AVL Biz Weekly | Sep 24: Big Ideas, Good Eats & Tunes All Week

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).

📋 On Deck

• Business Events: tax tips, food ventures, AI meetups & more

• Fun Stuff: charcuterie boards, comedy, flower picking, and Oktoberfest vibes

• Bands on the Horizon: from Mt. Joy to Molly Tuttle

• Marketing Quickies: easy Google wins for local businesses

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

📅 Business Events

• 🗓️ Sept Roundtable: RE Investor Tax Strategies – Wed, Sep 24 · 6–7:45 PM (Movement Mortgage, 230 Hilliard Ave, Ste 1, Asheville)

  Local CPAs Tyler Donanellan and George Gabler dig into real estate tax strategies, entity structures, and investor war stories. A candid, small-group session (seating capped at 20) for active or aspiring real estate investors.

• 🗓️ AVL U-Lab Transformation Hub Gathering – Thu, Sep 25 · 9:30–11:30 AM (Mojo Coworking, 81 Broadway St, Asheville)

  Connect with local changemakers during this monthly in-person gathering aligned with MIT’s Leading from the Emerging Future program. This a space for reflection, co-creation, and community transformation.

• 🗓️ Kitchen Tour & Value-Added Ventures Workshop – Thu, Sep 25 · 1–4 PM (N.C. Cooperative Extension – Madison County, 258 Carolina Ln, Marshall)

  Step inside a commercial kitchen, learn NCDA food regs, and get market insights from Extension specialists. Perfect for food entrepreneurs, farmers, and anyone ready to turn local ingredients into sellable products.

• 🗓️ Asheville JavaScript Meetup – Thu, Sep 25 · 6–8 PM (Focal Point Coworking, 125 S Lexington Ave, Asheville)

  Coders, tinkerers, and JS-curious folks gather to swap tips, demo projects, and talk shop. Whether you’re building apps or just starting with JavaScript, this casual meetup keeps you plugged into AVL’s dev scene.

• 🗓️ AI for Human Flourishing – Calling All Builders! – Fri, Sep 26 · 5:30–7:30 PM (Focal Point Coworking, 125 S Lexington Ave, Asheville)

  A hands-on meetup for creators using AI in any form like apps, games, art, writing, or tools for better decision-making. Bring your project, swap ideas, and explore how AI can fuel human flourishing. Seats are limited, so RSVP early.

• 🗓️ ComNetworkNC: Asheville Gathering – Mon, Sep 29 · 4–6 PM (New Belgium Brewing, 21 Craven St, Asheville)

  Comms pros and creatives, this one’s for you: an easygoing meetup with light bites, your first drink on the house, and plenty of space to connect with fellow storytellers and community builders.

• 🗓️ Resale 101: Starting Your Dream Store – Tue, Sep 30 · 6–7:30 PM (N.C. Cooperative Extension – Madison County, 258 Carolina Ln, Marshall)

  Thinking about opening a resale or thrift shop? This workshop walks you through business basics, sourcing strategies, and what it really takes to launch a resale venture in WNC.

Hosting something cool?

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

💡 Marketing Quickies

• Photo Proof on Google Maps: Keep your Google Business Profile fresh with weekly photos like jobs, team shots, or your logo van. It shows you’re active and trustworthy.

• Reviews That Sell: When asking for reviews, suggest customers mention the job and location. A line like “Great electric panel upgrade in Hendersonville” helps future customers find you.

• Service Area Pages: Work in more than one town? Give each place its own page with a quick intro. Even a few local details can help people (and Google) notice you there.

🎉 Fun Stuff Around AVL

• 🗓️ Asheville Charcuterie Co’s Annual Fall Workshop – Thu, Sep 25 · 6:30–7:30 PM (25 Page Ave, Ste 102, Asheville)

  Build your own fall-inspired cheeseboard while learning pro pairing tips in this cozy, seasonal charcuterie workshop downtown.

• 🗓️ Crisp Comedy Live in Leicester (feat. Piere Guyton) – Fri, Sep 26 · 7–9 PM (Noble Cider & Mead Taproom, 356 New Leicester Hwy, Asheville)

  A monthly stand-up series hosted by Clay Jones, this edition brings spooky-funny Atlanta comic Piere Guyton to Noble Cider for a free (donation-based) night of laughs.

• 🗓️ Asheville Oktoberfest Bar Crawl 2025 – Sat, Sep 27 · 4–10 PM (Urban Orchard Cider Co. + multiple bars, Asheville)

  Grab your wristband and join the citywide crawl for steins, drink specials, and Bavarian party vibes all night long.

• 🗓️ Photo Walk: Downtown Asheville – Sat, Sep 27 · 5–6:30 PM (Meet at Pack Square Fountain, Asheville)

  Join fellow shutterbugs for a casual downtown stroll, capture the city through your lens, then unwind with a post-walk hangout at a local watering hole.

• 🗓️ Greenman Sculptured Plant Pots Workshop – Sun, Sep 28 · 10 AM–2 PM (NC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville)

  Craft your own mythical Greenman (or Greenwoman!) plant pot in this hands-on workshop with sculptor Eileen Bos — all materials included.

• 🗓️ Kids on Brooms RPG: Learn & Play – Tue, Sep 30 · 6–9:30 PM (Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, Asheville)

  Role-play as a witch or wizard at a magical school in this beginner-friendly tabletop RPG session — all materials provided, just bring your imagination.

🎧 Bands on the Horizon

• Frankie and The Witch Fingers w/ Pupilslicer – Sep 23 @ The Grey Eagle

• Mt. Joy – Sep 24 @ ExploreAsheville Arena

• Brooks Nielsen (of The Growlers) – Sep 24 @ The Orange Peel

• River Shook w/ She Returns from War – Sep 24 @ Burial Beer

• He Is Legend + Eyes Set to Kill – Sep 25 @ Eulogy

• Kai Crowe-Getty – Sep 25 @ The Grey Eagle

• Jack Marion + Kai Crowe-Getty (Patio) – Sep 25 @ The Grey Eagle (Patio Stage)

• Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – Sep 26 @ The Orange Peel

• The Heavy Heavy – Sep 26 @ The Grey Eagle

• Molly Tuttle – Sep 27 @ The Orange Peel

• Rilo Kiley – Sep 27 @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater

• Stephen Evans & The True Grits (Patio) – Sep 27 @ The Grey Eagle (Patio Stage)

• Blue Dragons: Benefit for Asheville Music School – Sep 27 @ The Grey Eagle

• Nicole Paige Brooks – Sep 28 @ The Orange Peel

• The Music of Jerry Garcia & David Grisman (Not For Kids Only) – Sep 28 @ The Grey Eagle

• I See Stars – Sep 29 @ The Orange Peel

• Sextile + Automatic – Sep 29 @ The Grey Eagle

• Djo (Joe Keery of Stranger Things) + Post Animal – Sep 30 @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater

• That1Guy: Moon Loops in 5D – Sep 30 @ The Grey Eagle

• Lake Street Dive w/ Trousdale – Oct 1 @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater

• Stronger Than the Storm – Oct 2 @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater

• Ashley Gavin: Hype Man – Oct 3 @ The Orange Peel

• Burnpile 2025 – Oct 4 @ Burial Beer

• Mipso – Oct 4 @ The Orange Peel

• Peach Pit – Oct 5 @ The Orange Peel

• Melvins – Oct 7 @ The Orange Peel

• Neko Case – Oct 8 @ The Orange Peel

• Congress: The Band – Oct 10 @ The Orange Peel

• The Emo Night Tour – Oct 11 @ The Orange Peel

Want your biz in front of smart AVL owners & creators? 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

P.S. Update your Google Business Profile with a fresh photo today. It takes 60 seconds and helps a ton.