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,
The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands is back at Harrah's Cherokee Center Thursday through Sunday, with 100+ juried makers from nine Appalachian states. If you send client gifts at the end of the year, this is where to buy pottery and woodwork made by people who live here instead of ordering more branded tumblers (yawn). It's $12 at the door and open 10 to 5 every day.
Thursday night, The Moth brings its StorySLAM to the Grey Eagle and the theme is "Magic." Put your name in the hat and you get five minutes, no notes. If you've ever had to pitch your business to a room that wasn't listening, this is easier than that (and there's a bar for the jitters).
Then on Tuesday there's a free workshop on Asheland Ave about why two smart people can look at the same problem and walk away with completely different fixes. If you manage a team, check it out.
Let's get into it.
📋 On Deck
Business: An affordable housing forum with both mayoral candidates at Highland, a free goal-planning morning at Archetype, and a branding workshop in Arden.
Fun: Live storytelling at the Grey Eagle, 60+ rescued farm animals and a vegan buffet in East Asheville, and a seed swap that's also a concert.
Music: Allison Russell, The Tallest Man on Earth, and the Infamous Stringdusters outdoors at Pisgah.
🙋 Want your biz featured in front of a few really smart AVL business owners?
⭐ Featured Event - On Affordable Housing
Election day is Nov 3. Esther Manheimer is asking for a fourth term as mayor and council member Kim Roney wants her seat. Both say they back zoning changes to build more housing, Manheimer for working families and Roney through duplexes, cottage clusters, and backyard units. This will be a critical forum two weeks before voting, in front of a room of local real estate investors who buy, fix up, and rent property all around the WNC area.
🗓️ CREIA and Homeward Bound of WNC Community Discussion: Affordable Housing — Tue, Oct 20 · 5:30–8 PM (Highland Brewing Event Center, Asheville) — Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and Council Member Kim Roney, both on the mayoral ballot, talk housing affordability and homelessness with the Carolinas Real Estate Investors Association, then take audience questions. Free to CREIA members and first-time guests.
🗓️ Business Events
🗓️ 5 Pillars to Grow Your Brand — Thu, Oct 15 · 10–11:30 AM (Buckledown Workspace, Arden) — A 90-minute branding workshop on storytelling and visibility, built for people who'd rather be known than advertise.
🗓️ 2027 Goal Planning Workshop — Fri, Oct 16 · 9 AM–1:30 PM (Archetype Brewing, West Asheville) — Free. Jen Medders of Next Level Wealth runs her fourth annual session for mapping out next year before next year shows up.
🗓️ The Kairos Experience — Sat, Oct 17 · 5–8 PM (Edington Education & Career Center, Asheville) — Book launch for Bruce Waller Jr.'s new book on decision-making, with dinner, local vendors, and networking.
🗓️ Investment Properties Strategies Panel — Tue, Oct 20 · 10 AM–12 PM (A-B Tech Ferguson Center, Asheville) — Free panel of local pros covering financing, property management, legal, and tax angles on rental properties.
🗓️ A Reflecting Pool Workshop: When We See the Same Problem Differently — Tue, Oct 20 · 5:30–7 PM (AmeriHealth Caritas Wellness Center, Asheland Ave) — Free, facilitated session with Robert V. Sylvester on how assumptions shape the way teams solve problems.
🗓️ 15th Annual Justice Forum — Thu, Oct 22 · 7 PM (Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville) — Pisgah Legal Services hosts author Brian Goldstone on housing insecurity and working homelessness. The forum is free, with a ticketed reception at 5:30 PM.
Hosting something cool?
📬 Hit reply and tell me what you think. Or share an event!
💡 Marketing Quickies
Brought to you by Pixelated Stories
Websites + Follow-Up Systems for Home & Professional Service Businesses | PixelatedStories.net
This week is about the quotes and proposals that went quiet. Contractors and professional service businesses lose more work to an unanswered estimate than to a competitor's lower price, and most of those leads are still out there. They just haven't decided yet.
Send the nine-word text. Go through every quote older than 30 days that never got a yes or a no, and text them: "Are you still looking to get [X] done?" For a roofer that's "still looking to get the roof replaced?" For a bookkeeper it's "still looking to get your books cleaned up before year-end?" It works because it's short and takes two seconds to answer, so people actually answer it.
Trade "let me know" for a choice. End every quote or proposal with two dates instead of an open invitation: "Want me to hold the week of the 2nd for you, or should we look at January?" When someone gets a question with two easy answers, they usually pick one. When they get "let me know," the email gets filed and forgotten.
Put the quiet ones on a calendar. The day you send a quote, set three follow-ups: a quick text on day 2, an email on day 7 answering the question they probably have, and the nine-word text on day 30. A spreadsheet is enough to start. This is the part of the Show Up and Follow Up System that runs on its own, so a quote never goes cold just because you were on a job site or in back-to-back client meetings that week.
Want missed-call text-back, SMS confirmations, website chat, a unified inbox, and a follow-up system that keeps working after you close the laptop?
Reply to this email and we'll help you build it.
🎉 Fun Stuff Around AVL
🎉 Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands — Thu–Sun, Oct 15–18 · 10 AM–5 PM (Harrah's Cherokee Center, Asheville) — 100+ juried Appalachian makers, live demos, $12 at the door, kids under 12 free.
🎉 The Moth StorySLAM: "Magic" — Thu, Oct 15 · 7:30 PM (The Grey Eagle, Asheville) — True stories, five minutes each, no notes. Bring one or just heckle politely.
🎉 Misery at NC Stage — Wed–Fri, Oct 14–16 · 7:30 PM (NC Stage Company, Downtown) — Choose-your-price preview nights start at $15.50, and opening night on Sat the 17th comes with a champagne toast.
🎉 Downtown Diamond Dash 5K — Sat, Oct 17 · 8 AM (HomeTrust Park, Asheville) — The Tourists' first-ever 5K loops downtown and finishes on the warning track, with a post-race beer included.
🎉 Animal Haven of Asheville Fall Fundraiser — Sun, Oct 18 · 1–5 PM (Animal Haven, East Asheville) — Vegan buffet, beer and wine, a silent auction, and 60+ rescued animals who will absolutely judge your outfit.
🎉 WNC Seed & Plant Swap — Tue, Oct 20 · 4–7 PM (Stephens-Lee Community Center, Asheville) — Free seed and plant trading, with songs and stories from William Ritter of Josiah and the Bonnevilles.
🎧 Bands on the Horizon
Knocked Loose & Denzel Curry — Wed, Oct 14 · 6 PM @ Hellbender
Bayonne — Wed, Oct 14 · 7 PM @ Revival Asheville
Lillie Syracuse (Well-Crafted Music Series) — Wed, Oct 14 · 6 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
Allison Russell — Thu, Oct 15 · 7 PM @ The Orange Peel
Noah Gundersen — Thu, Oct 15 · 8 PM @ Eulogy
Honey Marmalade — Thu, Oct 15 · 10 PM @ The One Stop
The Tallest Man on Earth — Fri, Oct 16 · 8 PM @ The Orange Peel
Joshua Ray Walker w/ Cecilia Castleman — Fri, Oct 16 · 8 PM @ The Grey Eagle
LaMP — Fri, Oct 16 · 8 PM @ Revival Asheville
Phuncle Sam (Bob Weir Birthday Celebration) — Fri, Oct 16 · 6 PM @ Pisgah Brewing
Queen Bee and the Honeylovers — Fri, Oct 16 · 7 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
Carsie Blanton w/ The Burning Hell — Sat, Oct 17 · 8 PM @ The Grey Eagle
The Infamous Stringdusters w/ Broken Compass Bluegrass — Sat, Oct 17 · 7:30 PM @ Pisgah Brewing
Pleasure Chest — Sat, Oct 17 · 7 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
Peggy Ratusz and Daddy Longlegs — Sun, Oct 18 · 2 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
Empire Strikes Brass (Benefit for Homeward Bound WNC) — Sun, Oct 18 · 5:15 PM @ Pisgah Brewing
Bombargo — Sun, Oct 18 · 7 PM @ Revival Asheville
Avery Anna — Sun, Oct 18 · 8 PM @ The Orange Peel
The Residents (Eskimo Live) — Mon, Oct 19 · 8 PM @ The Orange Peel
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
