Soap peddler: Kimberly Masters Kimberly Masters has always been the crafty type. As a business student at UNC-Greensboro, she made things in ceramics classes. Later, she moved on to fleece hats and headbands, which she made while working as a bicycle tour guide in Alaska. It was a more recent trip to the doctor, though, […]
Author: Christopher George
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In the kingdom of quirk
What comes to mind when you think of museums? Stuffy assemblages of high art? Historically or culturally significant items sealed behind forbidding glass cases, supervised by scowling guards? Informative yet eminently forgettable school field trips? Sure, an hour or two in a museum can give lazy vacationers a bit of intellectual stimulation, but can you […]
“Homes for Heroes” lowers Realtor fee for veterans, other heroes buying/selling homes
On Sunday afternoon, Asheville’s Patton Property Group held an Open House at 1 Norwood Park Avenue to promote its new Homes for Heroes program, which gives a 25 percent discount off the real estate commission to teachers, firefighters, public safety officers, health care workers, and military personnel looking to buy or sell a home in […]
Getaway video: Tour the Museum of the Cherokee Indian
Take an Xpress video getaway tour of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, shot as part of an upcoming getaway regional museum tour.
Getaway Video: Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures
Earlier this week, Asheville officially became home to what Adventure America Zipline Canopy Tours CEO Jeff Greiner calls the first urban zip-line experience in Western North Carolina. Xpress was there, camera in hand, to see what all the zip-lining fuss is about.
Getaway Video: Tour the Museum of Salt & Pepper Shakers in Gatlinburg, TN
Take an Xpress video getaway tour of the Museum of Salt & Pepper Shakers, shot as part of an upcoming getaway regional museum tour.
Three Asheville area businesses among those honored as North Carolina’s “companies to watch”
Three Asheville area businesses are among the 25 named “North Carolina Companies to Watch” by CED and the Edward Lowe Foundation. Both are private, nonprofit organizations promoting entrepreneurial efforts in North Carolina. Hickory Nut Gap Farms, Moog Music, and FLS Energy are all slated to be honored at an awards ceremony September 21 in Durham.
Video: Take a tour of the Wheels Through Time motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley
Check out some of the great two-wheeled transportation from yesteryear with our tour of the Wheels Through Time motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley, videoed as part of special upcoming Getaway regional museum tour out later this month.
Vision quest
Even in the midst of the Great Recession, some local businesses are doing quite well. What have they figured out that others haven’t? What can we learn from them? Here’s what three successful startups had to say about their own adventures on the road to economic viability. Industry Nine It might seem perfectly natural that […]
Video: Take a tour of Asheville’s local bicycle wheel and hub-makers, Industry Nine
At a time when the local economy is sluggish, Industry Nine, designer and manufacturer or high-end bicycle hubs and wheels is thriving, with sales climbing 30 percent last year. Xpress takes you on a tour of this unique local business’s manufacturing process, going from raw aluminum, to finished hub, to wheel assembly.
Let the sun shine
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Aug. 2, 2011 meeting 2010-11 tax collections on track Carolina Ready Mix property rezoned Amid a tight economy, the Buncombe County commissioners are looking on the bright side. At their Aug. 2 meeting, they unanimously approved installing solar panels on Enka High School’s roof, with an eye toward saving both […]
Getaway: Share your ideas
Where do you go when you need short reprieve from the daily grind, nothing too big, just a one-off thing? Where do you go to get away? Share those ideas with your digital neighbors, and let’s get the getaway conversation going.
Getaway: Star Watch Tours brings night vision stargazing to Asheville
Star Watch Night Vision Tours creator Dawn Bankson sums up the idea behind her business pretty succinctly: “The ancients used to look up at the sky, but we don’t,” she explains. At it’s core, that’s what Star Watch is, a chance to look up at the sky. Of course, Star Watch adds a small twist to that rather ordinary experience: $3,500 night vision goggles.
Buncombe County Commissioners roundup: Enka High School solar installation good to go
At its August 2 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a measure that paves the way for Enka High School to install solar panels on its roof. The move means that Enka can move forward with plans to install both photovoltaic and solar water heating systems on the roof beginning in September.
Neighborhood planning
Lee-Walker Heights isn't for sale, but Asheville officials have a plan to redevelop it. At their July 26 meeting, Asheville City Council members unanimously agreed to join the Housing Authority in applying for a $300,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant (formerly called HOPE VI), which provides funding for a variety of community revitalization projects — many […]
Live coverage of the August 2 Buncombe County Comissioners meeting
Follow live Twitter coverage of tonight’s Buncombe County Commissioners meeting here beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Buncombe County Commissioners Preview: rooftop solar for Enka High School
At its meeting tonight the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is will consider a measure that would pave the way for Enka High School to install solar panels on its roof. Also at tonight’s meeting, Comissioners will hear the county’s annual Tax Settlement Report.
Neighborhood planning: City, Housing Authority seek grant for Lee-Walker Heights rehab
Lee-Walker Heights isn’t for sale, but Asheville officials have a plan to redevelop it.
At their July 26 meeting, Asheville City Council members unanimously agreed to join the Housing Authority in applying for a $300,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant (formerly called HOPE VI), which provides funding for a variety of community revitalization projects — many aimed at creating mixed-income housing and stimulating homeownership among low-income residents.
Asheville City Council meeting wrap up for July 26
Here’s a summary of actions taken at the July 26 Asheville City Council meeting.
Asheville City Council Preview: HUD Grant applications, rezoning, and a massive Consent Agenda
If the agenda for tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting is any indicator, things could move along quickly at City Hall. Council is expected to take up a conditional zoning request for a portion of a lot containing Trinity United Methodist Church at 587 Haywood Road in West Asheville, a resolution supporting the city being a co-applicant with the Asheville Housing Authority for a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant, and a massive 19-item Consent Agenda
Video: Asheville Design Center students build teaching space at Burton Street Peace Garden
It’s been a busy summer at the Burton Street Peace Garden in West Asheville so far. A new outdoor classroom space is being built on the Peace Garden’s lot as part of a 10-week design-build studio summer course organized by the design center. Check out our video of the site, currently under construction.