Remembering The Ashley

I took the above photograph of my mother Mary and sister Susan in front of a restaurant called The Ashley, which was located in what was then simply downtown Stuart, Florida. This area has since been "gentrified" and is now called "Old Town Stuart," an appealing mix of shops and restaurants nestled along the St. Lucie River.  Many of these independently owned places like The Ashley and The Jolly Sailor Pub (now located in the nearby Sunset Bay Marina) could not afford the rent increases, and are now long gone.  The Ashley, by the way, got it's name from the Ashley gang, which robbed the bank located in that space back during the depression.  My mother and sister and I would always walk around downtown Stuart whenever Susan and I visited, enjoying the wonderful ambiance.  It is still a great place, but many of the restaurants there are now quite pricey, and as regular blog readers know, I do not do pricey.