocking amount of public art for a town so small.
The Caboose, whose name couldn’t possibly relate to any sort of railroad history, is actually great. I sat at the wooden bar. The service was quick. The bahn mi was exceptional. This is a farm-to-table restaurant, which is why I chose it. Anti-consumerism, remember?!? Never mind the total price tag—$27.77 , before tip.
There’s a magnificent mural that says “Greetings from Ashland, Center of the Universe.” Every place in the world thinks it’s the center of the universe. For some, it is. The mural has robin’s egg blue as its base color, and clouds painted cream and blush. On the back entrance of the Caboose facing the parking lot, there are murals depicting the railroad, spattered with some strategically-placed graffiti, and a train car labeled “Tropicana.” I’m guessing it’s alluding to Tropicana orange juice as a good that’s routinely shuffled through Ashland?
There’s a meat market, another stop on my long and arduous quest to ‘shop local.’ In fact, there’s a chalk board inside the market that validated me with its message: “Local is Always in season.” I bought chicken breasts—1 pound for $6—and a tuna steak so brightly pink that it looked like a human heart. Can’t wait to eat it.
Going to Ashland made me excited to check out more corners of Virginia that I haven’t before while I wait for upcoming trips. It’s going to be great. As far as my battle with Big Retail goes, wish me luck. I am but a young(ish) woman with a journalism degree and a rapidly dwindling bank account.
