Local Businesses We Want to Keep 

Wicked Weed West is the taproom and patio inside Wicked Weed's 50-barrel production brewery in Candler, just west of Asheville. You can try all of Wicked Weed's beer, wine and cider here, looking right into the working brewery.

Locals like the easygoing, dog and family friendly patio and the range on tap, from West Coast IPAs like Freak of Nature to sours and sparkling rose.

Wicked Weed West

Franny's Farmacy is a woman-founded hemp and CBD shop that started on Franny's Farm in Western North Carolina, with stores on Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville and Haywood Road in West Asheville, plus one at Henderson Crossing Plaza in Hendersonville. The house products are made in small batches here in WNC.

Look for sun-grown THCa flower, live rosin, CBD edibles, full-spectrum oils, vapes, topicals and lotions, plus CBD for pets. Merrimon opens at 9 AM, and Haywood and Hendersonville at 10 AM, Monday through Saturday. All three open at noon on Sunday. For adults 21 and up.

Locals like that the team can tell you how the house products are made, and first-timers get walked through the options without any rush.

Franny's Farmacy

Hickory Nut Gap is a working family farm out on Sugar Hollow Road in Fairview, east of Asheville, and the same family has been farming it since 1916. They raise 100% grassfed beef plus pasture-raised pork and chicken, and the farm store and butchery is where you stock up on all of it, along with local goods and prepared food.

Fall is when the farm really comes alive. Weekends bring hay rides and pony rides by donation, with the money going to Project HNG. Wednesday through Sunday the kids, and plenty of grown-ups, hit the culvert slides, the trike track, the sound silo and the creek with its little rope swing. Local apples, farm-pressed cider and pumpkins fill up the store in September.

The calendar stays full out here. Monthly Big Barn Socials, barn dance shows with live music and a two-step instructor, stargazing nights, birding walks and Sunday morning qi gong all happen on the farm, so grab tickets early for the bigger nights.

Regulars come for the meat, the grassfed beef and the sausages especially, and plenty of folks make the drive just to restock the freezer. On fall weekends it's a go-to for families, with kids bouncing between the slides, the piglets and the chick brooder while the grown-ups grab a hot dog and a cider.

Hickory Nut Gap Farms

French Broad Food Co-op is a community-owned grocery store at 90 Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville, supporting local farmers and producers. The produce department is 100% organic, the co-op calls its bulk department the bulkiest in the Southeast, and a basics program keeps staple groceries affordably priced. Shoppers can become owners and get a voice in how it runs.

Locals love that the co-op puts people over profit. You don't have to be an owner to shop, and everyone's welcome.

French Broad Food Co-Op

Filo Pastries and Post 70 share one space at 1155 Tunnel Road in East Asheville. By day Filo is a coffee bar with pastries, custom cakes and catering, and by night Post 70 turns into a cocktail bar with dinner, small plates and desserts.

East Asheville locals love getting a real bakery and a cocktail bar under one roof. It's an easy morning coffee stop that works just as well for a date night.

Filo/Post 70

Chestnut is a downtown Asheville restaurant on Biltmore Avenue, open since 2012, serving creative American food and craft cocktails. The menu mixes classics with new ideas, like house-cured meats, mashed potatoes, local steak and vegetables from nearby farms, using products from local growers, ranchers, cheese makers and dairies.

Locals count on Chestnut for a dependable downtown meal, from brunch with friends to dinner before a show at The Orange Peel down the street.

Chestnut

Copper Crown is a chef-driven restaurant at 1011 Tunnel Road in East Asheville, near the Blue Ridge Parkway, blending Southern, Italian and New Orleans Creole flavors. It serves dinner nightly with wine by the glass, and there's takeout with patio pickup.

East Asheville locals treat it as their neighborhood nice-dinner spot without having to drive downtown. The Creole dishes set it apart.

Copper Crown

Highland Brewing Company is Asheville's first craft brewery and a major East Asheville live music venue, with an outdoor amphitheater, indoor music hall, and weekly bluegrass, indie rock, and americana concerts.

Locals love Highland Brewing for its community vibe, quality brews, and the way it brings people together with regular live music shows that showcase everything from local bluegrass to funky indie bands. 

The brewery’s commitment to sustainability and a welcoming atmosphere keeps the crowd coming back, whether it’s for a weekend concert or a casual afternoon with friends. It’s one of those rare spots that pairs exceptional craft beer with genuine Asheville hospitality and entertainment.

Highland Brewing Company

The WNC Farmers Market is a big year-round market at 570 Brevard Road in Southwest Asheville. Vendors sell local fresh fruits and vegetables along with artisan-made products all year long, so it's a one-stop shop for what's in season.

Locals shop here for seasonal produce by the bushel and local goods in one stop. It's a classic Asheville outing in any season.

WNC Farmers Market

White Horse Black Mountain is a beloved intimate music hall located in downtown Black Mountain, NC. With a cozy capacity of approximately 150-180 seats, this venue is celebrated as a true “listening room” where the focus is squarely on the music and the artist-audience connection. In addition to live concerts featuring genres from jazz and bluegrass to rock and Americana, 

White Horse also hosts storytelling nights, theater, poetry readings, puppetry, and community fundraisers. The venue prides itself on outstanding acoustics, comfortable seating with sofas and tables, and a friendly, inclusive atmosphere. Owned and curated by music industry veteran Bob Hinkle, White Horse Black Mountain anchors a year-round cultural hub for Western North Carolina.

Locals regard White Horse as a unique jewel in the Black Mountain community, known for its attentive sound quality and warm, relaxed vibe. Visitors praise the venue for its diverse programming, from chamber music and bluegrass to jazz ensembles and tribute bands, ensuring there’s always something fresh to discover. The intimate setting encourages connection between performers and audiences, often leading to sold-out shows and enthusiastic repeat guests. 

The venue’s bar offers a curated selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks, complementing the sophisticated yet unpretentious ambiance. Attendees highlight the venue’s commitment to supporting local art and culture as a key part of its enduring appeal.

White Horse Black Mountain

Asheville Bee Charmer is a honey shop with two free tasting bars in downtown Asheville, at 32 Broadway Street and 38 Battery Park Avenue. Owners Jillian and Kim are beekeepers who opened in 2014, and they stock 40 to 50 honey varietals from North Carolina and around the world.

Sourwood honey from Southern Appalachian forests is the best seller, and the shelves also carry tupelo, orange blossom, fireweed and infused honeys like Smokin' Hot. Beyond the jars, there's honey soap, lotion, salves and balms, candles, books, bee jewelry and gift sets. A tasting takes 10 to 15 minutes, and a staffer at the bar walks you through it.

Locals bring out-of-town guests here, and supervised kids can taste too. Most folks find 5 to 10 honeys is plenty.

Asheville Bee Charmer

Asheville Raven & Crone is a witch-owned metaphysical shop in North Asheville at 640 Merrimon Avenue, stocked with tarot cards, candles, crystals, books, and altar supplies, many of them locally handmade. It's the top metaphysical store in Asheville for both experienced practitioners and curious newcomers exploring earth religions and spiritual tools, with regular workshops and classes rounding out the offerings.

Regulars say the staff know their stuff without being pushy, and the shelves carry things you won’t find anywhere else in town. Plenty of folks come in for crystals and leave with something they didn’t expect, and the workshops fill up fast.

Local Businesses We Want to Keep

Rebekkah

Some favorite things that make Asheville like no other place on the planet.

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