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Money and Shopping in Asheville
Money and Shopping in Asheville
Asheville does not necessarily have a specific commercial district but rather it resembles a long line, curving through the mountains. Beginning directly north of downtown, Merrimon Avenue has many low density restaurants and small shopping strip malls. It is the typical American shopping street and many locals consider it “The Strip.” As you move south towards the city-center, Merrimon Avenue changes names to Broadway, then Biltmore Avenue after it intersects with Patton Avenue at Pack Square, home to the Vance Monument, located directly in front of City-County Plaza.
Surrounding this area, Downtown, you will find many boutiques, cafes, museums, and interesting historical buildings. At the eastern end of downtown, a tunnel is carved directly into Sunset Mountain. The recently renovated street leading out of downtown and into the mountain goes into the edifice as College Street and comes out as Asheville’s most celebrated shopping street, Tunnel Road.
Tunnel Road is very commercial and hosts mostly large corporate chains. Recently, construction has boomed along this stretch, and reaching towards the skies above the restaurants and stores you will see some brand new hotels. Finally, Tunnel Road transitions into South Tunnel Road, which is home to the city’s main mall and smaller chain shopping centers. This area of town is not at all touristy, and prices are average and intended for locals.
At the end of South Tunnel Road there is a vast shopping center that extends across the Swannanoa River and up over the mountain, eventually overlooking the Industrial district, containing a relatively new and quite controversial shopping complex along the river, having the city’s Super Walmart as its flagstore. It was built upon the rubble of the abandoned Sayles-Biltmore Bleachery, which used to bleach paper for the US Treasury's currency manufacture.
Downtown Asheville is full of neat and quirky shops and prides itself on the lack of corporate chain stores. Spend some time exploring downtown (it's very walkable) and see what you can find. Here are some highlights:
The Grove Arcade, . A newly-restored and exquisite building built by E.W. Grove, who also designed the Grove Park Inn in the 1920s. It is filled with specialty food markets, restaurants, and local mountain craft stores. �
Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe, 55 Haywood St, . An independent bookstore with a good selection and an open mind. Great staff recommendations. Grab a book or bring your own and relax in the cafe with coffee and a sandwich. �
French Broad Chocolate Lounge (French Board Chocolate Lounge), 10 south lexington avenue, asheville, nc 28801 (http://frenchbroadchocolates.com/location/), ☎ 828.252.4181 ( ), . An artisan, local chocolate shop owned and operated by Dan and Jael Rattigan, dedicated to using organic ingredients and buying fairly traded goods. �
The Chocolate Fetish, 36 Haywood St, . A European-style chocolatier with some of the best truffles to be found anywhere. Although it's easy to spend a lot of money here, the pricing is quite reasonable given the quality and size of the chocolates. �
Mast General Store, 15 Biltmore Ave, . Has an old-fashioned to modern day assortment of products. Old-time candy in barrels to hiking and camping equipment and apparel. �
Lexington Avenue is one of Asheville's hippest streets. For your music needs visit Static Age Records, specializing in vinyl, punk rock and heavy metal. Instant Karma and the Octopus Garden specialize in smoking accessories along with a wide variety of other products. Hip Replacements has some great vintage clothing, while up the block Spiritex offers a wide variety of sustainably produced clothing. Buy a used book or read the newspaper or a magazine at Downtown Books and News. Get a tattoo at Liquid Dragon , and stop by one of the many restaurants on Lexington for a quick bite. On the next block up is the Chevron Trading Post for all of your beading needs, and Tops for Shoes , the biggest shoe store in Asheville. While many wonderful stores and hot spots along this street are facing increasing pressure from landlords who want to "gentrify" the area, Lexington is still the best place to get a taste of Asheville's counterculture.
Biltmore Village Just South of Asheville's downtown, and right outside the gates of the Biltmore Estate is the quaint village built around the 1890's called Biltmore Village. It is easily accessed from I-40 (Exit 50). A number of small independently owned retail stores which have carved out specialty niches can be found intermingled with restaurants beneath the shade of the tree-lined streets. Recently, National Specialty stores and a boutique Hotel have begun construction there. Of particular note are the following:
New Morning Gallery, . Probably the best collection of regional Arts and Crafts in Western North Carolina. The gallery features ceramics, glass, jewelry and furniture from local Appalachian artisans. It is in front of Bella Vista Art Gallery �
River Arts District Wrapped along the river, and visible from the bridge over the French Broad River (i.e. from I-240 or Patton Ave.) is an enclave of Art Studios, Galleries, and restaurants that is still not quite user-friendly but accessible to the adventurous. Some worthy points of interest are:
The Old Cotton Mill Building Owned by Marty and Eileen Black and inhabited by a mixed group of artists and studios.
The Phil Mechanic Building Cutting edge Galleries, artists and a Bio-diesel plant can be found if you wander around inside the old building. Jolene Mechanic, the owner, is a great resource for getting to know the area.
240 Clingman This was originally a warehouse. Right after the Katrina Hurricane it was turned into a gallery by the owners of Bella Vista Art Gallery . After they left, Jonas Gerard, from Miami, took over the space. He was featured on 20/20 and has some eye-popping art on display, and for sale.
The Wedge Filled with little art galleries, artists, a brewery, fine porcelain and mechanical dinosaurs is interesting but not for the timid.
Head away from downtown and visit the WNC Farmer's Market for a huge selection of locally grown and produced crops 'n' crafts. You could spend hours and still not see everything.
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Asheville Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.