Every time we look around, something new is popping up in WNC. In addition to these nine food and beverage spots, we’re also expecting (at least) eight new businesses in 2023, including a ceramics shop, several hotels, and a nonprofit birth center.
There There | 20 Artful Wy. | Website
There There focuses on curating “consciously made, comforting goods” such as clothing, handmade gifts, and modern home goods. It will have great neighbors, Mother AVL and Jeffrey, as company in the River Arts District and is slated to open this spring.
Half Light Honey | 122 Riverside Dr. | Website
Helmed by Asheville artist Samantha Carter, this ceramics and home decor brand is putting the finishing touches on a new retail shop and studio inside the River Arts District’s Cotton Mill Studios. Grand opening is slated for Saturday, Jan. 28.
The RailYard | 141 Richardson Blvd., Black Mountain | Website
Restauranteur John Richardson is launching this 1.31 acre taproom, restaurant, and community gathering space. Highlights of the space include a 6,500-sqft taproom and smashburger concept. The RailYard will also be the official home of Richardson’s nonprofit PubCorps. The property is expected to open this spring.
The former WNC Birth Center will reopen as Lilac Health.
Photo via Legerton Architecture
Lilac Health | 390 S. French Broad Ave.
The legacy of the shuttered WNC Birth Center will live on as a new nonprofit birth center. Staffed with certified nurse midwives, the space will fill the gap between those wanting a home birth and hospital birth. No opening date has been announced — follow on Instagram for update.
Tesla Dealership | 291 Sweeten Creek Rd.
The 40,148-sqft dealership has been proposed for the former site of the Asheville Ballroom and Dance Centre and would include a 130 car display area, as well as charging stations. The request will go before the city’s Technical Review Committee today, Jan. 9. We’ll keep you posted on what happens next. 👀
The Restoration Hotel | 68 Patton Ave. | Website
This hotel, which takes inspiration from Asheville’s creative culture, will open for booking on March 1. Dining options will include The Exchange, an Appalachian, farm-to-table restaurant, and a rooftop bar named The Observatory. We’ve also heard there’s a bowling alley in the basement.
Mirrored panels on each unit encourage guests to disappear into nature.
Photo by @mirrorhotels
Mirror Hotel | ~25 minutes north of Asheville | Website
This luminous, architectural feat of a hotel will host its first guests this March. The 55-acre site includes 18 luxury cabins that blend into their natural environment. And for those of you worried about the critters, each cabin is coated with a film that reduces UV glare and lets wildlife know there is a solid surface to avoid.
YogaSix Asheville | 1829 Hendersonville Rd. | Website
The California-based yoga franchise plans to open in South Asheville early this year with a range of heated and non-heated yoga classes focused on the sensory experience. Think: mood lighting, professional sound system, and scented towels.
