Capital At Play June 2015

Brian & Melanie Boggs

Rethinking the Act of Sitting p.50

Montgomery & Kelley Always on the Move p.66

The Free Spirit Of Enterprise

colu m ns

Premium Box Wine, Really? p. 22 Part One: Keep your “Dream Home” from Turning into a Nightmare. p. 60

Logistics, and clothes for chickens

Henry Bulluck’s Visten Business Services is here to help.

p.12

Volume V - Edition VI complimentary edition

capitalatplay.com

June 2015

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W

e all take risks. It’s just a part of life, right? We simply accept that, as part of our terminal existence; bad things can occasionally happen to anyone, even the most cautious of people. Even when crossing the street at a red light inside the crosswalk. Most people become comfortable with some level of daily risk, but that “acceptable” level can be quite relative in nature. Taking a quick look at the Red Bull YouTube channel, it becomes obvious that some folks can actually accept quite a lot more risk than others. So, what level of risk is ok?

In America, we are, historically, more comfortable with risk than other nations. We like to try new things, new food, new products, and are even willing to test them on ourselves at times (ref. LSD, airplanes, and GMO organisms). I think it’s ingrained in our revolutionary, pioneering, expeditionary culture from our nation’s very conception. In this wonderful country, we are allowed to decide what kind of risks we accept and do not accept as a part of our lives. That’s the best and worst part of it. How to calculate all of it can be a nightmare. Just talk to your insurance adjuster.

When it comes to business we get to make these decisions all over again. This time, it’s other people’s jobs or livelihoods on the line.

Especially early in a business’ life, we get to ask questions like: What kind of debt is acceptable? How many departments should I manage myself, or should I outsource some work? What equipment and personnel can I do without, and what do I need to have immediately?

Thankfully, you aren’t alone. You’re already on the right track. After all…you’re reading this magazine. While every business is different, with different goals and needs, and different captains at every helm, you are the one who can tease out the solutions from the experiences of others as you read about them in this very edition. Thomas Montgomery (p.66) talks about what kind of restaurant equipment can be second hand and what you simply must have new. Henry Bulluck (p.12) shares the fruits of outsourced labor and logistics, which is also illustrated on the cover of this edition. Brian Boggs (p.50) can tell you that if you want some equipment to do things right, you might have to make it yourself. But of course, there is no warranty hotline to call…

James Ling (founder of Ling-Temco-Vought) was giving a talk at Harvard Business School in the late 60s, and during the Q&A section, a student asked him: “How much risk is is acceptable?” (Jimmy was known for taking interesting risks and for innovative fund raising tactics). He responded by asking “How much money do you have?” When the student replied “None,” Jimmy simply said, “That’s how much risk you have.” None. As they say, nothing wagered means nothing gained.

Sincerely,

Oby Morgan

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premier

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property management

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Jeffrey Green contributing editors

Leslee Kulba, Dasha O. Morgan, Brenda Murphy contributing writers & photogr aphers

Emily Ballard, Ellen Gwin, Anthony Harden, James Johnson, John Kerr, Ken Ketchie, Roger McCredie, Marla Hardee Milling, Hugh Morton, Toni Sherwood, Arthur Treff gr aphic designer

Bonnie Roberson marketing & advertising Wren Barnett, Kathryn Dillow, David Morgan, Katrina Morgan, Pat Starnes

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| June 2015

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this page :

Brian Boggs’ wood stash, most of their trees are from Western North Carolina photo by Anthony Harden

F E AT U R E S vol. v

12

LOGISTICS AND CHICKEN CLOTHES HENRY BULLUCK

ed. vi

50

RETHINKING THE ACT OF SITTING BRIAN BOGGS & MELANIE MOELLER BOGGS

66

ALWAYS ON THE MOVE

THOMAS MONTGOMERY & SABRA KELLEY June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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C ON T EN T S j u n e 2 015

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Tin Can Pizzeria Food Truck photo by Anthony Harden

24

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82

Rolling Food Sensations

High Country

Reflective Waters

lo c a l i n d u s t r y

On-The-Go with Western North Carolina Food Trucks.

colu m ns

22 P remium Box Wine, Really?

Written by John Kerr

60 P art One: Keep

your “Dream Home” from Turning into a Nightmare.

Written by James Johnson

10

| June 2015

l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n

Summer Adventures As Summer arrives, Boone, Banner Elk, and Blowing Rock awaken.

briefs

34 Carolina in the West 62 The Old North State 78 National & World News on the cover :

Saphiro, a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, strutting his stuff in a Hen Holster chicken diaper, harness, matching leash and Birdy Bootie. Article on p.12. photo by Anthony Harden

c a p i ta l a d v e n t u r i s t Cool down in Western North Carolina Swimmin’ Holes.

events

90 The 21st of the month marks

the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. The Roman poet Ovid names Juno (goddess of marriage) as one possible origin for the name of this month, not a coincidence for it also to be the start of wedding season.

Ovid, Fasti VI.1–88; H.H. Scullard, Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic (Cornell University Press, 1981), p. 126.

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Saphiro, a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, strutting his stuff in a Hen Holster chicken diaper, harness, and matching leash 12

| June 2015

Companies who make clothes for chickens need logistics too.

Henry Bulluck’s Visten Business Services is here to help. written by roger mccredie

|

photos by anthony harden

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

13

Saphiro wearing his Birdy Bootie

T

his is a story about a man who was educated as a biologist, founded a successful IT business while still in college, met his wife in a zoo, studied in Sweden, became a zoo curator himself, ran an internet Scandinavian food import company, became a freelance data manager, and ended up founding a logistics company whose present clients include an upscale Hong Kong clothing manufacturer, an Australian toy and children’s clothing maker, and a company that makes pet clothing, including “aprons” for chickens.

So there.

Henry Bulluck’s Visten Business Services (named for the lake he lived close to during his sojourn in Sweden) is presently located in a sleek wood / leather / chrome suite of shared offices in a swanky corner of Biltmore Park, south Buncombe County’s movie-set instant town. When I arrive, a male office manager greets me with coffee, which I am just about to partake of when a youngish man in a hiking shirt, cargo pants, and walking shoes, comes through the lobby carrying a large box filled with smaller parcels and envelopes, all wrapped for mailing. I nod and say hello, assuming he’s the mailroom guy.

“Roger?” he asks. “I’m Henry Bulluck. I’d shake hands, but” – He nods towards the box. I move to help him, but he says, “No, I’m good. Go on back. I’ll be right there.”

“Let’s duck in here,” he says, having disposed of his burden, “it’s quiet.” He indicates a small vacant cubicle containing a desk and two chairs. Period. It’s like a police interview room with wall-to-wall carpet and nicer furniture.

“This place is sort of like an office hotel,” Bulluck says, “and it’s too expensive for our purposes. We’re just parked here for the time being until we can afford to take the next step, which is our own commercial space with lots more shipping room. We’re getting there. Baby steps.”

[Editor’s note: Just as this story was about to go to press, Henry Bulluck called to say that Visten was in the process of moving into more commodious quarters on Old Airport Road in Fletcher.]

Bulluck is forty years old but looks ten years younger; he is compact and wiry and there’s no gray in his dark, close-cropped hair. His manner bespeaks a matter-of-fact competence which, it turns out, is reflective of his approach to his work. His firm specializes in providing logistical services to its clients — devising and implementing systems that make for smoother internal operation, thus freeing up company principals to do what they do without having to sweat the details.

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| June 2015

Henry Bulluck in office

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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In a nutshell, he says, “Visten provides help to small and medium-sized businesses who don’t have the time or the staff or the knowledge to solve the problems and handle the grunt work that needs to be done. Things like optimizing shipping procedures and reducing cost in the process, or organizing product flow, from concept through manufacture, for greatest efficiency.

“Most clients are their own worst enemies in these respects,” he says. “They get in their own way. Sometimes they know it, sometimes we have to point it out to them.

And it’s perfectly understandable. They have a product that’s their baby, and the focus of their attention is developing and improving the product. But meanwhile, certain things have to be done. Somebody’s got to care for the baby’s day-to-day well being. That’s where we come in.

“Often it’s hard to wean the client away from micromanaging,” Bulluck says. “It’s like the baby thing again: Do you trust an outsider enough to hand over any aspect of your baby’s raising? It’s a process. The more you demonstrate to the company that you know what you’re doing and that you’re ultimately saving them money, the more trust they put in you. When you find yourself participating in all levels of the client’s logistics and planning, including new product development, you know you’ve been admitted to the inner sanctum.”

“I basically put together my own major – I added courses in animal behavior, animal nutrition, that sort of thing.

And I got a job at the [Western North Carolina] Nature Center.”

“Logistics” comes from the Greek word logistike, which literally means, “the art of calculation,” and is defined as: “The procurement, maintenance, and transportation of material, facilities, and personnel.” It requires a certain mindset, which is probably ingrained, to be an efficient logistician. Henry Bulluck was aware from early on that he possessed such a mindset, but it took him awhile, and an interesting trial-and-error process, to arrive at the point where he would make his living at it.

“I know I have a knack for this stuff,” he says, “but I can’t explain it. Family-wise I come from a business background. My mother’s dad was manager of Biltmore Forest Country Club, and my dad’s family comes from June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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Chicken with Hen Saver Chicken apron/ saddle to protect back

Solutions Without Limits Rocky Mount, where he owned a jewelry store, so they both had jobs that involved multitasking and a lot of attention to detail, but it’s not quite the same. I love details. I love data. I love taking data and turning it into action. It just took me awhile to realize it.”

He says the first real clue was the way he approached his studies as a student at UNC-Charlotte. “I was always bored in college,” he says. “Basically I got the textbooks, I read them, I digested what they had to say, I took the tests and passed. I went to class as little as I could get by with.

“I was studying biology, and I eventually ended up concentrating in captive vertebrate management; that amounts to training to be a zookeeper,” he recalls. “I basically put together my own major – I added courses in animal behavior, animal nutrition, that sort of thing. And I got a job at the [Western North Carolina] Nature Center.”

Which explains how his career took its next directional turn. There was a pretty young intern working alongside him at the nature center. She was Swedish.

They got married and moved to Sweden, where Bulluck enrolled at a Swedish university. Meanwhile he turned to the Internet and his love of information technology to make a living.

“I’ve always had an interest in IT,” he says, “and I hit upon the idea of marketing Scandinavian specialty foods – all the sausages, preserved fish, pastries, jams, and so forth – on the Net. But I saw the handwriting on the wall when Ikea [the Scandinavian home furnishings giant] added food to its mail order line. No way I could compete with that, and I was just marking time with that project anyway.

“It’s very hard to get a job in Sweden if you’re a foreigner, so our choices were sort of shaped for us. We moved back to the States – back here, in fact – and I joined the staff of the Western North Carolina Nature Center here in town as a curator. Figured I could finally put all that zoology to use.”

But the Nature Center stint didn’t last long. Bulluck apparently has a sort of

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“And we’ve just added a third client called Such Great Heights, based out of Adelaide, Australia.

Their wood components are being manufactured in Ohio by the Amish and their fabric components are being manufactured by Opportunity Threads in Morganton, North Carolina.”

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Sherlock Holmes syndrome: A profoundly logical, problem-solving mind that is simultaneously repelled by having to work within established parameters, of which there are many in a state job. His work became a square-peg-round-hole situation, and he turned once again to the Internet, shopping for an outlet for his skill set. He found it on a freelance site that matches clients needing project-based services with qualified people who are into outsourcing.

It was, in fact, how he was introduced to Crazy K Farms, a company based in Hempstead, Texas, that, among other ventures, manufactures pet and poultry products, including clothing. In fact, Crazy K’s line of pet clothing is highly utilitarian, in contrast to Fair Isle sweaters and miniature dinner jackets. There are cat and dog “holsters,” which are basically zippered, non-chafing vests to which a leash can be attached (safer and more humane than collars). There’s the “Avian Have,” a deluxe hut for parrots and other feathered pets.

And there’s a whole line of poultry fashion and accessories, including the Birdie Bootie protective shoe, the Hen Saver Chicken Saddle (for really small jockeys), the Birdy Bra Crop Support and Chest Protector, … and Hen Holster Diapers for the pullet whose free range is in the home.

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“There’s actually a growing market for chickens as household pets,” Bulluck says. “Where there’s a market for pets, there’s going to be a market for pet-related things. Crazy K realized that early on. We just had to help them sort out their ideas and facilitate manufacturing and shipping. They’re a success story. Since we took over the account in 2013 their business has almost doubled.”

What about branding? Has Visten considered submitting “Garments for Varmints” to the client? Bulluck sidesteps this suggestion (as he should) and continues.

“We’ve also taken on an upscale Hong Kong clothing manufacturer,” he says. “And we’ve just added a third client called Such Great Heights, based out of Adelaide, Australia. Their wood components are being manufactured in Ohio by the Amish and their fabric components are being manufactured by Opportunity Threads in Morganton, North Carolina. They are into natural play items and clothing. Opportunity Threads is working on their clothing line right now. We will be handling all their logistics for domestic and international orders.

“I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but we’re courting companies we can really interact and spend a lot of time with, and

that means quality, not quantity. I’ve always been an observer of people, able to spot their efficiencies and inefficiencies, and I think that’s why I’m good at what I do. But it takes time to reach that point with a client,” he adds.

“In five years I’d like to see us with eight to ten clients and a commercial space of our own that’s big enough to handle our inventory and shipping requirements, but not too big. With some occasional extra help, I’d like to be able to get more people employed by that time – good people – to service our clients well. Right now Visten is essentially just my wife and me, but I’d like to find the right folks to work with us and pay them a good living wage.

“I’m not a corporate guy,” Henry Bulluck says. “I don’t want to make a bazillion dollars. I just want a good, comfortable life that involves helping small businesses realize their potential.

Simple, really.”

Memo to self: Put “Garments for Varmints” back in idea file.

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21

Premium Box Wine, Really?

D

J

john kerr

is the co-owner of Metro Wines located on Charlotte Street in downtown Asheville.

22

O N ’ T T H I N K YO U L I K E B OX W I N E ?

You actually love it, and have probably been drinking it for years. It’s a well kept secret that the house wine at many of North Carolina’s better restaurants comes from a box. I’m sure this is surprising to many of you.

But it’s not to the rest of the world. Half the wine sold in Australia, Brazil, Norway, and Sweden is poured from a box. So, what do they know that we don’t?

Box wine has a bad reputation and deservedly so.

Most of us associate box wine with the stack of Franzia or similar brand in the aisle of value wines at the grocery store. Box wines were introduced a few decades ago to make cheap wines even cheaper.

And in the United States, low-end bulk wines still dominate the box market. But in the early 2000s, brands like Black Box and Fish Eye decided to offer a better wine in this format, putting a fairly tasty wine inside cardboard boxes. Many wine lovers and critics have taken notice, making box wines the highest growth category in this business.

Quality wine makers have watched this evolution, with several deciding that it’s time for them to jump into the game. Relatively small producers in Europe and the new world are selling serious, so-called premium box wines. And these wines usually beat similarly priced bottled wines in blind tastings. Look for wineries like El Agosto, Shania, La Quercia, and From the Tank for the best in premium box wines.

Premium box wines from smaller wineries? Now that I’ve peaked your interest, it’s time to look at the advantages and disadvantages of box wine, and see if they’re right for you. Let’s start with the advantages,

| June 2015

and then bring this discussion back to earth by covering their downside.

Value is the overwhelming advantage to box wines.

These wines win blind tastings because wineries put the money saved in packaging back into the wine. Bottles are elegant, but they are an antiquated packaging comprised largely of thick and heavy glass.

The materials are costly to make and expensive to ship, whereas box wines are made of light plastic and cardboard, and a typical box wine is 96% wine.

Prices for wine in low cost packaging plummet to a range of $21 to $43 for a three liter box. This may sound a bit expensive, but you get four bottles in a box.

So you’re paying $5.25 to $10.75 for a bottle of wine that you won’t just tolerate but actually enjoy. And many of these are wines made by relatively small wineries that care about what’s in your box. Yes, you can buy Trader Joe’s box wine for as little as $11. However, you should know that Bronco Wine Company, supplier to Trader Joe’s and about 30 other discount wine purveyors, are involved in litigation over high levels of arsenic in their California wines. Not enough to get you outright, but arsenic is considered a carcinogen.

Alas, there is no free (or cheap) lunch.

J

Summer is

Full of

The value continues because the wines last for four to eight weeks. The secret behind this trick is a flexible plastic bag filled with wine and a squirt of non-reactive gas. This combo is then capped off with an air tight spigot. The bag collapses as you dispense the wine. Go ahead, pour a small glass of wine while you cook. And maybe add a little to the recipe. Each glass will taste as fresh as the next. There’s no oxidized wine to throw out the next day, and no lost bottles from corked wine.

And then there’s the convenience factor. Restaurants love them because they don’t roll, spill, or break into a thousand sharp pieces when you knock them over. They’re great for picnics and parties where guests can serve themselves. And try lugging four regular bottles around – it’s much easier to grab a handled box and run. For pools and other places glass is not welcome, several of our customers buy the tetra pack.

The tetra pack comes in half and one liter sizes looking much like an adult juice box.

They don’t have the inner plastic bag so the wine lasts as long as it does in a regular bottle. But they’re light, unbreakable, and easy to haul out from a pool or a hiking or camping trip.

And the packaging is environmentally friendly to boot. You can recycle the cardboard portion of the package. And research indicates that box wines produce about half the carbon emissions and have a much smaller carbon footprint than wine from a bottle.

Okay, box wines sound great, but what are the disadvantages? The first might be palate exhaustion. No problem here if you’re serving it at a party sometime in the next month. But a four bottle box is going to last a long time if just one or two of you are drinking it. To finish a box of wine, you need to make it your “go to” wine for a while.

And you may not want the same Chardonnay every night for the next three weeks.

No surprise, but box wines don’t age well. Over time the plastic absorbs some of the flavor components in wine. The wines still taste good, but after about a year there is a noticeable difference in taste compared to the same wine in a bottle.

Smiles!

QUALITY WINE MAKERS HAVE WATCHED THIS EVOLUTION, WITH SEVER AL DECIDING THAT IT ’S TIME FOR THEM TO JUMP INTO THE GAME. RELATIVELY SMALL PRODUCERS IN EUROPE AND THE NEW WORLD ARE SELLING SERIOUS, SO-CALLED PREMIUM BOX WINES. Another disadvantage is the stigma of box wine. Much like screwtops, it will be years before box wines are truly accepted in polite company. It won’t be anytime soon that we’ll bring a box wine as a hostess gift. And don’t expect the sommelier to show you the box before pressing the spigot to fill your glass.

Which brings me to the biggest disadvantage of all – the loss of ritual. There is something inherently satisfying about the manner in which we open a bottle of wine.

We are enveloped in the look, feel, and aromas of the entire process. Much like reading an actual newspaper versus online, I am of the old school and will continue to open a bottle of fine wine on the weekends. But to fill the weekday gap, you’re likely to find a box of premium wine resting on my kitchen counter.

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local industry

ON-THE-GO Rolling Food Sensations

written by marl a hardee milling photos by anthony harden

The Sqweelin’ Pig 24

| June 2015

blue ridge food ventures

I

t w ill take time before the food truck industry in A sheville equals the scene in larger towns like Portland, Austin, D.C., and New York City, but 2015 will be remembered as a pivotal year moving Asheville’s food trucks into a greater recognition and acceptance.

There are now two established food truck lots in Asheville—51 Coxe and the brand new Asheville Food Park—with plans for a third lot at New Mountain Asheville. Trucks are also attracting customers at area breweries like Highland Brewery, the Wedge, and Green Man, among others, as well as at tailgate markets, fairs, festivals, and special events.

Highland Brewing president Leah Wong Ashburn says having food trucks at the brewery is a win-win combination. “When we’re open later, people get hungry,” she says. “Offering food is simply a more responsible way to enjoy beer, and the food trucks make it easy for us. Plus, the quality is high, there are great choices in cuisine, and the food is delicious.”

You might think if you’ve watched the movie Chef, that operating a food truck

El Kimchi at the Wedge

affords a life of freedom and adventure with lines of customers at every corner. The reality, at least leading up to the current renaissance, is that the food truck lifestyle is often a continual battle against myths, misconceptions, inclement weather, lack of seating, and competition with traditional restaurants.

Dean Pistor, broker and co-owner of Realty World with offices in the Grove Arcade, offered a solution to some of these problems by creating the Asheville Food Park on property he owns at Amboy Road and State Street in West Asheville.

Long associated with the property through his work as the realtor who has sold the property several times, he’s now the owner and has crafted a new vision for the building, which originally served as the Amboy Drive-In, and later as the Cascade Lounge.

He realized the spot is located in a “food desert,” which Pistor defines as an “area of growth with very limited sources of food and beverage.” It’s located in the River Arts District across from the city’s largest park, Carrier Park, and along a popular commute route for people traveling to the hospitals, UNC-Asheville, Asheville High School, and Biltmore Village.

In order to operate a food truck, owners must have access to a commissary kitchen where they can properly clean their dishes, prep food, toss out gray water, and refill with clean water. A few in our area turn to Blue Ridge Food Ventures (BRFV) at the A-B Tech Enka campus, which offers a food truck commissary.

“The big thing by health department regulations is that food trucks have to change out water on a daily basis.

They have to be able to wash hands and clean appropriately, so they’ll go to a restaurant or a commissary like ours,” says Chris Reedy, BRFV executive director.

BRFV charges $50 a month, but there’s no required length of time that an owner must agree to. They can use it on a month-by-month basis and can tailor the services for their specific needs. Some, like El Kimchi, use it for the commissary; while Reedy says, “Gypsy Queen uses our freezers to store product, but doesn’t use the commissary.”

“In season we may have as many as 10 or 12 food trucks and hot dog carts using our services,” says Reedy. “We’ve seen a lot of different carts and trucks come through. It’s certainly a growing trend, and I know more and more people are becoming comfortable eating at food trucks, especially when they are introduced to such cool cuisine.”

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 25

local industry

morning, lunch, and evening shifts seven days a week yearround. There’s also availability for carts, but as Pistor notes, “the only thing you’re allowed to sell out of a cart in North Carolina that’s cooked is hotdogs, but you can do ice cream carts, lemonade stands, and we’ll have a daily produce stand that runs May 15 through December 15.”

The Asheville Food Park also gives customers a place to enjoy their food with 24 seats in the bar/lounge area, a covered area in the back that seats 15 to 20, and a variety of picnic tables in the yard near the food trucks.

51 Coxe

Tin Can Pizzeria “The neat thing about this location is we open early with a coffee kiosk so you can get espressos, danishes, hot sandwiches, paninis, and that kind of thing. I have that space leased to a local coffee roaster,” says Pistor. “It also offers a grab-and-go cooler and the food truck industry will be able to sell out of that cooler, if they have leftovers or prepare extras. It’s an opportunity for them to have a retail outlet without having to maintain a shift the whole time.

The Asheville Food Park, which opens in June 2015, offers space for three food trucks. The operators rotate among

Seating proved a major obstacle at 51 Coxe (formerly called “The Lot”), a downtown parking lot located between the Greyhound bus terminal and a branch of Wells Fargo, and across the street from Asheville Gymnastics.

There’s room for four trucks at this lot, but when trucks began setting up shop there, they couldn’t put out tables for customers because doing so requires access to a handicapped-accessible bathroom.

Property owners John and Susan Robinson took over management of the 51 Coxe lot in October 2014, a move that upset some of the food truck owners who had been leasing and managing the property through a collaborative effort known as Asheville Street Food Coalition (ASFC).

Both sides claim simultaneous ideas for a similar plan: Remodel the existing building on the property (which once served as the office for Matthews Ford’s used car lot) to include a commissary, handicapped bathroom, beer and wine bar, and a deck featuring tables and umbrellas.

In a lengthy, public letter on The Lot’s Facebook page, ASFC outlined its stance, saying in part: “The property owner’s response to this was to inform us that we could not have the

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building at the Lot. They were also not interested in renewing our lease.”

“They felt that we pulled the rug out from under them, but it’s our land,” says Susan. “It became apparent to cover the insurance, to cover the taxes, to make it profitable, that the management had to change. We either had to charge them more rent, which we offered, or we were going to take over management. So we took over the management.”

The rift caused some truck owners to move on, while others stayed. The Robinsons moved forward with their renovation plans and opened the expanded services in June.

New Mountain AVL The lease dispute gave rise to a new collaboration between the Asheville Street Food Coalition, led by Suzy Phillips of Gypsy Queen Cuisine, and New Mountain AVL, located on North French Broad Avenue near the backside of the Federal Building.

New Mountain AVL reached an agreement in the spring of this year to begin hosting food trucks. “From my understanding the move happened very organically,” says Adam St. Simons, marketing manager. “The ASFC was looking for a new space for their food trucks and New Mountain AVL had the lot space and clientele to support it. It’s an awesome fit.”

Their plans hit a snag when New Mountain AVL had to take a few steps back and reconsider the requirements of getting their lot rezoned by the city.

“We’re in the process of getting a level one review to be rezoned so we’ll have the same zoning as The Lot [51 Coxe] and the Wedge,” says Truth Wingfield, logistics and development director. “We’re adding trees along French Broad Avenue and upgrading electrical, which are part of the requirements.”

She says initial plans to add a commissary kitchen for the trucks just doesn’t work with their existing building, so they

won’t be able to let the trucks park on their property overnight.

The hoped-for zoning will, however, provide permission to host multiple trucks at a time. As to when their food truck lot will be up and running, Wingfield hopes it will be this summer, but she doesn’t know the exact timetable.

“We plan to house three to five trucks a day for lunch, along with food trucks for events in the evenings,” says co-owner Brandon Raab. Trucks will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week, with a full schedule printed regularly on their Facebook page.

The location also gives diners outdoor seating, bathroom facilities, and beverage offerings. “Our SOL Bar serves a wide array of sustainable/organic/local-sourced coffee, beverages, and a full menu of beer, wine, and cocktails,” says St. Simons.

“It also provides onsite [light] food options for all of our concert and event patrons.”

Obstacles and Concerns Back in the spring, two food truck operators serving lunch at 51 Coxe talked candidly about the struggles they face to run a successful business—Doo Wan Lee, owner of El Kimchi, and Wesley Wright, owner of the Taste and See truck.

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local industry

Customers getting food at Melt Your Heart

Lee says when he and his wife, Miok Chung, opened their food truck four years ago it was much easier to make a living. He says at that time there were just a handful of trucks in Asheville, but the numbers continue to increase. “Almost every day someone comes and asks me how to set up a food truck,” says Lee. “There are too many now.”

Ultimately he and his wife hope to open a Korean restaurant in either downtown or West Asheville along Haywood Road, but it’s currently a dream that’s out of reach financially.

Lee and his wife continue dreaming and saving, while maintaining a regular schedule with their food truck at 51 Coxe, the Wedge Brewery, and other venues.

“People will say food trucks are so popular here, but they don’t understand what it’s like in other cities. On our best days of the year, we’ll serve 300 customers for dinner at a festival,” says Wright. “Food trucks in New York and DC and Portland and Tampa and places like that—their lunch is 300 customers a day.”

He says during lunchtime at 51 Coxe, most food trucks are lucky to serve 30 to 40 customers. The majority of truck owners supplement their income by rolling the trucks to breweries, concerts, special events, weddings, and catering.

Wright’s biggest frustration, as a food truck operator, revolves around how severely limited he is in terms of where he can set up service.

“I would like to petition the city to loosen up the restrictions because I’d like to see some street-side vending. There’s tons of foot traffic downtown, and just having one food truck in the center of Pack Square or over by Pritchard Park—one a day, we could all rotate in and out. My serving window is on my right side, so when I pull up to a curve, I can open up and start serving. That’s what you’re supposed to be able to do. But it’s Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR) that legislate us to just 28

| June 2015

being in parking lots. Restaurants see us as ‘unfair competition,’ that’s quoting them directly. We can’t provide ambiance. I can’t provide a place for someone to sit down. I can’t provide music. I can’t provide alcohol. I can’t provide shelter from the weather.

I have a limited menu of only five items. How is that unfair competition? Some of the same restaurants that tried to not even let us be in business at all in Asheville are the same ones that are trying to open up their own food trucks. They say we shouldn’t be in business, but they can open up their own?

“I welcome anyone who wants to move to this town and start a food truck. I hope their wildest dreams come true,” Wright continues. “I’m not trying to scare off competition, but I want people to know that most food trucks go out of business that come here.”

This reality is why Lee says many food truck operators have to have other jobs to supplement their income. Some operate their truck only on the weekend, while maintaining a fulltime job, or stagger their food truck schedule to also support part-time employment.

Cecilia Marchesini, the owner of Ceci’s Culinary Tour food truck in Asheville, expanded her business by opening two traditional sit-down restaurants—one in North Asheville (Ceci’s Kitchen) and the other in Black Mountain (La Guinguette)— but she has undying love for her truck, which still appears Saturday mornings at the North Asheville Tailgate Market and other events.

Cecilia, a native of Argentina, had the very first food truck in Asheville, opening in 2010. She had previously owned Bouchon restaurant with her former husband, and then worked for a doctor’s office before deciding she wanted to be her own boss.

“I knew the owner of the Wedge, and he said I could come and sell there. I also went to Highland Brewing and started

dispelling food truck myths and misconceptions

myth #1: food trucks are just serving up hot dogs, burgers, and other run-of-the-mill fare.

Reality: The majority of food trucks in Asheville and the Western North Carolina region are chef owned and operated, serving gourmet meals prepared from locally sourced ingredients. “We cook food from all over the world,” says Chef Linda Benson, owner of Mobile Global Bistro, who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. “I try to do as much local as I can. I will go through the market and get inspired by the available choices.”

“Most people in Asheville haven’t realized that food trucks have incredible food. It’s the same, if not better, than the restaurants,” Wright continued. The AB Tech culinary graduate has a good point of reference since he has served as a chef with some of Asheville’s best restaurants. “I do this because I can make my own schedule.” myth

#2: food trucks are dirty.

Reality: Food trucks have to be permitted and undergo regular Health Department inspections. They have to use a commissary kitchen to prep food, change out dirty “gray” water for clean water, and clean their dishes and utensils.

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“We have to have the same licenses and inspections that a restaurant has,” says Betty Sperry of Farm to Fork, which opens for lunch on the weekends at Silver Fork Winery in Morganton. “I have my rating outside that I post all the time.”

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myth #3: food truck owners make a big profit because of low overhead.

Reality: While some food trucks make a decent living, J. D. Medford of Appalachian Smoke BBQ says, “people think you show up and make money hand over fist, but they don’t see the permits, the insurance, and the prepping all week long to get ready for a weekend event. I put in 12 or 14 hours a day getting ready the whole week before serving on Fridays and Saturdays.”

Owners also have to balance out the high season in the summer with the less profitable winter months and days lost to inclement weather.

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local industry

doing parties,” says Marchesini. “From there the food truck business exploded.”

“I love my truck. Her name is Lola,” says Marchesini. “My food truck is a stick shift. I learned in Argentina, but where I

my little truck. She’s like part of my family. She’s never let me down. If I ever go to a job, she will break down after. She has always, always taken me to work. She’s an ’82 model. She’s an old lady, but so easy to drive.”

“I actually have a small trailer—not a truck,” says Sperry. “I attach it to my car. I joke that it’s a tiny dollhouse. I had it especially made for me by someone in Boston. I wanted it to be architecturally interesting. It has plank boarding on the outside and cute little windows.” lived was completely flat. So the first time I had to drive in the mountains I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m going to do it,’ but I’ve now been in Spruce Pine, Dupont Forest, all over the place with

30

| June 2015

Juggling Act

Betty Sperry has learned to balance her weekday job as an assistant teacher in Buncombe County’s dual language program with her weekend food truck business. On Saturdays and Sundays, she sets up her Farm to Fork eatery for the lunchtime crowd at Silver Fork Winery in Morganton.

“I actually have a small trailer— not a truck,” says Sperry. “I attach it to my car. I joke that it’s a tiny dollhouse. I had it especially made for me by someone in Boston. I wanted it to be architecturally interesting. It has plank boarding on the outside and cute little windows.”

Prior to moving to Western North Carolina, Sperry operated a Cuban café for 15 years with her mother in Miami.

She continues to delight customers with her authentic Cuban sandwich, as well as other items featuring fresh, local ingredients.

She creates seasonal menus based on available ingredients and the freshest options at area farmers markets. “I tend to base my menu on Mediterranean, Spanish, Greek, Italian, and Cuban foods. It’s not a complicated menu, but a nice combination of things. I have a turkey avocado panini, and nachos with hummus and olives, fresh salads, and other sandwiches. It’s fun to pair the food with wines offered at Silver Fork,” Sperry says.

She lives in Nebo, about three miles from the winery, but uses a commissary located in Marion in McDowell County.

“That’s where I do my prep work and wash the dishes.”

Low on Space; High on Fresh Up in the High Country, Will Cocke and his girlfriend, Leilani Taylor, launched their food stand last July. “It’s basically a trailer that’s permanently plumbed in and wired along with outdoor seating,” says Cocke. “There are bathrooms next door at the gas station.”

Originally known as The Roost, they recently changed the name to Habanero’s Roost as a nod to the proliferation of habanero peppers they use in their offerings.

They also make their own habanero sauce.

“I put a lot of habaneros in just about everything we do to give a little punch,” Cocke says. “Most people don’t even notice, but the jerk sauce is real hot. A

lot of people come to get their mouths burning off with that.”

Business is swift at this spot near the Pixie Motor Inn in Linville, located close to the intersection of U.S. 221 and N.C. 105. They sell out of their freshly prepared tacos, sliders, and other creations daily. They are open every day year-round except Mondays, with the hours of 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Thursday, and until 6 pm Friday through Sunday.

The biggest challenge is space. They don’t have tons of freezer or refrigerator space, but this also proves to be a blessing because they offer customers the freshest food possible.

“Everything is made from scratch,” he says. “I have to order food multiple times a week because of space. We prep daily and have super fresh menu items every day.”

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Collaboration with the Farming Community In Boone customers line up for the wood fired pizza and other items offered out of the Farm to Flame food truck.

It serves lunch and dinner Monday through Sunday at the Appalachian Mountain Brewery and also entertains customers each Saturday morning in season at the Watauga County Farmer’s Market.

Building relationships with local farmers is a cornerstone of this business according to Danny Wilcox, director of operations for the brewery and the food truck.

“We focus on the local farming community in a 50 mile radius,” says Wilcox.

“Each month we feature a different local farmer, and we do a collaborative pizza with that farmer. We put a full marketing spiel on the website, plus 10 percent of profits for the month also go back to the farmer.”

The Farm to Flame truck opened for business in June 2014. The idea sparked when Wilcox met with the owners of the brewery, Sean and Stephanie Spiegelman, and devised a way to offer food to the beer drinkers gathered there.

“It’s all a collaboration,” says Wilcox.

“The biggest challenge is space. We’re trying to operate as a restaurant, but it’s still just a food truck.”

Farm to Flame continues to draw fans with the tasty temptations created in the truck’s custom-built wood fired oven.

Roaming the Region “Operating a food truck is definitely a roller coaster ride,” admits Linda Benson, who operates the Mobile Global Bistro.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m in my rocket ship when I’m heading out.”

The Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef launched her food truck three years ago.

She first moved to Hendersonville and then relocated to Weaverville last year.

Maintaining a schedule at a lot for the lunch crowd isn’t something she finds profitable. Instead, she focuses on catering, serving at weddings and special events, and setting up regularly to feed crowds at Navitat in Barnardsville, Parker-Binns Vineyard Estate Wines in Mill Spring, and Mountain Brook Vineyards in Tryon.

She’ll go anywhere within a 200-mile radius, but being on the go presents challenges of its own. “Last December I was doing a Christmas fair,” she says.

“My truck broke down on a freeway on a Sunday in the rain. I was sitting there with my head in my hands thinking, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I had to wait four hours for the right kind of tow truck and had food spoiling. Weeks later, I was at another event and my heart was singing and I loved it.

“I also made mistakes in the beginning,” she continues. “I would commit to being at certain places, especially for charity events, without fully understanding how many people [would show up].

So I prepped a lot of food and there were a fraction of the people they expected.”

Inclement weather is another hazard.

A rainy day can spell disaster for a food truck operator who is prepped and ready to feed a crowd.

“If it’s raining, that’s tough,” says J.D. Melton, owner of the Appalachian Smoke BBQ food truck. “You have to start giving it away. We always find someone who needs this food. I believe God provided me this opportunity to live my dream. If we have food left over, we find someone who needs it.”

Like the Mobile Global Bistro, Melton says he shuns lunchtime lots and focuses on serving crowds at festivals, fairs, and breweries. “It’s all weekends for us,” the Western North Carolina native says. “We have two or three days during the week taken up with catering jobs. That’s a real blessing for us. Yesterday we set up for lunch for a construction crew and then went into downtown Asheville for a wedding rehearsal at the Windsor Hotel.”

He’ll head out on the highway every chance he gets saying his motto is: “Have smoker. Will travel.” Appalachian Smoke BBQ goes to Charlotte at least six times a year, as well as locations all over Western North Carolina and beyond.

“If we can spread the love of BBQ around, we’re there,” he says. “Plus it’s like a mini-vacation. Even though we’re working, we’re still seeing a different place.”

food trucks around the region

The best way to find out where a food truck will be serving is to keep an eye on its Facebook page or website. Here’s a partial list of the trucks you can sample in the Western North Carolina region:

Appalachian Smoke BBQ See Facebook page 828-713-0244

Mobile Global Bistro See Facebook page 828-329-4074

Ceci’s Culinary Tour See Facebook page 828-545-9107

Pho Ya Belly www.phoyabelly.net 828-450-4108

Doc Brown’s BBQ See Facebook page 828-242-4544

Root Down Food Cart www.rootdownfoodcart.com 704-881-3819

El Kimchi See Facebook page

Smash Box Mobile Kitchen www.smasheventsinc.com 828-367-7550

Farm to Fender See Facebook page 828-335-0875 Farm to Flame See Facebook page 828-851-1712 Farm to Fork Eatery See Facebook page 828-475-9640 Gypsy Queen Cuisine See Facebook page 828-280-6647 Habanero’s Roost food stand 4150 Mitchell Avenue, Linville, NC 28646 828-260-0304

Taste and See tasteandseefoodtruck.com 828-301-5111 Tin Can Pizzeria See Facebook page 601-594-1767 The Bom Bus See Facebook page 828-565-1139 The Real Food Truck See Facebook page 828-279-7862 The Sqweelin’ Pig 320 Merrimon Ave Weaverville, NC. 28787

Melt Your Heart See Facebook page 828-989-6749

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

33

CAROLINA in the

WEST [

news briefs

Fit for Lake Geneva haywood

The Terrace at Lake Junaluska is now open for business. The Terrace, part of the majestic resort and assembly grounds, which are also the headquarters for the World Methodist Council, recently underwent a major construction overhaul. $3.2 million was invested in the conversion, and about 200 happy campers were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Main areas were stripped and gutted. Guest rooms now sport bold and elegant modern lines in tasteful proportions. Tranquility is built-in to uphold Lake Junaluska’s mission: “Christian hospitality, transformation, and renewal.” Views overlook the lake, mountains, and peaceful gardens.

Whereas the Terrace was once intended only for groups participating in programs on the assembly grounds, it is now

]

opening its arms to individuals, private parties who just want a nice place to stay for a “personal retreat.” The assembly remains a full-service retreat campus, though. The Terrace’s meeting rooms and all-you-can-eat buffet can accommodate anywhere from 40 to 350 guests, and banquets and receptions are welcome. Lake Junaluska Assembly began 100 years ago as a revival tent in a field. The latest upfits are only the beginning of changes scheduled in a ten-year master plan.

Columbus, Saluda, and Landrum to Greenville, Spartanburg, Hendersonville, and Asheville. The duo sensed there could be increasing demand with the new Tryon International Equestrian Center.

To date, the fleet consists of four Lincoln Town Cars and a 12-passenger Mercedes Sprinter, and the company employs five drivers and one dispatcher. Popular destinations include the local airports, venues for special occasions, and the Biltmore House. The business plan is to grow payroll with demand. Customers can call ahead or call at the last minute, but Feagin and Taylor are also building scheduled itineraries. For example, Tryon Wine Tours visits four vineyards for $119, and a three-hour night in Greenville would run $40. LimoZen also provivdes the transportation for Landrum’s Our Carolina Foothills culinary tours.

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What? No Limos? polk

Ken Feagin and Alan Taylor have launched a luxury transportation service, seeing a shortage in the Carolina Foothills. For the most part, LimoZen chauffeurs private parties from Tryon,

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listening to the old folks tell their stories.

When Sam became a nurse, she began collecting stories patients told her, jotting down notes and keeping them on the night stand for their children, who were usually misty-eyed and grateful.

Turning the kindness into a livelihood started somewhat surprisingly when, at a business meeting, Uhl said she wrote life stories for a living. Two people pulled out their checkbooks. Uhl had been working out of her Cary apartment until she met Joe Kaplan at a memoir-writing workshop she was conducting last year. He has now finished his book and is almost ready to publish it, but he told Uhl she needed to go into business for real, with a location where people could find her. Kaplan’s business sense complemented Uhl’s passion, and they established a studio below Black Bear Coffee in downtown Hendersonville. Services offered include recording sessions, from which the users can receive an mp3 or USB file, heirloom and life-story books, memoir coaching, workshops on life story preservation, and digital conversion of obsolete recordings.

Products range from a $30 recording session to over $30,000 for a leather-bound, archival-quality book. Uhl said a lot of people will want the top-of-the-line book for their vanity collections, but most

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the old north state

national & world

clients are children wanting to capture their parents’ stories.

Meticulously Compiled jackson

Retiring Clemson University professor Timothy Spira just completed a new field guide, Waterfalls & Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes, published by the UNC Press. It was featured at a presentation and book signing at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva during May. Spira explained he wanted people going to the waterfalls in this region, celebrated for its rich biodiversity, to tune in to the floral displays all along the way. There are over 1,000 waterfalls in North Carolina alone, and the Southern Appalachians are home to 2,500 species of flowering plants, not including mosses and ferns. A variety of microhabitats are made possible by ranges in altitude and disparate average annual rainfall, which varies from 42 to 90 inches. Known for being meticulous, the author wanted readers of his guide to be able to track down their favorite flowers when they were in bloom. Spira hiked each trail in the book ten or more times to get perspectives on the vegetation at

carolina in the west

different times of the year. Striving for accuracy and detail, he hiked over 800 miles and racked up more than 20,000 miles on his car. He took all the photographs, wrote all the narratives, and drew all the structural diagrams. Detailed maps with GPS coordinates are another feature that makes this guide stand out.

Spira also co-authored Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains & Piedmont with George Ellison.

Asheville’s IT Guys Are Up & Out buncombe

Lab Escape is the second high-growth Asheville IT startup to be acquired w ithin a matter of months. Last November, DoctorDirectory, a provider of online marketing and branding strategies for healthcare professionals, was purchased for $65 million by EveryDay Health in New York. Lab Escape’s CEO and founder, Trevor Lhorbeer, sees this as the shape of things to come in Asheville. His company had been in the business of helping businesses discover and visualize data twelve years before

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Exit 4c off I-240 • Guided Fly Fishing trips 29 Montford Ave, Asheville • Fly Fishing Classes 1-800-227-6732 • Fly Tying Classes www.HunterBanks.com June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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carolina in the west

being purchased by Teikametrics.

Boston-based Teikametrics helps companies selling on Amazon.com optimize pricing and inventory. The acquisition is part of the company’s move to expand its services outside the Amazon.com realm. The financial considerations of the deal were not disclosed. Lohrbeer, who is also the founder of Asheville’s Meet the Geeks network, will fit into the Teikametrics team as chief data scientist. According to Lohrbeer, acquisition was necessary. The discovery and visualization business is hot, money is pouring in, and competitors’ businesses are being valued in the multimillions.

Seeing he couldn’t compete, Lohrbeer reached out to over 200 businesses to find an acquirer. Teikametrics, managing more than $500 million in Amazon. com revenue for over 250 clients, was deemed the best cultural fit.

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| June 2015

Special Perk for Westerners avery

Grandfather Mountain is now allowing visitors to purchase tickets ahead of time online. It doesn’t sound like much until one learns that online purchasers can enter the park through a special shortcut on busy weekends. It’s sort of a perk for residents of and visitors to Western North Carolina, as getting to the special entryway will prove a hassle for visitors approaching from the east. The secret path follows a gravel driveway through the lovely MacRae Meadows, ending just above the main gate. After all, one doesn’t travel to the pristine forest to waste their vacation time waiting in line and smelling exhaust from other vehicles.

Regular adult, senior, and child tickets, and AAA discounted tickets will be

downloadable; any other type of ticket will have to be purchased at the gate.

Major credit cards are accepted, and tickets will be valid for one year after the date of purchase. Online purchasers will have to print out their tickets, though, as wireless reception is rather spotty on the mountain. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

Test Your Cheese Awareness buncombe

This year, local artisans put together the Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest at the Highland Brewing Company to do just that. One of the event’s organizers, Katie Moore, abandoned the idea of having a downtown store and now drives around

the region catering events. Moore collaborated with Jennifer Perkins of Looking Glass Creamery and Rachel English Brown of English Farmstead Cheese to pull together the event. Spotlighted was the WNC Cheese Trail, which now features twelve farms. A number of participants were dairy farmers who were pressured by the market to diversify their portfolios. Terry English, Rachel’s husband and a fourth-generation dairyman, explained how only a couple months before, they were getting 28 cents a pound for their milk. The month before the festival, the price had dropped to 21 cents, and he expected only 18 cents the month following. With the price of production and demand moving in the other direction, the English farmstead had to look for other sources of income. Moore said the event was not so much about calling attention to the fact that cheese from local dairies isn’t processed, frozen,

and stored in plastic; so much as it was to drum up local support. Scheduled events included a grilled cheese cook-off and the Cheese Olympics with events like the Mozarella Cheese Pull.

What Goes into Making Airplane Carpeting henderson

The next time you’re on an airplane, you might want to look at the carpeting and see if the pattern repeats, or if it gets thicker or thinner in strategic places.

Mountain Rug Mills and Spinning Wheel Rugs of Hendersonville has just been acquired by CAP Carpet, Incorporated, owner of White Oak Custom Carpet and Aircraft Interior Products (AIP). CAP is located in Wichita, Kansas, but its White Oak plant is in nearby Spindale, North

Carolina. The acquisition will give AIP the broadest range of luxury carpet offerings of any manufacturer. Since the 1940s, Mountain Rug Mills has provided custom dyeing, hand-tufting, and machine weaves for residential, commercial, and aviation customers. They filled orders for famous people and places, including the White House. AIP began as a supplier of wool carpeting for major corporate airlines. The new company will be able to custom dye with precision yarn color matching, offer a selection of 250 different pile heights, and manufacture bolts in expanded widths and heights. And yes, they can make carpeting with no pattern repeats. As AIP puts it, the company can now create “project-perfect pieces specifically engineered to complement each space.” An added bonus is orders will be filled quickly, as CAP Carpet will now run all phases of the manufacturing process within the United States.

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 37

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| June 2015

High Country

L leisure & libation

written by jeffrey green

summer adventures

The Linn Cove Viaduct photo by Hugh Morton June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 39

leisure & libation

It begins in mid-April. The snow melts, the temperature rises, the tips of the trees turn red, then green, the construction crews rush to finish their winter projects, and the buzz of landscaping equipment fills the air. By mid-May the seasonal businesses reopen, the summer homes are de-winterized, the Floridians start to arrive, and the High Country (Boone, Banner Elk, and Blowing Rock) awakens for another glorious summer season.

Things to Do The High Country offers some spectacular white water rafting or kayaking for adults and children at various levels of difficulty. Numerous outdoor companies offer all inclusive packages with guides, equipment, and transportation.

Fly fishing and horseback riding are other popular outdoor adventures.

If you bring the kids with you, they can fish for trout or pan for gems at a number of spots along Highway 105. Recent developments are High Country Wineries with three to choose from, open for your sampling pleasure, as well as an increasing number of local ale houses.

Check out your options below and plan your escape to the High Country Adventure this summer.

> >high

Photos from High Gravity by Ken Ketchie, High Country Press 40

| June 2015

gr avit y adventures

Other than yet more Appalachian State University student housing, the most exciting construction project this winter has been the mass of poles and ropes that has risen over fifty feet in the air next to Tweetsie Railroad on Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock. High Gravity Adventures is a climbing paradise for kids and adults alike. While safely attached to a harness, you can spend up to three hours negotiating this aerial adventure course of bridges, tight ropes, cargo nets, spider webs, and swinging foot

loops. There are seventy-five challenges on the course that become increasingly more difficult the higher you climb. For younger kids there is a junior adventure course just fifteen feet off the ground.

All participants go through an aerial orientation and safety briefing before the climbing begins.

High Gravity Adventures is open daily from 9am until 9pm; the cost is $49 on the main course and $19 on the kid’s course.

215 Tweetsie Railroad Rd., Blowing Rock www.highgravityadventures.com

> >appal achian

summer

festival

For arts and music lovers there’s An Appalachian Summer Festival that runs from late June all the way through the end of July. It is presented

by Appalachian State University. From its modest beginnings in 1984 as a Chamber Music Festival, Summer Festival has become one of the nation’s largest multi-arts festivals, with an average attendance of 26,000 throughout the month-long event.

An Appalachian Summer Festival will kick off the 2015 season on Saturday June 27 with an outdoor fireworks concert by new country music sensation, Cacey Musgraves, who topped the charts last spring with her debut album, Same Trailer Different Park. Tickets are $38.

L

photo courtesy of Appalachian State University

photo courtesy of Appalachian State University

OTHER APPALACHIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES INCLUDE: Parsons Dance: July 10, 8pm, Schaefer Center An Evening of Broadway with Brian Stokes Mitchell and the Winston-Salem Symphony: July 11, 8pm, Schaefer Center Eastern Festival Orchestra with Gerard Schwarz, conductor and Awadagin Pratt, piano: July 12, 4pm, Schaefer Center The David Grisman Sextet: July 17, 8pm, Schaefer Center Legendary rock band, The Beach Boys: July 18, 8pm, Holmes Convocation Center Rosen-Schaffel Competition for Young and Emerging Artists: July 19, 1pm, Schaefer Center Twenty Feet From Stardom’s Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton: July 23, 8pm, Schaefer Center In/Visible Theatre’s production of Without Words: July 24 and 25, 8pm, Valborg Theatre Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox: July 31, 8pm, Schaefer Center The Global Film Series: July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, August 19 and 26, 7pm, Schaefer Center. Featuring the following selections: Pride (2014); GETT – The Trial of Vivianne Ansalem (2014); The Hunt (2013); Valley of Saints (2012); Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013); Reaching for the Moon (2013); and Oranges and Sunshine (2010).

An Appalachian Summer www.appsummer.org

> >banner

elk winery and vill a

Wine Tastings –12 to 6 pm daily. $10 per head. Luxury bed and breakfast on-site.

60 Deer Run Lane, Banner Elk www.bannerelkwinery.com

> >dutch

creek tr ails

> >foggy

mountain gem mine

Horseback riding four times Monday thru Saturday along gentle, scenic trails.

Located between Boone and Valle Crucis 793 Rubin Walker Rd, Vilas www.dutchcreektrails.com Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and more in each bucket of ore.

Cutting, mounting, and appraisal services on site. Gift shop.

4416 Hwy 105 S, Boone www.foggymountaingems.com

> >foscoe

fishing company

Fly fishing classes, guided fishing trips, retail store – only High Country Orvis endorsed fly fishing outfitter in the High Country.

8857 Hwy 105 S. between Boone and Banner Elk www.foscoefishing.com

> >gr andfather

trout farm

Bait and tackle furnished at no charge. Kid friendly. Help for beginners. Cleaning and packing of your catch.

Highway 105 10 miles south of Boone www.grandfathertroutfarm.com

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 41

leisure & libation

Mile High Swinging Bridge photo by Hugh Morton

Your source for Hearth and Patio needs

> >hiking

There are endless hiking opportunities all around the High Country.

Moses Cone Park, Julian Price Park, the Tanawha Trail, and Linville Falls are all popular destinations.

Find a complete list with descriptions on their website. www.highcountryhiking.com/directory.htm

Big Green Egg World’s Best Smoker/Grill The most realistic and natural looking gas logs

828-252-2789 264 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, NC

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> >hawksnest

> >gr andfather

mountain

A mile high swinging bridge at the peak, walking trails, and animals in their natural habitat. Summer hours 8 am –7 pm daily.

US 221 & Blue Ridge Parkway, Linville www.grandfather.com

> >grandfather

vineyard

winery

Tatum family owned. Noon to 6 pm daily and 1-5 pm on Sundays.

Off Hwy 105 S. 225 Vineyard Lane, Banner Elk www.grandfathervineyard.com

zipline tours

The longest zipline on the east coast.

Open daily with two different tours totaling over four miles of ziplines at heights of over 200 feet and speeds up to 50 mph.

Off US 105 S between Boone and Banner Elk 2058 Skyline Drive, Seven Devils www.hawksnestzipline.com

> >high

mountain expeditions

White water rafting on the Watauga or Nolichucky rivers, tubing on the New R iver, kayaking, caving, and hiking excursions.

Across from Sugar Mountain in Banner Elk and Hwy. 105 in Boone www.highmountainexpeditions.com

L > >linn

Tweetsie Railroad cove viaduct

A 1,243-foot concrete bridge wrapped around the slopes of Grandfather Mountain. The last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be completed. Free for all guests.

National Park Visitor Center and Bridge Museum at south end at Milepost 304 of the BRP www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=873

> >linville

falls winery.

> >mystery

hill

Open daily noon – 6pm. Check the website for the Saturday live music schedule.

9557 Linville Falls Highway, Newland www.linvillefallswinery.com A family oriented, gravity defying, museum, entertainment center, and gift shop. Adjacent to Mystery Hill is Doc’s Gem Mine and Fossil Museum. Open daily.

Off Hwy 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock www.mysteryhill-nc.com www.docsrocks.net

> >the

blowing rock

This immense cliff 4,000 feet above sea level over the John’s River Gorge below. Open daily until mid-January, then weekends only.

Hwy 321 S, Blowing Rock www.theblowingrock.com

> >t weetsie

r ailroad

A children’s Wild West Adventure since 1957. Take the historic Number 12 locomotive on a three mile trip with music and entertainment. Carnival rides, gift shops, and an animal park.

Daily 9 am to 6 pm. $41 adults, $27 children. www.tweetsie.com

Carlton Gallery photo by Ellen Gwin

> >museums

and galleries

Blowing Rock Art & History Museum If you have not visited The High Country in the past five years, you’ll find a wonderful new museum addition in the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum. It opened its doors to the public on October 1, 2011 in a brand new building designed by Callaway, Johnson, Moore, and West out of Winston-Salem. Its permanent collection includes work by North Carolina native and seasonal Blowing Rock resident Elliott Daingerfield, who was a significant figure in the American art scene at the turn of the 20th century.

Current exhibits in addition to the permanent collection include: >> Floating Sculpture: Bruce Barclay Cameron Duck Decoy Collection through July 26. This prestigious collection of duck decoys. Organized by the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina; >> Millhands / Handmade through July 26. A look at the South’s vast textile history, from the growth of industrial mills and their effect on southern families, to regional textile artists working today; >> The Blowing Rock Fire through July 26. An exhibit on the devastating fire of 1923 that took down most of the town.

159 Chestnut St, Blowing Rock www.blowingrockmuseum.com

Grandfather Vineyard Winery photo by Ellen Gwin

Carlton Gallery Celebrating 33 years of serving the High Country. Representing over 200 local, regional, and national artists. Spring Group Exhibition. “The Landscape – Masculine and Feminine” by Kevin Beck and Amy Sullivan. May 23 – July 15. Also a stop on the Avery Tour de Art on the 4th Saturday of every month from June thru November. Closed Monday.

10360 Hwy 105 S, Banner Elk www.carltongallery.com See our profile of Toni Carlton in the May 2014 issue www.capitalatplay.com/toni-carlton-gallery/ June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 43

leisure & libation

Turchin Center photo courtesy of Appalachian State University

Mast General

> >blowing

rock main street

The place for discriminating folks to shop and be seen. Boutiques, antiques, jewelry, furniture, galleries, and gifts. Fudge, sweets, restaurants, and ale houses. www.blowingrock.com/shopping.php

> >boone

Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University In addition to the permanent collection current exhibits include: >> Quicksilver: New Acquisitions from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Quicksilver pays homage to Andy Warhol’s original Factory (1950s – 1962/63); >> Andrzej Maciejewski: Garden of Eden. From the paintings of old masters to modern commercials, Garden of Eden inspires a discussion on our relationship with the nature and on our civilization; >> Structures & Surfaces: Lynn Duryea & Brad Stroman.

Both artists have perfected their skills through years of dedicated and solitary practice – one through steel and clay forms, the other with acrylic paint on canvas.

TCVA. 423 West King St, Boone www.tcva.org

Where to Shop You can shop, while the others kayak, at the original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, at the galleries, furniture, and antique stores along Hwy 105, on picturesque Main Street in Blowing Rock, on the more eclectic King Street in Boone, or score name-brand bargains from over 40 stores at Tanger Outlets.

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| June 2015

With over 15,000 Appalachian State University students, the Boone Downtown shopping scene is younger and more eclectic with a mix of art galleries, restaurants, boutiques, and antique shops, with modern hotels and traditional shopping centers close by. www.downtownboonenc.com/index.cfm/directory/shopping/

> >dewoolfson

linens

America’s finest quality white goose down comforters, pillows, and feather beds. Closed Sunday.

9452 Hwy 105 S, Banner Elk www.dewoolfsonlinens.com

> >fred ’ s

gener al mercantile

A little bit of everything on top of Beech Mountain. Groceries to clothing. Deli with your favorite beverages.

501 Beech Mtn. Pkwy, Beech Mountain www.fredsgeneral.com

> >mast

gener al store

The original store (circa 1883) that built a reputation for carrying everything from “cradles to caskets” is in Valle Crucis.

Just half a mile down the street you’ll find the Mast Store Annex, which blends casual clothing with a mountain outfitters shop and the original Candy Barrel….a child’s dream come true. Additional stores in Boone, Asheville, Hendersonville, Waynesville, Greenville, Knoxville, and Columbia. www.mastgeneralstore.com See our profile of John Cooper and his team in the February 2014 issue. www.capitalatplay.com/mast-general-store/

premium crafted italian shotguns since 1948

L

balanced just for you

CLASS SLX

828-633-1806 www.wingsnclays.com

Your Fausti dealer in asheville:

offering

introduction to sporting clays classes monthly

course description & schedule under training on our website June 2015

| capitalatplay.com 45

leisure & libation

Gamekeeper Restaurant photo courtesy of Gamekeeper Restaurant

> >tanger

Largest outlet mall in the High Country with great deals on your favorite designers and brand-name stores. Offering 43 stores, the outlet is located off of US Hwy 321 just south of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

278 Shoppes on the Parkway Rd, Blowing Rock www.tangeroutlet.com/blowingrock

> >tatum

galleries

Fine furniture and accessories for 25 years. Interior design, outdoor furniture, and window treatments. Closed Sunday.

5320 Hwy. 105 S, Banner Elk www.tatumgalleries.com See our profile of Sally and Steve Tatum in the May 2014 issue. www.capitalatplay.com/velvet-varnish-vines/

Where to Stay High Country accommodations run the full gamut from luxury resorts, to comfortable bed and breakfasts, to more traditional chain hotels. The more upscale accommodations tend to be around Blowing Rock, with most of the chain hotels in Boone, and a variety of condo accommodations near the ski resorts in Banner Elk and Beech Mountain.

> >the

include a full breakfast in the restaurant, which is also open to the public for breakfast, dinner, and Sunday brunch. There is a very comfortable bar adjacent to the restaurant that serves beer, wine, and classic cocktails. Summer rates run from around $175 to $225 per night, with a two night minimum on weekends.

239 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock. www.thenewpublichouse.com

> >the

blowing rock ale house & inn Just off Main Street you will find The Blowing Rock Ale House & Inn. The Ale House Restaurant offers a freshly prepared, seasonally changing menu using local and organic ingredients.

Dine on craft pub food and sample their ever-changing artisanal craft beers, brewed on site. Brewery tours are available on Saturdays from 1pm-5pm. The Inn features five rooms appropriately named Wheat, Stout, Hops, Pint, and Amber. All rooms have their own tub/shower. Four of them feature queen sized beds, while the largest room has a king size bed. Annual rates run $125 to $175 per night, with a two night minimum on weekends. The Ale House Restaurant is open Thursday through Monday from 11am to 9pm.

152 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock www.blowingrockalehouseandinn.com

new public house

The old Crippen’s Hotel and Restaurant in Blowing Rock is under new ownership and has been beautifully remodeled as The New Public House and Hotel. Accommodations feature five bright and airy, fully renovated, guest rooms with king sized beds, walk-in showers, and modern sinks. There is a suite on the third floor with a king size bed, and a separate sitting room for those seeking a little additional space. If you are looking for privacy there is also a cottage suite on the grounds with a separate entrance, king size bed, and sitting area. All accommodations 46

Mast Farm Inn Bedroom photo by Ellen Gwin

outlets

| June 2015

Some other accommodation options include:

> >chetol a

resort

Chetola Lodge, The Bob Timberlake Inn, and Chetola Condominiums. Spa including massages, facials, and nail treatments. Timberlake’s Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily in the summer. Headwaters Pub. 185 Chetola Lake Drive, Blowing Rock www.chetola.com

L > >court yard

marriott

The newest chain hotel in the High Country. 1050 Hwy 105, Boone. www.courtyard.com/hkybn

> >foscoe

rentals

A large selection of vacation homes, condos, and log cabins.

Rental office off Hwy 105 S at133 Echota Parkway, Boone 800-723-7341 or www.foscoerentals.com

> >green

park inn

This 1891 “Grand Dame of the High Country” straddles the Eastern Divide at the gateway to Blowing Rock. Recently renovated and refurnished by new owners. Chestnut Grille Restaurant and Divide Tavern.

9239 Valley Blvd, Blowing Rock www.greenparkinn.com

> >inn

at r agged garden

Large selection of Outdoor Furniture just arrived!

10 rooms, suites, and cottages in 100 year old house. On premises is the highly rated Best Cellar restaurant.

203 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock www.ragged-gardens.com See our review from the January 2014 issue. www.capitalatplay.com/high-country-escapes/

> >mast

farm inn

Seven rooms in a Valle Crucis farmhouse built in the early 1800s. Other cottages available on the grounds of this inn and farm to table restaurant. Breakfast included. Additional restaurant, Over Yonder, a few hundred yards from the Inn. 2543 Broadstone Road, Banner Elk www.themastfarminn.com See our profile from the July 2014 issue. www.capitalatplay.com/deschamps-mast-farm-inn

> >westglow

resort & spa A Relais & Chateaux Resort. Spa treatment and three meals included in the Resort Package room rates. Bed and breakfast and Day Spa options also available.

224 Westglow Circle, Blowing Rock www.westglow.com See our profile from the March 2014 issue. www.capitalatplay.com/west-glow-spa/

“Our terraced mountain vineyard and winery nestled at the base of Grandfather Mountain is the first producing winery n Watauga County, NC. Warm breezes during the day and cool crisp nights help develop the flavors and balance of our wines. We think you’ll find our wines unique.

Enjoy and share with friends!”

Steve Tatum, Owner

Where to Eat For much of last year and this past winter we guessed at what was going on where Mr. Original Gyros used to be attached to the Kangaroo Gas Station on Highway 105 in Boone. The construction of a large outdoor fireplace and deck sent us searching Facebook for answers. There we found the Trout &

LOCATED ON VINEYARD LANE IN FOSCOE LOCATED ON VINEYARD LANE IN FOSCOE Tasting Room Open Every Day Tasting Room Open Every Day except Tuesday Monday-Saturday 12&toSundays 6pm & 1:00 Sundays 1 to 5pm Noon till 6:00pm to 5:00pm (828) 963-2400 • www.grandfathervineyard.com (828) 963-2400 • www.grandfathervineyard.com

Sally Are Proud ProudTo ToWelcome WelcomeYou You Sallyand andSteve Steve Tatum Are To The First Winery In Watauga County To The First In Watauga County June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 47

leisure & libation

Barrel, which bills itself as Boone’s new smokehouse and tavern with smoked brisket, 43 beers, and live music. The deadline for this article had come and gone by the time they opened, but thanks to an understanding publisher we got to take a look.

> >the

trout and barrel

First impressions can be deceiving. The Trout and Barrel has sealed concrete floors, pressed metal ceilings, rustic wood paneling, homemade wooden tables, and has yet to hang a sign on the building. But, once they hand you the menu, everything changes ­— definitely not your typical bar menu. We started with trout wings, slices from the belly of the trout, lightly battered and fried with a honey sriracha glaze and slaw. Round two was a super tender Texas style beef brisket sandwich with red onion confit and house cut fries. My companion enjoyed a char grilled romaine salad with a side of Momma’s baked mac and cheese.

The Best Cellar in the Inn at Ragged Garden photo by Ellen Gwin Other options include smoked trout, sausage, pork chop, and chicken salad, as well as steaks, catfish, and Eastern North Carolina BBQ. A welcome addition to town.

2968A Highway 105, Boone www.facebook.com/boonetroutandbarrel

> >artisanal

“Modern American Cuisine” in an upscale, barn setting. All items made from scratch daily. Impeccable food and

service. Arguably the best restaurant in the High Country.

1200 Dobbins Rd, Banner Elk www.artisanalnc.com

> >bistro

roca and antler’s bar

American bistro fare and wood fired pizza.

Lunch, dinner, and Sunday Brunch.

143 Wonderland Trail, Blowing Rock 828-295-4008 or www.bistroroca.com

S iP L A S H nto summer One All Souls Crescent • Historic Biltmore Village Asheville, NC • 828.505.8140 • www.shoppalmvillage.com www.facebook.com/Palm.Village.Asheville

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L > >blowing

rock alehouse &

brewery

The feeling of an English Pub with the mood of a French Bistro.

150 Sunset Dr., Blowing Rock www.blowingrockbrewing.com

> >canyons

A wall of windows overlooking the majestic John’s River Gorge. Sunday Jazz Brunch.

8960 Hwy. 321 heading out of Blowing Rock towards Lenoir www.canyonsbr.com

> >cobo

sushi bistro and bar

A sophisticated relatively new addition to the Boone dining experience. Dinner only, but open late. Closed Sunday and Monday.

161 Howard St, Ste B, Boone 828-386-1201 or www.cobosushi.com

> >gamekeeper

restaur ant

AAA Four Diamond Rating for six years running. Bison, ostrich, venison, and

more. Worth navigating the twisty scenic road. Between Boone and Blowing Rock.

3005 Schulls Mill Rd, Boone www.gamekeeper-nc.com

> >joy

bistro

Fine Continental/French dining. Dinner only. Closed Monday.

115 New Market Center, Boone www.joybistroboone.com

> >rowl and ’ s

at the westglow resort & spa

Elegant, fine dining at the 1917 mansion that was once the summer home of famed artist and writer Elliott Daingerfield.

Regular and healthy spa menus.

224 Westglow Circle, Blowing Rock www.westglowresortandspa.com/15/ rowlands-restaurant/

> >vidalia

restaur ant &

a full bar in addition to additional seating. Lunch, dinner, and Sunday Brunch.

Closed Mondays.

831 W. King St., Boone www.vidaliaofboonenc.com

> >the

best cell ar in the inn at r agged garden

Fine dining since 1975 203 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock www.ragged-gardens.com/blowing-rock-restaurant Capital at Play reviewed this restaurant in January 2014.

> >zuzda

Tapas Restaurant and Bar. Spanish and other progressive small plate dining.

502 W Main St, Banner Elk Extensive current menu selections at www.zuzda.com/menu/

wine bar

This recently expanded farm-to-table restaurant in downtown Boone now has

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 49

Brian Boggs & Melanie Moeller Boggs, co-owners of Brian Boggs Chairmakers

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| June 2015

The back of a Sonus Guitar chair, shown pre-assembly

Brian

Boggs

Chairmakers rethinking the act of sitting written by emily ball ard photos by anthony harden

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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A

cross the street the French Broad River is starting to fill with kayaks and canoes, and Carrier Park is littered with dogs, bikes, and kids basking in the fresh sunlight of spring. Down the road the River Arts District is bustling with artists, galleries, restaurants, and patrons. In between and slightly tucked away is a small industrial park and home to Brian Boggs Chairmakers. The simple façade of the building reveals little of the artistry and craftsmanship that is brewing within.

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| June 2015

Through the front doors are high ceilings and a few offices.

The sound of buzz saws and machinery hums in the background, a fitting soundtrack as you enter the serene gallery at the top of the stairs. The long room is dotted with an assortment of chairs and a few tables showcasing different styles and textures.

Immediately through the door sits a seemingly simple chair on a pedestal. This chair is 33 years old and signifies, both literally and symbolically, the beginning of Brian Boggs’s journey in chair making and woodwork.

Turning a Tree into a Chair Brian Boggs knew from the early age of eight that he would be an artist. Growing up in Kentucky as part of a family of horse farmers, Brian learned his fair share of trades from carpentry, to cutting tobacco, to general farm work, but there was always art that pulsed through his veins. As a child he enjoyed playing in the woods and was always attracted to drawing and painting trees and landscapes. It wouldn’t be until years later that a realization would occur that trees and art were a part of his true being and these early days would be the blueprint for his future.

In his 20s Brian accidentally picked up a book called The Fine Art of Cabinet Making. Intrigued, he delved deeper into this strange discovery. As he read through the pages, his excitement started to grow and a light bulb not only went off but sparked an electric current of new possibilities.

Empty jigs, hanging in the indoor kiln

A curly maple slab from a local Asheville backyard, slated to be used for a desk

Brian in the mid 1980s in front of his old shop in Berea, Kentucky June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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Nicolas, a French-trained sculptor, working on legs for a Sonus guitar chair

Brian’s first chair

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| June 2015

“It completely changed my thinking about functional cabinetry having a potential for artistic expression. It had never occurred to me to put those two together. It really was an exciting point in my perception of self.”

So Brian began tinkering with wood. His experimentation started out as frustrating and the quality of wood and work was less than stellar, but he knew there was something there, something beneath the surface that he just had to tap into. It would be another book that would really reveal his true passion and talent lying within. This book was found on his father’s coffee table and was titled Make a Chair out of a Tree, written by John Alexander.

When Brian was in high school he was a wrestler and over the years he had always enjoyed a certain amount of hard labor in his work. He liked physical activity and using his muscles. Suddenly this book unearthed a new concept for him, a perfect fusion of art and physicality.

Utilizing his body was one component and realizing the sculptural element of a chair was the other. One look at the cover of this book and his life would take a new path.

“Immediately something came together from everything I had invested in myself as an aspiring artist.”

The book talked about how to take a log and rip it apart by hand to turn it into a chair. At the time Brian was working on building a studio for a client who happened to own a craft gallery. The client overheard Brian talking to

Brian spokeshaving a chamfer onto a Sonus chair

a coworker about his new venture and told him to show him his product. Of course Brian had nothing to show as of yet so he got to work using the book as his guide.

He ventured to the log yard in search of oak for his first project, but found it to be too expensive.

“I tell you what, I have a couple of hickories over here I’ll sell you cheap,” said Melvin from the log yard, as imitated by Brian using a deep southern accent.

He delivered the logs to Brian for $100 and said he could pay him back when he started making money off of his chairs. Brian affectionately recalls these logs as being the finest hickory logs he has seen to this day. He counted the rings and found them to be 350-375 year old trees. Brian points to the chair that sits by the entrance.

That chair, still holding strong today, was the first of hundreds constructed by hand, using a flattened screw driver and less than $50 worth of non-electric tools. Brian took that finished product back to the client and has been filling orders ever since.

Eventually, he got more proficient at his craft, to the point where he could construct a chair in less than 10 hours from log to finish.

“It was an organic evolution and kind of a stumbling upon experience. At that time I just wanted to see if I could do it, and then within a couple of years I really wanted to make a living doing this.”

When Tree Meets Human Now that Brian had successfully found his calling he began to hone his craft. The first step was customizing his tools. Working on a budget he started experimenting with different techniques to better his tools for more efficiency. His intuitive designs made sense not only to him but also to woodworkers in general, and he would eventually sell the rights to a large company that sells his creations internationally to this day.

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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Located 10 Miles South of Boone on Highway 105 in Grandfather Community

828.963.4288 www.carltongallery.com

carltongallery@carltongallery.com

PAINTINGS • CLAY • GLASS • WOOD • FIBER ART • JEWELRY

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theashevilletourists.com • 828.258.0428 56

| June 2015

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Musical Chairs Brian discovered that his process of extracting a chair out of a tree had striking similarities to parts of the music industry. He was specifically captivated by luthiers, makers of string instruments. He recognized that the luthier trade is about creating a sound and that there was a very distinct process. Luthiers had evolved and refined this process on a level that resonated with Brian as akin to his own process of chair making.

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He felt he had an intimate knowledge of wood from his years of splitting logs and began to build his own machines. This was a period of exploration and experimentation with a deepening appreciation for the basic element he was working with.

“You feel it, you smell it, you’ve got the fibers in your fingers.

With that kind of understanding of wood, I was able to envision designs from a tree fiber standpoint, not the lumber standpoint.”

This was when his perception of building and creating began to evolve. He started to differentiate between an industry focused on making furniture out of lumber and the business of making lumber out of trees. To Brian, this process was missing a purpose that was so important to him and his ideals.

“They are feeding a market for everyone that buys wood rather than an ecosystem where the end product is visualized and the tree is selected and dismantled into the ideal components for that visualized product. It’s not what can I do with this board, but what can I do with this tree? And then how do I take this tree apart and put it back together to fit this human?”

Soon he would find an industry that aligned with his beliefs and ideas in an unexpected way, and this would lead him down a different path toward the music business.

“We are seeing an appreciation for refinement in the eating experience across the nation, but the seating side of it hasn’t been addressed yet which is a screaming opportunity for us.”

“In the guitar arena you have centuries of evolution in sound and quality of instrument and that tradition is very rich, particularly when held beside the furniture world, which in my experience is fairly Neanderthal compared to the refinement of the luthier trade. When you look at the path that our company has followed, it is more aligned with the luthier history than furniture history.”

2

1 Originally Brian’s chair making was traditional and old fashioned, but he has developed a sense of refinement of his own over the years and now strives to transcend furniture that is just something to look at. He has researched and conformed his art into functional furniture that reacts to the contours of the body. His wife, Melanie, describes their values as comfortable, durable, and sustainable.

“The furniture industry is not taking advantage of the breadth of opportunity of how you can serve the human body. It’s not just a look. There are ways to make it comfortable beyond what most people experience. “ This has led them to their developing relationships with musicians through the creation of their new line of chairs called Sonus chairs. For these, they actually brought musicians into the design process in order to create a chair for optimal performance, comfort, and support. They studied what guitar players needed, how they move and sit.

“Sonus began as a musician’s chair, but really it is a human beings’ chair and designed for the ultimate ergonomics for sitting.”

The Chair Business The Sonus chair has been such a success that they have further developed the line into dining chairs. The business as a whole hosts an array of furniture designs from dining to leisure and from indoor to outdoor living spaces. A tour of the facility reveals repurposed vintage machinery, kilns for drying the wood, and Brian’s own mechanical creations.

He has mastered the intricacies of wood and its properties.

He knows that wood is always moving and can describe the varying moisture content with ease. He constructs each of his pieces with these aspects in mind.

Brian’s goal is to maintain the integrity of the tree. When they buy logs, they saw them in a specific manner so that they can recut the wood true to the grain. For any piece that they have created he can point out the patterns and describe to you how they assemble the chair, doing it in a way that the patterns merge and the rings continue around the chair coinciding with the natural flow and movement of the wood.

The assembly is meticulous and the natural swelling of the wood is what locks the joints in place. Manufacturing companies do not have the resources to construct the materials in this manner, therefore the quality and endurance are not the same. This attention to detail and advancement in production is at the heart of Brian’s business.

He has travelled to Honduras for their precious mahogany wood source. There he has developed programs for training craftsmen with sustainability and forest management in mind.

“As we develop as a species there seems to be a natural proclivity to refine whatever aspect we are focusing on. Because we have the ability, we therefore have a responsibility to refine our life.”

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On the GR AINS: 1

Cherry

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Walnut

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Plain Maple

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Walnut

quartersawn

quartersawn

quartersawn

flat sawn

these are boggs ’ most popul ar species for indoor furniture ; walnut is especially in demand right now.

FLAT SAWN

QUARTERSAWN

Grain orientation has a big impact on the strength and stability of the joinery in the finished piece.

Essentially, wood expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the wood fibers. By orienting the grain according to movement, humidity changes have less impact on the integrity of the joinery.

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 57

The Future Melanie Boggs, Brian’s wife, is an integral part of the business.

After years of working internationally she brings her experience in art, graphic design, and communications to the table. She has lived in capitals and countries around the world, but to her and Brian they have really found a home in Asheville.

“Unconsciously I came to Asheville to be rooted. This town is vibrant enough that I don’t want to go anywhere. The focus now is to be more involved and find local collaborations and become active participants in the community.”

Brian and Melanie speak about Asheville, its artists and entrepreneurs, with high regard. Even though they ship almost 95% of their finished pieces nationally they would love to work with more local companies. Currently their unique barstools can be found at 5 Walnut Wine Bar, and are in the works for the new Smokey Park Supper Club, the container restaurant on the French Broad River.

They have found that a burgeoning industry has emerged in fine dining, and restaurants and hotels are increasingly focusing on details such as seating. Whereas historically, bar and dining seats might be the last item on the budget and purchased second hand right before a restaurant opening, Brian and Melanie know how important this detail is and feel confident that this is the perfect market for their future.

“We are seeing an appreciation for refinement in the eating experience across the nation, but the seating side of it hasn’t been addressed yet which is a screaming opportunity for us.”

The downside of Brian Boggs Chairmakers is that once you learn Brian’s process and sit in his chairs, he may ruin your sitting experience for life. Each dining and rocking chair, stool, swing, outdoor seat, or office chair you encounter from that day forward will never live up to the quality you have now learned to expect. His knowledge and passion for what he does is obvious as he moves his way through the workroom, touching each piece of wood with affection and telling its story. He remembers where each log came from and treats it with the utmost respect. He understands its gift to his creative possibilities. Like a colleague or a family member, he reveres each piece of wood with love and admiration, and every piece that he creates reflects this.

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Branding of the underside of a Sonus guitar chair, every piece is branded, signed, numbered, and registered

“You feel it, you smell it, you’ve got the fibers in your fingers. With that kind of understanding of wood, I was able to envision designs from a tree fiber standpoint, not the lumber standpoint.”

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 59

part

1

Keep your “Dream Home” from Turning into a Nightmare.

“G

IVE ME SIX HOURS TO CHOP DOWN A TREE, AND I WILL SPEND THE FIRST FOUR SHARPENING THE AX.”

J

james johnson

Leads the Van Winkle Law Firm’s Construction & Professional Design group.

He is licensed in North & South Carolina.

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—Abe Lincoln

Considering Western North Carolina’s affinity for new residents, as well as the sheer number of folks in the region buying and building homes, either for themselves or for sale, an overview of some basic procedures and pitfalls might be in order.

For an owner, conceiving, planning, and funding the construction of a unique, custom residence can be a challenging but rewarding process. It might even take up several years of decision making, planning, monitoring, and managing such a project, no small investment in terms of your time, energy, and, of course, money.

As a practicing construction lawyer for the past 13 years, I’ve been involved with hundreds of different projects and seen the process and outcome through the eyes of all of the major players, including owners, designers, lenders, Realtors, subcontractors, and suppliers. Given the complexity presented by a construction project, it should not be surprising that problems routinely occur in the process and outcome of the project, which affect the time, cost, and quality of the project. As construction lawyers, we are routinely called in to mitigate and resolve these types of problems either midstream or after

| June 2015

completion of a project. All too often, such problems could have been minimized by thorough, appropriate planning on the front end of a project, to prevent the “dream home” from turning into a nightmare.

The sheer number of considerations necessary to successfully complete a project makes planning challenging, even for experienced, worldly, and savvy folks. In my experience, it’s not that owners don’t plan at all, it’s just that they often lack the context and experience to do so effectively. This should not be surprising since the owner is typically the only member of an extensive cast of characters who is not involved in construction on a day-to-day basis.

In addition, building a custom home is not simple negotiating like buying a model off a car lot. There is no single, routine, or standard process, for construction takes all types, and the particulars (or idiosyncrasies) employed by one builder or designer may not reflect the more common practices throughout the market. This article is intended to provide an overview of some of the items that an owner might consider in planning their “dream home” to minimize the risk of the undesirable results.

J

What undesirable results? How about: —— The owner who contracted with a thinly capitalized builder, who underbid the project to land it, lacked the resources to timely complete the project per the agreed price, and abandoned the project leaving the owner to pay twice for many aspects of the construction; —— The owner who never left the design table, because they could never get the design they loved to match their available project funds; —— The overly trusting owner who overlooked obvious and serious problems over the course of the project based on the builder’s representations that the problems would be fixed in the end—and weren’t; —— The owner who relied on a project cost being in line with the cost estimates provided up front by the contractor, which matched the available bank loan, despite language otherwise in the agreement; —— The owner left with significant construction problems after having paid the final draws to the contractor; —— This will include a discussion of the players involved, various contracting practices, project finance, and general risk management concepts; —— Who is in charge, or leading the charge?

THE ARCHITECT ACTING AS AN OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE AND CARRYING OUT THESE TASKS CAN PROVIDE STRONG PROTECTION TO AN INEXPERIENCED OWNER. Owners looking to kick off a project have a lot of different places to start, but there are several common starting points.

Traditionally, projects were “designed” by a designer, usually an architect, and then “bid” and “built” by the contractor. This suggests that the project commences with the architect, who plays an important role in translating the owner’s “program”

or “wish list” into a schematic design which is refined through an iterative process until the final design, reflects the owners’ desires in terms of features and, hopefully, price. The architect can also be engaged to monitor and manage the construction process on behalf of the owner, including conducting site visits, reviewing project changes and payment applications submitted by the contractor, and determining substantial completion, punch lists, and the final completion of the project. The architect acting as an owner’s representative and carrying out these tasks can provide strong protection to an inexperienced owner.

The design work will likely require work by other designers.

This may include civil engineers for site work, structural engineers for the foundations and structural components, environmental scientists for septic issues, landscape architects for land planning and landscaping, and geotechnical engineers to evaluate site soils for suitability purposes. Whether these disciplines are included as “sub-consultants” to the architect or are contracted directly by the owner is a matter to be considered. Generally speaking, the owner benefits from the coordination of these services by the architect under a single design agreement.

On the other hand, contractor led projects are more and more common, where the contractor furnishes “design-build” services where the owner contracts for the design and construction through the contractor, and the contractor then engages the designer for the plan. A variation on this method involves the purchase of “stock” or pre-drawn plans, which the owner then works to fill in or customize to their liking. Other contractors may have their own portfolio of plans, which they have built in the past that may be available for use.

Do your due diligence when selecting team members for the project. A track record of success on similar projects is useful to know, and investigation, interviews, and references are incredibly important. I encourage my clients to speak with two or three recent and past owner/customers on other projects, and to speak with more than one builder and designer. What do you want to know? Outcome—was the project delivered on time, within the budget, and to a quality level as promised? Process— was the process orderly, steady, and productive? Personality fits are important as well, since you may be spending several years with these folks. Effective communication plays a huge role in the success of any complicated endeavor, so it’s important to evaluate communication styles and manners on the front end.

Next month, in part two of this column, I will dig a bit deeper into the insurance and finance side of the discussion.

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 61

THE OLD

NORTH

STATE [

news briefs

AT&T Pushes Back Frontier research triangle park, nc

Last month, AT&T’s GigaPower Internet service was all the rage in the Triangle.

This month, the telecommunications and wireless company is releasing gigabit Business Fiber. The service will compete for marketshare in fiber-ready office buildings with offerings from Durham-based Frontier Communications. Time Warner Cable, which now offers Business Class service in the area with speeds up to 50 megabits per second, will be increasing its Internet speeds; and Google Fiber promises to enter the area in short order.

Over 2,100 offices in more than 120 buildings currently enjoying 300 mbps connections from AT&T will soon be up – and downloading faster. Vice president

]

for small business Tom Hughes says the move is intended to try to keep up with customer demand for “blazing fast” service. GigaPower, which targets residential and small business markets, will soon migrate down to Durham, where Frontier now dominates that market as well.

Freightliner 108SD and 114SD vocational models, built for “severe duty,” will also roll off the line. Back in 2014, the company hired 2300 for its truck and parts plants. COO Roger Nielsen anticipates no glitches, saying operations are highly scalable, and the company is prepared to meet not only current but future demand.

Daimler manufactures trucks for hauling, as well as construction, utility, and emergency response vehicles. Daimler is now hiring, offering beginning wages of $14.92 with a handsome benefits package.

Gondola Rides at the Fair raleigh, nc

Truckloads of Jobs mt. holly, nc

Daimler Tr uck s Nor th A mer ica announced plans to expand its Mt. Holly Truck Manufacturing Plant. A third shift will be added; and 580 line and 25 supervision, engineering, and administrative positions will be added this summer to meet strong demand for the company’s Freightliner M2 Business Class natural gas and medium-duty diesel trucks.

Leadership in the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services think it would be sweet if they could find a private party to rent some space to install, operate, and maintain an aerial chairlift system on the state fairgrounds in Raleigh. The gondola system is aimed at increasing mobility in some of the grounds’ most congested areas.

Specifically, the ropeway will carry passengers, two-by-two, in open seating, to a destination in each of the fairground’s quadrants, bypassing the Sam Rand

Picasso?

or not so?

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Grandstand and the Midway rides and games area. Those proposing the idea would like to have substantial portions of the system up and running in time for this October’s fair. The RFP issued by the state seeks a party willing to enter into a ten-year contract. The deadline for applications is June 4. Actually, the idea is not that unconventional; Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have permanent aerial lifts on their state fairgrounds

Move over, Batman, There’s a New Superhero on the Block durham, nc

So much for envelope-stuffing parties. Bell & Howell is now selling what it refers to as the next generation of its Producer inserter line. The machines stuff a variety of mailers, from plastic cards to booklets, in a similar array of envelopes, ranging from standard sizes to the bubble-wrapped. Designed in the quest for the all-in-one machine, the Producer can be switched between different jobs with a minimum amount of labor, no tools required, and guaranteed quality processing. Savings in labor costs and capital investment, compared

26

78

carolina in the west

national & world

to running multiple machines, should be sizeable. The new machine is capable of inserting 25,000 items per hour, and it is heavy-duty for 24/7 operation. Optional features include addressing, postage metering, zip code sorting, and matching individualized letters with the right envelopes. In spite of all that, the Producer is lower-maintenance than others on the market. As the world transitions from snail mail to electronic communications, developers assure there is still high demand for traditional letter posting in the fields of financial services, insurance, and healthcare.

Trying to Avoid Paperwork fairmont, nc

Lyndon McLellan is challenging the Internal Revenue Service for emptying his bank account. The amount is what McLellan had managed to earn in thirteen years as the owner of the L&M Convenience Mart in a rural North Carolina town. The government agency confiscated $107,702.66 under civil forfeiture laws written to target drug dealers.

The money was taken for structuring, or keeping deposits under $10,000 to

the old north state

avoid reporting requirements. With the IRS scouring bank reports to analyze deposit patterns, similar seizures had numbered in the hundreds annually.

Many proprietors, who argue they did not know structuring was illegal, claim the size of the deposits was intended only to reduce paperwork. Then, under pressure last October, the IRS and the Justice Department renounced the practice, promising to evoke it only if structuring could be tied to other illegal activity. But McLellan is still on the hook. The case has captured the attention of Congress, where proposals are being filed to make the IRS drop structuring charges against business owners compliant with the new policy.

It’s Not Like Nobody Wants to Watch charlotte, nc

The Charlotte Hornets continue to remain one of the worst NBA teams in terms of television ratings. According to Fox-owned SportSouth, the average Hornets game in 2014-15 was watched by 11,500 Charlotte households. 1.15 million households in the viewing area own televisions. By way of comparison, Nielsen Media Research ranks the

80 Charlotte Street Asheville, NC 28801 (828)252-1594 CarpetOneAsheville.com June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 63

the old north state

Free Sewing Classes with a new sewing machine purchase

Charlotte viewing area as having the 24th largest TV audience in the country. San Antonio, ranking 33rd, had an average 77,000 viewers tune in to watch the Spurs’ games. The TV ratings are the only success indicator falling short of team executives’ targets. On the bright side, viewership was up 40 percent this season. Hornets’ president Fred Whitfield came to the team in 2006 with a bad TV contract. It called for airing 50 games for fewer than one million Time Warner customers on their local news channel. With help from the NBA, a new contract was negotiated resulting in putting Time Warner’s name on the arena and making the games available through Fox to 3.7 million homes.

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| June 2015

North Carolina-based Coventor has opened an office near Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan. Coventor’s software provides predictive 3D modeling for the design, simulation, verification, and process analysis of semiconductor and MEMS systems. Technology for components in smartphones, today’s cars, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is developing at a fast pace, and yet most elements are tested with trial-and-error.

Coventor’s marketing team argues its software can reduce months of iterative fabrication and testing to a matter of minutes or hours. Development time is precious, and “there are high penalties for missing market windows,” they say.

Instead of watching the clock and taking readings, quantification can be almost instant. What’s more, virtual modeling can save billions of dollars in materials, as well as keeping up with ever-changing installations. Beyond modeling individual components, the software is capable of virtually integrating parts and testing performance. Multiple variables, such as deposition conformality, etch anisotropy, and selectivity can be monitored.

Covering It with Existing Reserves charlotte, nc

Bank of America Corporation will pay $180 million as a settlement to pension funds and private investors in a lawsuit in which it and a number of other multinational banks were accused of manipulating foreign exchange rates.

Traders at the financial institutions are believed to have been guilty of sharing confidential information about their clients in chat rooms – with persons in a position to manipulate the rates in a manner that favored the bankers over the investors. JP Morgan Chase and UBS AG had already settled with the investors for $99.5 million and $135 million, respectively. Last November, BofA paid $250 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC. gov) to settle with regulators. It got off easily, as JP Morgan and Citi each paid more than $1 billion in fines to an assortment of regulators. BofA says it will cover the expenses with existing reserves. Other banks in the lawsuit are Citigroup, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs Group, HSBC Holdings, Morgan Stanley, and Royal Bank of Scotland.

A Man Wants to Smell Like a Man raleigh, nc

There is so much craft beer in the state, Raleigh Soapery has gone into the business of making craft beer soap. The soaps are handmade in small batches to create products co-owner Megan Edge lauds as having “imperfections that make them interesting and beautiful.”

Edge and Megan Patton began selling their craft at Brewgaloo as April drew to a close. Other products the two will offer include Beard Soap, Shave Soap, Machinist Brown Ale Soap, and Breakfast Soap. The beer comes from

Raleigh’s Trophy Brewing Company and Gizmo Brew Works. Coffee for the line of Breakfast Soaps comes from the Raleigh Coffee Company. In upcoming months, the Raleigh Soapery, obviously catering to macho men, will add to its line grooming products and clothing from LXIV Apparel. The proprietors also hope to add a few new brands of beer.

Swimmingly wilmington, nc

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Thomas Montgomery

Sabra Kelley

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| June 2015

Kelley & Montgomery

Always on the Move The couple who founded 12 Bones, now have a new venture. And probably a few other ideas in the hopper... written by arthur treff photos by anthony harden

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 67

“I was surfing the BMW website, shopping for my next motorcycle, and I saw a button that said, ‘Become a Dealer’ so I pushed it.”

That’s how Thomas Montgomery, and his wife, Sabra Kelley, became the owners of Eurosport Asheville, the successful BMW motorcycle dealership just across the river from Biltmore Village.

Thomas pushed that button in the fall of 2009. The couple’s job at the time was running the restaurant they’d opened four years earlier, 12 Bones. Famous for ribs, the humble roadhouse had been written up in Southern Living, The New York Times, and is Barack Obama’s first stop whenever he comes to town.

One of the best parts about interviewing people for Capital at Play is hearing the stories; how they’ve achieved their level of expertise, or what drew them to the path they’ve created for themselves. When we heard that the people who started 12 Bones had also created Eurosport, we had to hear their story.

Excitement Driven Large chunks of Thomas’ childhood were spent riding motorcycles. His dad introduced him to riding at an early age. He entered motocross races, loved the excitement, and started to win. By the time he graduated high school, he was a sponsored amateur motocross racer. A very tiny motorcycle is on display near the cash register at Eurosport Asheville; it is Thomas’ first bike.

Thomas with an Indian 50, his first motorcycle

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Eurosport Asheville’s showroom

Graduation passed, and Thomas left bike racing to build a career. He enrolled in college to study engineering, but, after three years, Thomas found he didn’t enjoy the engineering course of study; it lacked the movement and excitement he craved.

Montgomery next took a job in a new restaurant in his hometown of Columbia, Missouri (population 70,000), called Trattoria Strada Nova. The owner, Teri Rippeto, a few years his senior and a veteran of the restaurant trade, had relocated from San Francisco to open her own eatery.

Thomas was hired to wash dishes, and he fell in love with restaurant work immediately. The sense of urgency and the unrelenting pace of the work quenched his thirst for excitement, but the sense of teamwork with the rest of the crew satisfied Tom on a much deeper level.

Over a three-year period, he worked his way from the back of the house to the front, then back again. He started as a dishwasher, progressed to bus boy, then to waiter, and eventually became a chef.

Brilliant managers have a knack for hiring the right people and nurturing them until a cohesive team materializes. Teri was one of those managers, and Montgomery absorbed skills that would become integral to his future success.

Tucking the restaurant experience under his arm, Thomas headed west and bounced around the Pacific coast, taking odd jobs in Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco. Looking for chef positions, he combed the want ads, but most shops considered his experience limited.

The last straw was broken when he appeared, resume in hand, to a high-end restaurant in San Francisco. They needed two waiters, and he was one, out of 346 applicants, many of whom had far more experience than Montgomery.

After being turned down for the job in San Francisco, he moved back to Columbia to cook for Teri; although disappointed, he

was happy to once again be part of a seasoned back-of-thehouse team. One night after work, Teri suggested that unless he attended cooking school he’d never command the salary he deserved and would have to prove himself at every job interview.

Accelerated Learning So, it was off to Montpelier, Vermont, for New England Culinary Institute (NECI). To say that Thomas was motivated is an understatement. He was so eager to finish up school and get June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 69

Thomas eventually left Mainstreet and Main and spent some time as a sous-chef for Wolfgang Puck.

Afterwards, he was the head sous-chef for four more restaurant openings, and consulted for investors wanting to open new dining rooms.

The usual line, out the door of 12 Bones

back into the work force that he signed up for classes at any hour. Taking a full load during the day, he’d spot a bread course that met at baker’s hours (3am) and take it.

Montgomery did six months of course work in three. He got very little sleep, but in spite of his workload, he had the time to meet and fall in love with his future wife, Sabra Kelley, a fellow student.

Like Thomas, Sabra was searching for a job with more action. She already had a bachelor of science in agricultural and biological engineering from Cornell, and had supported herself working in restaurants. Jobs in her field weren’t plentiful, and she preferred being on her feet and busy, so Sabra decided to stick with the cooking/service side of the food chain.

At the end of her studies at NECI, Kelley found an internship as a pastry chef at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago.

Thomas, already smitten by her, passed up a prestigious internship in sunny Maui and accompanied Sabra to the windy city one cold November day.

Chicago was where Thomas found his niche in the business. He started as a sous-chef at the Foundation Room, a private club within the House of Blues.

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Here, he began to apply what he’d learned back home in Teri’s restaurant and forged a cohesive kitchen team.

Success at this prestigious post sent him to the company, Mainstreet and Main, the parent company of the Red Fish Grill.

It was with Red Fish that his team building, kitchen-process optimizing, and sang froid all came together. Thomas became a recognized expert in opening new restaurants, and fixing established ones that had gone astray. Meanwhile, Sabra became an accomplished pastry chef at the Ritz.

Western Progress The pair left Chicago for Denver, where Thomas was to open another Red Fish grill for Mainstreet and Main. Sabra’s Ritz credentials secured her employment as a pastry chef in a high-end wedding cake establishment. Always on the go, Sabra also earned a master’s degree in landscape design during her four years in Denver.

Thomas eventually left Mainstreet and Main and spent some time as a sous-chef for Wolfgang Puck. Afterwards, he was the

head sous-chef for four more restaurant openings, and consulted for investors wanting to open new dining rooms.

Years later found Thomas burnt out on restaurant work, so he took a research and development job with a frozen pizza dough and pasta company.

Montgomery’s focus was to work with customer chefs to devise custom dough recipes for chains like Maggiano’s Italy and Rock Bottom Breweries.

Out of the Pan… Metropolitan Denver’s big city atmosphere had the couple longing for small town life again. Hearts set on settling in Ireland were dashed, when they discovered that finding lucrative employment with a short commute to their apartment was next to impossible on the emerald isle.

Asheville was a vacation spot they’d visited and liked, and their furniture was still in storage, so why not? On Sept. 1, 2001, the couple signed a rental agreement, ten days before the World Trade Center attack…not perfect timing economically speaking.

Sabra scraped together enough freelance landscape design/installation jobs

All Natural & All Local DRY AGED, PASTURE-RAISED to eke out a living, while Thomas’ mind was on self-reinvention; he took construction courses at AB Tech and bought a house to renovate.

Western Carolina University needed a chef to run their catering business; they asked, and he said yes; which was not the highlight of Thomas’ kitchen career, it was the opposite. He vowed never to set foot in anyone’s kitchen again, and went back to renovating his Asheville home, all the while sampling southern cuisine.

…and Into the Fire “We got tired of driving to Memphis for ribs,” says Thomas. “When the flood of ’04 destroyed Daisy’s Diner in the River Arts District, we thought that that building was the perfect location for a roadhouse.”

The couple decided to give restaurant ownership a try. They talked about many food concepts for their new enterprise, but the discussion always came back to barbeque. Once the focus cuisine was decided, Thomas got busy buying and fixing up used kitchen equipment and taught himself to smoke meats. 12 Bones opened in December 2005.

Do the Math “I calculated that we could break even on our costs if we served 125 meals a day,” says Montgomery. “Within a month, we hit that number with lunch only, and by the summer, we were serving 300 meals a day.” Kelley and Montgomery hit their stride.

By year three, the daily waiting line ran around the building, and 12 Bones was serving 600 lunches on the average day. The couple’s duties evolved; Sabra took the front of the establishment as well most of the planning. After taking classes on Quick Books, she also took over all the accounting and payroll.

Thomas focused on taste and food quality and building a tight kitchen team. His powers of observation were honed from more than a decade as a sous-chef in prestigious restaurants, and he continually tweaked the food process to eliminate any wasted movements or bottlenecks. Serving 600 happy lunch customers out of 12 Bones’ tiny building was a staggering feat of kitchen production and unflagging customer service.

“It took us a while to put a cohesive team together,” says Thomas. “We were

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Adding accessories to a customer’s BMW F800GS Adventure looking to reproduce the family experience we’d both experienced in successful restaurants. Early on, we were just looking for experience, but once we got the process down, we began to hire people with personalities we’d want to spend the entire day with.”

The Sweeten Creek 12 Bones location was opened, because eventually Kelley and Montgomery were employing five chefs, all graduates of recognized cooking schools, all would be welcome in five star establishments; the couple wanted to keep them happy.

Feeding the President

Peter Saye performing service on a customer’s motorcycle

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One day, while Montgomery was working at the Sweeten Creek store, three men in black suits and sunglasses walked in and said: “The president’s motorcade will be here in 15 minutes.”

His staff handled the wave of chaos with aplomb; the Obamas were served, as were the regular customers. Thomas’ perceptive sense of restaurant process served the team well when the president came back a second time.

“We noticed some guys in dark suits returning the same time every day, one week, so we knew something was up,” says Thomas.

“We were ready. I did a quick briefing with the Secret Service men.

This time, no press was allowed in the kitchen. Secret Service would take care of the outside and control the press; we’d do the rest. I dedicated one chef and one server to the president’s party.

How does it work at 12 Bones when Barack and Michelle appear?

They get in line, they order, pay cash, and enjoy themselves. After they leave, the rest of the security detail is fed, as well as the remaining regulars.

Certainly becoming a regular stop on the president’s Western

North Carolina schedule was good for the restaurant, but 12 Bones was already luring diners via word of mouth and recognized media outlets. The jewel for Thomas and Sabra was how serving the Obamas made their employees feel special; it was a validation that they were involved in something special.

Startup: Frugality Foremost Like many successful businesses, 12 Bones was started by debt-averse owners, and to those who know, it is a recipe for very long hours during the start up phase. They drove hundreds of miles to find used kitchen equipment. Then, once home, got busy cleaning and repairing their purchases.

Paint colors were chosen by what was available for free from local paint dealers, who were more than happy to give the restaurant gallons of discarded goods due to poor color match. Most of the fixtures and furniture were used.

Meal cost was calculated so that the couple would know when they were making or going beyond their expenses.

The original plan was to serve lunch and dinner, but the restaurant was very successful just serving weekday lunches.

Thomas’ years of experience had taught him to manage growth conservatively, so 12 Bones would stick with lunch only Five years after opening, 12 Bones was thriving, but it was still a lot of work. The pair was contacted by other restaurant owners for advice, and some of these requests became consulting gigs. Their restaurant may have only been five years old, but for Montgomery, it was preceded by a grueling 15 years in the industry.

Road to Change Thomas bought a motorcycle to unwind, his first since high school. It was at this point that the idea to get involved in the motorcycle industry arose. That fateful evening, when he pushed the ‘Become a Dealer’ button on the BMW website, Thomas was surprised to find out that the city of Asheville was

on the German company’s radar for a new dealership.

“I thought it was an exciting possibility; I had a gut feeling, a seat of the pants thing,” says Sabra of the dealership idea.

“We’ve always been about tangible things; making or selling a good product to good people, so it wasn’t much of a stretch to imagine ourselves selling bikes.”

Thomas shouldered most of the startup tasks for opening Eurosport Asheville, and, just like starting the restaurant, he was cautious about incurring debt. BMW has definitive ideas about all aspects of their dealerships; from financial stability, to business plan, vehicle versus clothing stocking quantities…all the way to the floor tiles and sign out front; all of which were potentially costly.

But this wasn’t Thomas’ first time opening a business, so he calmly negotiated with the Teutonic decision makers until they approved a plan that he could afford. He sold them on his strong customer service ethic borne out of decades in successful restaurants.

It worked. August 2011, twenty months after he pressed the button on BMW’s web page, Montgomery was approved as a dealer for the German marque, and Eurosport Asheville opened their doors.

Eurosport’s employees were selected for having the same customer-focused, team-oriented qualities that had served so well in his restaurant work. At 12 Bones, neither Sabra nor Thomas played the omnipresent owner, chatting up the customers in the dining room, letting them know who was in charge.

Thomas fostered that same dynamic in Eurosport, where he focused on running the business, but empowered his employees on the floor to stand on their own and develop customer relationships of their own.

He had never run a retail establishment before, but Montgomery knew that incremental growth was smart growth, so during the first year the dealership didn’t have a boatload of retail stock on the floor.

BMW marketing had forecasted that Eurosport would sell 72 new motorcycles June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 73

in the first year, which Montgomery’s team beat by coming in at 103 units sold.

As of March of 2015, new unit sales are up 20 percent over the first year at 120 units, which is very respectable growth, considering that the dealership will be four years old this August. When sales of used bikes are rolled in with sales of new, Eurosport averaged one bike sold per day in 2014.

The parts and service departments each have returned an impressive year over year growth of 19 to 20 percent.

Thomas reasons that parts and service growth is a predictable follow-on to the number of motorcycles sold; customers who’ve had a good retail experience will be back to have their machines serviced.

Looking Back What of 12 Bones? Sabra was running the restaurant while Thomas was running Eurosport across town, but as the bike dealership took off, it became too much.

The couple had been consulting for folks who were interested in purchasing a BBQ establishment in San Francisco. When they decided to sell, Sabra and Thomas approached their clients with the idea of buying 12 Bones instead. A private sale was made in 2012, six years after the flood of Daisy’s Diner.

Sabra sums up the lessons learned at 12 Bones well. “Most people imagine that continually coming up with creative recipes is the hardest part of restaurant ownership, but it’s not. The hard part is consistency – serving good quality food, day after day after day. I know it’s boring to think of, but regular customers want their favorite dish to taste the same every time.”

And: “The best part of 12 Bones was the loyalty of our staff. We treated them as our friends and family, and many have said that it was the best place they’d ever worked. That made us feel great.”

Nurturing the Startup Spring of 2015 finds Sabra content to be in a supporting role at the dealership, keeping the books and writing payroll.

She rounds out her days working at a retail landscaping store in Weaverville and taking the occasional landscape design job.

“For me, it’s fun to just walk into Eurosport,” she says. “There’s a coolness factor. Tom and I have always lived simply, and I grew up in a very frugal Massachusetts household, where we never had anything shiny or new. I think my father was wearing clothes he’d gone to college in, so it’s fun to be surrounded by top of the line bikes.”

Eurosport, which was founded on a strong management foundation, is doing quite well, and the team continues to find ways to offer a higher quality shopping and riding experience to their customers.

“Most people imagine that continually coming up with creative recipes is the hardest part of restaurant ownership, but it’s not. The hard part is consistency – serving good quality food, day after day after day”.

During the first year in business, Thomas was approached by a group of BMW riders who wanted to start a riding

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what can budding entrepreneurs learn from kelley and montgomery? >> Any business is about numbers, and they must be analyzed to make proper decisions. >> Always forecast conservatively; it’s better to be surprised by better than expected results. >> Do not incur debt, unless you need a piece of equipment that will ruin you if it fails…such as a refrigerator or freezer in a restaurant. >> Take on debt only for sure things, such as buying the building you’re operating in, or investing in a business segment with a calculated, guaranteed, return. >> Do not add employees unless the addition will yield a calculated guaranteed result. >> Treat your employees like family and friends, not ‘important assets’.

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>> ‘Customer’ and ‘Service’ are the two most important words in a business owner’s vocabulary.

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June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 75 We also coordinated a partial road closure

club that would be aligned with his shop. This is not uncommon in the industry, and Thomas said yes. The Asheville BMW Riders are self funded and governed, but they are allowed to use the shop for meetings and events.

All of the club’s monthly events are broadcast via a Facebook page. There are advertised rides, which begin and end at the dealership. In this way, the shop becomes more of a lifestyle destination, a place where customers can meet like-minded riders for social reasons, which translates into more floor traffic for Eurosport.

The dealership’s general manager also spends considerable time on social networks every day, serving up content marketing, such as videos of bikes for sale, or answering customer questions. It’s all about maintaining customer involvement.

Welcome Change After the 20+ years he spent in the restaurant business, Thomas appreciates the change of pace that Eurosport offers.

“Conversations with customers at the bike shop are different,” he says. “In the restaurant, there wasn’t time to get into any depth. At Eurosport, I have more time to talk and get to know people — I’m experiencing customers more fully.”

Running a BMW dealership, the hours are a bit more relaxed versus running a restaurant.

“At 12 Bones, we’d get the kitchen cleaned up by around 5:00 in the afternoon,” says Montgomery, “but there were still several hours to go, smoking meats and ordering ingredients.”

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N RVI SE

“In the restaurant, there wasn’t time to get into any depth.

At Eurosport, I have more time to talk and get to know people — I’m experiencing customers more fully.”

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LIVE For couples or family considering going into business, Sabra has this to say. “Divide and conquer. Do not make all decisions as a committee, it takes too much time. Thomas owned the back of the house responsibilities, and I took the front at 12 Bones.”

Sabra has learned a bit about how a home life can be managed. “Don’t discuss business 24/7 and don’t just start talking business at breakfast. Establish your personal business hours.

There’s nothing wrong with scheduling a meeting with your spouse, as a matter of fact, that’s the best way to do it…otherwise you’ll find yourself always working and burnt out.”

Thomas Montgomery is a friendly, quiet man who inspires respect in employees and customers alike. He’s a good listener, and his life floats on an even keel of discipline and calm. He’s enjoying the relatively relaxed pace of the dealership, which allows him to spend time with Sabra and travel on two wheels.

This summer, he plans to start at the Canadian border, and ride the dirt ridgeline of the Continental Divide all the way to Mexico.

What’s down the road for these serial entrepreneurs, these ‘repeat offenders’ of the small business world? Sabra seems content to work with plants, and Thomas continues to grow Eurosport Asheville…but we’d bet our reputation as writers that someday, Thomas will arrive home and say: “Sabra, I saw this vacant building on the way home; it’s an amazing location! It would be the perfect location for….”

Stay tuned, because whatever they do next, they’ll do it well, customers will keep coming back, and it sure will be fun to watch.

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June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 77

UPDATES FOR

&

NATIONAL WORLD [

news briefs

All For Two Minutes louisville, ky

Leading up to the day of the race, the 141st Kentucky Derby was on-target for grossing $29.9 million for Churchill Downs, Inc. Ticket costs vary according to demand, but this year, two new tiers of seating, the Courtyard and the $4.2 million Winner’s Circle Suites, were added.

Concessions offered a $10 mint julep, akin to a $10 beer at any other event.

Mint juleps in a commemorative glass would cost $1,000, but only ten $2500 super-commemorative glasses were being made available. Proceeds would go to a horse charity. As for the rest of Louisville, hotels had been sold out for four months, a feat they had not managed since the onset of the recession. Special

]

derby packages were made available for $925-$1,100 a night at the Galt House Hotel or $1,000-$2,200 for three nights at the Sheraton. Louisville hatters also had fun, Forme Millinery charging $300 to $1,200 per custom hat.

Following Consumer Demand tempe, az

L i feL o ck , I nc or p orat e d p o st e d first-quarter earnings in-line with Wall Street’s projections. The provider of identity theft protection recorded its fortieth consecutive quarter of growth in revenue and membership. Following news of data breaches at Target, Anthem, and other organizations, 421,000 new

clients signed up for LifeLock’s services.

The new enrollees represent a 25 percent boost in sales, bringing total subscribership almost to the four million mark.

Average revenue per user increased somewhat, but the company’s customers continue to prefer lower-level packages.

Unfortunately, the increased revenues were offset by losses, such as tremendous marketing costs. Losses totaled $9 million, doubling from the first quarter of 2014.

Map Apps china

Thirty-three percent of Chinese mobile users have installed Alibaba navigational apps, 27 percent have Baidu’s, and a growing number are using innovations by Tencent. Room for competition opened when Google’s marketshare fell to 1.7 percent. The precipitous dive is attributed to sanctions, known as the Great Firewall of China, imposed by authorities in ongoing conflicts over censorship. In addition to basic navigational features, Alibaba’s mobile apps Amap and Anav can keep users apprised of local air pollution counts from the

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Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs. Like Baidu Map, these apps are beginning to help users navigate inside commercial buildings, such as shopping malls. Tencent Map provides current traffic information and uses location tracking to trigger coupon offers from vendors along one’s route. Alibaba saw business surge 30 percent last year after it gave out $1.6 million in gas coupons to promote Amap and Anav. Both Alibaba and Baidu boast over 300 million users.

Map apps are critical for driving location-based services.

Musk to Overhaul the Grid palo alto, ca

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the cyberspace stage to explain why he had invested in such a huge battery factory in the middle of the Nevada desert. Indeed, some batteries will be put in his Model S cars. But the news item is the Powerwall Home Battery, available with 7kWh or 10kWh storage capacity. The lithium battery will allow homes and small business operations with alternative energy sources to go

26

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carolina in the west

the old north state

off-grid. It is the answer to snipes about what one does when the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing. Without tax credits, there is often no financial benefit to investing in green technology, selling surplus, and then buying it back when needed. The batteries, weighing 220 pounds, cost $3,000 and $3,500 and come with a 10-year warranty. Musk is accepting orders now for delivery in late summer. For larger industries, the 100kWh Powerpack is recommended.

Musk said the batteries are “infinitely scalable,” so they may be piled up as needed. Southern California Edison is among those already signed up. Musk estimates two billion of his batteries could switch the entire world over to renewable energy.

Handling Prescriptions from Cradle to Grave minneapolis , mn

UnitedHealth Group announced it will acquire Catamran for $12.8 billion. At the time of the merger, UnitedHealth owned the country’s third-largest pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), Optum Rx, and Catamaran was the nation’s

national & world

fourth largest, based on the volume of prescriptions processed. The move is expected to bring UnitedHealth on a par with CVS Health Corporation, which currently handles 65 million plan members. Express Scripts is in the number-one position, with 90 million members. Prescription drug spending rose 12 percent last year in spite of cost-cutting by Express Scripts and CVS. UnitedHealth promises to be tough on pricing since it is a payer-insurer that can negotiate pricing upfront, track utilization with sophisticated cost-benefit analysis tools, and then finance research publishing whether drug prices are justifiable in terms of clinical outcomes.

Journey to the Center of the Earth amarillo, tx

The Sandia National Laboratories of the US Department of Energy is going to begin experiments with a new method of disposing of nuclear waste. It is proposed that radioactive materials be lowered into holes three miles deep. In sealed metal cases, the waste would be lowered into the holes, followed by a fixing agent

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national & world news

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that would set five hours later, after the waste reaches its “final” resting place well below groundwater reservoirs. The technology is made possible by advances in drilling made by the petroleum and geothermal industries. The drilling of each bore hole would only cost a few tens of millions of dollars, a mere fraction of the $12 billion poured into the partially-finished Yucca Mountain repository. Inventor Fergus Gibb at the University of Sheffield says only six bore holes would be needed to handle all the high-level waste in the United Kingdom.

Once a hole is filled to its safe limit, liquid granite will be poured on top to prevent theft and other calamities.

“Terminator 2” Puddle Man Disrupts 3D Printing redwood city, ca

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In March Carbon3D unveiled breakthrough 3D printing technology. The innovation, dubbed Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP), prints 25 to 100 times faster than on-the-market technologies. CLIP betters traditional layer-by-layer printing by exposing a puddle of plastic resins to light and oxygen. The resin cures with exposure to ultraviolet light, and so oxygen is applied strategically to inhibit the curing. The process was developed by the company’s CEO and co-founder Joseph DeSimone, professor Edward Samulski, and Dr. Alex Ermoshkin.

Principals expressed interest in discovering disruptive technology needed for 3D printing to live up to expectations, and say they were inspired by a scene in Terminator 2. Carbon3D has partnered with the reputable Sequoia Capital and Silver Lake Kraftwerk for their first rounds of financing, raising $41 million.

In April Autodesk signed on, investing $10 million.

Now, About That Stagecoach Niche letcher, sd

Doug Hansen runs a factory that builds and repairs horse-drawn vehicles with custom care and original tools. He was recently contacted by Quentin Tarantino to construct a stagecoach for an upcoming movie, The Hateful Eight. Tarantino had no problem with the $90,000 ticket.

As might not be expected, business is booming. Hansen expects to build or restore close to 100 carriages this year. Another of his stagecoaches was recently commissioned by Wells Fargo and Company to deliver its CEO, John Stumpf, and Warren Buffett’s bridge partner, Sharon Osberg, to the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha.

Wells Fargo wouldn’t divulge details, but it owns 24 stagecoach replicas, 16 originals, and contracts with 14 drivers.

Last year, its stagecoaches showed up at over 800 events. Other clients of interest include Prince William and Princess Kate. Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade, had Hansen craft a purple stagecoach, which won the Calgary Stampede for two consecutive years.

Playing LEGOs changsha , china

The Broad Sustainable Building Company recently erected a 57-story skyscraper in nineteen working days.

Assembly proceeded at a rate of three stories per day, with a hiatus for winter weather. Mini Sky City, which will go up for sale in May, features 19 atriums, office space for 4,000 workers, and 800 apartments. Prior to groundwork, the building’s 2,736 modules were prefabricated, with drywall, plumbing, etc., offsite over a period of four and a half months. Corporate vice president Xiao Changgeng said the building is safe and earthquake resistant. The building is somewhat green, with 8” of insulation,

quadruple-glazed windows, and 3-stage air purification affording seven air exchanges per hour. Broad estimates the modular construction process saved 15,000 trucks full of concrete.

The skyscraper is but a stepping stone for the company, whose plans for the world’s tallest building (220) stories to be assembled in three months also in Changsha, have already been submitted for design review.

Collaboration More Profitable than Litigation samsung town, seoul, korea and cupertino, ca

Apple and Samsung Electronics are entering into collaborative relationships. The cooperation follows a 2014 decision by Apple CEO Tim Cook to begin winding down lawsuits between the two companies. The battles began under the leadership of Steve Jobs.

Apple had claimed Samsung “slavishly copied” its products, introducing eighteen patent infringements within eight months. Now, Samsung is slated to manufacture the main chip for the next iPhone and displays for other devices.

Taking on jobs for Apple is part of a $14 billion expansion phase Samsung is undertaking. Samsung’s first-quarter earnings this year showed growth in all its component businesses, whereas TSMC, the supplier of the main chip for previous iterations of the iPhone, is announcing spending cuts. Meanwhile, SanDisk, a chip supplier that had previously attributed 19 percent of sales to Apple, fell short of targets. Samsung is the world’s largest consumer of electronic components; Apple comes in second.

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June 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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Skinny Dip Falls photo by Bonnie Roberson 82

| June 2015

capital adventurist

Ref lective

WATERS Western North Carolina Swimmin’ Holes

Lake James photo courtesy of Crescent Communities

written by toni sherwood

A

s the summer heat and humidity descends on Western North Carolina, outdoor enthusiasts crave a cool watering hole. Whether you love

swimming, fishing, kayaking, or just floating along, there are many stunning lakes and rivers to choose from, some easily accessed, and others a little off the beaten path.

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 83

capital adventurist

En Plein Air Locally-Owned Galleries, Shops, Wine Bars & Restaurants

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Who wouldn’t be curious about a spot called Skinny Dip Falls? Yellowstone Prong stream feeds Skinny Dip’s three interconnected waterfalls, the highest of which is about 20 feet. Getting to the falls takes approximately 20-minutes from the parking area. It’s a moderately difficult hike with some steep steps, rocky terrain, and a gentle incline.

The falls are accessed from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Parking is available at the Looking Glass Rock Overlook, just south of mile marker 417.

From mile marker 417, follow the .8-mile trail, which leads swimmers to a beautiful cascade of three waterfalls and a deep cool swimming pool at the bottom. There are also several small pools along the creek to cool off. If you’re hoping to have the falls to yourself, a weekday would be best, but generally it is a popular spot in the summer, and despite its name, best to plan on wearing a swimsuit.

If it’s too crowded at Skinny Dip, there are two other choice waterfalls nearby.

First is Graveyard Falls, fed from the same stream as Skinny Dip and located off milepost 419 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

There is a parking area on the west side of the road. Signs will lead hikers to the Second Falls, which takes you to the top of the falls for a grand view. To reach the large swimming hole below, continue to Lower Falls where a wooden staircase leads to the bottom.

A little more challenging to access, and therefore more likely to be quieter and less crowded, are Courtyard Falls.

The catch pool is not the swimmers paradise of Skinny Dip and Graveyard, but these remote, beautiful falls are worth the trip. Once you get to the parking area, it’s a gorgeous hike in.

From the Blue Ridge Parkway, pass mile marker 423 and turn east on Route 215. In about six and a half miles turn left on FR (Frontage Road) 140, a gravel road. Continue for about three miles on this steep and winding road until you reach the bridge over Courthouse Creek, where you will see a parking area on the other side of the bridge. Park here and hike up the Summey Cove Trail. In about ten minutes you will hear the sound of the falls. Once you do, begin looking for a trail marker on the left that indicates Courthouse Falls. A small path will lead sharply downward to the falls and swimming hole.

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Elk River Falls, also known as Big Falls, is located near the town of Elk Park at the Tennessee/North Carolina border and is part of the Pisgah National Forest. The thunderous 75-foot waterfall cascades into a huge deep swimming pool.

There is a picnic area with a trail that leads to the falls. The swimming area is dazzling, with a smooth rocky slope ‘beach’ perfect for sunbathing.

This popular spot attracts a good bit of traffic in the summer, but it also attracts a lot of risk-takers. Checking out the view

Courtyard Falls courtesy of the WNC Adventure Guide wnc-adventures.com from the top of the falls is tempting, but visitors are warned not to get too close to the edge; unfortunately there have been fatalities. You may see people jumping from the top of the falls, but that doesn’t mean it is safe. The river flowing above the falls has a very strong current. Swimmers are advised only to swim in the catch pool at the bottom.

Old Mill Road is the main road in the town of Elk Park.

From Old Mill Road take a right onto Elk River Road. Go about four miles, the last two of which is gravel, to the picnic area at the end of the road. The small parking area fills up quickly in the summer. From there you will see a short path that leads to the falls.

p e ac e f u l p l e a s u r e But if the roar of waterfalls is not your idea of a lazy summer swimming hole, one gem close to Asheville is Lake Powatan.

Surrounded by the 6000-acre Bent Creek Experimental Forest linking it to miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, this sweet little lake has a sandy beach with a designated swimming area. Because there are no boats allowed on the lake it is a peaceful retreat. The cool, churning waters of Bent Creek feed into the lake. Along the creek there are several places where dogs love to romp in the shallow waters.

Lake Powatan’s campsites are all within walking distance to the lake and have picnic tables, tent pads, and campfire rings with grills. There are restrooms with hot showers, and a few sites have full hookups.

From Asheville, take I-26 to exit 33. Go south approximately two miles on State Route 191 to the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area sign. Turn right and follow signs to the campground.

With such easy access to Asheville, this could be the perfect ‘staycation’ or even gourmet camping trip; just head into town for dinner out and maybe even a show, then return to Lake Powatan to sleep under the stars.

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June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 85

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| June 2015

THIS PHOTO: Lake Powhatan beach RIGHT TOP: Lake Powhatan bridge

Lake James photo courtesy of Crescent Communities

w h i t e wat e r If you like a little adventure on the water, the fast-moving Watauga River is a popular destination for kayakers and rafters. Commercial outfitters from Tennessee and Western North Carolina offer guided trips and boat rentals from multiple locations along the river in the summer months.

The Watauga R iver f lows across Watauga County, North Carolina, and crosses the Tennessee border at Johnson City. The river winds through stunning cliffs, wildlife habitats, and breathtaking scenery. Because the river is dam controlled, there is consistent white water throughout the season, with rapids for every skill level.

High Mountain Expeditions is one service that offers half-day rafting trips with put-in and take-out points in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Rapids range from class I-III (easy to intermediate) in this part of the river.

There are class IV-V (advanced to expert) whitewater rapids on the Watauga River upstream of Watauga Lake. A good bit of rainfall is required to make these

areas runnable. Characterized by turbulent waters and long distances between resting pools, these rapids require a high level of fitness and are only navigable by expert paddlers.

But paddling isn’t the only reason to visit. The Watauga River is also a destination for fly fishing and angling, with abundant rainbow trout, brown trout, and striped bass.

drif ting along If floating down a lazy river on an inner tube is more your style, you might want to check out the North Mills River Recreation Area and Campground, which is part of the Pisgah National Forest. Located just 20 minutes west of Hendersonville, this gentle river is perfect for tubing and rafting. The cool shallow water has small rapids and drops, and there is a natural beach area for serene floating. This is a great spot for smaller kids to splash and play.

There are 39 picnic areas with grills along the river, as well as a ball field and hiking trails.

Graveyard Fields Falls courtesy of the WNC Adventure Guide wnc-adventures.com

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 87

capital adventurist

If you’d like to stay a while, there are 32 primitive campsites, which can accommodate tents or RVs, but there are no hookups.

Take exit 40 off I-26, travel west on US 280 past the airport for six miles to North Mills River Road. Turn right and travel five miles to the North Mills River Recreation Area.

d e l i g h t f u l d e s t i n at i o n Just getting to Lake Santeetlah is a sports car driver and motorcyclist’s dream. This jewel of a lake is situated along a portion of U.S. 129 called the ‘Tail of the Dragon,’ which is an 11-mile stretch of road winding through Tennessee and North Carolina with a purported 318 curves. The road travels through scenic forested areas, including the southwestern border of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The Cheoah District of the Nantahala National Forest surrounds Lake Santeetlah itself, offering endless recreational choices. The lake has 76 miles of shoreline with fish varieties, such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, and lake trout. There is one full service marina, Santeetlah Marina. Boat rentals include pontoons, fishing boats, canoes, and kayaks, and all can be rented in four-hour increments or for the week.

Lake Santeetlah is a real wilderness getaway, connecting to over 200 miles of hiking trails in the Cheoah District alone. From the lake it’s an eight-mile hike to the Appalachian Trail, making it a great place to set up camp and explore. Scattered about the lake are 50 primitive campsites, each with a fire ring and picnic table.

Although there are no toilet facilities or water at the campsites, there are also no camping permits or fees required.

o p e n wat e r If you’re looking for a lake that takes time to explore, consider Lake James. This 6812-acre reservoir has a whopping 150-mile shoreline. Powerboats, sailboats, and smaller craft have ample room to navigate these waters. There are two boat ramps along NC 126, one of which, Canal Bridge, is open 24 hours.

Lake James State Park, a 565-acre recreation area, borders the lake on the southern edge. The park itself rents canoes and kayaks, and there are several privately run marinas nearby to rent larger boats.

Camping is available in the park with 20 rustic sites near the scenic shoreline. Campsites do not have electricity, and access requires a hike from 150 to 300 yards. All camping sites have a

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AshevilleWineandFood.com 88

| June 2015

summer safety When visiting any of these natural watering holes, it’s smart to be aware of the environment. Branches from trees may be submerged in moving river waters. Wildlife such as snakes and crawfish occupy many of these lakes and rivers. Natural outcroppings of rock can be slippery, and the catch pools below the falls may be too shallow for jumping into from lofty heights. White water rapids are challenging to navigate, even for the experts. When summer fun is the goal, common sense and awareness ensures that everyone has a good time.

!

cool summer With so many gorgeous waterfalls, rivers, and lakes to visit in Western North Carolina, it’s definitely going to be a cool summer!

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1888 Hendersonville Rd. • Asheville, NC 28803 • (828) 676-0047 61 Weaver Blvd. • Weaverville, NC 28787 •(828) 645-8811 M-F 7:30amRd. - 7pm; Sat. 7:30amNC - 6pm; Sun.• 10am 6 pm 1888 Hours: Hendersonville • Asheville, 28803 (828)- 676-0047 61 Weaver Blvd. • Weaverville, NC 28787 •(828) 645-8811

1888Hendersonville Hendersonville 28803 Hours: M-F 7:30amRd. - 7pm; Sat. 7:30amNC - 6pm; Sun.• 10am - 6676-0047 pm 1888 • Asheville, 28803 • (828) (828) 676-0047 • 1888 Rd. • Asheville, 28803 • (828) 676-0047 812 Merrimon Ave. 28804 (828) 505-3672 61Hendersonville Weaver Blvd.

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June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 89

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fire pit, tent site, and picnic table. There are shared water faucets and a shower facility near the parking lot. Boat-in camping on the Long Arm Peninsula is expected to be available for the first time this year.

With 120-foot depths, quiet coves, and varying water temperatures, sport fishing abounds. Largemouth bass, walleye, and catfish are among the abundant species that inhabit this lake.

Summertime is the prime fishing season for crappie and white bass. If you’re looking for a challenge, try beating these two records set at Lake James: The largest white catfish, a 13-pound giant, was caught there in 1990, and the state record tiger muskie was wrestled from these waters in 1988, a 33-pound eight-ounce mammoth.

Swimming is permitted in the designated Paddy Creek Area from May 1 through September 30, 10 am to 6 pm daily. There is a small fee when lifeguards are present.

june

EVENTS june 1-14

Remarkable Rhododendron Ramble 1-2pm Grandfather Mountain 2050 Blowing Rock Highway Linville, NC Park naturalist are pretty sure the first half of June will be prime blooming season for the rose-lavender Catawba rhododendron. The park abounds with the heavenly shrubs that flower first in May at the lower elevations, and successive groups will begin to bloom as the former shed. The color reaches the swinging bridge, at 5845 feet, around the end of June. Programs and guided tours for admiring this natural masterpiece are included with the price of admission.

> Admission: Adult $20,

Special ages discounted > 828-733-2013 or grandfather.com

3130 US HWY 70 Black Mountain 828-669-9970

20 th Celebrating our

YEAR

in business

june 1- 30

Savage Gardens 8am-9pm The North Carolina Arboretum 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way Asheville, NC During the summer, children will get to interact with real and imaginary carnivorous plants. Kids will get to see Venus flytraps and their kin and play at learning stations. Four giant walk-in sculptures will detail the structures of a sampling of the beautiful, vibrant, and deadly species.

> Admission: Automobile $12,

Commercial Vehicle $50, Bus $100

> 828-665-2492 or ncarboretum.org june 1- 30

Surface & Texture: The Work of John Jordan 10am-5pm, Sundays 11am-5pm Grovewood Gallery 111 Grovewood Road Asheville, NC The work of the award-winning Nashville woodturner will be on display. Jordan is best-known for his unusual yet tasteful carved hollow vessels. Jordan’s work is

included in permanent installations like the White House Collection of American Crafts, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Thirty pieces will be showcased.

> Admission: Free > 828-253-7651 or grovewood.com june 4

Starting a Better Business 10am-12pm Riverlink Warehouse Studios 70 Lyman Street, Asheville, NC Representatives from the A-B Tech Small Business Center and Small Business Technology Development Center will provide tips on business planning.

Participants will do a feasibility analysis of their ideas and their business ownership skills and get a better idea of what they need to make their ideas more viable. Participants will receive a copy of the SBTDC Business Startup and Resource Guide among other materials.

Pre-registration is required.

> Free > 828-398-7950 or ncsbc.net

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WEAR SUNSCREEN! Protect yourself and your children against skin cancer.

Visit our facebook page for sun safety tips and more! www.facebook.com/healthridgepharmacy

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| June 2015

june 4 - 21

Over the River & Through the Woods 2 & 8pm Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown 125 South Main Street Hendersonville, NC This is Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro’s story of faith, family, and food in an Italian family. Nick Cristano’s four grandparents keep audiences jolly as they scheme to prevent him from moving from Hoboken, New Jersey, to Seattle.

>Tickets: $15-40 > 828-693-0731 or

flatrockplayhouse.org

june 5

Pari Astronomy Night at the Cradle 6-10pm Cradle of Forestry Highway 276 North Pisgah Forest, NC

will be set up, and astronomers in the know will be on-hand for guided tours of the sky. Activities, including kids’ games and short movies, are included.

june 5 - 6

Brevard Blues n’ BBQ Festival Friday 4pm until, Saturday 1pm until Brevard Music Center 349 Andante Lane Brevard, NC

> Admission: Adult $5,

Infant (0-6) Free > 828-884-5713x224 or pisgahfieldschool.org

The Brevard Music Center and 185 Productions have partnered to put together two afternoons of blues. A number of quality food vendors will be there to accompany the music.

june 5 -12 Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine

>Tickets: Full Program $40, Friday

9:30am-5:30pm

only $20, Saturday only $30 > 828-862-2100 or brevardbluesfestival.com

Tweetsie Railroad 300 Tweetsie Railroad Lane Blowing Rock, NC Children can ride their beloved Thomas the Tank EngineTM as he chugs through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Activities include listening to stories about Thomas and FriendsTM and playing in the Imagination Station. Sir Topham HattTM will be available for a meet-and-greet photo op. Thomas departs the station every half hour on the half hour.

The Pisgah Field School, in conjunction with the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, will host a night of stargazing away from city lights. Several telescopes

>Tickets: Adult (13+) $41, Child (3-12) $27, Toddler Free > 877-893-3874 or tweetsie.com

: Woods Edge Apartments

CASE STUDY

“FASTSIGNS designed and installed two main entrance signs for our property. We were amazed at just how much the finished signs looked like the concept sketches they provided. We would highly recommend FASTSIGNS for any type of signage you may need.

They are courteous, friendly, professional, and their customer service is excellent. ”

june 6

Clay Day 10am-4pm The Folk Art Center Milepost 382, Blue Ridge Parkway Asheville, NC Clay Day is a twenty-year-old tradition.

Members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and invited artisans will demonstrate throwing on the potter’s wheel, as well as hand-building. Hands-on activities

CASE STUDY

Woods Edge Apartments

Asheville, NC

DESCRIPTION:

PREVIOUS DESIGN

-Shirley Pennell, Property Manager of Woods Edge Apartments

NOTES:

PREPARED FOR:

JOHN SMITH APPROVED BY:

COPYRIGHT: THIS DESIGN IS THE PROPERTY OF FASTSIGNS ® OR PURCHASER. ORIGINAL DESIGNS REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF FASTSIGNS ® UNLESS SPECIFICALLY STATED IN YOUR CONTRACT THAT YOU HAVE PURCHASED THEM. NON-CREATIVE WORKS PRODUCED UNDER CONTRACT ARE THE PROPERTY OF PURCHASER.

COPYRIGHT LAWS PROHIBIT THE COPYING OR USE OF THIS DESIGN WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF FASTSIGNS ®, ASHEVILLE.

FASTSIGNS INSTALLATION

DATE: 04/08/2014

CONCEPT CEPT BY: JBH

C CONSULTANT: STEVE HARVEY

CONCEPT ID: 12345 MISSION HOSPITAL ILLUMINATED CABINET

SCALE: .25” = 1’

PAGE: 1 OF 1

REVISION: 1

ILLUMINATED ILLUMINAT A ED DIVISION AT

1202 Patton Ave. • Ash Asheville, NC 28806 p 828.251.2211 f 828.251.0005

Previously existing sign.

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“Woods Edge Apartments contracted FASTSIGNS to design and install two main entrance signs for our property.

1202 Patton Ave. Andy Field, the FASTSIGNS sales repreAsheville, NC 28806 sentative, contacted us weekly to let (828) 251-2211 us know exactly where we stood with www.fastsigns.com/241 every step of the process, from design to final installation. We were amazed at just how much the finished signs looked like the concept sketches they provided. We would highly recommend Fast Signs for any type of signage you may need. They are

Asheville

June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 91

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will abound, a favorite being the Make and Take Raku Firing. Participants may purchase a pot for $10, glaze it, and watch an expert make designs on it with fire and smoke. Highwater Clays of Asheville is donating the clay. Guild members encourage participants to stroll the grounds, enjoying nature and visiting a number of shops and galleries.

> Admission: Free > 828-298-7928 or

southernhighlandguild.org

june 6

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Valley History Explorer Hike #5 10am Swannanoa Valley Museum 223 West State Street Black Mountain, NC This is one of seven monthly historical hikes offered by the Swannanoa Valley Museum. This, like the other hikes, is of moderate difficulty and only about three miles long. Hike #5 visits places of historical interest in Montreat. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

> Admission: Members $20,

Nonmembers $30 > 828-669-9566 or history. swannanoavalleymuseum.org

june 6

$120K Rolex Grand Prix The event starts at 5pm, the Grand Prix starts at 6:30pm Tryon International Equestrian Center 4066 Pea Ridge Rd Mill Spring, NC 28756 Food and live, local music will be available, along with activities for all ages, such as street performers, face painting, carousel rides, and more.

> Admission & Parking: Free > www.tryon.com 92

| June 2015

june 12 , 19, 26

june 12

17th Annual Music on Main Street Concert Series

An Evening with Sweet Dreamers: A Tribute to Patsy Cline

7-9pm

8pm

Visitor Information Center 201 South Main St, Hendersonville, NC Dashboard Blue will play Oldies and Beach every Friday night. The five-piece band from Asheville has more than twenty-five years experience playing danceable hits from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Bring your own lawn chair, but leave your pets, alcoholic beverages, and coolers at home.

> Free > 828-693-9708 or

historichendersonville.org

june 12 -13

Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival 10am-11pm Harmon Field, Tryon, NC Chicken, pork ribs, pork, and beef brisket will be provided by hand-picked vendors, who will be competing for national championships and prizes.

So expect excellence. Food must be purchased with BBQ Bucks. Two stages will provide entertainment. The big stage, with lots of room for dancing, will showcase the headliners, while the second, by the idyllic Pacolet River, will feature more intimate acts and variety programming. More fun will be available with the Hawg Run, a classic car show, a juried craft show, and children’s rides.

The festival is a fundraiser presented by and for the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce.

> Admission: Adult $8, 12 & under Free

> 888-859-7427 or

blueridgebbqfestival.com

Altamont Theatre 18 Church St, Asheville, NC The S we et D rea mer s, feat u r i n g Caromia Tiller and Kate McNally, will cover Patsy’s classic country favorites, like Crazy, I Fall to Pieces, and There He Goes.

>Tickets: Advance $15, Door $18 > 404-580-7645 or thealtamont.com/Pats

june 13 , 20 , 27

Asheville Art in the Park 2015 10am-6pm Pack Square Park, Asheville, NC In its seventh year, Art in the Park will feature the fine handiwork of Asheville artists of national renown. Media include glass, ceramics, wood, and metal. The event is produced by Andrew Montrie, who, in addition to his own creative efforts, is enthusiastically engaged in multiple ventures helping artists with the economics of following their muse.

> Free > ashevilleartinthepark.com

LEE ANN LEWIS

Sr. Mortgage Banker NMLS# 415513 Phone: 828.216.4625 leeannlewis@atlanticbay.com

june 13

National Get Outdoors Day

Please Visit Us in the

HISTORICAL BILTMORE VILLAGE

9pm Chimney Rock State Park 431 Main Street Chimney Rock, NC

32 All Souls Crescent Asheville, NC 28803

Celebrate National Get Outdoors Day in the great outdoors with guided hikes and programming in the park. After a day of fresh air, retire to the meadow to June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 93

LEAF is bringing

events

the BEST of LEAF Festival and the BEST of LEAF Schools & Streets to Pack Square Park on August 1st & 2nd!

Get ready to celebrate communities, creativity, diversity, and families in the heart of Asheville! Run Your Ash Off in the 5k & Family Relay, visit with local vendors and sip a brew while cruising three stages! Join us.

#1 Music Festival #1 Festival For Kids #1 Festival For Camping

watch Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax on the big screen, under the stars.

> Admission: Car $10, Passholder Car $8

> 800-277-9611 or

chimneyrockpark.com

june 13

Coming Home: A Wild Food Adventure with Alan Muskat 9:30am-12:30pm Addison Farms Vineyard 4005 New Leicester Hwy Leicester, NC Shadow a real, live hunter-gatherer to forage for edible plants, mushrooms, and “extreme cuisine” in the woods surrounding the farm. The event is billed as a lesson in high-class survival.

Afterward, you may wish to cleanse your palate at a wine-tasting. Addison Farms is a family owned and operated vineyard and winery. The tasting room features panoramic views of mountain vistas.

> Admission: $8 > 828-581-9463 or addisonfarms.net june 19

Downtown After 5 5pm North Lexington Avenue Asheville, NC

DOWNTOWN AVL

PACK SQUARE PARK DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE, NC 94

| June 2015

Nine-to-fivers can let their hair down and welcome in the weekend to the tunes of Corey Harris, a blues and reggae performer. Trying to reduce the vibe to words, the Asheville Downtown Association claims: ‘The music of Zansa is a synthesis of traditional and modern styles of Wet Africa’. The Ashevillebased ensemble melds modern afropop with African folk music, African drumming, and the fiery dance-oriented Ivorian street music called Zouglou.

Downtown After 5 happens every third

Friday during the warm months, and it is sponsored by Prestige Subaru.

> Free > 828-251-9973 or

ashevilledowntown.org

june 20

Enka Triathlon 8am Biltmore Lake Community 12 Culvern Street Asheville, NC Private Biltmore Lake is the backdrop for all events. Participants get to hop in for a 750-meter leg, bicycle 17.5 miles through the rolling hills of the nearby farmland, and then run around the lake’s 3.1 mile perimeter. Prizes will be awarded, and Earth Fare will be providing lunch for all participants. You must present your USA Triathlon membership card, or purchase a one-day membership for $12 to pick up your packet. There are discounts for early entry, and there is no charge for spectators.

> Entry: Individual $85, Relay $125 > 828-400-5868 or gloryhoundevents.com

june 20 - 28

The Love List 7:30-9pm Ensemble Stage 160 Sunset Dr Blowing Rock, NC Professional stage actors live out the story of Bill, who takes his friend Leon’s advice to hire a gypsy woman to help him find the perfect mate. The gypsy instructs Bill to make a list of ten qualities the ideal woman should have.

When she shows up, Bill learns from the school of hard knocks to be careful what he wishes for. This is a comedy.

>Tickets: $11-21 > 828-414-1844 or

ensemblestage.com

AVL

DOWNTOWN june 22

WHERE THE COMMUNITY GATHERS.

How to Sell on Amazon.com 6-9pm A-B Tech, Enka Campus, Hayes Conference Center, Room 209 1465 Sand Hill Road Candler, NC E-commerce is a powerful tool for efficiently marketing products. Amazon. com, with over 237 million active users, is the leading e-commerce site in the United States. Participants will learn how to register, select an appropriate account, and list items for profit optimization. Tips on how to save when shipping will be shared.

> Free > 828-398-7950 or ncsbc.net june 25 - 27

Rigoletto 8pm Brevard College, Porter Center 1 Brevard College Drive Brevard, NC The Asheville Lyric Opera and the Brevard Music Center have co-produced Giuseppe Verdi’s classic. Grant Youngblood, leading operatic baritone for the Metropolitan Opera, will return to his alma mater to fill the title role.

In three acts, the philandering Duke of Mantua, his hunchback court jester, Rigoletto, and Rigoletto’s beautiful daughter make tragic choices under the curse. Dean Anthony will be the director; Jerome Shannon, the conductor.

Leading up to the performances, the directors and select performers and behind-the-scenes people will talk about the work that went into producing the opera at the UNCA Reuter Center on June 19 at 3pm.

>Tickets: Adults $30-58,

FEATURING...

“BOOTSY” COLLINS & THE RUBBER BAND ART DASH 5K & FAMILY RELAY | EASEL RIDER CAPITAL AT PLAY LITERARY LOUNGE HEALING ARTS & MUCH MORE!

ALL are welcome at this FREE, community event!

Students $17-40 > 828-862-2105 or brevardmusic.org June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 95

events

june 25 - 27

The Elements 8pm Diana Wortham Theatre 2 South Pack Square, Asheville, NC

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met.”

- W. B. Yeats

Open 7 days a week in the Historic Grove Arcade.

828.252.0020

For thirteen years, Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance has been attracting acclaimed professional performers from all around the globe to Asheville. As the company seeks new rehearsal space, choreographer Heather Maloy refused to let the dancing take a hiatus. Instead, she and the dancers took to the streets to rehearse. Inspired by some photographs of Terpsicorps dancers

by Zaire Kacz, Maloy had the idea to create this year’s production around the theme of the elements: earth, air, fire, and water – and being out in them. Expect to see things like soaked dancers on a slippery stage and some flying and stilt dancing. Contact the theatre for information on related events.

> Admission: Adult $30,

Special ages discounted > 828-257-4530 or dwtheatre.com

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weekend serving

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Now

weekend serving

brunch

monday 1/2 off margaritas tequila½½offofftequila every tuesday tuesday flights

june 26 - 28

Horn in the West 8pm 591 Horn in the West Boulevard Boone, NC Horn in the West is the nation’s oldest Revolutionary War drama. It tells the story of Daniel Boone and fellow mountain settlers and their fight to preserve their independence in the days leading to the war. An attempt to overthrow a tyrannical British governor causes the upstarts to flee to the mountains to avoid capital punishment. Among the subplots is the struggle of a British doctor whose son has linked arms with the ragtag settlers. The venue was crafted especially for this play, which has been running since 1952.

>Tickets: $24 and $39 > 828-264-2120 or horninthewest.com

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june 27

Outdoor Fireworks Concert: Kacey Musgraves 7:30pm Kidd Brewer Stadium Appalachian State University Boone, NC Nashville-based singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves’ debut album, Same Trailer Different Park, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

The album includes her top 10, gold Merry Go Round. Among many other awards, the album earned her two Grammies.

>Tickets: Adults $38, Members $33, Children (0-6) $5 > 800-841-2787 or appsummer.org

fridays , saturdays , sundays

Montford Park Players: A Midsummer Night’s Dream 7:30-10pm Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre 92 Gay Street, Asheville, NC

The Shakespearean troupe hopes to bring you merriment and joy with the mixups in this comedy. One of the Bard’s most popular works tells the story of the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta by following the adventures of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors who are controlled by the faeries of the forest.

> Donations welcome > 828-254-5146 or

montfordparkplayers.org

If your organization has any local press releases for our briefs section or events that you would like to see here feel free to email us at events@capitalatplay.com Please submit your event by the first day of the month preceding your event.

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ASHEVILLE

Historic Biltmore Village 9 Kitchin Place 828-274-2630

STORE HOURS

Mon.-Fri. 9:30am-7pm Sat. 9:30am-6pm Sun. 12pm-5pm June 2015 | capitalatplay.com 97

Pre-K at Carolina Day: Transformations begin here.

Now is the time.

At Carolina Day, our smallest begin their transformation into young students prepared with so much more than the basics.

• Curriculum crafted with intention to open young minds to big ideas.

Well-rounded, well-researched, inquiry-based, forward-thinking.

• Teachers highly trained in brain and social development, who create

www.carolinaday.org 828.274.0757

joyfully engaging classes for eager, curious children.

• Warm, welcoming community of support for students of all backgrounds to find safe harbor for exploration and growth.

Schedule a visit and contact our Tuition Manager today.

“I believe curious and courageous teachers help make curious and courageous students.”

June 2015 98 Cathy Walters,| Pre-K — Faculty

The next-generation BMW X5

bmwofasheville.com 828-681-9900

SUPERIORITY COMPLEX. With its faster 0–60 mile-per-hour time, lighter frame and 15% more fuel-efficient engine, you might find the next-generation X5 has developed a bit of a complex. Can you blame it?

THE NEXT-GENERATION BMW X5.

NO-COST MAINTENANCE

UP TO 4 YRS / 50K MILES1

For special lease and finance offers available through BMW Financial Services, visit bmwusa.com.

BMW of Asheville

649 New Airport Road

Fletcher, NC 28732

828-681-9900

bmwofasheville.com

Experience the Difference.

For model year 2015 or later vehicles sold or leased by an authorized BMW center on or after July 1, 2014, BMW Maintenance Program coverage is not transferable to subsequent purchasers, owners or lessees. Please see bmwusa.com/UltimateService or ask your authorized BMW center for details. ©2015 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

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