It started, as many meaningful things do, with a sense of absence. Sheena Nash, a Salem businesswoman and mother, wanted something simple: a place that felt like it belonged to her. A space where women could celebrate, connect, and pause — even if only for a drink or a shared dessert — without sacrificing elegance or comfort.
What she created instead was something much more ambitious.
Clink!, opening this summer on the second floor of The Forge in downtown Salem, is part restaurant, part sanctuary — and all heart. “I realized there weren’t many places designed intentionally with women in mind,” Nash said. “I wanted to create a place where women could toast to their wins, gather with friends, or simply take a moment for themselves in a beautiful, thoughtfully curated space.”
The space — lush, floral, and unashamedly feminine — is a visual celebration. Think velvet seating, cascading cherry blossom trees, and soft lighting that flatters both food and guests. The restaurant leans into its Parisian bistro aesthetic with boldness. Even its selfie-ready corners are by design: “Every detail, from the art on the walls to the glow of the lights, is meant to spark connection,” Nash said.
But behind the Instagrammable backdrops and soft pink tones is a deeper mission.
Nash’s founding team includes a diverse collective of women and local entrepreneurs, including AJ Nash of Tradition Real Estate and Ricardo and Maggie Antunez of Xicha. Together, they’ve built Clink! not just as a restaurant, but as part of The Women’s Collective — a floor within The Forge dedicated entirely to women-owned businesses.
“This gives us an even greater platform to collaborate, support, and celebrate women in business,” Nash said. “We’re here to be part of Salem’s downtown renaissance.”
Executive Chef Brittni Armenta’s menu, meanwhile, is grounded in French-American sensibility — mignonette-dressed oysters, ratatouille, steak au poivre — each dish inviting guests to stay a little longer, to share, to savor. “Chef Brittni is passionate about creating dishes that feel both special and shareable,” said Nash. Weekend brunch will be a staple, as will gluten-free and vegan options.
That inclusivity extends beyond the plate. Clink!’s early initiative, a Founding Partners event, invited women to literally invest in the restaurant’s future — as ambassadors and advocates. “These women are the heart of our community,” Nash said. “They’re invested in the bigger vision of what Clink! stands for.”
The vision, it seems, is as much about Salem as it is about food.
Scheduled to begin soft openings by late June and fully open by August, Clink! aims to be a catalyst downtown. “We believe Salem has the potential to be an incredible place again,” Nash said. “Clink! can be part of that spark.”
And if it succeeds, it won’t just be because of the French wallpaper or the perfect peach salad. It will be because it gave Salem something it didn’t even know it needed: a place to raise a glass, and a space to belong.
