Happy five-year anniversary to AVLtoday

It’s been a wild ride, Asheville.

AVLtoday Five Year Birthday

Brook, left, and Laura, right, with a West End Bakery cinnamon roll.

Photo via AVLtoday

Happy anniversary, Asheville. It’s wild to think about our very first newsletter, which we sent exactly five year ago on Feb. 8, 2018. Who remembers our epic launch party at Bhramari Brewing Company?

Since then, we’ve grown from a modest 450 subscribers to 49,868 readers, and a social media audience of more than 80,000. We’re celebrating that incredible growth — and all of the important stories and people we’ve met throughout the journey — the only way we know how: with a ridiculous-sized pastry. Enter: the cinnamon rolls from the newly reopened West End Bakery in West Asheville.

Need a refresher of who’s behind the scenes? Learn a few fun facts about AVLtoday editors Brook and Laura — or take it to the next level and play our “Guess the Editor” game. Finally, if you value the work we do in the community, we’d love for you to become an AVLtoday member.