Making Creative Dreams a Reality Five & Dime Creative Opens In old G.C. Murphy Building

Making Creative Dreams a Reality

Five & Dime Creative Opens

In old G.C. Murphy Building

Gwen Akers

The Ashland Beacon

G.C. Murphy’s lunch counter and convenience store once sat at the heart of Ashland, providing a convenient and quick lunch to any worker on the job. Now, the building has a new lease on life as Five & Dime Creative steps in to once more aim to help and encourage the people of Ashland and our region.

With over 30 years of combined experience, Five & Dime Creative is a marketing and design studio aimed at helping businesses, nonprofits, and organizations within the region with their brand strategy and design. At the helm are Brandy Clark, Madeline Tipton, and Courtney Hensley.

Tipton, owner of Tipton Creative, and Clark and Hensley, with experience working with Visit Ashland, Ky., met on the job and became fast friends—working on each other's events and becoming close friends outside of the office as well. Over the summer, the three decided it was time to take a step forward together, and on August 1st, launched Five & Dime Creative.

“We bounce ideas off really well together. We just get that we are more creative and confident when we work together,” explained Tipton.

Five & Dime serves as a sort of creative director for these companies, helping fill any gaps in marketing or branding that may be present—and perhaps most importantly—bring to life the creative ideas so many have but are unsure how to get off the ground. Tailoring each strategy to each business, the three are all about bringing to light the vision behind each business and sharing their stories with the public. Serving as social media managers, website builders, or even in more traditional marketing roles, Five & Dime seeks to be the convenient and transformative force that G.C. Murphy was for downtown Ashland.

“People came together over [the G.C. Murphy] lunch counter and made memories, and we want to do the same. We want the marketing and design services we offer to be strict to allow our clients to fulfill their business goals but also bring people together and just connect with real people,” explained Tipton. “When we’re working with clients, we want them to see us as their creative partners, [so] that they can have a vision and we can give it the personality it needs and just run with it.”

Creating a space that is both creative and relaxed, Clark, Hensley, and Tipton are currently meeting with clients and working toward getting Five & Dime rolling. In the future, they hope to offer workshops and other opportunities for businesses and organizations in the community.

“I’m so excited to be a part of the day to day operations after maternity leave!” commented Courtney Hensley. “I’m so thankful to have something so exciting to look forward to and to work with two of my best friends on projects we feel so passionate about.”

For more information about Five & Dime Creative, you can find them at their website www.fiveanddimecreative.comor visit their Facebook page for updates on their services and upcoming workshops.