Best Of WNC: Hunting & Gathering 2007 | Mountain Xpress

Home Asheville & Western North Carolina

Hunting & Gathering

intro by Hal L. Millard in Vol. 14 / Iss. 12 on 10/17/2007

No doubt about it: WNC is a shopper's paradise, featuring an array of stores. Many of them are locally owned and operated -- and many of the most popular remain small independents that have gained a loyal clientele tired of chain-store sameness.

Want an old-school LP of the Sex Pistols or Nina Simone? Got it. Or an antique armoire? Got it. Need fresh, locally grown organic produce or meat? We've got you covered.

In the Hunting & Gathering category, area shoppers in this year's survey indicate that many old favorites still rule: The category boasts nine Hall of Famers -- stores that consistently nab top honors and remain top of mind among local shoppers. In fact, this year the category boasts more repeat winners than any other.

For antiques, Hall of Fame designee the Tobacco Barn is once again tops. Ditto downtown Malaprop's in the bookstore category, the Goodwill thrift store for both men's and children's clothing, B.B. Barnes for garden supplies and nursery, Jewels That Dance for, well, jewelry, Diamond Brand for outdoor gear, Tops for Shoes for shoes, and the Wine Guy, which once again is tops amongst discriminating tipplers.

Antiques Store

1. Antique Tobacco Barn -- Hall of Fame
75 Swannanoa Road, Asheville, 252-7291

2. ScreenDoor
115 Fairview Road, Asheville, 277-3667

3. Sweeten Creek Antiques
115 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, 277-6100

3. Oddfellows Antique Warehouse
124 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville, 350-7800

Arts Supply Store

1. True Blue Art Supply
30 Haywood St., Asheville, 251-0028

2. Michaels
299 Swannanoa River Road F, Asheville, 299-0183

3. A.C. Moore
800 Fairview Road, Asheville, 299-0777

Bike Shop

1. Liberty Bikes
1378 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, 274-2453

2. Pro Bikes
610 Haywood Road B, Asheville, 253-2800

3. BioWheels
81 Coxe Ave., Asheville, 236-BIKE

Bookstore

1. Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe -- Hall of Fame
55 Haywood St., Asheville, 254-6734

2. Downtown Books & News
67 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 253-8654

2. Barnes & Noble
89 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville, 296-9330

3. The Reader's Corner
31 Montford Ave., Asheville, 285-8805

3. Books-A-Million
136 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville, 299-4165

Clothing: Kids

1. Goodwill -- Hall of Fame
Various locations (www.goodwillnwnc.org)

2. The Littlest Birds
647 Haywood Road, Asheville, 253-4747

3. Just Ducky Originals
100 Charlotte St., Asheville, 254-4247

Clothing: Men's

1. Goodwill -- Hall of Fame
Various locations (www.goodwillnwnc.org)

2. Hunk Clothing
9 W. Walnut St., Asheville, 253-4044

3. Mast General Store
15 Biltmore Ave., Asheville (and locations throughout WNC), 232-1883

Clothing: Women's

1. Minx Boutique
64 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 225-5680

2. Goodwill
Various locations (www.goodwillnwnc.org)

3. 68 Lexi
68 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 251-1170

Clothing: Consignment or Vintage

1. Goodwill
Various locations (www.goodwillnwnc.org)

2. Hip Replacements
72 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 255-7573

3. Honeypot
86 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 225-0304

Environmentally Friendly Store

1. Greenlife Grocery
70 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, 254-5440

2. Earth Fare
66 Westgate Parkway, Asheville, 253-7656 and 1856 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, 210-0100

3. Nest Organics
51 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 258-1901

Fabric Store

1. Foam & Fabrics Outlet
175 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, 254-4585 and 3049 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, 684-0801

2. Waechter's Silk Shop
94 Charlotte St., Asheville, 252-2131

3. Hancock Fabrics
800 Fairview Road, Asheville, 298-0861

Garden Supply/Nursery

1. B.B Barnes -- Hall of Fame
3377 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden, 650-7300

2. Jesse Israel & Sons Garden Center
570 Brevard Road #16, Asheville, 254-2671

3. Reems Creek Valley Nursery
70 Monticello Road, Weaverville, 645-3937

3. Lowe's
Various locations (www.lowes.com)

Grocery

1. Greenlife Grocery
70 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, 254-5440

2. Earth Fare
66 Westgate Parkway, Asheville, 253-7656 and 1856 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, 210-0100

3. Ingles
Various locations (www.ingles-markets.com)

Jewelry Store

1. Jewels That Dance -- Hall of Fame
63 Haywood St., Asheville, 254-5088

2. Blue Goldsmiths
1 Swan St., Asheville, 277-2583

3. D.C. Creasman
269 Tunnel Road, Asheville, 252-9891

Music Store (CDs etc.)

1. Harvest Records
415 Haywood Road, Asheville, 258-2999

2. Karmasonics
14 Haywood St., Asheville, 259-9949

3. Static Age Records
82 N. Lexington Ave. A, Asheville, 254-3232

Musical Instrument Shop

1. Musician's Workshop
319 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, 252-1249

2. Smashing Guitars
103 Broadway, Asheville, 259-3600

3. Acoustic Corner
105 Montreat Road F, Black Mountain, 669-5162

New Age/Spiritual Store

1. Mystic Journeys
333 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, 253-4272

2. Crystal Visions
5426 Asheville Hwy., Hendersonville, 687-1193

3. Octopus Garden/Octopus Garden II
80 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 254-4980 and 1062 Patton Ave., Asheville, 232-6030

Outdoor-Gear Shop

1. Diamond Brand Outdoors -- Hall of Fame
2623 Hendersonville Road, Arden, 684-6262 and 172 Charlotte St., Asheville, 251-4668

2. Black Dome
1378 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, 277-2001 and 140 Tunnel Road Asheville, 251-2001

3. Mast General Store
15 Biltmore Ave., Asheville (and locations throughout WNC), 232-1883

Shoe Store

1. Tops For Shoes -- Hall of Fame
27 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 254-6721

2. Discount Shoes
1266 Brevard Road, Asheville, 667-0085

3. No clear winner

Tailgate/Farmers Market

1. WNC Farmer's Market
570 Brevard Road, Asheville, 253-1691

2. French Broad Food Co-op
90 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, 255-7650

3. North Asheville Tailgate Market
Saturdays, 7 a.m.-noon, at UNC-Asheville

Toy Store

1. Dancing Bear
144 Tunnel Road, Asheville, 255-8697 and 418 N. Main St., Hendersonville, 693-4500

2. Enviro Depot
58 College St., Asheville, 252-9007

3. Toy Box of Asheville
793 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, 254-8697

Wine-and-Beer Shop

1. The Wine Guy -- Hall of Fame
555 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, 254-6500 and 1200 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, 277-1120

2. Asheville Wine Market
65 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, 253-0060

3. Weinhaus
86 Patton Ave., Asheville, 254-6453

3. Bruisin' Ales
66 Broadway, Asheville, 252-8999

Yarn Shop

1. Purl's Yarn Emporium
51 College St., Asheville, 253-2750

2. Earth Guild
33 Haywood St., Asheville, 255-7818

3. Yarn Paradise
6 All Souls Crescent, Asheville, 274-4213

Comments

The basic goal in allowing comments on Xpress articles is to try to bring meaningful information to the dialogue while staying respectful of others. Read our full terms here

Commenters email addresses are never displayed. Do not insert HTML code.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (without http://) and it will be active.

There are no comments for this entry.

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002