Michael Beadle photo
Shopping in Black Mountain
A niche in time: Downtown Black Mountain offers shoppers and travelers inspiration and a slower pace.
Black Mountain offers the kind of gentle pace you find in a front-porch rocking chair. With its haven of downtown shops, majestic mountain views, and nearby attractions such as Tomahawk Park and Lake Eden, worldly travelers are finding their way to this front porch.
Nestled in the mountain range that gave the town its name, Black Mountain is a healthy blend of outdoor enthusiasts and strolling shoppers, the sweet sauce of barbecue and the zing of Thai cuisine, heavy-duty pick-ups and electric cars, old-time gospel and New Age crystal.
Church-going flocks have long sought peace in the Swannanoa Valley at nearby retreat centers such as Ridgecrest, Blue Ridge, and Billy Graham’s Montreat. Local seasonal festivals such as the Lake Eden Arts Festival, Sourwood Festival, and the Black Mountain Art and Craft Show welcome performers, craft artists, and other entertainment from around the globe.
Grammy Award-winning singer Roberta Flack, NBA All-Star center and NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty, and NFL Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson all have Black Mountain ties.
The town was also once home to a liberal arts college. During its 23-year run from 1933 to 1956, Black Mountain College was a collage of famous artists, writers, and intellectuals who thrived in a creative community that fostered experimental ideals. Notables included Buckminster Fuller, Willem de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Creeley, and Charles Olsen. Today, its legacy lives on with exhibitions, a video archive, research materials, and special events showcased at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center in downtown Asheville at 56 Broadway Street.
Originally known as Grey Eagle, the town of Black Mountain was established in 1893. Cherokees called these mountains “See-noh-ya,” meaning “dark” or “night.” But the peaks shine gold, red, and orange each fall, beckoning thousands of leaf-looking tourists. No doubt, the annual pilgrimage becomes a lucrative season for the town’s merchants.
“They come from everywhere,” says Gene Nesbitt, born and raised in Black Mountain. After spending 22 years in tool-and-dye work, he switched careers to make mountain laurel benches and rough-sawn pine birdhouses. He sells them with his wife, Donna, at The Birdhouse on Cherry Street. On an autumn afternoon, business is brisk.
“There’s so much more going on now,” he says, though he and his wife are sad to see so many developments popping up along mountain ridgetops.
At the historic train depot in the town’s epicenter, an eagle statue perches on a sloping stone wall fountain with the Black Mountains looming behind. The Caboose Museum includes historical photos and artifacts of the town’s history.
Benches, blooming niches, flower boxes, and brick walkways provide a pedestrian friendly downtown district that includes shops specializing in chocolates, gems, kitchen accessories, crafts, antiques, books, clothes, and collectables. Seven Sisters Craft Gallery on Cherry Street is a favorite for those looking for fine art, pottery, jewelry, music, and more. Also on Cherry Street is the town’s best watering hole for local live music, The Town Pump. For music performers, Song of the Wood on West State Street offers beautifully crafted dulcimers, harps, and psalteries.
If you’re stopping for a bite to eat with family or friends, check out My Father’s Pizza on Cherry Street, a popular (and reasonably priced) respite for lunch or dinner. Black Mountain Bakery on Church Street is a splendid choice for morning coffee and a muffin or a mid-day soup and sandwich. For those with a taste for foreign fare, try Berliner Kindl on Ball Street or Thai Basil on West State Street.
Outdoor enthusiasts in Western North Carolina have plenty to choose from when it comes to hiking, camping, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, or cycling. Downtown Black Mountain features several outdoor adventure stores such as Epic Cycles, Take a Hike, One Fly Outfitters, and Mountain Outfitters.
With the amenities of a city and the coziness of a small town, Black Mountain enjoys a good dose of tolerance, explains Allen Hightower, owner of Epic Cycles.
“Every style of person lives in Black Mountain,” he says. “Everybody gets along.”