Common capital: Mapping Asheville’s shared economy

Shared economies are based on collaboration — the belief that collective ownership of resources leads to their most effective use. In such systems, advocates say, individuals don’t have to struggle as much to find what they need or make available what they have to offer. The overall goal is not individual profit but providing the maximum benefit to all with the least amount of waste.

Busy weekend for Asheville Herb Festival

The WNC Chapter of the N.C. Herb Association marked its 25th anniversary with the annual spring Asheville Herb Festival this weekend. Visitors flocked to the festival with visions of this year’s gardening adventures looking to stock up garden staples as well as to track down a number of unique varieties. The festival operated under the tagline “If It’s Herbs, It’s Here.”

Smart Bets: Brian McGee

“By the time every 30-something punk dude and their mom had picked up an acoustic guitar and started singing ‘This Land is Your Land,’ Brian had found his way back up to the East Coast, this time to Asbury Park, N.J.,” says the bio of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and former Ashevillean Brian McGee. The Philadelphia native moved […]

The LEAF list

Heading to LEAF next weekend and not quite sure what to see? The good news is that you can’t really go wrong. The festival always packs its roster with an array of stellar acts that range from traditional to contemporary and Americana to international. But this spring brings some world and fusion acts of note. Here’s a list of four bands worth checking out, and one techno contra dance (no, seriously).

A-B Tech culinary team moves on to national competitio­n

Five culinary students from AB-Tech took home the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Southeast Region Student Team Championship from the 2014 ACF Southeast Regional Conference held April 26-29 in North Charleston, S.C. Team members Alex Harris, Caroline Williams, Ruth Solis, Jay O’Hannon and Kristina Costa had the highest overall score and received a silver medal at the […]

Dressed to impress: Local designer Tiffany Saini kicks off her fashion career

In March, local fashion designer Tiffany Saini sent an eight-piece collection down the runway at Charleston Fashion Week — the largest fashion event in the Southeast. Saini, who lives in Arden and studied in Manchester, U.K., had participated in runway shows before, but nothing on the scale of Charleston Fashion Week. She describes it as […]