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,
Chef Jesse Roque opens Marigold Art Collective in Flat Rock on Thursday night: art workshops, handmade goods, cocktails and small bites under one roof on Greenville Highway. The ribbon cutting runs 5:30 to 7:30, and it's free.
On Tuesday, Julia Hicks spends six hours at A-B Tech walking business owners through figuring out what to hand off, then finding, hiring and actually keeping a virtual assistant to do it. Bring the list of things you keep saying you'll delegate (I have one and she’s been a life saver!).
The avl.js crew is also doing lightning talks at Mojo Coworking on Thursday. They're short and unpolished on purpose, and nobody's selling anything. Let's get into it.
📋 On Deck
Business: An AIA lunch on transforming existing buildings Wednesday, and a free Dealmaker WNC session on hard-money financing Tuesday night.
Fun: A sword swallower at the Grey Eagle Wednesday, and Oktoberfest takes over Coxe Avenue Saturday.
Music: Sylvan Esso plays two nights at the Orange Peel, and Black Country, New Road closes the week there Tuesday.
🙋 Want your biz featured in front of a few really smart AVL business owners?
❓ Question of the Week
What does the Asheville/WNC business community need to help your business grow?
🗓️ Business Events
🗓️ Existing Buildings Transformed with Alyson Steele, FAIA — Wed, Sept 30 · 11:50 AM–1 PM (Trinity Episcopal Church, Downtown) — An AIA Western North Carolina lunch talk from the CEO of Quinn Evans, AIA's 2024 Firm of the Year, on sustainable ways to rework the buildings we already have.
🗓️ Coders League Low-Pressure Social Get-Together — Wed, Sept 30 · 6:30–8:30 PM (Asheville Pizza & Brewing, Merrimon Ave) — A casual meetup for developers, tech pros and hobbyists, with newcomers welcome.
🗓️ Ride the Lightning II (avl.js) — Thu, Oct 1 · 6–7:30 PM (Mojo Coworking, Downtown) — Quick, informal talks from local developers on side projects and lessons learned.
🗓️ The Virtual Assistant Workshop for Business Owners — Tue, Oct 6 · 9 AM–3 PM (A-B Tech, Victoria Rd) — A hands-on day with Julia Hicks on finding, hiring, training and keeping a virtual assistant.
🗓️ Dealmaker WNC: Funding Your Next Investment Property A–Z — Tue, Oct 6 · 5:30–7:30 PM (The Mule at Devil's Foot Beverage, Sweeten Creek Rd) — Free. Mary Hart on hard-money financing, managing the project and planning your exit.
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's theme is the Google Business Profile, which is the thing people actually see when they search "roofer near me" or "CPA near me." For contractors and professional service businesses alike, it usually got filled out once years ago and nobody's opened it since.
Check your primary category against the top three. Search your main service plus "near me," look at who comes up in the map results, and see what category each of them lists. If they're all "Roofing contractor" and you're just "Contractor," or they're "Tax preparation service" and you're "Accountant," change yours to match. Google leans on that one field harder than almost anything else on the profile.
Write out every service, with the towns in it. Under Services, add each job you do as its own line, with a sentence or two that names where you do it: "Gutter replacement in Weaverville, Woodfin and North Asheville." An attorney or bookkeeper can do the same thing: "Estate planning for families in Hendersonville and Brevard." Then set your service area to the towns you'll actually drive to.
Post one real photo a week. A finished deck, a crew on site, your office, you at your desk with an actual client file (blur it). Add a line of text and post it as an update. Profiles that look recently used get more clicks than ones with a stock photo from 2019. The GBP revamp is one of the seven pieces of what we call the Show Up and Follow Up System, because every other piece works better once people can find you.
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
🎉 Hot Fix Sideshow — Wed, Sept 30 · 8 PM (The Grey Eagle) — Sword swallowing, fire breathing and "high flying madness" on a Wednesday. 21+, about $20.
🎉 Marigold Art Collective Grand Opening — Thu, Oct 1 · 5:30–7:30 PM (2702 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock) — Chef Jesse Roque's new art-workshop-slash-cocktail-spot opens its doors. Free.
🎉 Oktoberfest Half Marathon & 5K — Sat, Oct 3 (Hi-Wire Brewing, River Arts District) — Starts and finishes at Hi-Wire's RAD beer garden, which is the whole pitch. Capped at 1,000 runners.
🎉 Asheville Oktoberfest — Sat, Oct 3 · 1–5 PM (Coxe Avenue, South Slope) — Free to walk in. A $25 Prost Pass ($35 day-of) gets you a tasting glass and pours from local breweries, plus the Stein Hoist and Lederhosen Relay.
🎉 Asheville Art in the Park — Sat, Oct 3 · 10 AM–5 PM (Pack Square Park) — A handmade market of pro artists in glass, ceramics, wood, jewelry and metal. First of three October Saturdays.
🎉 Burnpile ft. Lucero — Sat, Oct 3 (Burial Forestry Camp) — Burial's annual beer fest with 60+ breweries and Lucero headlining. $50–$155, 21+, with a free shuttle from the downtown transit station.
🎉 Thunderstruck Release Party — Sun, Oct 4 · 2–5 PM (Highland Brewing, the Meadow) — Highland's coffee porter comes back with Dynamite Roasting samples and Problem Child, an AC/DC tribute, on stage.
🎧 Bands on the Horizon
Geese w/ Gwenifer Raymond — Wed, Sept 30 · 7 PM @ Hellbender
Patio Show: Music In Common — Wed, Sept 30 · 5:30 PM @ Grey Eagle Patio
Matt Smith's Well-Crafted Music Series w/ Datrian Johnson — Wed, Sept 30 · 6 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
The Midnight: Time Machines w/ Bonnie McKee — Thu, Oct 1 · 8 PM @ The Orange Peel
Noah Rinker — Thu, Oct 1 · 8 PM @ Grey Eagle Music Hall
Patio Show: MerylJane — Thu, Oct 1 · 5:30 PM @ Grey Eagle Patio
Dylan Gossett & Charles Wesley Godwin — Fri, Oct 2 · 7 PM @ Hellbender
Sylvan Esso — Fri–Sat, Oct 2–3 · 8 PM @ The Orange Peel
KÜF KNOTZ & Christine Elise — Fri, Oct 2 · 7 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
Chalwa — Fri, Oct 2 · 8 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
Luna w/ Sister Ray Davies — Sat, Oct 3 · 8 PM @ Grey Eagle Music Hall
Patio Show: Hillside Ramblers — Sat, Oct 3 · 5:30 PM @ Grey Eagle Patio
Truphonic — Sat, Oct 3 · 7 PM @ Highland Brewing Meadow
The California Honeydrops w/ Jontavious Willis — Sun, Oct 4 · 8 PM @ The Orange Peel
Paul Thorn — Sun, Oct 4 · 8 PM @ Grey Eagle Music Hall
Patio Show: Reggie Headen w/ Andy Burns — Sun, Oct 4 · 5:30 PM @ Grey Eagle Patio
Lambrini Girls w/ Big Special, Big Girl — Mon, Oct 5 · 7:30 PM @ The Orange Peel
Patio Show: Lochlann Kilburn — Mon, Oct 5 · 5:30 PM @ Grey Eagle Patio
Black Country, New Road w/ Lily Seabird — Tue, Oct 6 · 8 PM @ The Orange Peel
Patio Show: Keturah Allgood — Tue, Oct 6 · 5:30 PM @ Grey Eagle Patio
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
