FROM MOUNTAIN BIZWORKS
Mountain BizWorks will celebrate another woman-owned business on January 18 when Mountain Made, a retail shop located in Asheville’s Grove Arcade Public Market, hosts a ribbon-cutting for its re-opening. Melinda Knies, long-time store manager at Mountain Made, purchased the retail store from Mountain BizWorks in November 2011. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, January 18 at 4:30 pm, and is open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The gallery features handcrafted work from more than 150 Western NC artisans, including jewelry, pottery, textiles, glasswork, furniture and more - the same types of popular items featured by Mountain Made since Mountain BizWorks opened the store in 2002.

“Melinda has managed Mountain Made since the beginning, and this is a great opportunity for her to take the store to the next level and make it her own,” says John Mark Stroud, Mountain BizWorks’ Board Chair. “Mountain BizWorks’ Board of Directors and staff are proud that we have helped an entrepreneur transition to ownership of a local business.”

Prior to becoming store manager, Knies participated in Mountain BizWorks’ business-planning class. Since that time, she has built strong relationships with regional artists and has helped create what Shaw Canale, Mountain BizWorks’ CEO, refers to as “one of the finest collections of contemporary mountain-made arts and crafts available in the Western North Carolina area.”

Knies is thrilled to become a business owner again. “I am excited to continue building the business and the relationships that have been established with the artists and customers over the last nine years.”

Mountain Made is located inside the historic Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville at One Page Avenue, Suite 123. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, and Sunday noon – 5:00 pm.

For more information, please contact Anna Raddatz at 828.253.2834 ext. 18 or anna@mountainbizworks.org.