Capital at Play October 2019

Dave Brewer

Hall, Hall, & Awad

A Music Man p.14

Asheville Improv Collective p.76

Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise

lo c a l i n d u s t ry

Constructive

Zone Ahead

p.37

A look at Asheville’s everevolving River Arts District

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

Small Local Venues p.61

Where the Locals are

Music & Art an n ua l

EDITION

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October 2019

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Editor’s Thoughts

T

his morning I saw a naked man over at the River Arts District here in Asheville.

Okay, so technically speaking, it wasn’t a naked man, but rather a part-sculpted rendering of a naked man that an artist had erected at the entrance of one of the many unique galleries that dot the River Arts District. And before you ask—no. The aforementioned rendering depicted the aforementioned naked man holding some type of cup that was strategically placed. Yes, parents, you can still take the kids along when you want to stroll the RAD. As you should, because one of our area’s artistic meccas has, over the last decade or so, gotten progressively better, more highly utilized, and just plain essential.

I raise this point for a couple of reasons. One, this is our annual music and arts issue, which, since 2016, we’ve done each October; among our features this time around is a report on the River Arts District detailing a bit of its colorful history, where things currently stand, and some forecasts about what the future holds.

The other reason is a bit more personal. My family was absent from Asheville during 2012-15, and ever since our return it seems like I haven’t really paid a ton of attention to how the RAD has been growing and evolving. I’m in the process of correcting that oversight on my part, because one weekend a few months ago, I found myself wandering around the area with my wife, as we’d realized we hadn’t been down there in ages. We peeked into numerous shops and galleries, stopping to talk with several of the artists and wondering to ourselves if this or that piece might look good on our living room wall that was still conspicuously blank. I took note of all the other people wandering the streets, of those who had stopped off at a venue to get some coffee or have a beer, and just the buzz of activity in general that one could probably surmise characterizes the River Arts District, circa 2019. Take a stroll yourself. You’ll see what I mean.

Unrelatedly, I found myself in downtown Asheville just a few nights ago, checking out a newly opened art gallery, and I was equally struck by how many people were out on the streets. Not that this was particularly unusual, of course. But it occurred to me that at least once a week I hear or read about a resident decrying the city’s congestion and about how they don’t go downtown anymore because of all the traffic and tourists.

To them I would say—Give it a shot again. Hunt until you find a parking space. It’ll be worth the effort. And if you need additional encouragement, check out another report we have in this issue, one about the Broadway Cultural Gateway project and the downtown Asheville arts corridor. I think you’ll find yourself duly inspired.

Sincerely,

Fred Mills

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BOONE’S MUSIC BUSINESS MOVER AND SHAKER

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DAVE BREWER

CLIFTON HALL, DANA HALL, & GEORGE AWAD

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com

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C ON T E N T S o c t o b e r 2 019

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Constructive Zone Ahead

The Evolution of Asheville’s River Arts District & the Broadway Cultural Gateway

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Small Local Venues

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12 A Pressing Project

Gar Ragland and his vinyl fantasy

26 A rticles Of Innovation: Adapt Or Die

Written by Gillie Roberts

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A Pressing Project Asheville producer Gar Ragland has some big plans for an iconic Asheville landmark.

I

In 2018 the sale of a familiar downtown Asheville building, located at 14 O. Henry Avenue, was announced. Dating to 1939 and designed by architect Tony Lord, it’s home to the Asheville Citizen-Times. Sold for $5.25 million to David and Nathan Brown, of O. Henry Investments LLC and Leverette Investments LLC, a complete renovation was soon underway.

The Citizen-Times continues to operate from the second floor, but some ambitious plans are afoot for the first floor.

The AVL VINYL Press & Café (not the official project name just yet) will be, according to studio producer and head of NewSong Music Group, Gar Ragland, “a dynamic, magnetic project sure to become an enduring, must-see spot in Asheville.” (Ragland was profiled in our October 2018 issue.)

Earlier this year Ragland and his partners successfully reached their initial fundraising goal, although they are still seeking investors. There’s to be an expansive bar and café area operated by Up & Up, a food/beverage partnership from Charlie Hodge (Sovereign Remedies, Asheville Beauty Academy), Susannah Gebhart (OWL Bakery), Graham House (Sovereign Remedies chef), and Morgan Hickory (Shakeys, Asheville Beauty Academy). Also in the mix: a live performance area, a store well-stocked with vinyl records—and a pair of new vinyl presses, from Toronto’s Vinyl Technologies, that will be prominently displayed in a huge glassed-off section.

“As a record label head, studio/record producer, and artist development person,” explains Ragland, “I was experiencing a few years ago the renewed interest in vinyl as a physical music offering. I was also reading all the mainstream media articles on the growth of the industry, and started to do market research as I was also experiencing exceedingly long turn times on the vinyl record orders we were placing for albums on our label (NewSong Recordings)… supply was not keeping up with the ever-increasing demand for vinyl.

“I thought, ‘Asheville is a perfect place, with its love of craft and music, to host a new record pressing plant.’ So, I registered for the Making Vinyl conference in Detroit two years ago, hosted

by Jack White and his Third Man Pressing. At the conference we toured the pressing plant, which confirmed my belief that a similar operation would fit in perfectly in Asheville.”

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| October 2019

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No doubt denizens of the regional music industry, whether disposed to country, bluegrass, rock, punk, metal, or electronica, would agree.

“We aspire to become the premier manufacturer of highquality pressings in North America,” says Ragland, who notes that Peter Schaper, a German engineer who previously ran the old Sonopress record/CD/DVD plant in Weaverville, will be his chief engineer. “We aim to compete on quality, customer service, and turn times. Our client base will include a combination of clients: major and larger independent record labels and distributors, as well as independent artists looking to press smaller quantities as low as 300 units.”

Plans are also afoot to establish a recording studio on the building’s third floor in the same space once occupied by the historic WWNC radio station, with music producers and engineers offering post-production mixing and mastering

L-R : Rob Maddox, Joseph Sasfy, Ellen Straus, Gar Ragland

services. If all goes as planned, the studio will be able to record many of the in-store musical performances and even offer those recordings as limited-edition vinyl collectibles.

Additionally, on the wish list is a record lathe cutter to help give the operation more control over the production process while reducing costs.

Predicts Ragland, “Much like civic places—a grand train station or hot hotel lobby—this space will attract all kinds of people and all manner of activity. It will transform in function through the day, from a light-flooded coffee and quick breakfast spot in the morning, to a popular lunch and

“Visitors will feel the energy here—machines humming, people mingling, records turning.” meeting place for locals, to a romantic pre-dinner stop for gatherings, to a buzzing bar at night. Everyone will be able to appreciate its soaring ceilings, palatial columns, and elegant details in tandem with homage paid to the hard-working history of the paper press and Appalachian culture. Visitors will feel the energy here—machines will be humming, people will be mingling, records will be turning.”

Interestingly, that same newspaper article cited above reported how architect Lord’s firm, Lord & Lord, specifically incorporated glass blocks in the design in order to lend both natural light and insulation to the interior.

Never fear, longtime Asheville residents—no one plans on undermining the building’s original physical charm. Asked about the space he’ll soon be occupying, Ragland looks around and gestures at one of the walls containing Lord’s “glass blocks” which, along with a uniquely designed stairwell and mini-balcony area, lends a distinctive art deco vibe.

“Oh yeah,” he says, smiling broadly. “We’re definitely keeping all this intact.”

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Boone’s Dave Brewer

Music Business

Mover & Shaker

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com

15

t the heart of this phenomenon called music is melody, harmony, and beats that can be traced back to the sound of the human heart pulsating in rhythm in our chest. Songs can also be found in nature, with the calls of birds being a perfect example of notes created by animals in the trees, fields, waterways, and living spaces that surround us. Musicologists say that most of the songs created in the animal kingdom are in a certain key, mostly D-Flat. Why? It is a part of the mystery that is music.

Art Gets a Reality Check When it comes to the human race, music has evolved over the years, and the business side of the art form has evolved with it. To be a professional musician means you want and need to get paid, especially if it is your only craft. In these modern times, every band is a small business. Every music venue is a business as well, as is every recording studio, booking agency, and music management company.

There are those who want to separate art from business, as they feel the creative process should stand on its own, with beautiful new sounds brought into the universe being the goal instead of the work of chasing dollars. On the crasser end of the artform, of course, there are big and small record companies seeking to enhance their financial side of the equation, so they encourage musicians to purposely create hit songs that will make money. The problem with that approach is the great music that people want to hear and purchase still has to be creative and unique.

Few business models have changed over the years as much as the music business. Digital technology and file sharing has curtailed much of the money made from selling albums and singles, except in the case of the world’s most popular artists, and while streaming music has steadily grown in popularity, the income generated does not come close to replacing the shortfall caused by the decline of physical media sales. Because of that reality, live music has become the way that most musicians create revenue.

A big part of the economy of Western North Carolina is based on the live music business. There are hubs of live music scattered throughout the mountains, from Black Mountain to Shelby to Brevard to Ashe County. The two towns considered the biggest hubs of live music in this region, however, are Asheville and Boone.

Asheville has blown up in recent years, emerging from a period when the downtown area was considered downtrodden not long ago. Now, the problem is too much growth, or at least growth that needs to be managed in the right way. People come from all over the world to Asheville to experience its live music scene, yet the rise in the cost of 16

| October 2019

DAVE BREWER is a drummer....

DAVID BREWER

AND A singer...

living in the growing city has impacted the ability of the musicians to find affordable housing, causing more and more to move farther and farther outside of town. Nashville has experienced the same problem—pricing out the folks who made the town interesting to begin with yet now have to move.

Boone, on the other hand, is much smaller than Asheville, yet the music scene is also impressive, fueled by Appalachian State University and a tourist economy based on the fact that Boone is at least 1,000 feet higher in elevation than Asheville, creating cool summer experiences with temperatures that never reach 90. And, in the colder months, the three ski resorts make the surrounding High Country region a wonderful hub for winter sports.

There was a legendary time for the music scene in Boone that lasted from the mid-to-late 1990s to the early 2000s. Then, as Asheville’s music scene began to coalesce into the powerhouse that it is today, many musicians in Boone subsequently made the move southwest.

Musician, music promoter, festival organizer, and adjunct music professor Dave Brewer, known as the hardest working man in show business in Boone these days, was also intent on moving to Asheville in the late 1990s. After growing up in WinstonSalem, he was called to the mountains.

“I moved to Boone with my old band, Six Foot Groove,” remembers Brewer. “We all moved here together. I was trying to move to Asheville, but one of the guys in the band had a girlfriend who was in school here at Appalachian State. I was just trying to go back to school. I had been going to Western Carolina University for what I refer to as my ‘first freshman year’ around 1998. But, I didn’t do so well there because I didn’t give a darn about school at that time.”

Brewer was determined to give higher education another go, even though the notion of playing music was always in his front pocket. Meanwhile, though, bills and the rent still had to be paid.

“I was always trying to go back to school, so I spent a year working at various jobs,” he continues. “I was a cameraman and production assistant at a Winston-Salem TV station, working the morning show. I worked from 5AM to 9AM, which is a bizarre time to work. We were the Bad News Bears of the local market, and it was laughably bad at times, but it was a job. I also painted arrows on the streets that summer for the city. It was at intersections for the straight right or left turns, leaning off the side of a truck with cans of spray paint. It sure was interesting.”

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com

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Brewer eventually enrolled in the journalism program at Appalachian State University, though his musical sensibilities continued to beckon him.

Taking the Long View Indeed, a decade and a half later, Brewer plays with multiple bands here in Boone. They include Soul Benefactor, Possum Jenkins, the Worthless Son-In-Laws, Dead of Winter, the Foscoe Four, the King Bees, the Carolina Ramble Review, and more

“And, then as it still is now, the path between Boone and Asheville is a little beaten down as far as musicians are concerned.”

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(not to mentioned acclaimed Asheville band Tellico, with whom he also works as a booking agent). On Sundays in Boone, he is also the drummer for the 100-year old Boone Mennonite Brethren Church’s Worship Band, backing up the world-renown Junaluska Gospel Choir. It is one of the longest continuously-attended African American churches in North Carolina.

Due to his success at booking the acts at the Boone Saloon restaurant and music venue, located on King Street in Boone, Brewer recently created the Carolina Ramble Productions booking agency with partner Ashley Wright, a wonderful singer and songwriter who performs under the name Earliene.

“It is hard to say what would have happened had I stayed in Asheville,” says Brewer. “It was a different time back then, and it wasn’t as full of a music scene as it is now. And, then as

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DAVE BREWER October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 19

BREWER WITH his family.

it still is now, the path between Boone and Asheville is a little beaten down as far as musicians are concerned. Plus, once people graduate here in Boone, it can be hard to make a living in the mountains. Looking back now, however, no, I did not want to move to Asheville. Back then, however, it was a little bit of a letdown as I thought it would be cool to live there.”

Now, with a family formed here and a local reputation firmly established when it comes to the Boone music scene, Brewer is able to make good things happen with direct involvement in all facets of the High Country arts community.

“I would like to think that I am bringing together the sensibilities of each discipline,” he notes, “as in, being a musician wanting to get paid and being a booker who pays other musicians. One of the first things I did when I took over booking bands for the Boone Saloon was to give the artist five more percent. I just think it is the right thing to do. Bringing higher profile acts into Boone Saloon has let the music world know that we are serious about being a music venue. When you are taking bigger risks and hoping for bigger rewards, it helps to 20

| October 2019

BREWER REHEARSING WITH the Worthless Son-In-Laws.

raise your profile. When you bring in really good acts, other really good acts get in touch with you.”

Ever the multi-tasker, Brewer released a new album with his compatriots in the Worthless Son-in-Laws band last year titled Resplendent Verge, and while he’s quick to agree that recording new music is always artistically worthwhile, as he puts it, “If you think you are going to make your money back with it, you should maybe try investing in penny stocks or something!”

Laughing, he adds, “I love the idea of recording a whole album as much as I ever did, as there is nothing that replaces the album experience. However, I fully understand the utility of the current trend of stringing out singles to maintain a high profile in this digital age. I think maybe the smart thing to do is to record a whole album’s worth of material and trickle it out, one single at a time, but there are many ways of looking at it. But, I think all of the bands I am in right now are good, and all are worthwhile projects.”

Boone has been the home to many groups that have realized success. For a spell early in their career, Old Crow Medicine

Show—these days, based in Nashville—lived in a farmhouse just outside the town. The amazing Melissa Reaves is based there, The Nude Party is rising up on festival posters these days, and the legendary band Acoustic Syndicate was formed there years ago. Because of the vibrant music department at Appalachian State University, new musical blood is steadily introduced into the Boone scene as other musicians move on to different locales. And there is a fervent underground scene going on in Boone right now where harder-edged bands perform at house concerts, basements, and unofficial raves.

Observes Brewer, “I think the thing that has driven me a little crazy about the music scene here in the High Country is that while there are absolutely many things percolating on several different levels, there is almost never any connective tissue between the various scenes. That may have something to do with us being a college town, as some bands go bonkers putting on house shows and then they move. That totally informs what I do as well. I’ve been in Boone doing it longer than a lot of people, so I have a longer view of things.”

Giving Back to the Community This fall, Brewer began yet another new endeavor as he is now an adjunct professor in the music department at Appalachian State University. The irony of the position is that he is teaching in the same department that turned him down three times as a student almost two decades ago.

“I tried to be a music industry studies student at App State, but I could not gain entrance into the department because I could not read music tablature very well,” says Brewer. “I play the guitar pretty good, but I can’t read music good enough to help me. If you are a music industry major, you are basically doing a double minor in music and business. I started the program, trying to learn how to read music on the side. I had been playing the guitar for a long time by that point, but I couldn’t really put the self-taught jack back in the box. I sat there and tried out for the program three times by trying to play the sheet music that they gave to me in that room, but I was denied three times.

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com

21

“Now, all of these years later, I have been hired to help to reform the Split Rail Record Label program run by App State and be an adjunct professor in the same music program I could not get into back in the day! The main thing is I am teaching young people the ins and outs of the industry.”

The name of the class that Brewer is currently teaching is Record Company Administration. That is where the aforementioned Split Rail Records label—which has recently released albums by Electric Jelly Funk, Barefoot Modern, Arson Daily—comes into the mix. Essentially a working record company run by the Appalachian State University students, it was created in 2005 as a part of the Hayes School of Music and it mirrors the Legends night club, also located at the university and, significantly, the only student-run music venue in the country.

Brewer is also the brainchild behind the unique, hugely popular Carolina Ramble and Reunion music festival, which took place this past September in Vilas, North Carolina, just a few miles northwest of Boone. The annual event is meant to be a true music festival that can be attended by adults in their twenties, thirties, and forties who want to bring their kids and families to the show.

The festival is for music lovers of all stripes and all are welcome. But, along with the two-day lineup of awesome bands that are showcased, there are other good old-fashioned fun activities offered that include apple bobbing contests, cake walks, sack races, and three-legged races.

“We have definitely evolved as a festival,” he explains.

“We certainly try to analyze our actions every year and avoid the same pitfalls the next year. Over the last few festivals, we have continued to gain a great understanding of how to throw a great party in an incredibly beautiful place. I always say that the Brayshaw Farm is the star of the show because it is so beautiful out there. Ultimately, I am also a believer in a slow and steady growth of the festival itself. Our attendance hasn’t gotten out of hand because it builds on itself little by little, which is exactly what we want to happen. The Ramble is not meant to be the biggest party—it is meant to be the best little Americana music festival that takes place anywhere around Boone.”

Now in its sixth year, the Carolina Ramble and Reunion is slowly growing in a positive way.

“At its core, the Ramble is built around quality live music. As the Ramble carries on from year to year, people take ownership of the event. They form their own campsites and make these lasting friendships and bonds with people. I am extremely proud to be able to facilitate that. The Ramble is definitely an exercise in community, and we live in a great community, so that translates out at the Brayshaw Farm. Hopefully, people will come on out and dig it.”

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Brewer also takes time to give back to the music scene in Boone and the surrounding area. It is the nature of the community in Boone, which is not only unique but respectful, open-minded, and benevolent. To that end, twice a year, Brewer hosts his A.M.E.N. Corner benefit concerts that raise money for artists who could use a hand. The A.M.E.N. Corner acronym stands for Area Musicians Experiencing Need, and the benefit concerts happen in the form of the High Country Holiday Throwdown in the wintertime, and Brewer’s Birthday Bash in the summer. As for the money raised, 100% goes to musicians that are elderly, sick, or just need a bill or two paid.

“The A.M.E.N. Corner is like an envelope in my desk and nobody takes a nickel from it, I don’t take a nickel from it, and I give the raised money, cash-in-hand, to those in need, every dollar,” says Brewer. “One of the best things about playing with so many ensembles locally, and the beauty of it, is that the need finds me with relative ease. There are known musicians here locally that have experienced health problems, yet at the same time are the last people on earth to ask people for money. Sometimes I will hear about their plight and show up at their house and help them out, and they are humbled and

appreciative, and they vow to pay it forward the best they can.

They are always incredibly appreciative.

“Musicians tend to be at the mercy of whatever social safety net that exists or doesn’t exist, and there is certainly no musician’s union around in these parts. My goal is not to elicit an emotional response, but to simply let them know that the Boone music community cares for one another, and we are here to support one another, both musically and financially.”

The wintertime A.M.E.N. Corner benefit concert, billed as the aforementioned High Country Holiday Throwdown, usually takes place in December. For anyone wanting to sponsor or contribute to the charity, you can contact Brewer at carolinarambleproductons.com.

*** While the business side of music is always in the mix, a successful night for Brewer and all musicians who follow their muse is participating in a performance that connects with an audience. Magic does not always happen when it comes to live shows, of course. But lightning can strike when the crowd is

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tuned into the band and the artists onstage are clicking and having a great performance. Live music can elicit many emotions, from happiness and dancing, to tears that flow from being truly moved by a heartfelt performance.

Brewer notes this happens as well for him as he watches

“Musicians tend to be at the mercy of whatever social safety net that exists or doesn’t exist, and there is certainly no musician’s union around in these parts.” the fruits of his labor, which hopefully means a club full of people connecting with a talented band that is on a roll.

(Incidentally, for upcoming performances by Brewer, his Dead of Winter band will be recreating the music of the

Grateful Dead replete with a psychedelic light show at The Cardinal in Boone this Halloween, while Soul Benefactor performs at the Boone Saloon on November 9.)

In the greater scheme of things, the art and music scene of a town, city, or region is a big part of the quality of life in that area, and that affects the ability of companies and headhunters to bring in the best talent. Highly sought-after employees tend not to want to relocate to a dead zone, and that also goes for entrepreneurs who want to set up shop in an uplifting and livable part of the world.

To happily exist in our mountains, one has to be able to make a living as well. That is certainly true for the creatives among us. Western North Carolina has a rich history of live music, going back a century or more, and the artform continues to thrive in these modern times.

Brewer and many other true believers here continue to try and create those magical musical moments that make the lifestyle of this region so special.

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column

Articles of Innovation: Adapt or Die

I

G gillie roberts

is owner of downtown Asheville sustainable lifestyle store Ware.

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F YOU R G OA L A S A S O CI A L LY/ environmentally-minded entrepreneur is to spread the sustainability message, evangelizing to the existing believers will only get you so far.

There’s an undeniable stigma surrounding businesses with a sustainability ethos—at least, there has been in the past, and it hasn’t totally gone by the wayside yet. The stigma I’m referring to is the notion that these businesses are somehow out-of-touch to the average customer. This is exemplified by the marketing firm that only seems to use the color green and leaf images to convey their messages, the quirky and conspiracy-theory-spouting eco-friendly shop owner, or the event venue that uses burlap sacks as their dominant decorating motif. However, as sustainability becomes a more mainstream concept, it is crucial to its success that it caters to a more mainstream audience.

Bear with me a moment as I state the obvious, en route to my point.

Most goods and services follow trends, some shortterm and others long; the tech and fashion industries are easy places to witness the varying arcs of trends; some products remain in favor with consumers for years, and others only see popularity for a matter of months. Simultaneously, there are some products

| October 2019

that are considered “timeless”—think the V-neck T-shirt or accounting. Both ends of this spectrum must be represented in the marketplace, as there is ongoing demand for both classes of product.

It may seem like common sense business advice, but in the context of changing the tide of business as a whole, it is considerably more important for early-adopting social enterprises to be aware of and responsive to the dynamic demands of their respective industries. That is, if said social enterprises are to become the norm.

Adaptability > Accessibility While I’m sure I don’t need to stress the importance of knowing your target market in this publication, I will present the notion that your company should aim to serve that market thoroughly. By this I mean adapting to market demand as it is displayed within your target market. Adaptability leads to accessibility, widening your audience within that defined demographic.

G When I say “accessibility” I don’t only mean how someone with a disability might use what you sell or enter your building or address your company. I don’t only mean the affordability of your goods or services. Both are important.

In a more general interpretation, I mean, “How do people approach or access your brand?” I find that so many brands (my own included) have at least one area in which they are creating unnecessary barriers to entry for their customers or potential customers. I’m referring primarily to the aspects of a business that do not fundamentally change procedure, but do have a significant effect on the way potential customers interact with your brand.

In most cases, this comes down to branding and marketing. This area, after all, is the first way someone experiences your company. “Branding” and “marketing” are also both umbrella terms that refer to cumulative effects had by many smaller decisions and actions: what color the walls are painted, an email footer, font and color pairings, window displays, which community events the brand appears as a sponsor. You may be thinking that what truly matters in aligning with your sustainability vision is more internal: choosing to carry one product or another, signing up for a commercial composting service, rearranging the floorplan to make it more navigable for wheelchairs. However, most of those more internal actions require catching someone’s eye to get them engaged with your brand in the first place. Only then can one appreciate how your business is run.

There are so many ways in which to start this work, that the overwhelm can set in quickly. I’m speaking from experience here. However, I’ve found my M.O. in constantly looking for the low-hanging fruit—the path of least resistance. With my customers, I look to unearth the aspect of sustainable living that is “most attractive” to them.

From there, I can help them wade into the water of a more intentional lifestyle

with very little pushback. I figure that they wouldn’t be talking to me in my store if they weren’t drawn in by some aspect of what I’ve got going on, and there is usually a snowball effect from that point.

First, they hear music that they enjoy and see that they store playing it has an old school logo but rather modern design aesthetic. Upon entering, they’re greeted by the metal straws they’ve seen online. Then they learn how easy it is to use dryer balls in lieu of dryer sheets, or that solid shampoo really does work as well as liquid and you don’t have to contend with plastic bottles when it’s gone. Each subsequent sale is merely a natural progression of growing interest.

But it all started with the seemingly superficial decision to play Latin jazzfunk fusion music.

The same approach can be taken by anyone looking to transition their business to better align with their values. By starting with the facet of your company that you think you’d get the most enjoyment from being greener or more ethical, you make it easier to maintain momentum through the rest of the transitions.

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Expanding Your Customer Base Here is a debate I often have with myself: between two customers who spend the same amount in my store and bring the same number of friends to shop with them later on, and do the same amount of sharing about Ware on Instagram, but one only likes Ware’s aesthetic and couldn’t care less about the values, and the other is an advocate for sustainable living. Who is the more “valuable” customer? The latter is clearly someone I love to have in my sustainable lifestyle store. They get what Ware is about. They have great, engaging conversations about the products with my staff and me. They make very intentional purchases and cherish what they take home. However,

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the customer who is drawn in by the look and feel spends the same amount of money in the store. While I’m chatting with the informed customer, this customer is doing their own thing, picking up the products they want, checking out, and leaving, all while I’m wrapping up a conversation about the merits of direct trade.

A SIGNIFICANT COMPONENT OF SUSTAINABILITY IS STAYING RELEVANT. I don’t mean to be callous or minimize the necessity of knowledgeable consumers in the movement toward a more sustainable society at large. My informed customers are who make my job so fun. But those who come into the store with little knowledge of sustainably-made products offer a very cool opportunity to plant the roots of less environmentally impactful living in a new group of people. The argument could even be made that this customer has the potential to be “worth” more to Ware, as they present a gateway into a group of people

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who might not otherwise find the store. They and their friends aren’t sitting around Googling the meta tags associated with my website or sifting through hashtags that Ware uses. SEO and information-based marketing might miss this customer who walked past the front window and liked what they saw.

I mentioned that, though I make great efforts to uphold the concepts I’m writing about here, I have not been immune to the stubbornness that holds one back from making these relatively simple changes. I could provide a number of examples, but my biggest sticking point to date was my reluctance to launch an online store to complement my brick-and-mortar. In fact, many people told me early on that I was unwise to take on the overhead expense of a storefront in the age of the internet and should try having the store exclusively online first.

It took an entire year of my existing customers who live outside of Asheville telling me they wanted to give me more business, buy the same face oil or soap from me when they run out, or refer their friends who live elsewhere to Ware, but that I was making it impossible by not having an online store.

In my case, the expense associated with launching the online store in a very simple way, that served my existing customers, wasn’t expensive. Sure, I’d love to hire a professional to build a custom online shopping experience, and I intend to pay for

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SEO services as soon as they’re in the budget. As the owner of a young business (and being young myself), I could afford the time, energy, and learning curve it took to get the online store up and running. I could not afford the associated services.

Yet. I started with the low-hanging fruit. Much of the time, it is undoubtedly easier to improve upon something than create from scratch. In the vein of “done is better than perfect,” I finally got the ball rolling.

Staying Relevant I hope it’s clear that I recognize that any of these changes bear an associated cost. Time and money must be prioritized.

However, if you’ve sunk the costs of building the business, opening it up to a wider audience seems like it would be high on the list of priorities for most of us attempting to increase or sustain revenue streams.

If our goal as socially- and environmentally-minded entrepreneurs is to spread the Good Word of Sustainability, evangelizing to the existing believers only gets us so far. It simultaneously closes the door to otherwise potentially interested customers and perpetuates the stereotype that companies can’t be doing good things and stay relevant. There is an entirely separate

piece to be written on the dangers and inherent unsustainability of succumbing to particularly short-term trends from both an environmental and financial perspective, but I’m not going to take us there for now.

You’ll notice that, where I typically (in past iterations of this column, I mean) throw a bunch of cited facts at you, this installment is entirely my own words. I spend a lot of time reading about how other people do and know things, but these concepts are some that I intuited early on and have been testing and observing over my last year in business. Certainly, others have come to similar conclusions. I’ve given you some specific examples of my approach, but I’ve also been intentionally vague in many ways. This is because these concepts can be applied to any industry, and I wanted to leave room for those who are so inclined to apply the ideas to their own endeavors.

There will always be those people who value your product on merit alone and have no need for killer branding. We like those people—a lot—but why limit yourself to only those customers?

A significant component of sustainability is staying relevant.

Assuming that your company’s values stand alone in a powerful enough way that they need not serve the public is detrimental to your business—as well as to the greater movement toward a sustainable economy.

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 29

CAROLINA in the

WEST [

news briefs

Blame It on Rock & Roll watauga county

The Appalachian Regional Healthcare System will invest $90 million in facility upgrades at the Watauga Medical Center.

Improvements are geared toward serving the aging baby boomer population.

President and CEO Chuck Mantooth said by 2023, 25% of the population in the United States will be over 65 years old. To deal with this, the hospital is expanding its capacity to treat heart disease and cancer. The first phase of improvements will include new surgery suites, a new cardiovascular center, and a new central energy plant. The cardiology clinic will triple in size and consolidate operations. A second phase, which is not covered by the $90 million investment, will provide expanded orthopedic and sports medicine services and house a

]

continuity clinic for the ongoing management of chronic disease. Plans for a new cancer center remain only in the conceptual stage, perhaps receiving a boost through a new partnership with the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center for research and innovation in care.

ability to make friends and their interest in exploring and learning new activities. Campers also demonstrated more self-confidence, spirituality, and ability to work independently. Teamwork, citizenship, exploration, and problem-solving were other areas of demonstrated growth.

In addition to reinforcing these findings, the long-term study found camp provided as significant a context for learning as school, skills learned being transferrable to 21st-century career paths. One camp director, Amy Broadbridge, described camp as getting children out of their comfort zone and into their stretch zone.

Because one element of a good camp is caring, supportive adults; risk-taking becomes safe, effort is valued more than perfection, and students learn to scout for meaning and purpose instead of engaging in inconsequential play.

Pitching Camp western north carolina

Western North Carolina is a land of many camps and campgrounds, but is it worth it? The American Camp Association just released the results of a five-year study that built on the findings of less aggressive research they completed in 2004 and 2005. Over 5,000 families were surveyed, with a majority indicating young campers grew in their

Playing at Camp transylvania county

Following in the footsteps of BÊla Fleck’s banjo camps, Bryan Sutton is now offering a guitar camp at the Brevard Music Center. Twice nominated for a Grammy Award, Sutton has, since 2000, more often than not been named the International Bluegrass Music

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54 the old north state

Association’s Guitar Player of the Year.

First famous as the lead guitarist for Ricky Skaggs, he has toured with big names like the Dixie Chicks and recorded with David Holt. Sutton specializes in playing the flat-picked acoustic guitar, but he is also accomplished on the mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and electric guitar.

Having engaged in other instructional endeavors, Sutton is now returning to his North Carolina roots. He will be collaborating with four staff instructors from Brevard College for three days of classes and workshops. The first camp is scheduled for May, and participation is competitive. To apply, musicians must submit a video to demonstrate both their skill level and interest in the advanced, immersive program.

Dig This

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Capon work with dozens of distributors to maintain a vast inventory that would be daunting to customers without help from knowledgeable members of staff.

They also take special orders. Back in the day, Harvest was a regional concert promoter and created its own label and festival (Transfigurations, the latest iteration occurring in August to mark Harvest’s 15th anniversary). Now viewed as a cultural hub, the store occasionally hosts live performances and listening parties. Other stores spotlighted were Schoolkids Records (Raleigh and Chapel Hill), Lunchbox Records (Charlotte), All Day Records (Carrboro), Bull City Records (Durham), Carolina Soul Records (Durham), Sorry State Records (Raleigh), Nice Price Books and Records (Raleigh), Repo Record (Charlotte), Gravity Records (Wilmington), Underdog Records (Winston-Salem), and Record Krate (Raleigh and Wake Forest).

Funds will support continued development of drivable craft trails in 25 Western North Carolina counties, putting over 200 crafters on the map. The funding builds on $115,000 awarded by the two agencies back in 2017. Those funds supported planning, website creation, and market research. The project was piloted in Clay and Cherokee counties with a trail map in brochure form and a glossy card for tourist racks.

To date, the website is only fleshed out for Clay and Cherokee, with pages for Cherokee crafts, quilting, a spotlight on the Town of Murphy, and a feature on crafts that can be learned at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Additional support has come from the North Carolina Arts Council, the Conservation Fund’s Resourceful Communities Program, the Community Foundation of Henderson County, and the Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority.

Take Me to Your Maker

Arts Grants Flourish

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haywood county

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area received an additional $125,000 in grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

The recipients of this year’s Regional Artist Project Grants will soon be announced. The program provides grants, typically between $500 and $1,000, to artists, both visual and

buncombe county

Harvest Records, doing business since 2004 on Haywood Road in West Asheville and profiled in the October 2016 issue of this magazine, made a list of “great independent record stores” published in CLTure, an online entertainment magazine. Harvest buys, sells, and trades new and used CDs, vinyl, and related items.

Co-owners Matt Schnable and Mark

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performing, at any stage in their careers.

The competition is open to individuals or unincorporated groups working out of Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, and Macon counties. Grant proceeds are to be applied between December 1, 2019 and June 5, 2020, eligible expenses being equipment, professional development, marketing, and other business needs. The grants are supported by the Art League of Highlands-Cashiers & the Greater Plateau, the Cherokee County Arts Council, the Clay County Historical & Arts Council, the Haywood County Arts Council, the Jackson County Arts Council, the Arts Council of Macon County, and the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center; with grant matches from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

This Old House haywood county

The Shelton House’s board of directors is encouraging donations, which can be made online or at the house during a visit.

The only house on the National Register open to public tours in Waynesville, the Shelton House, built in the 1800s, is a museum of period architecture, history, culture, and crafts. This summer, the house celebrated updates with Blue Ridge Heritage Weekend, which included Birth of Clogging activities. Children’s craft events ran all summer, and Special Crafter showcases ran into the fall. The showcases were third-Saturday meets and greets with artisans at-work, featured crafts including fly rod restoration, basket weaving and caning, jewelry making, and spinning and weaving.

Attractions open year-round include the Shelton Carriage House Gift Shop, which is stocked with creations by 33 Appalachian crafters, and A Garden of Quilts, also featuring the work of locals, with some quilts dating back to the 19th century. Special events are planned for Halloween and Christmas as well.

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Nashville Noticed buncombe county

The Americana Music Association selected Nor t h Ca rol i na a s t he focus region for the 20th annual AmericanaFest, held September 10-15 in Nashville. North Carolina was celebrated as the home of many threads manifesting in bluegrass, blues, folk, country, and other popular musical styles. The event was produced in partnership with, among others, Come Hear North Carolina and Visit North Carolina; and it featured multiple panel discussions and two musical showcases. Other presentations included a keynote by Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) and a musical book reading by Chris Stamey (The dB’s). The final day featured a panel discussion entitled “Asheville Skyline and Black Mountain Rag: The Western North Carolina Music Phenomenon,” which explored the story and personalities behind the burgeoning live music scene in Asheville. Area participants included Erin Scholze of Dreamspider Publicity, Martin Anderson of WNCW Radio, Stacy Claude of Mountain Song Productions, and Robert Greer of Town Mountain, while performers included Malcolm Holcombe and Sarah Siskind.

The conference closed with a tribute entitled, “Amazing Grace: Celebrating Doc Watson.”

Come In & Set a Spell swain county

A new business of the Cherokee Historical Association (CHA), Qualla Creations, opened last summer in downtown Cherokee, in a building that had been vacant for years. Manager Laura Blythe wants the store to showcase all artists living in the area, not just tribal members. The part of the store that is open houses traditional souvenir stand items made largely with natural products like engraved wood. Also on-premises is the manufacturing arm of CHA, Oconaluftee Gifts, which makes

traditional items for kids, like tomahawks, bows and arrows, and slingshots. In addition, the store promotes other local attractions celebrating native culture and sells tickets to other CHA ventures.

To be completed is a fine arts gallery that will shine a light on more modern Cherokee artists, CHA’s Oconaluftee Indian Village already having a corner on baskets and weaving. Blythe hopes the shop will be a place artists come to talk about their work and share the spiritual side of their creations, instead of just a transactional, mercantile establishment.

Reducing Plastic buncombe county

While Boone’s Town Council is kicking around the idea of banning polystyrene foam, the merchants of Biltmore Village became the first group of business owners to sign on to Asheville GreenWorks’ call to partner with its Plastics Reduction Task Force. A majority of proprietors agreed to no longer use plastic bags, while others are going further in eliminating non-biodegradable straws and cups from their inventories. Paper bags cost more, but merchants are agreed they will be better for the environment. With encouragement from these merchants, GreenWorks developed a logo and moved forward with programs for education and awareness, and the nonprofit continues to look for other business groups to join the program. Less voluntarily in the state, Durham’s Environmental Affairs Board is trying to win support for a draft ordinance that would charge consumers 10 cents for every plastic shopping bag they acquire. Purchases made with food stamps or for hunger initiatives would be exempt, but businesses failing to charge the fee would be fined $100-$500.

The Apple Fell Not Far henderson county

Mike Stepp was named the 2019 Apple Farmer of the Year. The award is bestowed

by the United Community Bank each year in the opening ceremonies of the NC Apple Festival, held in downtown Hendersonville. In his acceptance speech, Stepp emphasized faith, integrity, and keeping the family together as business values. His father, JH Stepp, was, incidentally, voted Farmer of the Year in 2010. Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard, Henderson County’s first U-pick apple grower, has been in business for 50 years. The 70-acre working farm has 38 acres dedicated to apple growing.

With time, the orchard diversified from growing 21 varieties, including Fujis, Mutsus, Jonathans, Jonagolds, and Galas, to include U-picks for pumpkins, sunflowers, and grapes. The grounds include a farm market, and an apple house and bakery serving donuts, cider, and slushies. The orchard is also run as an attraction offering hayrides, a 5-acre corn maze, target practice with an apple cannon, and other fun for school field trips.

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Sara Legatski has been running Honeypot on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville for 18 years. It’s a funky, vintage resale shop with its own following. One day, not too long ago, Legatski was contacted by one of the store’s aficionados, who was working on Season 3 of the Netflix hit Stranger Things, a sci-fi, horror television series set in Indiana in the 1980s. Legatski said the caller went on a buying spree and purchased about 300 pieces. Striped T’s and tanks were needed for the 18 stars listed in the credits, as well as, for example, all the extras and window dressing in the mall scene. Legatski notes the pinstriped Polo shirt Will wears in Episode 7 came from her inventory.

Legatski is no stranger to furnishing costumes for television and cinema productions. Her store was patronized for the remake of Dirty Dancing, as well as productions for the Starz and Hallmark

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carolina in the west

channels. She also sees a lot of business from independent productions.

Parts of Greenland for Sale transylvania county

Now that fiberglass kayaks are commonplace in Western North Carolina, Chad Quinn, doing business as Bear Traditional Kayaks, is reviving the ancient Inuit practice of handcrafting qajaqs of wood and skin. Kayaking traces its roots to the Arctic Circle, and Quinn describes his particular style as traditional Greenlandic. Ways Quinn deviates from strict tradition include making initial wood cuts with a table saw, using fast-growing, lightweight bamboo for the kayak’s ribs, and substituting ballistic nylon for animal skin. Quinn is one of very few crafters of the Greenland kayak in the United States, and the others primarily serve coastal markets. Quinn’s catalog is simple, flat-rate without any bells and whistles. A completed kayak sells for $2,500, and a western red cedar paddle with 100% tung oil finish costs $250. For those wanting to make their own, Quinn charges $2,300 for a nineday kayak-making workshop and $190 for paddle-making. He’s willing to take

his workshops on the road, and he also hosts an afterschool program for kids.

Bear Traditional Kayaks is located in Next Venture Outdoors in downtown Brevard.

to “gentle plucks.” Incidentally, the Moogseum—a celebration of all things Robert Moog—had its grand opening in August in downtown Asheville.

Paraphonic Panning

The It Berry

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Moog Music is now selling its Matriarch analog synthesizer through select retailers at $1,999. The Matriarch has been described as a new, improved Voyager, which was the first synth ever marketed

by Bob Moog. Like the Grandmother before it, the 49-key Matriarch comes with an arpeggiator, with selectable modes, and a 256-step, 12-pattern sequencer. Unlike the Grandmother, it has four analog oscillators instead of two and dual Moog ladder filters for a wider range of expression in wave sculpting.

The synthesizer can be played without patching, but it also has 90 mini-jack patch points on top and a raft of other options for customizing attack, delay, ring, and other nuances important to the trained ear of a sound designer. Two new, hot features are the ability to play duophonic and paraphonic chords, and stereo output, with delay, which allows panning and ping-ponging reminiscent of the old four-track recorders. Possible timbres range from “overdriven bass”

A wild plant found in Western North Carolina has found new life in pop culture.

The elderflower, which is the source of elderberries, grows tall with tiny berries that taste something like cherries.

Perhaps their greatest moment of fame was being included in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding cake.

Another distinguished user is Noble Cider, which has created a spritzer of elderflower and lemon, said to have a botanical or floral flavor reminiscent of chamomile.

Other hip recipes call for adding it to cocktails, kombucha, jams, and baked goods. As natural, native healing techniques continue to make a rebound, elderberry is noted to have played a part in Cherokee traditional medicine. It contains low levels of a toxin that made it effective in fighting intestinal worms.

An antioxidant, the berry is used to heal wounds, kill pain, and combat bloating and inflammation. Considered one of the most nutritious berries, it is even sold in gummy vitamins, along with zinc and

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The House Always Wins swain county

The parking deck at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is almost complete, on-time and under-budget. The six-level, 2,000-space project is part of a larger, $250 million endeavor, which includes construction of a new hotel tower.

Ground has yet to be broken for the tower, but the whole project is expected to be completed sometime in 2021. The tower will house 725 hotel rooms, including 70 suites, and also have a fitness center, a terrace pool, a bar, a coffee shop, and a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The conference center will provide 100,000 square feet on two levels and connect to the casino via a skybridge. Dreamcatcher Hotels is currently soliciting tenants for about 50 retail spaces in 160,000 square feet. All told, the new construction will add about 50% to the casino’s existing footprint. As work progresses, 50-70 trucks delivering construction materials visit the site daily, with 400-500 workers on-site during work hours. Two general contractors are overseeing the project with 30

subcontractors. When the new facilities open for business, they are expected to add $20 million to tribal disbursements in their first year of operation.

That’s Asheville buncombe county

Country musician Don Clayton has recorded a new song called “Land of the Sky,” and it’s available on The Oxford American’s 20th annual Southern Music Issue CD. Clayton describes the release as a love song to Asheville and a collaboration reminiscent of “We Are the World.”

Among over 30 local performers credited are Kat Williams, Josh Blake, Spaceman Jones, Leigh Glass, and Ben Phan. The song was recorded and produced by Echo Mountain Recording, and video was shot in local hotspots like the LEAF festival and various bars and campsites. Familiar scenes include the Asheville skyline, the LaZoom bus, and a bear. Also credited are sponsors Explore Asheville, the Octopus Garden, and Finkelstein’s. Clayton said the song came to him while sailing from the Tuamoto Archipelago to Pape’ete Tahiti. The project kept growing as he played “Land of the Sky” for friends in the industry when he returned home.

Clayton said he discarded a bookful of lyrics because he was trying to fit the song

into three minutes. One of his favorite lines that made the cut was, “Everybody’s talking about it, writing songs and books about it, yoga, meditation, microbrews, and massage.”

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Gina Kuck has moved Gazebo Farms Vintage Market into the former location of Not So Old Toys and Comics in downtown Canton. Kuck already had a following, having sold items on Facebook and out of the barn on her own property. She buys and restores antique furniture and accessories for resale. The current inventory of furniture tends toward slightly-distressed white and pastel finishes for what is often delicate, period woodwork. Featured accessories might include fine china, candle holders, or even kitchen scales from the previous turn-of-the-century. She also sells women’s apparel and jewelry and baby clothing, as well as some new accent items, like gift towels, wreaths, and candles. The store space had been restored before the last tenant moved in, so Kuck only had to find somebody to redo the floors; she wanted to paint the walls herself. Reviews of the new store praise the selection, quaint décor, and Southern hospitality.

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Constructive

Zone Ahead

A look at Asheville’s increasingly prominent, ever-evolving River Arts District, and what it represents for artists, businesses, and area residents alike. written by marl a hardee milling

|

photos by phill baldwin October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 37

local industry

W

“WHEN DID ALL THIS HAPPEN?” That’s Asheville artist Wendy Whitson, recalling vividly hearing the question in 2011, when members of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce board participated in an intra-city tour which included exposure to the River Arts District (RAD).

“They didn’t know what we had been doing down here, and now look at it. Isn’t that something?” says Whitson, who is a past president of the River Arts District’s artist association and has served on the board for 15 years. She’s also a former Chamber of Commerce board member, and she’s currently involved on the Riverfront Redevelopment Commission.

Had those tour attendees been paying attention, they would have known that the area now recognized as the River Arts District began attracting artists as early as the 1970s, and, by 1994, the first studio tour took place. The RAD’s reputation for high-caliber artists joining this creative community grew steadily over time, and the community continues to evolve today. One misconception is that studios are only open during the bi-annual Studio Strolls (the next one comes up November 9-10) or during the regular Second Saturday Events, but the reality is that you can find artists at work on numerous days throughout the week. The most common days to find them with “open” signs displayed are Thursdays through Saturdays, but many are open on other days as well.

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The core section of what’s known as the RAD encompasses a relatively small area nestled around the train tracks near the banks of the French Broad River in West Asheville that once served as the industrial center of town. Twenty-three buildings that once housed Hans Rees Tannery, Asheville Cotton Mills, National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), a hatchery, and many other businesses now serve as working studios and galleries for artists working in a wide variety of mediums—everything from painting and mixed media, to basketry and pottery, to jewelry, sculpture, photography, and more. Warehouses and buildings here often serve as canvases for brightly colored murals and impressive displays of graffiti art, adding to the eclectic, gritty feel of the area.

“The River Arts District is this little one-mile section where all the buildings are,” says Whitson. “That’s likely to change in the future because everybody wants to be in the River Arts District. There’s RAMP [River Arts Makers Place], which is part of UNC-Asheville, and they call themselves in the River Arts District, but they’re a mile away. The city will probably expand the parameters of our neighborhood one of these days, but right now it’s just about a mile by a half mile.

That’s it. It’s all been so interesting to see the changes and how we’ve done it all. Just us doing our thing. There was a lady from Spain in here last week saying, ‘We want one of

VIEW SOUTH OF THE River Arts District from Haywood Rd. bridge

these in Spain! How did this happen? How can we get one of these?’ It’s just phenomenal.”

If you flip through the standard RAD brochure found in the district and around town, you’ll be introduced to more than 250 RAD artists, but that number is deceiving.

“This year our membership person went around and gave every artist who had an open door a membership form and she had about 250 of them because that’s how many members we have. She went back and printed another 300 because there were that many artists down here working that weren’t members,” says Whitson. “Some are not joiners, and it costs to be in the book, even though that book is probably one of the best marketing things I can invest in. It just brings people in here all the time.”

It Didn’t Happen Overnight The marriage of abandoned industrial buildings and starving artists seeking low rent and space conducive to creativity started out slowly. Whitson compiled historical information for the RAD website and lists some important dates for the entrance of artists into the area. Among the highlights: Bill Goacher and his wife bought a number of properties in the RAD in the 1970s and offered low rentals to artists displaced from downtown; Highwater Clays moved into the area from Biltmore Village

in the mid-1980s; Porge and Peter Buck bought a building in 1987 and transformed it into Warehouse Studios; Steve Keull bought 375 Depot (the former Armor Meat Packing Plant) for his photography business; and in 1989 Pattiy Torno bought buildings that originally served as the Standard Oil Company and turned them into Curve Studio and Gardens. Pattiy celebrates her 30th anniversary this month and will welcome the public to a big party. (See the sidebar on p.41 for full details.)

In 2002 the late sculptor John Payne bought the Wedge building from Bill Goacher. It had originally been built in 1916 as the Farmer’s Federated Ag Co-Op. Payne designed and crafted museum-quality dinosaurs in his studio and also rented space to other artists. He was known as a mentor to many in the RAD, including Whitson.

“John Payne set such a good example because he bought the Wedge and made it very affordable for artists,” she remembers.

“A lot of us looked up to him. When I first met him, he didn’t own the building. He came over to visit one day and said, ‘I bought the building!’ He was so excited, and something went through me and I thought to myself, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’”

It took a few years to put that plan into motion, but in 2011 the timing was right for Whitson and her husband, John, to buy the building that now houses Northlight Studios at 357 Depot Street. She has a studio on the top floor. There’s another

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 39

local industry

artist filling out the top floor space and four more artists on the bottom floor. This was once all commercial space, and now it’s all studios. Rent goes for about $1 per square foot and Whitson doesn’t charge her tenants extra for her building’s air conditioning, heating, and wi-fi.

“I also do a lot of advertising for the artists to promote this building as much as I can. There’s a big warehouse in the back,

The impact of the arts in Asheville and Buncombe County provides even more incentive to continue helping artists thrive here. and I’m considering turning it into an event space. I’ve talked to an architect and a contractor, so that will be the next big project. I do need a commercial tenant to offset the cost of rent to keep the rents lower. Right now, I’m it. I’m offsetting the costs of everybody else because I want to keep good artists here.

But by turning this into a commercial space in the back—and that’s going to cost some money to do it—I think it’ll be pretty sure it’s going to work. I’ve got a vision for it, and then I’ll hire somebody to manage that because I want to keep painting.”

Whitson’s enthusiasm flows like a symphony, and her connection to music is even evidenced through her paintings.

If you look closely at some of her landscapes, you’ll see musical lyrics embedded in the tree trunks.

The year she bought her building (2011), other artists did the same. Hedy Fischer and Randy Shull bought the building housing Pink Dog Creative at 342 Depot Street; artist David Stewart bought his building at 347 Depot; and Daniel McLendon bought Lift at 349 Depot (formerly the home of the National Biscuit Company).

Jenny Ellis, owner of The Artful Chair, has been in the RAD almost two years. She shares space with seven other artists at 362 Depot Street. They currently have one space for rent. She says they keep a waiting list of artists hoping for an open space and go down the list.

“I started my career in high-end dress making in Florida,” says Ellis. “I started doing ball gowns and party dresses and then I morphed into dressing window treatments. Recently, in the last few years, I reinvented myself and went back to school and learned how to do upholstery. I put my skill sets together and started selling these chairs. At first in furniture stores, and now online mostly. The River Arts District is just my little showcase room area.”

The artists in this space take turns keeping the doors open throughout the week. “We have a lot of variety in our studio so 40

| October 2019

RIVERVIEW STATION STUDIOS

NORTHLIGHT STUDIOS on Depot Street

Thirty RAD Years (and counting…)

This month br ings a ver y special R iver A r t s Dis tr ic t celebration featuring an ar tist talk and more.

Sewing ar tist Pattiy Torno ranks as a def inite trendsetter.

She under s tood the potential of Asheville’s R iver Ar ts District well before most others gave it a second thought.

In 1989 she bought three buildings in the section that once ser ved as the Standard Oil Company. Now, her CURVE Studios & G a r d e n pr e pa r es for i t s 3 0 t h a n ni ve r s a r y celebr ation. Her or iginal idea , when she purchased the buildings, was to create a punk rock /all-ages club called Squash Pile. It operated from 1990 to 1991, but then she re-envisioned the space as ar tist studios. She gutted the buildings, taking down ever y thing except for the ex terior walls, and rebuilt it to her satisfaction. Another round of modif ications became necessar y af ter the massive 20 04 f looding in sections of the French Broad River, following the remnants of hurricanes Ivan and Frances that swept through the area, at which point Torno changed the live/ work studios to retail/working studios. She also successfully lobbied to christen the area the River Ar ts District in 2005.

The upcoming celebration this month, on Saturday, October 12, is open free to the public. The agenda includes extended hours from 10AM to 6PM. Celebrated ceramicist Cassie Butcher will give an ar tist talk at 2PM called “Unear thing the Soul,” and happy hour takes place from 4 to 6PM in the garden, with a Chair Arch unveiling at 4:30PM then the CURVE 30th bir thday cake cutting at 5PM. Silver River Center for Chair Caning created an 8-f t. tall chair arch to honor Pattiy’s three decades of contributions to the R AD. Built by Brandy Clements, Dave Klingler, and Lucy Kruesel, the CURVE garden Chair Arch is inspired by a chair arch built in 1877 by the furniture makers of High Wycombe, UK , to welcome Queen Victoria. (Silver River’s Clements and Klingler were prof iled in the June 2017 issue of this magazine.)

Regular studio hours at CURVE are 11AM to 4PM, Monday through Saturday. The gardens are open dawn to dusk. • October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 41

local industry

local industry

WAREHOUSE STUDIOS

ULTRA COFFEEBAR

DAVID STEWART & The Lift Studios

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| October 2019

that it’s not too competitive,” notes Ellis. “Everybody is so different and so unique.”

In recent years a frequent topic of conversation in and around Asheville centers around the potential (some would say “inevitable”) gentrification that could force out artists who were the ones who actually made the RAD such a cool place, but Whitson and Ellis both think the artists’ community remains a stable enterprise, and that the voices of those artists are being heard.

“A lot of the artists own these buildings,” says Ellis, “so they get it that we can’t have high rent, or we won’t be here, or there will be people from out of state renting our spaces, and it won’t be us. Some of the buildings have sold for an incredible price since the last time they’ve sold, but because they’ve done the RADTIP (River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project) with all the artists’ input, they’re going to beautify, but not gentrify. That’s their goal. So, it’s a more cohesive place; they’re bringing in artist lofts and artist living spaces. They’ll have outdoor venues and a promenade along the river, so it’s really going to be a destination place. I think their first structure is going to be a parking garage, a boutique hotel, and a place where out-of-towners can park and then hop on the trolley and go around to all the studios.” Ellis adds that just past the railroad tracks, right across the street from where the old 12 Bones Smokehouse barbecue restaurant used to be located, is where the Welcome Center will be located.

In addition to artists, small business owners are finding the RAD to be an attractive proposition as well; the studios draw people to the district, and the folks who come don’t restrict their shopping solely to art. “I have so enjoyed having my business in the River Arts District,” says Debbie Roe, owner of Ultra Coffeebar, located at 242 Clingman Avenue.

“We get to serve the artists and the tourists that come literally from all parts of the world to see and purchase the art here in the RAD. The reach around the country that Asheville and its artistic community is gathering has gotten larger every year.

The creativity in our area is over the top, and we love being a small part of that.”

Roe adds that, for locals in particular, there is also a certain legacy quality that comes with visiting or working in the RAD: “Having been born and raised in Asheville, I started working at my grandfather’s cafe in Biltmore Village, the Hot Shot Café, as soon as I was old enough! To get to come back to a business that is so close in distance to the Hot Shot has been a great feeling. I have a stainless steel mug here on the wall that used to hang in the Hot Shot that a

CREATIVE JOBS Creative jobs are on the rise.

The number of skilled jobs employed within the City of Asheville and Buncombe County is on the rise.

6,347 Jobs City of Asheville up 17% from 2014 to 2017

*Creativity Vitality Suite June 2019 Report based on 2017 findings - Data card provided by Wendy Whitson

local artist welded. It has been a great way to find locals who remember [the café] with such fondness and tell us all their memories of years ago eating and hanging out at the Hot Shot.”

Whitson agrees, saying, “Most people want the best thing for this district and our city leaders want to keep the artists in this district. And, of course, the artists want to thrive and maintain and stay in this district. So, it’s got a lot of good things going for it.”

The impact of the arts in Asheville and Buncombe County provides even more incentive to continue helping artists thrive here. Whitson hands over a brand-new rack card that defines some of the numbers.

“Asheville is Beer City, it’s music city, it’s food city, and yet we have this fabulous array of artists and types of art, and [that aspect] just doesn’t get promoted like it should,” she says. “The data we needed is tied up with this software, that we felt was the best for us, called Creative Vitality Suite.” (For an in-depth discussion of the Creative Vitality software tool designed to analyze a region’s “creative” industry labor data and how it compares our area’s local artist industry to other regions, see “Charting a Way Forward For the Arts” in the October 2018 issue of this magazine.)

Continues Whitson, “Three years ago, I went to the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Commission (EDC) and talked to them about helping us get data. Heidi Reiber (Director of Research) at the EDC said, ‘Why don’t we go talk to the Arts Council?’ So, we just started taking baby steps and we reached out to the City of Asheville, we reached out to the Center for Craft and UNC-A, and now we have this data. We have this software. It’s very expensive and you have to buy it for three years running,

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local industry

THERE ARE NUMEROUS buildings in the RAD still awaiting renovation.

but now we’re getting our data. So, this little rack card is freshly off the press and it’s available at the Arts Council. A group of us—downtown gallery owners, artists, and business owners—want to take this to Explore Asheville and say, ‘Do your magic.’

“Once the impact of our numbers reaches the world, and they know how many artists are here and what we’re doing for this community, it will bring more collectors and more serious art buyers to Asheville.”

What about the RADTIP? The City of Asheville announced on July 31, 2019, that it had reached the halfway mark on the above-mentioned $54 million-dollar River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project, a/k/a RADTIP, with a projection that the entire project will be complete by summer 2020. The 2.2-mile improvement includes a multi-use path along the river, drainage systems for stormwater, wide sidewalks, bike lanes, and additional parking. They’ve also been creating roundabouts at key intersections. The roundabout at Riverside Drive and Lyman Street opened June 2, and crews will now focus on putting a roundabout in at the 5 Points spot, which is where Depot Street, Clingman Avenue Extension, Roberts Street, Lyman Street, and Lyman Avenue Extension all come together.

While businesses located in the RAD will unquestionably benefit from the area’s infrastructure enhancements and improvements, some will no doubt weather short-term headaches. “We’re anticipating that will hurt our business when they’re doing that,” says Chester Oland, manager of Fresh Wood Fired Pizza at 342 Depot Street. “First, they’re 44

| October 2019

CURRENT CONSTRUCTION for RADTIP on Riverside Drive

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 45

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CREATIVE EARNINGS Industry earnings data is arrived at by aggregating the compensation paid for the labor of all workers in a given industry.

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$1.2 Billion City of Asheville up 9% from 2014 to 2017.

$1.4 Billion Buncombe County up 7.5% from 2014 to 2017.

46

10 Brooks Street Suite 130 Asheville NC 28803 828.279.3980 | Ashevillerealtormwright@gmail.com | October 2019

*Creativity Vitality Suite June 2019 Report based on 2017 findings - Data card provided

by Wendy Whitson

THE WEDGE & 12 Bones at Foundation

ART courtesy 11-year-old Trinity.

going to start putting in the water drains, which will knock traffic down to one lane, but when they go to do the roundabout all lanes will be shut down. That will probably impact our business a lot from people coming from the west side. But we do get a lot of business from the hospital area over here.”

It’s a little more than a mile to drive from Mission Hospital to the end of Livingston Street, and then make a right turn onto Depot Street. From there one will encounter free parking directly across from Oland’s restaurant and Pink Dog Creative. “It’s one of our selling points,” he says. “When we meet people around town who haven’t been going here, we’re like, ‘Check it out.’ You don’t have to pay to park right now. You’ll always find parking unless it’s a studio stroll day, in which case it’s reminiscent of West Asheville or downtown.”

Fresh Wood Fired Pizza, which has its original location in Black Mountain, expanded to this second location four years ago. Oland grew up in West Asheville and has witnessed the continuous growth. He has also witnessed the struggle to keep the area free from vagrants camping out or those causing vandalism. While the River Arts District feels safe in daylight hours, with steady activity, a growing list of restaurants in the area, and artists drawing people to their studios, the late-night

Another potential problem for the RAD is its proximity to the French Broad River. hours can be a different story. Whitson says she has to turn the water off at the end of the workday or people will try to camp on her property and use the outside spigots. A rash of break-ins at some RAD businesses, and subsequent arrests, came out in the news at the time of this article being written, but it has been something Oland has continually dealt with.

“We’ve been broken into multiple times,” he says. “We’ve been hit and hit pretty hard, but they never really make out with much.

That is a difficult part of being down here. We have excellent cameras, but they will look straight at it and decide to break a window. It seems to come in waves. Summertime is definitely rough. Wintertime is not as bad. I don’t know how long it will be before we can really solve that, due to the fact there are multiple [nearby] housing developments for low income that just tend to draw a specific sort of crowd—although I’m definitely not saying everyone there is part of that!”

Another potential problem for the RAD is its proximity to the French Broad River. The flood of 2004 is an example when many RAD artists’ studios were destroyed in the rising water. The September 19, 2004, edition of The Asheville Citizen-Times

GRAFFITI ARTIST preparing a wall for painting across from Foundation Skatepark.

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 47

local industry

NEW BELGIUM LIQUID CENTER & the riverfront greenway, photo cour tesy New Belgium Brewing

ran a front-page article titled, “Flooded artists find support.”

The article detailed how artist Steve Skufca spent eight hours vacuuming water that seeped into his studio from the rising French Broad. He felt he had a handle on the water before sleeping. As the article reported, “He was mistaken. He woke up around 7:30 the next morning to six inches of water. Before it was over, water stood at 47 inches inside his studio.”

The floods came in the remnants of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan, which arrived nine days apart and left a path of soggy destruction across Asheville, especially in the River Arts District and Biltmore Village.

The potential for future flooding is something developers are carefully considering as they work on plans to build apartment buildings and other structures in the RAD. “There are two apartment complexes that are ready to go up and that will be so nice to have people live in here,” says Whitson. “One is at the old Dave Steel site, and the other is across from Warehouse Studios. It’s in the flood plain. The parking will be above ground, and the whole complex will be on stilts like at the beach.”

Changing Face of the RAD One of the biggest changes in the RAD has been the addition of New Belgium Brewing’s east coast production facility, prominently located at 21 Craven Street and across from both Riverside Drive (to the east) and Haywood Road (looking southward). While at 48

| October 2019

first glance the beer industry may seem unrelated to art-related businesses, there are definitely certain similarities.

Jay Richardson, general manager of New Belgium Asheville, says there is an art to great beer-making. “The origin of New Belgium came from a trip to Belgium,” he explains. “One of our co-founders was a home brewer, and he traveled around from brewery to bar, and he did it on his bike. One of the things he wrote about in his journal was there was as much an emphasis on the science of brewing beer as there is on the art of beer in Belgium. He was really taken with that. I feel like there’s an artistic part of New Belgium in the way that we approach beer-making, and even in how we treat the earth and how we treat people. Whether we realize it overtly or not, I think New Belgium relates to creatives really easily.”

New Belgium sits right on the banks of the French Broad River, and it has given Asheville an easement for a one-mile greenway.

“The greenway project was a great example of what came out of a great working relationship with the city of Asheville,” says Richardson. “You know, we had to share our plans because they had to approve them. They were also sharing their plans. The greenway was really one of three projects that the city took on parallel with our construction work. We were just getting out of the way of a master plan that already existed for greenways along the river inspired by the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan.

Given our values, that was a no-brainer. The second project was they rebuilt Craven Street to be a complete street with sidewalks and bike lanes, and the third was the restoration

TOUR DE FAT AVL 2017 at New Belgium Brewing, photo cour tesy New Belgium Brewing

PINK DOG CREATIVE

of Penland Creek, which is a watershed for a lot of East-West Asheville. The city has access to some grant funding that we couldn’t access, so they took it on and that turned out amazing.”

New Belgium announced its selection of Asheville for its East Coast brewery in the spring of 2012, and officially opened doors to its on-site liquid center in May of 2016. Richardson says community feedback was instrumental in helping them design a facility that respected its neighbors. New Belgium sought out the counsel and advice of the River Arts District business association, West Asheville business association, and surrounding neighborhood associations.

“We will be eternally grateful to that effort,” he notes, “because there were things we wouldn’t have known to pay attention to if these groups hadn’t spoken up. The most prominent thing we heard is, ‘Haywood Road is our Main Street, so we don’t want big trucks on our Main Street.’ We heard them say, ‘We are walking and biking our kids up and down the street.’ When you come at it from a project standpoint, we were told this is the truck corridor, or Haywood Road is a state road that’s approved for trucks. If they hadn’t said anything, we wouldn’t have paid attention to that, but we were able to make some changes with our trucks to minimize the use of Haywood Road. We just read that they’re halfway through with RADTIP and supposed to be done late next summer.

That will allow all of our trucks to not be on Haywood Road.

Again, that’s a testament to how important our neighbors were then and still are.”

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 49

local industry

“New Belgium wants to be a business that is truly a force for good and impacts the community in a positive way,” says Michael Craft, New Belgium Asheville Community & Communications Ambassador. “When we first started talking about having a brewery here, we didn’t want to be open past 8PM because we want our co-owners to have a life. (New Belgium is 100% employee-owned.) We didn’t want to steal business away from places like the Burger Bar that everybody loves down the street, or any of the businesses that were so good to serve our beer for so long.”

(Burger Bar is featured in this issue’s report on small local venues p. 61.)

Continued Growth A proposed restaurant for the River Arts District has been embroiled in controversy; as of this writing, the developers are seeking a conditional zoning approval to build Jettie Rae’s Fish n’ Such at 144 Riverside Drive. The 1.29-acre site is situated across from the Cotton Mill Studios, but here’s the rub: It’s on the site that has a proposed greenway running through it. Karen Cragnolin, the founder of

50

| October 2019

RiverLink who served in the executive director role until 2016, opposes the move, saying the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan protects the site from development, and that donors who helped buy the land understood it would be protected. Meanwhile, though, the current director of

With developers pushing to get into the RAD, the question remains as to whether the area will remain affordable to the artists who made it a destination place.

RiverLink, Garrett Artz, says RiverLink’s board stands behind the plan to sell the land for a restaurant.

Eric Scheffer, who own’s Vinnie’s Italian on Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville, and Jim Diaz are working

together on the restaurant project, which if approved, would have added a two-story, 5,500-sq.-ft. building on the property.

Their proposal also called for a 1,100-sq.-ft. open-air pavilion, two Airstreams for additional food and beverage service, and spaces for 36 cars. The Asheville Riverfront Redevelopment Commission voted it down, 5-4, in June, however. And more recently, at a September 4 meeting at City Hall, the city’s Planning & Zoning commission took comments on the restaurant proposal for the riparian zone, but wound up voting “no” on allowing a conditional use permit. Cragnolin, in a subsequent post to her Facebook page, applauded the decision, adding, “Next stop, City Council.” With developers pushing to get into the RAD, the question remains as to whether the area will remain affordable to the artists who made it a destination place. A quick scan of Craigslist for current rentals (as of this writing) in the River Arts District, for example, yielded a listing slated to open up November 1 in Riverview Station. The space, which can be used as retail/gallery/studio, is 1,617-sq.-ft., with a monthly rent of $2,500, which includes electricity and water.

For her part, Wendy Whitson seems cautiously optimistic about what the future holds for the RAD, saying, “There are a few people that have left because they felt like the rent was

too much, but honestly, there seems to be kind of a leveling going on right now. We just seem to be getting more spaces and more artists. Take, for instance, over around the new Wedge brewery—all of this is opened up now.”

She points at the RAD map to an area behind Riverview Station on Lyman Street bursting with an array of destinations: Foundation Studios, a skate park, 12 Bones, the Wedge, and warehouses in the process of being converted into studios.

“It’s just amazing how many square feet there are,” she concludes. “They are filling up with artists, so it’s just more all the time. I haven’t heard any major complaints about the rent over in that pocket.”

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local industry

CHICKEN ALLEY photo by Phill Baldwin

I

Dawn of A Cultural Gateway

t’s not just Asheville’s River Arts District that has been expanding the area arts scene’s horizons. 2019 will be remembered as an unprecedented downtown revitalization for lovers of the arts and the accompanying culture.

The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, for example, re-opened its doors recently following extensive renovations and upgrades, transforming from a single-stage venue into a performing arts enclave comprising three venues: the existing, 500-capacity Diana Wortham Theatre (boasting an upgraded sound system); the Tina McGuire Theatre (an intimate, 80 to 100-capacity black box space); and the Henry LaBrun Studio (60 to 80-capacity performance space as well as other uses).

In 2019 the city also saw the downtown opening of The Moogseum, a multi-media space dedicated not only to celebrating the legacy of electronic synthesizer pioneer Dr. Robert Moog, but also offering attendees hands-on, interactive activities. As of this writing, the 3,300-sq.-ft. LEAF Global Arts Center was scheduled to open by the fall, in the historic Club Del Cardo. There’s to be a virtual reality theater, a performance stage, interactive artist workstations, and an area about the history of Club Del Cardo. Likewise, the Asheville Art Museum is slated to open this fall as a fully-renovated and -expanded (to the tune of $24 million) venue, boasting a giant new glass entrance and 68,000-sq.-ft. of galleries, classrooms, studios, the Achilles Research Library, and the Wells Fargo ArtPLAYce. Meanwhile, the Center for Craft—still known to many as the Center for Craft, Creativity, & Design, or simply the CCCD—is preparing for its grand re-opening on November 16. The historic 1912 building, located at 67 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville, with now encompass 7,000 additional square feet of program space, two galleries (one named for Asheville art

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pioneer John Cram), a coworking space for the creative sector, state-of-the-art lecture, workshop and event spaces, and oneof-a-kind maker installations.

Significantly, along with the expansion comes the Center’s vision for the Broadway Cultural Gateway Project. The Center will anchor Asheville’s downtown cultural district on the northern end, and the Gateway will connect it all the way to Pack Square.

“What town under 90,000 has that kind of revitalization of the cultural sector?” proposes Stephanie Moore, Executive Director of the Center for Craft.

Moore is strolling down Broadway, pointing at other art-related museums, galleries, and other businesses within shouting distance of the Center. Among them—the aforementioned interactive Moogseum, at 56 Broadway; and notable art galleries, including Momentum Gallery’s plans to relocate from Lexington Avenue to a 15,000-sq.-ft. space at 52 Broadway following a massive remodeling project, along with the recently-opened Benjamin Walls gallery at 38 Broadway. A vision is also emerging for the new mixed-use Create 72 Broadway project, a low-rise building beside the Masonic Temple, intended to offer affordable housing for local artists plus residential condos, office space, and hotel rooms.

Crafting A Creative Hub “When we bought our building at 67 Broadway in 2013,” continues Moore, “we were trying to figure out how we could create a hub, in light of all the gentrification that was happening, to be a safe haven for artists who had studios in other part of the city or the region who needed a space downtown. A lot of people were saying, ‘Oh, you could buy out in Marshall,

or you can buy a building in the River Arts District, or you can buy a building here or there.’ We looked at properties all over Asheville, and our board of directors said, ‘We want to be downtown.’ I think what our building does, and the whole Gateway effort, is to connect what’s happening in the River Arts District, and those open [spaces] that are all over this region, with something that’s downtown.”

Over a year and a half period, the Center for Craft studied national best practices to develop a model for Asheville and hired Asheville Design Center (ADC) as a key partner. The ADC led

these established businesses on Broadway and Lexington. All of them are competing for the same space in the alleyway, and the garbage cans are getting filled up. We looked at a pilot program in Roanoke, Virginia, where they have used centralized garbage contractors in the alleyways. [The program has] done an amazing job of cleaning up the space. They are no longer being treated as large garbage pits. Instead, they’re becoming much more vibrant.”

A “parklet” is another initiative of the Broadway Cultural Gateway Project. The current vision is to take over two parallel

“It’s like the community figures out a way to come together so that we’re not Charlotte, we’re not just a bunch of high-rise buildings.” a visioning process for the block defined by Broadway, North Lexington Avenue, West Walnut Street, and Woodfin Street.

That area also encompasses Carolina Lane and the colorfully-named Chicken Alley, both which are between/run parallel with Broadway and Lexington. On May 5, 2018, the ADC hosted a Creative Intervention to provide a look at the area’s potential.

“We had all sorts of entertainment up and down the alleyway,” says Chris Joyell, the executive director of ADC. “UNC-A provided 150 students across nine different departments for all sorts of various levels of programming. We attracted over a thousand people to the alleyway in one day. Instantly we got to see what the space will look like if we completely reimagined it, and for one day, we had a really good idea of what that looked like.”

A major component of the free event included a lengthy survey that more than 300 people filled out, which gave ADC more input on developing recommendations. They also had more than 60 one-on-one interviews with stakeholders and more than a dozen site walks.

“I always ask our designers to start every project just by listening,” explains Joyell. “Let’s come in and ask people to describe for us the problems that they’re trying to solve. That’s what design is in its most simple form—just problem solving.

Once we have a better understanding of what the problem is and how people describe it for us, we’ll go a step further and ask them to start describing potential solutions.”

One identified problem involved the trash cans in the alleyways. Carolina Lane was once a thriving street in the 1920s, but today it’s basically an alleyway on the backside of businesses. “Their garbage cans are all meeting on Carolina Lane, and especially in the summertime, it changes the atmosphere pretty dramatically,” says Joyell. “Garbage collection is a real challenge. You have Airbnbs located in the alleyway.

You have residences. You have this very light smattering of businesses and some artists, and then you have the backs of

parking spaces in front of the Center for Craft and create a public space right on the street. Landscape artist Joel Osgood is facilitating the process to design a structure that looks like a large woven basket. The basket will contain an area filled with seated tables and ensure the safety of those who sit and rest there.

“Another nice thing about any type of parklet in a city is that it slows down traffic,” says Moore. “In that area of downtown, people just speed through until they get to that one crosswalk.

The challenges with our particular parklet is that the city owns the sidewalk, the state owns the street, and the Center owns the building. So, this parklet, in order to pull it off, will be a prototype for the state of North Carolina.”

It’s highly noteworthy to point out that Asheville came very close to losing a significant chunk of the buildings in the proposed Broadway Cultural Gateway area back during the 1980s.

After the Asheville Mall opened in 1973 and subsequently drew retailers away from the downtown area, the downward trend led to a ghost town of sorts, with more boarded-up buildings than active ones. That’s when city officials entertained a plan by Strouse Greenberg Properties to demolish dozens of buildings in the center of Asheville and replace them with a mall.

But store owners, led by Wayne Caldwell, along with students and community activists, worked feverishly to mount what seemed an impossible battle to prevent the city from condemning the buildings and acquiring by eminent domain. The grassroots organization, Save Downtown Asheville, emerged victorious after the citizens of Asheville rejected a bond referendum.

“I would say [Save Downtown Asheville] is the perfect example,” summarizes Moore. “Some of the things that are happening now, like the Gateway—it’s like the community figures out a way to come together so that we’re not Charlotte, we’re not just a bunch of high-rise buildings. The authenticity comes out and I think it’s truly spectacular.”

—Marla Hardee Milling

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com

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THE OLD

NORTH

STATE [

news briefs

A Pirate’s Pirate raleigh

Over 300 years ago, the Queen Anne’s Revenge sank off the coast of North Carolina near Beaufort. The French merchant vessel had been appropriated

by Blackbeard the Pirate and retrofitted for his purposes, with features such as 40 cannons. The ship remained lost to history until a private company discovered the wreckage in 1996. They hired videographer Frederick Allen, who, in 200 dives, documented the discovery of itemsThe last handled by Blackbeard and his arage crew. Allen’s videos and stills were copyrighted, but the State of North Carolina posted five of his videos on YouTube and uthority published a photo in a newsletter. Allen sued, and won in in spite s Into Excourt, ceptio pacetrial ming S n l Places ransfor claims that the amaterials of the Tstate’s were public records under state law and TM

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arage uthority TM paces Into Exceptio ming S n al Places r o f s n a r T

]

further exempt as fair-use for educational purposes. The federal appeals court, however, ruled in favor of the state, but for another reason: sovereign immunity.

The case has attracted concern from the software, recording, and publishing industries, who claim the ruling leaves them open to exploitation from the state.

The court, however, maintained that issue had already been litigated in challenges to the 1990 Copyright Remedy Clarification Act.

The other two centers will be in Poznañ, Poland, and Manila, Philippines.

America’s largest handmade scented candle business has humble origins, starting in 1969 with 16-year-old Michael Kittredge, too broke to buy his mother a Christmas present, melting crayons to make her a candle. A neighbor saw it and convinced him to sell it to her. Kittredge then reinvested the profits into making a second candle for his mother and a third for resale. From there, a business grew to sell candles, candleholders, accessories, and dinnerware through 580 stores in 50 countries. In 1998 Kittredge sold 90% of the company to a private equity firm in New York for $500 million. Having changed hands many times since, the company was last sold to Newell Rubbermaid in 2015 for $15 billion.

The restructuring will affect 46 full-time employees, some of whom were placed elsewhere within the organization.

The

Meltdown at Business high point

arage

Recession/Trade War Casualties 2.0

statewide Yankee Candle, under new manageuthority ment, selected High Point as one of only A recent article in Bloomberg predicted n I t o s e E c x a c p three customer servicermcenters it will furniture eption Places TMjobs will not return to North ing S al o f s n a Tr keep open as it consolidates operations.

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with free-trade offshoring to raise the unemployment rate to 15% in Hickory, Lenoir, and Morganton. Now, the furniture jobs remaining in the state are focused more on marketing and logistics than manufacturing, with a niche for custom items remaining a bad match for the edge Asia can provide for mass production.

Today’s smaller stateside industry has reestablished equilibrium with a 4.3% unemployment rate, manufacturing jobs now being high-tech and commanding $35/hour. They can also come with a $2,000 hiring bonus, as physically-demanding manual labor is not attractive to younger generations. The median age for factory workers is now 44.1, compared to 40.5 in 2000. Our current trade war with China isn’t helping to repatriate jobs, either. When the first 10% tariff was announced, jobs promptly moved from China to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Mexico.

Vietnam, where workers might get $200 a month instead of the $1,000 they’d get in China, is considered the winner in the trade war, as additional moves are anticipated, and United States imports from Vietnam increased 33%, while imports from China fell 12% in the first half of 2019. On a positive note, excess capacity at the power plants that used to supply the North Carolina factories is an incentive for recruiting data centers to the area.

Doc You Can’t Refuse greensboro

This summer, Netflix released the documentary, The Black Godfather, a biopic on the life of Greensboro native Clarence Avant. Even though he has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his name is not well-known because he preferred to keep out of the limelight; Avant was in the business of making others successful. The documentary presents Avant as somebody everybody inside the entertainment business knew and respected, somebody who was always helping others with their careers, whether it meant lobbying for fair wages, making connections, or keeping somebody out of jail. While mostly known as a music executive, his influence extended to the television, sports, and motion picture industries.

The heart-warming film by Reginald Hudlin traces Avant’s life from his North Carolina roots to the Big Apple, where he connected with Louis Armstrong’s manager and joined the National Association of Radio Announcers and the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers, and went on to launch industry ventures in New York and Los Angeles. Persons remembering him on the silver screen run from Hank

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Aaron to Bill Clinton, and the turnout for the tribute’s premiere was just as star-studded.

Hippie Font Art! winston-salem

Clark Whittington hopes his Arto-mat business will be the beginning of meaningful relationships between artists and patrons. A native of North Carolina and a graphic designer by trade, Whittington said the idea occurred to him after seeing a friend automatically start looking for a vending machine upon hearing the jiggling of a cellophane wrapper. The idea was to repurpose old cigarette vending machines to sell tiny art, like photographs, jewelry, or small paintings, for $5. All items have to fit into a cigarette box and conform to other guidelines, like a prohibition on “edibles, magnets, balloons, glitter, confetti, or items processed with peanuts;” as well as decoupage, “specifically, the one with the ‘hippie font.’” Items are selected on the ch basis of effort, craftsmanship,d originality, n brun e k e e w and potential ingappreciation. Once an servfor Nowwork artist’s has been accepted, he may continue to submit items on an ongoing unch kend br e e w g in Art-o-mat machines basis. wOver v170 No ser are now in service in the United States,

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Drawing Power charlotte

Artist Wolly McNair’s latest project is the “King Supreme” comic book. The titular character lives in a town not unlike Lumberton, where McNair grew up. McNair says superheroes are always flying in to save people from crises, like runaway trains; when in the real world, the underprivileged are in crisis every day. Enter King Supreme. The character acquired superhuman powers while only in his 20s, and now he has to decide if he will use them to salvage what’s left of humanity or burn it all down. McNair grew up drawing cartoons on loose-leaf paper, and his parents and an uncle encouraged him to cultivate his talents. Largely self-taught, he entered the business world doing character design, story-boarding, animation, and writing and illustration for graphic novels.

He learned marketing and branding from classes he took at Central Piedmont Community College and the Art Institute of Charlotte. Self-publishing as GOrilla Bred Publishing, he wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Fairy Tale Knights as a labor of love for his own children. McNair currently has some of his drawings on display at the Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte. One piece, “Black Hornet,” was used by Nike for the release of the shoe with that name.

Tradeoffs raleigh

By not proactively vetoing it, Governor Roy Cooper allowed Senate Bill 86 to become law automatically. The bill allows small businesses to join together in Association Health Plans (AHPs) to negotiate better rates with insurance companies. It is estimated the plans could save small businesses $8,700 to $10,800 per person per year. The downside is that individual Affordable Care Act (ACA) policies will be hit with an average 3.5% premium hike to cover any insurers’ losses. Other reasons Cooper did not like the bill included concerns over quality of care and pending litigation. It was argued the AHPs stretched the definition of employer to avoid participation in the ACA and work around the law to refuse coverage for preexisting conditions and escalate runaway premiums. In the past, AHPs were frowned upon as many went bankrupt and others were discovered to be fraudulent. Supporters, however, felt satisfied that provisions for regulation in the bill closed opportunities for past abuses. What Cooper did like about the bill was its bipartisan support for helping small businesses that drive the

economy. Health insurance can cost small businesses $25,000 per month per employee. Cooper would have preferred the legislature to opt for Medicaid expansion.

Going Retro for Health statewide

Lifestyle columnist Zoe Yarborough looked into why so many traditional crafts are making a comeback in the South. Crafts, proposed, Yarborough, were a significant part of Southern heritage because poverty repeatedly prevented the acquisition of finer things. Now that the finer things are available online and in discount stores, people are turning back. Handmade pottery, for example, never went away as an art, but the number of pottery classes being offered is surging.

One reason is handmade pottery is a big part of farm-to-table presentations. Knitting is also on the rise, not for making sweaters, but for the health benefits reported. Studies have correlated it with reduced stress and anxiety levels, and it is even considered a deterrent to dementia. Knitting circles get peoples’ hands off their devices in the company of real people instead of their electronic images. Storytelling was popular until the 20th century, when books became readily available in the South. People are now returning as they derive less satisfaction from data-driven analysis and more from a return to matters of the heart. Glassblowing, like pottery, is pursued with growing preferences for purchasing experiences instead of goods. Woodworking is seen as an alternative to instant gratification, since it can take months to make a fine piece of furniture, and online marketplaces can now make the hobby profitable.

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Bot Chic charlotte

Some days, it’s easy to believe that AI will replace humans, but Amanda Clark, CEO of Grammar Chic, announced in a recent press release that the ability of computers to generate written content was greatly exaggerated. AI, she said, is a great tool for mundane tasks that are highly repetitive and predictable. She conceded it can be used effectively for some writing tasks, like putting together scores and statistics for a sports brief. She even applauded using computers for plugand-chug work, saying it gave humans more time to focus on the creativity that makes them human. Communication, she said, is not a formula, but how humans build connections with each other, and that requires empathy, emotion, and lateral thinking. Grammar Chic employs a full-service writing team that composes and edits considered, intentional copy that inspire minds to see things they’ve missed and view what

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they’ve seen through fresh and interesting angles.

Better Than Etsy chapel hill

Siblings Mary Elizabeth and Hannah Entwistle were both artistically inclined, so they went into business together.

Hannah liked painting with watercolors, and Mary Elizabeth was good at hand lettering, so they started handmaking items to sell on Etsy. Two years later they moved operations into a single workshop and launched their own website. Items commonly sold include watercolor paintings and prints, greeting cards, wedding packages, calligraphy, stickers, and the watercolor map of UNC-Charlotte. The sisters actually prefer to sell at local markets because they enjoy interpersonal interaction. Along with giving the sisters

facetime with customers, markets present opportunities to network with and learn from other small business owners, who are often dealing with the same challenges. The sisters have not yet decided to quit their day jobs; Mary Elizabeth works at UNC, where Hannah is still a full-time student. The name of their business, Hint of Mint, is a twist on the founders’ names that they thought people would be able to spell and remember.

Howling with the Stars wilmington

Choreographer Tina Landon and her business partner/husband, Michael Cole, will be opening a music store, Loud Music, in Wilmington. To namedrop, the couple has worked with Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, Janet Jackson, Eminem, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Jay Z., Lady Gaga, Faith

Hill, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Shakira, Will Smith, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jackson, Prince, and more. Cole, a native of North Carolina, said he got sick of Los Angeles and didn’t want to leave the wife behind. The store is described, somewhat vaguely, as “experiential,” where it is more important to hang out than buy stuff. It features state-of-the-art studio space adequate for band rehearsals or single musicians “wanting to play louder” for an hour. The couple will provide lessons in all disciplines of music and performance and retail vintage and rare instruments, music memorabilia, and art. MoMentum Companies, the landlords at 5500 Market Center where the store will locate, said Loud Music exceeded their goal for soliciting unique business tenants. Loud Music will be neighbors with, among others, Seasoned Gourmet, a demonstration kitchen frequented by celebrity chefs.

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Riding the Waves statewide

Carolina Waves hosted its most-recent open mic night at Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle. With host Mir.I.am, the program travels the state giving independent artists a platform to perform for other independent artists. Those who participate enjoy what they describe as a supportive, engaged audience. Even if no industry connections are made in the evening, participants walk away with experience from performing live. While the open mic nights are dominated by the hip-hop and R&B genres, performers of all musical styles are welcome. Open mics are just one of the promotional services Carolina Waves provides for new and independent performing musicians.

Others include web design, artist photos and videos, artist bios, press releases, and recording releases. Carolina Waves

works in conjunction with Carrboro’s K97.5 FM, where Mir.I.am is a disc jockey, to introduce rising stars to a wider audience through live, on-air radio time and social media content.

Supporting Artists charlotte

Members of Charlotte City Council are working with a local group, Music Everywhere Charlotte, to brand the Queen City as a mecca for live music.

Music Everywhere is an economic development initiative taking multiple tacks to turning the local music scene into “a force for tourism.” Working to connect musicians, audiences, venue owners, promoters, booking agents, producers, and more, Music Everywhere maintains an events calendar and a directory of artists and venues, and it

plans on soon deploying informatics to store and retrieve data of interest to the music community. With assistance from Charlotte Center City Partners, Music Everywhere contracted with Sound Music Cities for The Charlotte Music Ecosystem Study and Action Plan. Councilors Larken Egleston and Tariq Bokhari are now negotiating to open Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, for blockbuster concerts. Egleston is also interested in connecting rising stars with strong turnouts when they play coffeeshops. A strong live music industry creates jobs for graphic designers, CD printers, social media content managers, poster printers, branding agencies, and others.

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leisure & libation

Small Local Venues

From dive bars and homegrown theatre, to ad hoc weddings and just plain weirdness, our area nightlife offers plenty of small venue options for those not looking to rub shoulders with the omnipresent tourist trade.

OUTSIDE FLEETWOOD'S

written by bill kopp

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photos by phill baldwin October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 61

leisure & libation

photo cour tesy The Burger Bar

Western North Carolina is undeniably a major tourist destination, with Asheville in particular serving as a bonafide center of gravity. The regional economy here is built on tourism, and while there is endless discussion among locals as to whether more visitors are a blessing, a curse, or a mix of the two, people just keep coming.

They come for the culture, the fall color (no doubt still in full effect by the time you read this report), the food, the drinks, the nightlife, the outdoors. Happily, for all concerned, the city and its mountainous environs provide plenty of all of those things.

But what of the locals? What of the citizens who live and work here? When they are in the mood for a good time and want to head out on the town, where can they go if they prefer not to be jostled by tourists? Here, we want to take a look at a handful of local venues that provide an eclectic assortment of entertainment options that’s inimitably Asheville. Each place has a quality that sets it apart from the more tourist-centric venues in and around town. Read on, but please don’t tell your out-of-town friends about these places.

Okay… maybe just tell a few of them.

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THE BURGER BAR

No Cheeseburger, No Pepsi, A True Legacy: The Burger Bar Let’s get one important thing out of the way right up front: The Burger Bar doesn’t serve hamburgers. That’s the most common misconception outsiders have when they see the name of the unassuming, hole-in-the-wall concrete building located above the western banks of the French Broad River.

The Burger Bar isn’t listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but an argument could be made that it should be. It’s the oldest bar in Asheville. Crystal Capettini worked at the Burger Bar for three years before purchasing it from Chris and Celeste King in May of 2018. Capettini says that her goal is “to stay true to what the previous owners had turned it into.” While the tiny bar—inside capacity is 65 persons—does regularly book entertainment, the Burger Bar is primarily a local watering hole with distinctly working-class roots. “I wanted to keep that essence when I took it over,” Capettini says, “so we haven’t really changed anything.”

Most people have no idea why the bar bears the name it does.

A story written by Gina Smith in a 2018 issue of Asheville alternative weekly Mountain Xpress reveals that it was named after Bürger Beer, a budget brand from Cincinnati’s Hudepohl Brewing. But most agree that it has never been a place to get a hamburger. “We do have some snacks, but it’s mostly just little bags of chips and things,” Capettini says. “Our most popular snack is the cup of noodles.” Asked to sum up the Burger Bar’s

menu, she ticks off a tidy list: “Just beer, liquor, wine, cigarettes, and snacks.”

Visitors on their way to the gleaming edifice that is New Belgium Brewing Company’s nearby facility might not even notice the Burger Bar; it’s a nondescript block structure with metal bars covering the windows, a small and unpaved gravel parking lot, and a tiny outdoor area with lattice fence around it. BURGER BAR has been painted on the building in black letters a few inches tall. Unkind and unknowing visitors might describe it as a “shack.”

And that suits Capettini and her regulars just fine; the Burger Bar doesn’t get a lot of tourist traffic. “I think a lot of times people think, ‘Eww, that place looks disgusting. Let’s not eat there,’” she says with a chuckle. “So, they don’t come in. And the ones who do are the fun, adventurous ones.”

Capettini emphasizes that she isn’t trying to discourage tourists. “What happens more often than not is that a lot of tourists come here with an itinerary,” she says. “And we’re just not on that.” Befitting the bar’s reputation as a place for locals, she says that, “Our regulars are people who are just getting off of work. They just want to sit and chill out in a calm, quiet place and have a couple of beers before they go home.”

And that’s been the Burger Bar’s niche since it was converted from a gas station, circa 1960. Years before New Belgium opened nearby, that property was home to Asheville’s stockyard. And the Burger Bar was popular with third-shift workers. “A bunch of good old boys would get off of work, come in at 9:00 in the morning, and have some beers,” Capettini says.

While she books rock bands and other forms of entertainment, Capettini says that many of her patrons don’t even care about all that. “They really don’t want us to do anything,” she laughs.

“But that wouldn’t pay the bills.”

Even the Burger Bar’s late-night crowd is largely interested in a more laid-back experience. “They’re coming to escape the hype of downtown or other popular bars,” Capettini says.

“They just want to be able to have a quiet, calm conversation with their friends… not necessarily a dance party.”

In response to her patrons’ preferences, Capettini generally limits live music to weekend nights. “We kind of stick to rock or blues,” she says, pausing to chuckle. “The previous owners had a lot of singer-songwriters coming through; a lot of our customers were complaining about that. So, we don’t book that anymore.”

She winces when she recalls the last singer-songwriter duo that played the Burger Bar: “The music was just so bad that literally everybody got up and left.”

Capettini knows what her customers like and don’t like.

“For instance,” she offers, “we would never have a Grateful Dead cover band play here.” Last year the Burger Bar hosted a very successful punk rock festival featuring 18 bands. “That’s definitely the busiest day that we have ever seen,” she says.

“Probably the busiest since the bar was built.”

And the pre-recorded music on tap other evenings varies, she explains, depending upon who’s behind the bar. “When Mike is working, it’s gonna be hip-hop. When I’m working, it’s probably ‘80s metal or punk rock. And with Brian, it’s usually stoner metal or country music.”

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Actors performing at the Magnetic Theatre. photo by Cheyenne Dancy

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THE MAGNETIC THEATRE | October 2019

The bar recently added a new form of entertainment to its Tuesdays: psychic readings by Jax Hammond. “She doesn’t bill herself as a medium,” Capettini says. “Jax just has a very good sense of—I don’t remember exactly how she describes it—but she’s able to sense things rather than actually see them.” Karaoke night is another popular regular weeknight event at the Burger Bar. Capettini sums up the character of her bar: “It’s just blue-collar: mostly service industry and construction workers coming in for cheap beer. Every time you come here, you can make a new friend; it’s not a clique-y, hipster bar. We don’t try to have a specific demographic.

We want everybody who comes here to feel like they’re home. I’ve been in the service industry for 20 years, and the Burger Bar is my favorite bar ever.”

The Irresistible Attraction of Local Talent: The Magnetic Theatre A creative nexus in Asheville’s revitalized River Arts District, the Magnetic Theatre, was launched in 2009. Founded by a team that included local poet and playwright John Crutchfield, Lucia Del Vecchio, Jonathan Frappier, Chall Gray, and Steven Samuels, the venue was designed from its start to draw upon local talent.

Artistic Director Katie Jones says that the theatre’s vision is to provide “a space for theatre artists to create original work in a professional setting.” When selecting performances, Jones says that the nonprofit’s board asks two main questions: “Has it been done in Asheville and/or Western North Carolina before? And does it present a unique perspective, style, or content?” From its start, the Magnetic Theatre has focused on staging performances that fit its motto: “New plays, locally grown.”

In its earliest days, the theatre was housed in a succession of locations, but by 2015 the Magnetic Theatre settled into its permanent home at 375 Depot Street. Asked to name the venue’s most unusual performance to date, Jones initially demurs. “Much of our work could fit into that category,” she says. But she eventually mentions Jim Julien’s “The Caro Savanti Experience,” a satire poking fun at local foodie culture.

A perennial favorite at the Magnetic Theatre is “The Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular,” an extravaganza that changes from year to year. The wildly popular raucous musical comedy is written by a team of playwrights, and the audience is drawn into the action onstage.

Both of those shows—and most of the Magnetic’s other offerings, including stand-up comedy showcases—will appeal primarily to locals who will pick up on the inside jokes and references to the Asheville cultural scene. “We get some visitors,” Jones says, “but our audience is primarily local.” Yet the caliber of work presented belies its small-city origins. Jones recalls a Chicago couple who attended a recent show. “They’re regular theatregoers, and they were floored that this kind of work exists in a tiny town like Asheville.”

Jones says that the Magnetic “endeavors at all times to be a community space. We have open auditions every year and highly October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 65

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encourage submissions from new playwrights.” Emphasizing that the theatre explores themes and content that matter to the people who live here, she says, “You may love it or hate it, but you can’t say that Magnetic is just ‘playing the hits.’”

THE ODDITORIUM has all types of events, like this Asheville Cat Weirdos meeting. photo by Anthony Harden

Deep Strangeness, with Boundaries, and Ripley’s-Approved: The Odditorium Seven years ago, an online discussion on the subject of “dangerous dive bars” in Asheville elicited a number of comments. One of the posters on the Reddit discussion forum r/asheville wrote, “Y’all have missed the Granddaddy of them all: Cowboys Nightlife. Have and know how to use your knife.”

Today—after a time when it was known as The Get Down—the building at 1045 Haywood Road in West Asheville is nothing like the honky-tonk bar of old. The Odditorium is something far more unusual: a bar that has hosted everything from drag and freak shows to comedy nights to yard sales to storytelling.

This dive bar is rich with character; it’s also an all-ages music venue and a museum of sorts. Amy Marshall and business partner, Tamy Kuper, bought The Get Down from Mickey Fox and rechristened it the Odditorium on April Fool’s Day 2013.

“When we took over, we wanted something a little bit different,” says Marshall. They wanted to keep Fox’s focus on helping touring bands, but they sought a different personality for their new bar.

“Tamy and I both are collectors of oddities,” Marshall says.

“So, we just started out with our private collections, things that we loved and brought in as decor over the years.” Those items tend toward the macabre: creepy vintage dolls in glass cases, circus-themed items, an is-it-real mummified body, a twoheaded duckling and other strange taxidermy, bizarre vintage photographs, and the like. Marshall and Kuper partnered with antiques/vintage vendor Dark and Deviant Oddities, adding additional for-sale items to the cabinets of curiosity in the bar.

Marshall says that early on, she and Kuper received some sage advice from a friend who owns a bar in Fort Lauderdale. “You can’t make your bar anything,” their friend said. “Your bar will become what it’s going to become. And my advice to you is this: ‘Let it.’” They have done their best to follow that advice. “The patrons, the employees, the community define that,” Marshall says. “It takes on a life of its own, and we don’t fight it.”

“But it’s still a punk and metal bar at its core,” says Marshall.

“It’s still a neighborhood dive bar.”

She notes that even though the Odditorium has a reputation for deep weirdness—a recent, ahem, “kink night” being a handy example—they have established boundaries. “If we like it and it’s weird and unusual or different, or a conversation piece, or even a little risqué,” she says, “we’re like, ‘Okay, yeah.’”

Even in that context, it’s somewhat surprising when Marshall emphasizes that the bar has a “very strict moral code.” Those words would seem to apply more to West Asheville Baptist 66

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Church, across the street and 1,000 feet east. But Marshall explains further.

“We will not bring in anyone with a history of violence— against women, against any people. We won’t bring in anyone that makes our patrons feel unsafe,” she says. “We have had to cancel acts that we have booked because we heard from people, ‘That’s not really a show you guys want to host.’” She sums up the Odditorium code as engendering “safety and respect.”

But those admirable boundaries allow for plenty of strangeness.

“If it’s gross and it’s a little macabre, and it’s pushing the buttons and the boundaries—if it might almost make you want to puke a little bit—we do those, too,” Marshall says, with the knowing smile of someone who’s seen it all. “We believe in creating conversation and giving people a place to do what they do. And if that’s not a show for you, if that’s going to upset your tummy or if that’s going to make you not feel like you want to be here, then that’s okay. You don’t have to be here that night.”

Marshall admits that there are some shows that even she will pass up as simply too transgressive. Asking that the

THE ODDITORIUM

specific details of one particular performance aren’t shared for publication, she says, “There’s a fine line between art and just being gross. And some of our worst of the worst were when that line was blurred.

“Not every show is a show I want to attend. Not every show is a show I like, or that’s suited for my son. And I don’t go to those,” she says. “But there are shows that do push the boundaries, and they also need a safe place to do that. The Odditorium is that place.”

It’s also—with exceptions made for things like kink night—a place for young people.

“We’re a safe place for them,” Marshall says.

“We’re one of the only bars left in town that are all-ages. Being a music fan from when I was very, very young, I wanted to go to shows at age 13, 14, 15. I really loved the places that would let us in.

“We have such a great group of underage loyal people in this community,” Marshall says. “And eventually they become 21, and they stay loyal to us. They fall in love with us, and we fall in love with them.”

Marshall says that tourist patrons are rare: “Maybe 10 or 15%; not a lot. But some national exposure, including a story on RoadsideAmerica.com titled “The Odditorium: Freak Bar,” has raised the bar’s profile. The site is “a wonderful outlet for tourists who want to go to oddity locations,” Marshall says.

In addition to live music—the bar hosts a full schedule featuring nationally-touring and local bands—the Odditorium is home to many other events. “Not-music things include comedy— that’s always free—burlesque and drag,” Marshall says. “We do those three every single week. Other than that, we do magic, suspension, freak shows, carnivals, and the yard sales. We do ‘80s and ‘90s proms, we have dyke night. We host [meetings of online Facebook group] Asheville Cat Weirdos.” In a city with more than its share of fascinating entertainment venues, the Odditorium is in a class by itself.

Not long ago, the Odditorium was visited by people from Ripley’s Believe it or Not. “Our hearts grew that day,” Marshall says with visible pride. “Our eyes got all sparkly!

They came into our little neighborhood dive bar, and they liked it! There’s nothing more flattering than that. And when they were leaving, they said, ‘Oh, this would be my home away from home if I lived here, and I’m going to send my people.’” And Marshall reports that the visitors did just that.

“If you want to see the true West Asheville community, come to the Odditorium,” she says. “People will come in, peruse the museum and have one of our specials.” Even the specials from the well-stocked full bar are, well, odd. “They get a little takeaway with them,” Marshall says with a mischievous smile.

“And when they were leaving, they said, ‘Oh, this would be my home away from home if I lived here, and I’m going to send my people.’”

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local industry

“They might get a bone or a bug or something like that. We even have a cocktail they can drink out of a human skull.”

Everybody Knows Your Name: Archetype Brewing

MUSIC AT Archetype Downtown

ARCHETYPE WEST ASHEVILLE photos courtesy Archetype Brewing

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In a city filled with breweries and brewpubs—more than 30 at last count—it takes some effort to stand out. Located in the “East West Asheville” area known as Beacham’s Curve, Archetype Brewing opened in 2017 with an express goal of being a neighborhood bar. The brewery was so successful that a second location was added in February 2019. Like the original location, the new and larger space on Broadway Street, just north of Moog Music, has a distinctly local and family-friendly vibe.

The Broadway location also features an event space. That 80-person room—with its own sound system, stage, lights, and projection system—allows the pub to feature live music, spoken word events, and other entertainment. “We do a bluegrass jam in there every Monday,” says Sally Tanner, Archetype’s marketing manager. “And we have square dancing in the fall and winter.” The West Asheville location has a weekly jam as well, and features “post-brunch blues on Sundays,” she says. It also hosts—as “The Archetype Record Club”—the recurring “Crates and Barrels” event, featuring collectors of used records (vinyl primarily, but in truth, anything music-related goes) selling, swapping, and buying collections from patrons and fellow dealers alike, with an in-house DJ dutifully spinning the wax to keep the tunes flowing.

The Asheville Improv Collective ( featured elsewhere in this issue), makes Archetype on Broadway its home for monthly events as well. “We do a lot of rehearsal dinners and other private events here, too,” Tanner says. “It’s perfect for that because they can close the door and have the space to themselves.”

Archetype focuses primarily on serving its own beers, modeled upon Belgian open fermentation methods. But the pub offers wine, cider, and non-alcoholic beverages as well. At the Broadway location, food is limited to pretzels and popcorn, though a rotation of food trucks is being considered for the future.

Tanner says that from the start, owner-brewers Steve Anan and Brad Casanova—both formerly of Hi-Wire Brewing—“really wanted Archetype to be a spot for the neighborhood.” Both brewpubs are close to downtown, but their locations—adjacent to the Hall Fletcher and Montford neighborhoods—give local flavor. “We see the same faces in and out all the time,” Tanner says. But she reports that plenty of tourists find their way there as well; they represent about half of the traffic through the two locations.

Archetype manages to be uniquely local-focused while showcasing for visitors the qualities that make Asheville special, Tanner believes: “Our focus on community, that’s an Asheville thing.”

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It’s a Nice Day for a Weird Wedding: Fleetwood’s The genesis of Fleetwood’s came from a simple, practical goal.

“I have a lot of friends in the music industry,” says co-owner Mary Kelley. “And I wanted to have a place for them to come and play.” She teamed up with the owners of Eldorado Antiques, the architectural salvage business next door, on Haywood Road in West Asheville, and riffing on their love of all things Cadillac, opened a place called Fleetwood’s in August 2017.

But Fleetwood’s would be different. “Asheville has a $30 million wedding industry,” Kelley says, “but no quickie wedding chapel. So, here we are.” The bar—which is also an ephemera shop with used vinyl and vintage clothing—offers a $99 weekday wedding package for, in her words, “people who don’t want to fool with anything, but want to get married.”

And for those on the fence, Fleetwood’s offers something for them as well. “We have a ‘Married for the Weekend’ package,”

“We’re very open to the community, and the community’s open to us.

And I think that is the ultimate spirit of what’s going on here” Kelley says, with a wry smile. “It’s a fake ceremony. But you get a certificate.” Riffing on an ad slogan used by another city known for its wedding industry, she quips, “What happens in West Asheville, stays in West Asheville… at least until Sunday.”

The real wedding business has been picking up at Fleetwood’s, though. Kelley and her co-owners, Simon and Christi Whiteley, are all ordained ministers in the Universal Life Church. “You have to have your actual license from the courthouse,” she says, “but we will do the rest for you. We’ve had some really beautiful and unique weddings here; we’ve done about 30 or 40.”

Weddings at Fleetwood’s take on the character of the participants, but a common thread is that they’re somewhat unconventional. “It’s for people who find the space unique, want something different, want something very simple, don’t want the government involved, or whatever,” Kelley says. “People have their reasons.”

She recalls a recent ceremony, one of her favorites. “A couple that had been together [unmarried] for 20 years just decided, ‘Now’s the time. We were looking and saw this place online; this is us.’” Kelley says that the pair was pretty straight-looking, “but they felt that they were quirky. And this is their quirky spot.”

Other memorable weddings at Fleetwood’s include one last Halloween, with the couple dressed as the Frankenstein

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FLEETWOOD'S blends from bar, to vintage shop, to music venue.

INSIDE FLEETWOOD'S photo courtesy Scott Sturdy Photography

monster and Bride of Frankenstein. “It was a lesbian shotgun wedding,” Kelley deadpans. “One of them was very pregnant.”

But even with the growing wedding business, at its core, Fleetwood’s is a bar. There’s a room in the back that’s used for live music shows. There’s no stage and no house sound system, but that’s all in keeping with the sonic aesthetic that defines the bar’s musical character.

Kelley is a Memphis transplant; she also lived in New York City for many years; those experiences led to her developing friendships with musicians from all over. “I grew up hanging out with cool people or doing cool stuff,” she says. Those connections mean that it’s not uncommon for old friends to ring her up and ask if their band can schedule a gig at her little Haywood Road bar, mere steps from the I-240 exit.

“I do all the booking,” Kelley says. “If there’s a band that wants to come in, I’m checking them out, vetting them, feeling if they’re right for us. We kind of stick towards punk rock, garage rock.” She makes a decided effort to pair touring acts with local bands. “Putting bands together to make a cohesive bill has been my strongest thing so far. Because people say, ‘No matter what’s playing, even if it’s something I’ve never heard of, there’s never been a bad band that played there once.’ That’s a big thing.”

In May Japanese rock trio Guitar Wolf was on a tour of the

United States with fellow garage rock outfits Nashville Pussy and the Turbo AC’s. The tour took the popular bands to major markets: Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and other major cities. But between tour dates, Guitar Wolf added Fleetwood’s to its list of concert dates.

“Any other place, the guarantee would be at least three, four thousand dollars,” Kelley adds. “But we got them for, like, $200 and some fried chicken, because they’re friends. And now they’re like, ‘Anytime we’re coming to the United States, we’re playing at Fleetwood’s.’

“We’ve had so many shows and they’ve all been cool in their own way,” Kelley says. And sometimes, Fleetwood’s wedding chapel identity combines seamlessly with its status as a rock ‘n’ roll venue. National touring act Scott Yoder played there recently with his band, and the audience included a trans couple. “The woman was dressed like a man, and the man was dressed like a woman,” Kelley says. “And they wanted to get fake-married. So, Scott Yoder ‘officiated’ while guitarist Fiona Moonchild—a trans woman—played the Wedding March on guitar.”

Things went slightly off the rails, though. “Because it was Halloween, they wanted a fog machine,” Kelley says. “When they were walking down the aisle, the alarm went off. Suddenly everybody was rushing around in the fog, and we were all dressed ridiculously. My partners were dressed like bloody butchers.” No one was hurt, and there were laughs all around.

Fleetwood’s books non-musical, non-wedding events, too.

An ACLU benefit was scheduled for August, set to include a dog kissing booth and belly dance performances. An allfemme comedy showcase is a fixture of the bar’s schedule, and Fleetwood’s hosted last year’s Pansy Fest. “The wrestling was really fun,” Kelley says. “They dressed as characters and wrestled in grits for charity. It was pretty amazing.” That event took place outside; Fleetwood’s features an outdoor patio, and in keeping with the car-theme, a bar is in the process of being fashioned out of an old automobile grille.

During the day, people wander into Fleetwood’s to explore the crates of vintage records, find interesting clothing from years past, or grab a cold beer. “We do beer, wine, and champagne cocktails,” Kelley says. By design, the bar doesn’t have a liquor license, so there are no spirits for sale. “We don’t want to be a private club,” Kelley says, “because we do get a lot of our income from people coming in during the day to shop.” Sometimes there’s a food truck parked outside, but it’s not a regular fixture.

“There’s so much to eat right around here already,” Kelley says.

She readily concedes that Fleetwood’s is known—and positioned—as a place for locals. The nearby Burton Street community provides the bar with many of its regulars. “This is our weird little spot in West Asheville,” Kelley says. “It’s everything that we’ve loved, wrapped into one business. We’re very open to the community, and the community’s open to us. And I think that is the ultimate spirit of what’s going on here: creating something that you love, and sharing it with your community.”

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Look Other Cool Area Locations (FEATURED IN THE STORY)

(MORE OPTIONS)

ARCHETYPE BREWING

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

265 Haywood Rd Asheville, NC 174 Broadway St Asheville, NC archetypebrewing.com THE BURGER BAR

1 Craven St Asheville, NC THE ODDITORIUM

Opening this month, ABA takes over the old Tressa's jazz club space, reverting to the building's earlier name during the '50s. Sovereign Remedies' Charlie Hodge, along with Ole Shakey's Morgan Hickory, plan to make it downtown's most intimate bar, restaurant, art, and live music space.

28 Broadway St Asheville, NC

1045 Haywood Rd Asheville, NC

facebook.com

ashevilleodditorium.com MAGNETIC THEATRE

375 Depot St Asheville, NC themagnetictheatre.org FLEETWOOD'S

496 Haywood Rd Asheville, NC

ASHEVILLE DISPENSARY

Come for the CBD oil (but nothing stronger); stay for the occasional comedy showcase nights.

919 Haywood St Suite 111 Asheville, NC avldispensary.com

fleetwoodschapel.com

THE BLACK CLOUD

Self-described as a "subterranean post-apocalyptic drinking

hole," the West Asheville basement-situated dive/beer bar hosts everything from psychedelic and electronica concerts to hair metal-powered gothic burlesque shows.

723 Haywood Rd Asheville, NC theblackcloudavl.com BOILER ROOM

3-venue Grove House Entertainment Complex, this smaller space offers open mic nights, drag shows, and other diversity-friendly events.

11 Grove St Asheville, NC boilerroomasheville.com THE BYWATER

A private social club located beside the French Broad River (patrons often tube or canoe to the club) and dedicated to keeping Asheville weird.

796 Riverside Drive Asheville, NC bywater.bar

CROW & QUILL

Accurately described as a "dimly lit venue" with an eclectic antique dĂŠcor, the bar has a staggering array of spirits and beers plus a live music selection (jazz, western swing, honky-tonk, Latin, etc.) unlike most other spots in the area not to mention the occasional drag show.

106 N Lexington Ave Asheville, NC thecrowandquill.com DOUBLE CROWN

Tucked away in a building most tourists won't even notice, this place sports one of the region's largest bourbon selections and occasional (carefully curated) live music.

375 Haywood Rd Asheville, NC thedoublecrown.com FIRESTORM BOOKS

This defiantly anarchist and LBGTQ+ friendly book store isn't interested in anything so

A Unique and Independent Real Estate Company since 1979 72

23 Arlington Street Asheville, NC 28801 | 828. 255.7530 | www.appalachianrealty.com | October 2019

bourgeois as publicity, but it's home to frequent book and poetry readings.

610 Haywood Rd Asheville, NC firestorm.coop LAZY DIAMOND

Come for the dive bar's cocktails and bar grub, stay for the video games and pinball, the DJs spinning vinyl, and the weekly karaoke, plus live local music on the patio.

4 Woodfin St Asheville, NC facebook.com/thelazydiamond LITTLE JUMBO

Arguably serving the best cocktails in Asheville, the entertainment is all over the map, from jazz every Monday to a presentation on area ghosts to a "pop-up pop art exhibition."

241 Broadway St Asheville, NC littlejumbobar.com

OLE SHAKEY'S

Legendary dive bar on the banks of the French Broad River, this longtime spot for locals has managed to hold onto its funky vibe.

790 Riverside Dr Asheville, NC oleshakeys.com ONE WORLD BREWING

Although both OWB locations may be losing the so-called "best kept local secret" status as tourists stumble upon it, the regular Monday open mic night remains a true local treasure.

10 Patton Ave Asheville, NC 520 Haywood Rd Asheville, NC oneworldbrewing.com SLY GROG LOUNGE

An indoor/outdoor venue that combines the atmosphere of a European biegarten with the artistic vibe of jams, experimental music nights, spoken word, and more.

271 Haywood St Asheville, NC slygroglounge.com THOMAS WOLFE HOUSE

Rebuilt after a suspicious (and never-solved) fire, the historic home of the famous author occasionally hosts book readings by other writers.

52 N Market St Asheville, NC wolfememorial.com THE BOONE SALOON

With a complete in-house game arcade and regular entertainment (jam bands, folk, drag shows, etc.), this is considered the equivalent of a one-stop shopping destination.

489 W King St Boone, NC boonesaloon.com RANSOM PUB

The proverbial "best kept secret" that locals cherish ("no drunk college kids" is a typical refrain), and one of the

few regional bars that serve breakfast; various types of events can be held there, and Ransom also donates part of the proceeds from meals to the Wine To Water nonprofit.

747 W King St Boone, NC ransomboone.com THE STRAND @ 38 MAIN

A unique multi-option venue with first run movies, live music, a full espresso bar, local ice cream, draft beer, and wine.

38 N Main St Waynesville, NC 38main.com ARTISAN OF FLAT ROCK

Far more than just a comedy club, here you'll find hypnotists, art and wine parties, book exchanges, trivia nights, and poetry slams - please don't tell the tourists!

5 Highland Park Rd East Flat Rock, NC flatrockartisan.com

279 Snyder Lane Mills River 28759

MLS #3490154 10 Acres of professionally landscaped outdoor living space and gardens with renovated Cape Cod style farmhouse and workshop / studio.

4 Bedroom 2 Bath Approx. Sq. Ft. 2225

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 73

MISSION: TO DELIVER THE BEST CARE WITH THE MOST CARE For 134 years, Mission Health has been there for you — building new hospitals for each generation.

Now Mission is investing in cutting-edge technology and design — to maximize your comfort and create an environment where you and your family can relax and focus on what really matters.

The new Mission Hospital North Tower. Built for you.

missionhealth.org

74

| October 2019

MISSION: You

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 75

IMPROV-ING BUSINESS written by emily gl aser

|

photos by evan anderson

The Asheville Improv Collective is turning play into capital.

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IMPROV ACTORS showing their skills at a live show.

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 77

A

GUY WALKS INTO A BAR. THE BARTENDER says, “Hey, want to do improv?” The guy says, “Well, I was going to get a beer, but sure.”

That’s a joke, but jokes aren’t inherently fiction—and this one is true, if a simplification. That guy was George Awad, the bar was Habitat Brewing, and the improv was the fledgling representation of Asheville Improv Collective (AIC).

At the time, AIC was less of a collective than a chimera.

Husband and wife duo, Clifton (partner and dean) and Dana Hall (partner and director of sales/marketing), both graduates of the renowned Dallas Comedy House (DCH), had founded the improv organization in January of 2016 with the hopes of cultivating an improv community in Asheville like the one they’d seen rise in Dallas: A gang of like-minded eccentrics with the collective confidence to perform verbal trust-falls on stage, leaning on witty one-liners, off-the-cuff antics, and a no-man-left-behind mentality, Musketeers-style, to make people laugh.

When Awad, the organization’s third partner and art director, walked into that Asheville bar in late 2016, AIC was still a little knock-kneed and newborn, and its classes, though growing, were far from full. The Asheville improv community was abstract; there were improvisors and classes and even a few troupes, but they operated singularly. AIC was working toward uniting them all, and though it sounds like a joke, that moment in the bar was the turning point and launching pad they needed.

Today, AIC is a multifaceted organization with four levels of adult improv classes, youth programming, AIC for Business, and, most importantly, a ranging community of concordant improvisors who come together faithfully to workshop, experiment, and, of course, laugh.

So, What is it, Anyway?

Improvisational theater—or improv—is exactly as the name suggests. It’s a form of live performance, in which everything is made up on the fly: plot, character, dialogue. Improvisors, as the comedians are called, usually take a suggestion from the audience and spontaneously build a story around it using a predetermined “game” as the guiding structure. There’s short form—speedy, unrelated acts—and long form, which is more story-based. Throughout the scene, improvisors make “offers” to their conspirators, defining different elements of their staged reality, like a name or mimed prop. Though it’s unscripted, there are “rules” most improvisors follow, like “Yes, and…” which encourages performers to accept the “offer” and build on it with another, unspooling an oftentimes absurd saga in a game of reverse Jenga, stacking offer over offer as the whole stacked storyline gradually starts to wobble 78

| October 2019

and, ultimately—raucously, joyfully—crashes. Cue up (hopefully) the laughs.

Improv may seem like a modern invention of idle comedians, but its origins are ancient (The Atellan Farce, improvised games, were popular in ancient Rome) and its applications noble (it’s long been used as a tool in drama education). The art form gained structure and those rules in the mid-20th century, then ubiquitous popularity through internationally-lauded organizations like The Second City and insanely popular TV shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? Chicago, then Milwaukee, then San Francisco became rookeries for improv, and today, the kind of communities that the Halls so valued in Dallas are practically universal.

The immediate motivations for pursuing improv are self-evident: Telling jokes is fun; laughter is good for you. But the benefits of the practice last long beyond the length of a laugh.

“I love it because it does challenge me and it pushes me out of my comfort zone,” explains Dana. “It’s helped me in a lot of ways: to be a better listener, to be more confident, to think quickly on my feet.” Improv boosts creativity, cultivates empathy, and encourages collaboration. It helps build relationships and communication skills, especially listening, and attunes problem-solving acumen.

Unlike other forms of acting, improv is usually easily accessible and utterly approachable. “It’s a much lower barrier of entry than say, theater or stand-up—you don’t have to come up with a tight five minutes or need a theater company to bless you,” says Awad, laughing. There’s no memorization of lines, no refinement of skits, and, as a rule, improv is non-discriminatory; regardless of experience, age, race, sense of humor, et al, everyone is welcome. The foundation of improv is trust and support from your fellow performers, a safe space to express your ideas (as long as they aren’t offensive) and yourself. And it’s that sense of open-armed community, even for the mavericks and oddballs, that appeals to many improvisors, who often liken it to therapy.

According to Awad, there are two types of improv students: “There are people that want to be performers.

And there are people that just love the classes because it is therapeutic in a way—it’s an escape.” For the former, improv can serve as a springboard for other pursuits, like acting or stand-up. For the latter, improv is an opportunity to slough off the heavy costume of the everyday and slip into characters more comfortable with the support of your peers.

For nearly all new improvisors—aspiring actors and lackadaisical rookies alike—it very quickly becomes a passion. “Anyone who starts improv is giddy the first two years. Everyone’s like, ‘I don’t sleep any more, I just want to do improv—roommates love that,” Awad says,

lighting a fuse of one-liners from the Halls. That initial obsession makes improv classes a practically self-fulfilling subscription: Once a student takes a level one course, they’re a shoo-in for the next three, plus workshops and events, and maybe even future troupes and gigs. That makes improv a pretty profitable industry for those who supervise it—hence, the Asheville Improv Collective.

The Set-up…

Clifton was “kind of a theater guy” when he stumbled upon a Dallas Craigslist ad announcing auditions for a sketch group in 2007. He auditioned and made the group, which promptly dissolved after one show.

“There are people that want to be performers.

And there are people that just love the classes because it is therapeutic in a way—it’s an escape.”

“But the best part of it,” he remembers, “was that I ended up meeting Amanda Austin, and she was starting an improv school.” Austin encouraged Clifton to attend a Level One class, and, as with so many improvisors, the conversion from newbie to devotee for him was swift: “Probably by the second or third class, I was like, ‘This is amazing.’”

In 2009 and 2010 Clifton advanced through the classes as the Dallas Comedy House was born and evolved. In 2011 he took a job managing the bar at DCH between teaching improv classes with the group.

So, when he met Dana in 2010, he was a packaged deal: Clifton and improv.

For Dana, improv wasn’t exactly instinctual. “I took a Level Zero, and I was on stage and I was like, ‘Get me the hell off of here.’ We are very opposite,” she says, with a grin at her husband. But as she bore witness to Clifton’s passion, she grew increasingly perplexed—and curious.

She finally enrolled in a Level One course to figure out why he was so fired up, and even skeptical Dana fell in love with improv, progressing quickly through all four levels and immediately entering a troupe.

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 79

DANA HALL

CLIFTON HALL

Clifton and Dana also fell in love with each other and then, after their wedding, with Asheville. The duo moved northeast to the mountains of Western North Carolina in April of 2015, bringing their shared enthusiasm for improv with them.

“We knew there wasn’t really much of an improv scene because we had done research before,” Dana says of Asheville at the time.

There was one popular troupe (Reasonably Priced Babies) and quite a few with defunct Facebook pages, classes at one of the actor’s centers, and a smattering of interest in something more.

“We had always intended that if we moved somewhere, we would either get involved or start something ourselves,” she adds. “[We were] fortunate enough to watch how that happened in Dallas,” says Clifton, of AIC’s origins. “So, we kind of had a good idea of some of the pitfalls and some of the stuff to avoid, but more importantly, the stuff that really makes it work.” In January of 2016 the Halls began advertising classes, the only long-form classes in Asheville, and soon after, they began their first Level One class: four students in a rented space at the Colourfield art center in downtown Asheville.

“It was tough those first couple months,” Clifton remembers.

“Four people signed up, and two could make it to class, and that’s a real hard class to teach with just two people—that’s a lot of reps.” But the duo had faith (and tenacity) that it would work. “We were just kind of trucking along, a little perseverance there, and then magically, we get an email from George here.”

He pauses and gestures at his friend across the table.

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Awad, as it would turn out, was also an improv enthusiast.

“I happened to be in Cincinnati, and the next day a week-long intensive at iO Chicago was starting. I hadn’t done anything— like, nothing. I think I was a theater kid in my head,” he laughs, telling the story of his accidental immersion in improv in 2014.

He signed up and found himself among comedy greats: “People from Australia, musical theatre people, all these people were in it. Seasoned improvisers—and me and this Turkish kid who was, like, 18, who had done nothing. For me, it was three days of listening to crickets. And then by day four I think I started to get it.” Awad returned to Asheville with that trademark improv zeal and enrolled in classes at NYS3, taught by Tom Chalmers of comedy troupe Reasonably Priced Babies.

When Awad reached out to the Halls, it was the first tangible thread in what would come to be the larger web created by AIC. Clifton met with George and a friend, who wanted to learn more about AIC, and invited them to drop in on his classes.

“There were still days when only a few could make class some weeks, so it was nice to have some extra people to run through exercises and do scenes,” he says.

That eventually led to a partnership with then-new coffeeshop Trade & Lore. Clifton and George helped build a stage in the downtown Asheville café and filled it with improv acts from around town, Greenville, and Charlotte. Clifton made the schedule, booked troupes, and hosted classes in the space; George created fresh AIC graphics and artwork. The impact of

GEORGE AWAD

their efforts became evident as classes began to gain momentum and show audiences grew from 10 to 30. The business was drumming up interest through social media marketing, lead lists (Dana sent personal emails to potential students, sometimes for months, encouraging them to sign up), and, most importantly, word of mouth. “It felt so good to have a class of 10 people for level one,” Clifton explains, “Even if we just keep half of these people to move on—that’s how [you create] that snowball effect.” With the Halls and Awad sharing success and the stage in improv, it became clear that they should join forces under AIC. “Trade & Lore was really where the community started to grow,” Clifton says. “It gave us a place to have classes and produce shows, but more than anything it gave us a place to show people what potential the community had.”

Which brings us back to that bar and a proposal to perform improv. When Awad acquiesced, he brought a growing troupe of improvisors with him. AIC soon shifted both classes and shows to Habitat Brewing; it was a move that provided them with the consistency they needed to amplify their audience and their business. “When George told us he had talked to the owners of Habitat, we were very excited at the potential of having a space to keep building on what we knew was starting to get some tractions,” Clifton remembers. “And after we all met with the Habitat crew, we had a lot of confidence that we had found a place we could keep growing.”

Since then, AIC has continued to grow, expanding its offerings and renting additional classroom space, all while continuing to call that same location—now Archetype Brewing—“home.”

Some class acts…

Classes are the cornerstone of Asheville Improv Collective, their money-maker and promulgator of clients. For $175, students meet weekly over seven weeks for two-hour sessions; these days, classes are held at the Land of the Sky’s Education Building. They’re joined by about [nine] of their peers (class size ranges from 6-12, averaging 8-10) and a rotating cadre of seasoned improvisors who teach them the skills, rules, and games congruent with their class level. At the end of the course, students take to the stage for a showcase performance. A new “term” begins approximately every eight weeks, so fervent newbies can graduate from the fourth level in about a year.

The four levels of courses are scaled so that students can transition smoothly from one class to the next. Beginners start with Level One: The Basics (which has grown so popular that there are sometimes two classes running simultaneously). In Level One rookie improvisors learn the fundamentals of improv, including many of the basic rules: avoiding questions, establishing a relationship at the top of the scene, stage presence, edits, and when to cut off a scene or go to the next. In Level One, students also begin practicing skills, like listening and being present, that October 2019 | capitalatplay.com

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they will revisit again and again throughout their improv education. Through learning and practicing these basics in simple, two-person scenes, students begin to establish that all-important trust with their classmates.

In Level Two: Your Inner Goofball, students expand on the foundation built in the previous level, incorporating more complex character work and emotions into their approach. “You see people really start to open up and kind of express themselves a little bit more and make bigger choices,” Clifton says, of Level Two. Aptly named, Level Three: Finding That Game introduces students to patterns and games for heightening jokes. “I usually call it Starbucks, Surgery, Hell,” Clifton says, explaining the technique for amplifying improvisation as he does for his students: “If I go to Starbucks and they get my name wrong and I get the wrong coffee, it’s like, ‘Aw, that sucks.’ So, if we’re going to heighten that, if I go in for surgery and they get my name wrong, I wake up missing my appendix as opposed to getting my knee fixed—that really sucks. But then if I die and

AWAD AND THE HALLS showing the students how it's done.

Women almost always outnumber men in AIC’s classes, and their female-led shows draw larger crowds.

I go to heaven and they get my name wrong, then I end up in hell for eternity.” Students learn to identify and exploit the areas ripe for that humor boost.

Those who progress to Level Four: Putting it All Together work toward the improv magnum opus: group mind. It’s to group mind that all improvisors aspire, a fluid exchange of offers and jokes so smooth it almost seems rehearsed. “The biggest compliment you can get at the end of an improv show is someone’s like, ‘You guys didn’t make that up, you guys wrote that,’” Clifton says, garnering a nod from Awad. Students practice landing on the same wavelength, predicting their peers’ moves before they’re even made. Given the structure of AIC’s classes and the tendency of new improvisors for enthusiastic dedication, group mind is

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almost implicit by Level Four. “A lot of times, if you’ve gone through all four levels together, you’re automatically connected like that,” Dana says.

Although the skills and values taught across each class vary and escalate, one thing remains the same: “Something that I push through all the levels is that failure is a good thing, because that means that you’re trying something different,” Clifton says, palms proffered.

“You’re challenging yourself. And as long as you learn from it, that’s the best part of it, right?”

Students of AIC’s courses range from college kids to retirees. “You see those two demographics, those two groups, interacting with each other. And it’s really fun sometimes to watch someone bring 68 years of life experiences to a scene with someone who’s got 20 years of life experience, and watching those two create something together. And you watch that kind of meld,” Clifton says, adding with a chuckle, “and sometimes references get lost.”

“In contrast to a lot of other communities, there’s more women than men, which is actually pretty great,” Awad adds. Women almost always outnumber men in AIC’s classes, and their femaleled shows (Dana is part of Asheville’s only all-women troupe, Family Dinner) draw larger crowds. In improv, he explains, women tend to get stuck in boxes—mothers, prostitutes—but not in AIC’s community.

The range of teachers matches that spectrum of students, likely because it’s from graduates that many of AIC’s instructors have been sourced. After Level 1, students can begin interning with the business as a way to pay their tuition and learn the ropes behindthe-scenes. Students who graduate from the program and express interest in teaching can become TAs, which gives them the opportunity to observe classes and practice offering insight and suggestions to students.

Many of AIC’s instructors (there are six in addition to the Halls and Awad) are former TAs and students. Rather

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THE AUDIENCE is key in improv, yelling out suggestions or cheering.

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than take ownership of a class or group of students, the teachers rotate between courses so that students can experience a different instructor each week.

“The curriculum is the same, but everyone has a different teaching style,” Dana says. “We kind of want you to experience that, because there might be a teacher you can really relate to, or that puts something in a different perspective than the teacher did two classes ago.”

The Shows Must Go On! Classes may be AIC’s bread and butter, but their shows are like the peanut butter and jam or ham and mustard that turn the bread into a sandwich.

That’s a clunky metaphor, but it rings true: AIC hosts a wide range of shows, from regular resident troupe showcases to special performances to kinesthetic “jams.”

It was AIC’s consistent Saturday shows at Habitat (now Archetype Brewing) that boosted the business over the next threshold of success, and they continue to buoy it still, with attendance that rarely dips below 30. With performances by AIC’s resident troupes (and occasional guest performances

by Greenville or Charlotte troupes), the purpose of these twice-monthly shows is twofold—well, threefold: education and marketing; plus, they’re really fun. They serve as a teaching tool for students (who get free admission as part of their tuition), and they draw in new audiences of potential students.

The shows usually feature resident troupes, and the profits are pulled back into the AIC pot—though the greatest profit from the shows isn’t monetary.

“We’re not making a lot of money on the shows; it’s really so we can keep putting more shows on. It’s like paying it forward,” Awad notes.

Occasionally, resident troupes will venture out to other venues for specialty shows, like the Nanta-Haha Comedy Show at Nantahala Brewing in West Asheville, featuring both improv and stand-up, or performances at Bull & Beggar in the River Arts District.

Students who graduate from AIC’s improv classes are prone to asking the same question: “Now what?”

The answer for many is the same: “Form a troupe.”

Whether they collaborate with the students they trained with or other members of the improv community, AIC leadership encourages grads to try improv with different folks and experiment until they land on something that feels right.

It was with this in mind that they founded the Workshop (not to be confused with workshops to

develop specialties of improv, like character work, which AIC also hosts).

Part open-mic, part platform for practice, the Workshop, which takes place at Archetype Brewing the second Wednesday of every month, is an opportunity for comedians, even those outside of AIC, to try out their act or new troupe. If a troupe wants to get on the AIC roster, the Workshop is like an informal try-out (they’ve already added three groups to their register this way), or you can just use the time to experiment with other improvisors.

That’s also the concept behind AIC’s Jams, a twice-monthly improv open-mic that’s open to newbies and matured improvisors alike. “Everyone and anyone can get up on stage and play, even if you’ve never done it before,” Dana explains. “You break out into groups and everyone gets 10-minute sets and gets to improvise.”

AIC also hosts out-of-town improvisors for workshops and shows—the apex of which is this month’s Asheville Improv Comedy Fest, October 3–5.

Thirty-five troupes from around the country will descend on Asheville for the inaugural three-day festival taking place across three different venues.

Ashevillian improvisors and visitors alike can attend workshops on advanced techniques, taught by the best in the biz during the day, then settle in for long nights of improv and after-parties. A festival like this one has the potential to escalate the impact of AIC’s regular shows and expand its community to a national level.

But Wait, There’s More….

In improv, scenes advance by exploring and heightening the scene (à la Clifton’s Starbucks, Surgery, Hell). Such is the same for businesses: October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 85

You start with a concept, then expand and heighten it, then do so again.

That’s certainly true of AIC. In addition to four levels of adult classes and a host of performances, AIC provides auxiliary programming with performers that literally range from kids to businessmen.

AIC’s Youth Improv programming includes Beginner and Advanced classes for teens, ages 13 to 18, where they practice and learn many of the skills taught in their adult classes that are also applicable to real life, like listening, collaboration, creative problem solving, and group dynamics. They’ve also hosted workshops for younger kiddos, a summer program with Zaniac learning center (Dana works for their corporate office), and after school programming with Vance Elementary. With a new director of Youth Improv, Katie Jones, and lead youth instructor, Tim Hearn, AIC has plans to continue expanding the youth arm of the business.

Another facet of the enterprise the group is developing is AIC For Business. Local companies often tap AIC to come in and perform, but their offerings for the business community go far beyond a quick act. (Clifton: “We’re really excited about the idea of showing businesses how improv can help them.”)

Improv naturally fosters skillsets desired by most businesses,

like team building, collaboration, and comfortable communication, but AIC can adapt the programming to drill deep into specific goals and even to fit the business’ timelines. AIC For Business’ programming encourages employees to open up and speak out, plus it engenders a bond between employees that’s hard to replicate.

Part of what makes AIC For Business so unique is that it challenges many of the outdated structures of the corporate workplace. “Improv is very counterintuitive to being an adult,” Clifton explains. “As adults, it’s like: Ask all the questions, don’t make any assumptions, learn everything you can about it, and if you’re not an expert, don’t speak up. Whereas in improv, we’re like, no, make some assumptions, don’t ask any questions, just go with whatever it is. ‘Just follow your heart, kid—just go for it.’ Because at the end of the day, we explored that idea and nothing was lost. But I guarantee you 99.9 percent of the time, something’s gained.”

AIC has even more in the works, including a Level Five course and a podcast, which will feature local troupes performing sets and then discussing their performance. “We definitely get into a ‘Yes, and…’ mindset and take on too much,” Dana admits, but it’s only a result of the group’s enthusiasm for all things improv.

And as the business continues to grow, these multiple revenue

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streams actually work to its advantage: “My experiences of being a freelancer forever is that it’s always a little concerning when there’s one dominant revenue stream,” says

designer, Clifton as a bartender at Sierra Nevada, and Dana as a franchise consultant at Zane Prep and a MacaroniKids publisher (an online website newsletter with local, family-friendly events). Someday, they’d like the business to have its own space and maybe even afford a sustainable income for them all, but for now they’re happy with the adaptive juggling act that is AIC. Already, the partners have cultivated exactly what the Halls intended: a local gang of passionate, companionable improvisors.

“I think we really helped to spur the growth of a big improv community,” says Awad, proudly. “We mixed up a lot of people, created a lot of troupes, but also bled into the local acting world and stand-up.” Clifton agrees, adding, “It’s bringing a lot of creative minds together and nurturing that.” Former students are forming troupes, filming movies, and acting in plays, but they’re also rooming together, falling in love, and becoming best friends.

Through play, the Halls and Awad are crafting capital and, most importantly, community.

“I think we really helped to spur the growth of a big improv community...We mixed up a lot of people, created a lot of troupes, but also bled into the local acting world and stand-up.”

Awad. For AIC, that’s classes, but with such a multitude of programming, there’s always a balance.

Encore, Please: Capital & Play.

Asheville Improv Collective currently sits somewhere between passion project and full-time job. All three partners have careers outside of AIC: Awad as a freelance graphic

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1. Attendees enjoying the Farm to Village dinner 2. Texas Peat - entertainment for the evening 3. Brandi & Greig Hillman

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4. Vanessa Salomo & Laura Smith 5. Geary Yelton & Susan Grenados 6. Sherrye Coggiola & The Cantina Team

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9. Jennifer Akers, Christine Nelson, & Jacqui Friedrich 10. John Kipp & Mo Suzuki 11. Laurie & Paul Bakke

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12. Kit Rains, Elana Khouri, Jonathan Waters, & Sandy Lowenstein 13. Brad Muken 14. Harvey Jenkins

15. Jonsie Moore of Manna Food Bank 16. Elena & Mark Peters 17. Shelton & Dottie Hubbell

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events

october

EVENTS OCTOBER 1&8

The Tenets of Project Management

Dr. Todd Creasy will share a strategy for controlling projects, rather than having the projects control you. WCU’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment hosts the two-day workshop.

> Registration: Before September 2, $249; After September 1, $279 > 828-654-6498 > wcu.edu

Pisgah Legal Services’ 9th Annual Justice Forum

7-9PM

The forum, organized to raise awareness about the local plight of poverty, is focused this year on economic justice for immigrants. The keynote speaker will be Pulitzer Prize winner and Emmy nominee Jose Antonio Vargas. Preregistration is required.

>Tickets: Reception (5:30PM) $60,

9AM-12PM WCU – Biltmore Park 28 Schenck Parkway, Asheville, NC

OCTOBER 3

US Cellular Center, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium 87 Haywood St, Asheville, NC

Forum FREE

OCTOBER 3

SPARC after Dark

6-9PM

The Boat House 350 Riverside Dr, Asheville, NC This party raises funds for the area’s most vulnerable. Attractions include live music, alcoholic beverages, dinner, a raffle, and the French Broad River itself.

Bright and bold attire preferred.

>Tickets: Advance $25, Door $30 > 828-319-2812 > thesparcfoundation.org

> 828-253-0406 > pisgahlegal.org OCTOBER 3

Nobuntu

OCTOBER 4

8-9:30PM

The Wortham Center 18 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC The five-woman quintet celebrates native Zimbabwean melodies with light percussion and dance. Selections could include traditional, jazz, and/or gospel.

“Nobuntu” means “mother of kindness.”

>Tickets: $20-$42 > 828-257-4530 > dwtheatre.org

Reception: In Vivid Color! By Judy Rentner 5-8PM

Asheville Gallery of Art 82 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC Painter Judy Rentner celebrates autumn with Realist tones in the Impressionist style. The exhibit runs from October 1-31.

> 828-251-5796 > ashevillegallery-of-art.com

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OCTOBER 5

80 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC

10AM-5PM Park Ave, Downtown Blowing Rock, NC

The list of brews is too long to count backward. Other activities include a costume contest, axe throwing, a pretzel toss, and more. This is a 21-and-over festival.

Art in the Park

Each show features select works by a cohort of 90 makers in a variety of media.

> 877-295-7851 > blowingrock.com

OCTOBER 5

OCTOBER 5

Brewgrass Festival

MakeHER Market

3PM-12AM Salvage Station 466 Riverside Dr, Asheville, NC

10AM-3PM The Mothlight 701 Haywood Rd, W. Asheville, NC Created by Incite Coffee Co. and Maadlili Collective, this free event returns following a successful 2019 debut and will feature 20+ female creatives, makers, and designers offering handcrafted goods, jewelry, home décor, art, botanicals, and more.

> facebook.com/makeHERmarket OCTOBER 5

Asheville Oktoberfest

1-6PM Pack Square Park

>Tickets: $10-$130 > 828-251-9973 > ashevilledowntown.org

As the market for beer-centric festivals has become supersaturated, Brewgrass is rebranding as a music festival. This year, it hopes to see another 3,000 visit three stages of bluegrass—and nine beer stands (sans sampling).

>Tickets $35 > 828-407-0521 > brewgrassfestival.com OCTOBER 5

Bascom Lamar Lunsford

“Minstrel of Appalachia” Festival 10AM-7:30PM Mars Hill University 100 Athletic St, Mars Hill, NC

Now in its 52nd year, WNC’s second-oldest folk music festival will run alongside the Madison Heritage Arts Festival in downtown Mars Hill. Free;

> 828-689-1298 > mhu.edu OCTOBER 10

Reception: Big Little Paintings 6:30-8:30PM BlackBird Frame & Art 365 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC Acclaimed members of the Appalachian Pastel Society present non-juried tiny art. Proceeds from sales will benefit the Open Hearts Art Center. The exhibit will run from October 3-30.

> 828-225-3117 > blackbirdframe.com

NOVEMBER 1-3, 2019 November 2 - 4, 2018

- WNC Friday 1 - 7Ag pmCenter - Davis Arena Saturday 10 am - 6 pm Friday 1-7 p.m. | Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Sunday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sunday 11 am - 4 pm October 2019 for more info visit LogAndTimberAsheville.com

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events

OCTOBER 10

Outdoor Economy Conference

8:30AM-5:30PM Crowne Plaza Expo Center 1 Resort Dr, Asheville, NC

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Sold out last year, the event has moved to a larger venue right next to the Kolo Mountain Bike Park and the Treetops Adventure Park. This is an opportunity for crafters supporting through sport earth’s natural bounty to network and fortify their supply chains.

>Tickets: Pitch Event $15,

Conference Pass $139, Conference Pass Plus $229 > 828-253-2834 > outdooreconomy.org OCTOBER 11

ASU HR Summit

7:30AM-4:30PM Appalachian State University, Plemmons Student Union 263 Locust St, Boone, NC Participants will be briefed on the latest best management practices for human resources and people operations.

> Registration: Before September 20, $160; after September 19, $225 > 828-262-2922 > appstate.edu

> Admission: $5; On-site parking: $5 > 828-862-5984 > facebook.com/pumpkinpatchrevenge OCTOBER 12

CURVE 30 Party

10AM-6PM CURVE Studios 3, 5, & 7 River Arts Place, Asheville, NC This month’s R AD Second Saturday Celebration will include a free 30th birthday party for CURVE (learn more about CURVE on p.41). Attractions will include extended studio hours, an art talk, a public art unveiling, and cake.

> 828-388-3526 > curvestudios.org/curve-30-party OCTOBER 12&13

Sugar Mountain Resort’s 28th Annual Oktoberfest

10AM-5PM Sugar Mountain Resort 1009 Sugar Mountain Dr, Sugar Mountain, NC

In addition to the normal German fair fare, the free two-day celebration will include Bavarian music by the Harbour Towne Fest band and the Valle Crucis Middle School Band, chairlift rides, and ski shop sales.

> 828-SUGAR-MT > skisugar.com

OCTOBER 11-12, 18-19, 25-26

Pumpkin Fest

7-9PM Silvermont Park 364 E Main St, Brevard, NC

Top: Roan Highlands, Mitchell County; photo: Travis Bordley Middle: Muddy Sneakers, Transylvania County Bottom: Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

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The 5th annual event is a beloved Brevard tradition and is family friendly: think food trucks, games, live music, face painting, scavenger hunt, etc. Note: Oct. 26 runs 5-9PM following Brevard’s Halloween Fest.

OCTOBER 12

Annual Multi-Kiln Opening Celebration

11AM-4PM The Village Potters 191 Lyman St, Asheville, NC

In the annual event, the Village Potters will demonstrate techniques for Raku, large-pot throwing, carving, and other

surface treatments on a rotating basis.

Thousands of finished pots will be for sale.

> 828-253-2424 > thevillagepotters.com OCTOBER 12

CiderFest NC

MULCH | SAND | GRAVEL | MASONRY TOOLS | BOULDERS | BUILDING STONE | THIN STONE | FLAGSTONE

1-5PM Carrier Park 220 Amboy Rd, Asheville, NC At the seventh annual event taste ciders and meads from all around. Buy what you like. This event raises funds for the Green Built Alliance.

>Tickets: Designated Driver $15, General $33, VIP $55 > 828-254-1995 > ciderfestnc.com

:: ASHEVILLE :: 321 SWEETEN CREEK ROAD 828.575.9400

:: BREVARD :: 415 ROSMAN HIGHWAY 828.883.9680

WWW.FRENCHBROADSTONE.COM

OCTOBER 12

The City of Music

7:30-10PM Blue Ridge Community College, Conference Hall 49 East Campus Dr, Flat Rock, NC

Don’t stop now

Violinist Zachary DePue interprets famous classical compositions written

by Vienna’s finest.

>Tickets: Adult $45, Student $12 > 828-694-1707 > hendersonvillesymphony.org OCTOBER 16

Advanced Internet Marketing

6-9PM A-B Tech Small Business Center 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler, NC Internet marketing strategist Sarah Benoit shares the latest, best practices for connecting with clients through the internet at this free workshop.

Students are encouraged to bring their

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Complete Your Outdoor Space.

Let us help with furniture, firepits and grills!

events

own laptops to follow and apply course content directly to their own contexts.

> 828-271-4786 > asheville.score.org OCTOBER 17-20

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands

10AM-6PM U.S. Cellular Center 87 Haywood St, Asheville, NC

Meeting Your Fireplace and Patio Needs.

“72 Years of Creative Heritage” gets celebrated by the artisans of the Southern Highland Craft Guild as the public shops the booths adorned with contemporary and traditional work in clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media, and jewelry.

264 Biltmore Ave. • Asheville, NC • 828.252.2789

>Tickets: General $8, Weekend Pass

Jensen Leisure Coral All Weather Woven Seating Group

DARGAN Landscape Architects, Inc. Landscape Your Life • Create nourishing, flourishing home utopias • Est. 1973

$12, Children free > 828-298-7928 > craftguild.org OCTOBER 19

Narrative Healthcare Symposium

9AM-5PM MAHEC 121 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville, NC The day will be full of medical professionals sharing how storytelling helps them in their line of work. Consult website for itinerary. The event kicks off with a spotlight on Dr. Rita Charon at 7pm Friday.

> Early Registration: $50-$180 > 828-257-4400 > mahec.net OCTOBER 19-20

Call today to learn more about our Master Plans & Consultations 828-743-0307 | mpdargan@dargan.com | dargan.com 94

| October 2019

Lake Lure Autumn Arts & Crafts Festival

10AM-6PM

Lake Lure 119 Arcade St, Lake Lure, NC Over 90 crafters sell unique gifts within walking distance of the beach and the famous hotel.

> 828-625-4683 > lakelureartsandcraftsfestivals.com OCTOBER 19

Woodcarvers and Whittlers Festival 10AM-3PM Columbus Courthouse Lawn 1 Courthouse Sq, Columbus, NC

Amateurs and professionals work with wood using primitive and high-tech methods.

> 828-894-8236 > discovercolumbusnc.com

for nature. The exhibit runs through December 31.

> 828-253-7651 > grovewood.com OCTOBER 23

Open House & Benefit Raffle

10AM-6PM Harpe Laser + Wellness 5 Yorkshire Street, Ste B, Asheville, NC Annual open house will feature a raffle of services and products, with proceeds going to nonprofit Knickers For Life, which provides hygienic products for kids in Africa to help cut down on disease.

> 828-435-2532 > drharpe.com OCTOBER 23

OCTOBER 19

Blues Cheese Festival

3-7PM The Center for Art and Inspiration 125 South Main St, Hendersonville, NC Mac Arnold and a Plateful of Blues provide the music; WNC’s best cheesemakers provide the tastings. Proceeds benefit the WNC Cheese Trail.

>Tickets: Advance $30, Door $35 > 828-697-8547 > thecenterai.com OCTOBER 19

Reception: Landscapes of Southern Appalachia by Shawn Krueger

2-5PM Grovewood Gallery 111 Grovewood Rd, Asheville, NC

Described as a Tonalist arts and crafter, Krueger paints with love and respect

Social Media for Business

6-9PM A-B Tech Small Business Center 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler, NC

The free interactive seminar dissects real online presences to illustrate both effective and weak strategies.

> 828-271-4786 > asheville.score.org

OCTOBER 25

12th Annual Authors for Literacy Dinner & Silent Auction 6-9PM Crowne Plaza Expo Center 1 Resort Dr, Asheville, NC

The evening will include a cocktail hour, a silent auction of valuables, including signed and rare books, a nice dinner, and a book signing and sale of the works of keynote speaker New York Times bestselling author Daniel Wallace. Proceeds help further the council’s goal of helping people rise out of poverty.

> Admission: General $95, VIP $500 > 828-254-3442 > litcouncil.com OCTOBER 26

M-pact

7-8:30PM The Wortham Center 18 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC The six-man a cappella act performs a variety of genres, emulating a variety of timbres with outstanding vocal calisthenics.

>Tickets: $20-$38 > 828-257-4530 > dwtheatre.com

OCTOBER 25-27

Southern Animal Fiber Fair

9AM-6PM (Fri, Sat), 9AM-4PM (Sun) WNC Agricultural Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd, Fletcher, NC In addition to selling all-natural clothing, crafters will demonstrate the arts of spinning, felting, weaving, and knitting.

> Admission: $5 > 828-687-1414 > wncagcenter.org

OCTOBER 26-27

HotWorks Asheville Fine Art Show 9AM-5PM Pack Square Park 80 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC

HotWorks is a platform for youth to compete for prizes in a juried exhibit of the visual arts.

> 941-755-3088 > hotworks.org October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 95

events

OCTOBER 26-27

3rd Annual Beaverdam Studio Tour

10AM-5PM (Sat), 12-5PM (Sun) North Asheville, NC

Over 30 artists working in a variety of media are participating in the selfguided driving tour this year. Maps are available online.

> beaverdamstudiotour.com

OCTOBER 30

NOVEMBER 3

Advanced Tax Topics for Business

WNC Fermentation Festival

11:30AM-1PM Lenoir-Rhyne, Asheville Campus 36 Montford Ave, Asheville, NC

11AM-5PM Madison County Cooperative Extension Center 258 Carolina Lane, Marshall, NC

At this free workshop topics include optimal structuring from a taxation perspective, good and bad bookkeeping practices, and recent changes to tax law.

Fermenters age with grace. Vendors will have recipe books, fermentation kits, storage tips, demonstrations, and more. Proceeds benefit the Beacon of Hope Food Bank of Marshall.

> 828-271-4786 OCTOBER 28 – NOVEMBER 1

High-Impact Leadership Certification 9AM-4PM WCU-Biltmore Park 28 Schenck Pkwy, Asheville, NC

The program is facilitated by WCU’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment. Topics will focus on assessing context, effective communications, and ethics. Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kit Cramer will be the keynote speaker.

> Registration: Before October 2, $759; after October 1, $849 > 828-654-6498 > wcu.edu

> asheville.score.org

> 828-649-2411 > wncfermentingfestival.com

NOVEMBER 2

Russian Ballet Theatre presents Swan Lake

7:30-10:30PM US Cellular Center 87 Haywood St, Asheville, NC

your complete your complete Fabric cente

This production of the German fairy tale set to Tchaikovsky features handpainted sets, over 150 hand-sewn costumes, artistic hairdressing, and special effects makeup.

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 at least six weeks in advance.

Fabric center

>Tickets: $28-$85 > 828-259-5736 > russianballettheatre.com Largest selection of upholstery fabric in WNC

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LOCATION IN FLETCHER fletcherfoamandfabric.com

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October 12 -13 & 19-20, 2019 Homes Open for Tour from 1 - 5 pm

Visit ParadeofHomesAsheville.com for Home Information, Magazine Locations & More

Gather ideas, be inspired, and meet builders for your current and future home building projects!

October 2019 | capitalatplay.com 97

passion, experience, and guidance passion, experience, and guidance

SERVING THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE LIVE AND WORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN A KEY PART OF DHG’S CULTURE SERVING THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE LIVE AND WORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN A KEY PART OF DHG’S CULTURE DHG’s campaign to to support approximately$100k $100keach eachyear yeartotosupport support DHG’s campaign supportUnited UnitedWay WayofofAsheville Ashevilleand and Buncombe Buncombe County County raises raises approximately Western NCNC residents.

Western residents.

In 2019, DHG’s Asheville & Hendersonville of food food to to MANNA MANNAFoodBank FoodBankand andmade mademonetary monetary In 2019, DHG’s Asheville & Hendersonvilleoffices officescollectively collectivelygave gave3,300 3,300 pounds pounds of donations thatthat willwill provide more than donations provide more than70,500 70,500meals mealstotothose thoseininneed. need.

DHG received thethe 2019 “We AAM Marketing,which whichsalutes salutesthe thecorporate corporate DHG received 2019 “We AAMtotoServe” Serve”award, award,from fromthe theAssociation Association for for Accounting Accounting Marketing, social responsibility philosophy ofof firms in their theircommunities. communities. social responsibility philosophy firmsthat thatgo goabove-and-beyond above-and-beyond to to make make a difference difference in Ridgefield Court | Asheville, NC 28806| |828.254.2254 828.254.2254 500500 Ridgefield Court | Asheville, NC 28806

1620 Asheville Highway | Hendersonville, NC28791 28791| 828.692.9176 | 828.692.9176 1620 Asheville Highway | Hendersonville, NC Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhg.com | October 2019 98 | Tax | Advisory Assurance | dhg.com

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