AVL Biz Weekly — July 29–August 4: Cash Cab, Clogging Legends & Housing Capital

Welcome to AVL BIZ Weekly—your local cheat sheet for what’s happening in Asheville’s small business + creative scenes.

Each week: hand-picked events, marketing ideas that actually work, and a little local flavor to keep things fun.

My name's Jason and I'm writing this (connect with me here).

Hey friends,

This week has a clean split: business owners get social media help at The Mule, AI tools for real estate, an investment strategy panel, and a Downtown Association mixer built around housing affordability.

Outside the business lane, Ben Bailey kicks off Asheville Comedy Festival’s opening weekend, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival hits year 99, and rooftop comedy lands at Antidote.

The Marketing Quickies this week: what to do after the invoice goes out.

Let’s get into it.

📋 On Deck

• 🎤 Comedy Festival: Ben Bailey opens Asheville Comedy Festival weekend at Wortham Center.

• 🏛️ Business Events: Social media strategy, AI for Realtors, housing affordability, and investment strategy.

• 🪕 Fun Stuff: The 99th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, rooftop comedy at Antidote, and a West Asheville coffee meetup.

• 💡 Marketing Quickies: What to do after the invoice goes out.

🙋 Want your biz featured in front of a few really smart AVL business owners? Email me for details

🗓️ Business Events

• 🗓️ AI for Realtors: Listings, Emails, and Social Content Workshop — Wednesday, July 29 · 9:00 AM–12:00 PM (Applied Momentum, Asheville)

  A hands-on workshop for real estate pros who want to use AI for listings, emails, and social content without sounding like a robot wrote it.

• 🗓️ Social Media Made Simple: Stay Top of Mind & Grow Your Business — Thursday, July 30 · 12:00–2:00 PM (The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville)

  Kimi McBurney leads a Thrive WNC session on staying visible online with a practical social media strategy business owners can actually keep up with.

• 🗓️ Housing, Capital & Community: Asheville Downtown Association Member Mixer — Monday, August 3 · 4:00–6:00 PM (Revival Asheville, 66 Asheland Ave, Asheville)

  Lotus Campaign’s Beth Silverman and LEO Impact Capital’s AJ Jackson dig into housing affordability, homelessness, and what actually moves capital toward real local problems.

• 🗓️ August Meetup — Panel: Finding the Right Investment Strategy for YOU! — Tuesday, August 4 · 5:30–7:30 PM (The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage, Asheville)

  Dealmaker WNC hosts a panel on investment strategies that fit different goals, timelines, and risk levels. Good one to catch if your current plan is mostly hope.

Hosting something cool?

📬 Hit reply and tell me what you think. Or share an event!

💡 Marketing Quickies

This week's theme: what happens after the job's booked or the invoice goes out.

The 9-word text that revives dead leads
Send this to anyone who went quiet: "Are you still looking to get [job] done?" A plumber uses it to fill a slow Tuesday afternoon. A bookkeeper uses it to turn a "let me think about it" into a signed engagement letter. Nine words, no guilt trip, just a door left open.
This is the whole point of the Show Up and Follow Up System: the door stays open even on the weeks you're too slammed to think about it.

Replace "let me know" with an actual decision point
"Let me know if you want to move forward" gets ignored. "Does Thursday or Friday work better for the estimate?" gets answered. Swap the closing line in every quote, email, and text you send this week.

Catch the bad review before it happens
A quick check-in text a day after the job wraps. Something like: "Everything holding up okay?" A landscaper catches a drainage complaint before it turns into a one-star review. A CPA catches a confused client before they call someone else for "a second opinion."

🎉 Fun Stuff Around AVL

• West End Bakery & Cafe — Wednesday, July 29 · 10:00 AM–12:00 PM (The West End Bakery, 757 Haywood Rd, Asheville)

  A low-pressure Asheville Fika meetup for coffee, pastries, and actual conversation.

• Sky’s The Limit: Rooftop Comedy at Antidote — Thursday, July 30 · 8:00–10:00 PM (Antidote Cocktail Lounge at Chemist, 151 Coxe Ave, Asheville)

  Modelface Comedy brings local and touring comics up to the Antidote rooftop for the night.

• 99th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival — Thursday–Saturday, July 30–August 1 · 7:00–9:00 PM (Asheville High School Auditorium, 419 McDowell St, Asheville)

  The nation’s longest-running folk festival brings three nights of ballad singers, string bands, storytellers, and clogging teams to Asheville High.

• 17th Annual Asheville Comedy Festival: Opening Weekend — Friday–Sunday, July 31–August 2 · 7:30 PM (Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave, Asheville)

  Ben Bailey, Jessica Michelle Singleton, and Eleanore Kerrigan headline opening weekend.

• “I Still Feel Like 1990 Was 5 Yrs Ago” Day Party — Saturday, August 1 · 2:00 PM (The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage, Asheville)

  A throwback day party for anyone whose back hurts but whose playlist still thinks it's 1997.

🎧 Bands on the Horizon

• Ramblin' Man: An Allman Brothers Tribute — Thu, Jul 30 · 8pm @ The Orange Peel

• PATIO SHOW: Beth Lee, Kevin Smith & Miriam Allen — Fri, Jul 31 · 5:30pm @ Grey Eagle Patio Stage

• Adama Dembele & Les Amis w/ The Sun Sippers — Fri, Jul 31 · 8pm @ Grey Eagle Music Hall

• Jerry Garcia Birthday Bash w/ Cosmic Charlie — Fri, Jul 31 · 8pm @ The Orange Peel

• PATIO SHOW: The Nature Boys — Sat, Aug 1 · 4pm @ Grey Eagle Patio Stage

• Robin Plemmons: Throbbin' — Sat, Aug 1 · 7pm @ Grey Eagle Music Hall

• Rhiannon Giddens presents American Tunes: Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing (w/ Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mavis Staples, Hurray for the Riff Raff) — Sat, Aug 1 · 6pm @ Hellbender by The Orange Peel

• Hot In Herre: 2000s Dance Party — Sat, Aug 1 · 8pm @ The Orange Peel

• PATIO SHOW: Dirty Dead — Sun, Aug 2 · 2pm @ Grey Eagle Patio Stage

• Meat & Metal 2026 — Sun, Aug 2 · 3pm @ The Orange Peel

• Jerry's Dead: Acoustic Set/Electric Set — Mon, Aug 3 · 7pm @ Grey Eagle Music Hall

• Bill Kirchen: "Cat Out of the Bag" Album Release Show — Tue, Aug 4 · 7pm @ Grey Eagle Music Hall

Want your biz in front of a few really smart AVL business owners? Reply with what
you're up to and we'll see if it's a fit.

Until next week,

Jason De Los Santos
Pixelated Stories Digital Marketing
(828) 585-4293