As a local program that trains workers for green jobs winds down, staff and graduates alike confront a frustrating situation. “As far as finding training-related work, that’s the challenge,” says Susan Garrett, Green Jobs director for the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry. The ABCCM Green Jobs program began nearly two years ago when the nonprofit […]
You’ve got an idea for a business. Or maybe you want to take your existing business to the next level. Now you just need the tools to put those ideas into action. Luckily, there are a number of local resources that can help. Here are a few to get you started: • Asheville Area Chamber […]
When I was pregnant with my son, Ryan, people frequently asked: Are you going to keep working or stay home with the baby? Those well-meaning inquisitors had bought into the “either/or” myth of modern motherhood: You either work full time outside the home and use day care, or you take care of the kids while […]
If you’re casting about for help in starting a new business — or are primed to take your business to the next level — there are a number of resources available. Here are a few to get you started: • Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business & Entrepreneurship department has information on topics pertinent […]
Try as you might, you’d be hard pressed to find more enthusiastic, hardworking, community-minded women than Mountain BizWorks’ three 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year winners. “Those are really … people we’ve seen grow and work their business in a successful way,” says Sharon Oxendine, director of the nonprofit’s Women’s Business Center. And given the rocky […]
Gather 300 or so women entrepreneurs, shower them with pertinent advice and encourage them to network. Then send them home with the taste of chocolate in their mouths. Sound like a promising plan? That’s what the organizers of Mountain BizWorks’ seventh annual Women’s Business Conference think. The May 27 event aims to offer support, encouragement […]
When teams of kickboxers, Zumba dancers, cyclists and other athletic-minded volunteers converge on the Reuter Family YMCA April 30, they'll be raising money to help Buncombe County residents like Keldwyn Teves — and promoting a healthier community. Teves, 63, feels certain she wouldn't be alive today without Project Access, a program of the Western North […]
Think back to the science classes you had when you were a kid. Mine conjure up the acrid smell of formaldehyde as my high-school biology classmates and I dissected enormous, pale, flatworms that seemed too otherworldly to slither on the earth. Nature photographer Kevin W. FitzPatrick has a similarly uninspiring story. "When I was a […]
Assessing the health of public art can be like approaching art itself: It’s all in how you look at it. Two speakers at the upcoming Public Art 360 conference, to be held later this month in Asheville, offer markedly different takes on the state of public art today and what should be done to encourage […]
If you’re looking for a women’s conference that offers a generous dose of herbal education mixed with camaraderie, empowerment and self-reliant living, then the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference may fit the bill. The sixth annual conference, to be held Oct. 1-3 at Lake Eden in Black Mountain, draws women from across the Southeast to attend […]
Now that we've been sprung from our seemingly endless winter, it's somehow easier to focus on fitness — both physical and mental — when we don't have to try so hard just to stay warm. The same goes for our kids — who, in their off time, can use a bit of inspiration to keep […]
When Tara McDonald-Tiner was pregnant with her daughter, Olivia, she and her husband were so preoccupied about the impending birth that the couple didn’t focus on what parenting style they’d use once the baby arrived in the world. Group hug: Local parents Jubal Tiner and Tara McDonald-Tiner snuggle with their daughter, Olivia. Photos By Jonathan […]
Let’s face it: A set of wooden blocks just doesn’t have the wow factor that a flashing, singing electronic whatzit has. Customer Ciarra Taylor bonds with a decidedly low-tech,and definitely adorable, “Ugly Doll” at Enviro Depot, World’s Coolest Toys. Photo by Jonathan Welch. And that’s pretty much what the mainstream toy industry is counting on. […]
In a country where girls are now pushed to excel in math, sports and other pursuits once considered largely off limits to women, is it still OK to be a girly girl? Ask the folks at the Smith-McDowell House Museum in Asheville, and the answer would likely be a resounding yes. In fact, it’s hard […]
A historical rescue tops the list of projects recognized by this year’s Griffin Awards. photo by Bill Wescott Proud to be a Victorian: Rescued from the wrecking ball, the Sallie Lee Victorian Cottage (now in Montford) was the first house in Western North Carolina owned by a woman, according to The Preservation Society of Asheville […]
“Historic preservation and restoration is what makes Asheville Asheville.” — Bill Wescott, president of The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County If you’ve lived in Asheville long enough, you may remember the dilapidated little cottage that once sat directly across from the Asheville Transit bus terminal exit on Ashland Avenue. Though down-at-the-heels, the tiny […]
The Victorian age bestowed upon us a vast, sprawling legacy — from cloyingly frilly home decor to Darwin’s theory of evolution to some of the greatest novelists of the past two centuries. The latter, along with Queen Victoria herself, are the subjects of an upcoming talk by Elliot Engel, a former English professor who now […]
“Man, she whips me into shape.” — Sarah McGinnis, speaking of dance coach Vlada Kysselova Flying through the air, Sarah McGinnis swings one muscular leg skyward as her coquettish flamenco skirt flares into a red-and-black blur of tulle. The ballerina lands lightly en pointe, then readies herself to perform the move all over again. Her […]
Imagine spending up to 12 hours hauling butt over 50 miles of rugged terrain via foot, bike and canoe. Now imagine keeping pace with your teammates as you go — and having only a map and compass to help you find your way. Sound like fun? Then maybe adventure racing really is for you. Mountain […]
Veteran bluegrass stylemaster Doyle Lawson and his band, Quicksilver, are rightly celebrated for their sound — smooth vocals graced by tight harmonies, and paired with flawless instrumentals. But if not for one peculiar personal habit of Lawson’s, his fans wouldn’t have the chance to snatch up copies of the group’s latest CD, which has been […]
[Editor’s note: Back in January, Gov. Mike Easley proclaimed 2004-05 as the official “Celebration of North Carolina Craft,” kicking off a two-year, statewide commemoration (see more at www.carolinaarts.com). This story is the second in a series of Mountain Xpress articles exploring the art and business of craft in Western North Carolina.] “People in general don’t […]
