Remember when, Asheville?

Posted on by Joyce Harrison
POWER OF THE PURSE: As downtown Asheville and the surrounding area were revived in the 1980s and 1990s, Self-Help Credit Union and its regional director, Joyce Harrison, assisted small businesses and renovated the Public Service Building on Wall Street. Photo courtesy of Joyce Harrison

Remember when Stone Soup was the happening place to be seen eating lunch and the Gilberts greeted you with a smile every day with their homemade bread and soups?

Remember when Wall Street was deserted (no foot traffic)? Self -Help Credit Union, with the help of Julian Price (and other donors) helped to rehab the Public Service Building — which now has a waiting list for tenants?

Remember when Leslie Anderson was the city’s downtown-development director and she was recruiting new businesses to fill the empty spaces? Most ventures were too risky for bank financing, and then she discovered Self -Help Credit Union. Many referrals came from her office, and new businesses started filing the downtown buildings.

Remember when the S&W Cafeteria opened up for business — nice lunches, reception and meetings? People working downtown could walk to lunch meetings and gatherings.

Remember when the parking was free along the street and we did not have to worry about getting a parking ticket or getting towed?

Remember when The Block had Mr. Gene’s and you could get some good soul food (fried chicken, fish dinner, home cooked veggies and homemade desserts)?

Remember when it seemed like Jeff Fobes was Mountain Xpress, the editor, publisher and copywriter?

Although we can remember a lot of things about what was happening in the ’90s, we need to remember that without change we could not and would not be the Asheville that we are today.

Joyce Harrison is native Ashevillean. She retired in 2011 as regional director of Self-Help credit Union.

 

 

 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.