November is National Entrepreneurship Month, and to commemorate we’re showcasing a local organization that’s helped countless startups, small businesses, and aspiring entrepreneurs for 30+ years throughout WNC: Mountain BizWorks.
In the last few years, a major focus of Mountain BizWorks has been to increase access for community members overlooked by traditional lenders. Read on to learn more about three of its biggest initiatives.
Downtown is full of bizzes that have been supported by Mountain BizWorks. I Photo by @joybells1964
Mountain Community Capital Fund
- Launched in Aug. 2019, this loan guarantee fund offers capital in the range of $5,000 to $70,000 and is intended for business owners who don’t have collateral and therefore are often denied a loan. It was created in collaboration with Carolina Small Business Development Fund, Mountain BizWorks, Self-Help Credit Union, the City of Asheville + Buncombe County. Low income borrowers and entrepreneurs of color are encouraged to apply. Application details.
Multicultural Catalyst Fund
- This fund was rolled out in May 2021 and is designed to address the historic challenges + inequities facing the city’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs by encouraging them to enter into industries that have higher rates of growth + success. It offers tailored funding to folks that are traditionally ignored. Also way cool? The org provides ongoing business and leadership skills development for entrepreneurs of color. Submit interest form.
Catalyst Cohort
- This year-long program is for existing entrepreneurs of color looking to become more successful, and pairs fellow business owners together in monthly sessions. The first three months include instruction on developing action plans and foundational business strategies. Participants can also take advantage of individualized coaching sessions with program facilitators and Mountain BizWorks coaches. Submit interest form.
Use that entrepreneurial spirit and share this news with all your biz-minded friends + family.
Today
- 29th Annual Ingles Giving Tree | Mon., Nov. 22 | 5:30 p.m. | Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd. | Free | Help local families struggling with hunger by attending this event that benefits MANNA FoodBank.
- Monday Meetups | Mon., Nov. 22 | 5-8 p.m. | Down Dog Yoga Studio & Dog Bar, 51 Sweeten Creek Rd. Suite 2 | All are welcome at this Labrador Retriever party. 🐕
- Bill George, November AOM: Collections | Mon., Nov. 1-Tues., Nov 30 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave. | Enjoy the realist + naturalist paintings from this artist all month long. 🖼️
Tuesday
- Pint Night | Tues., Nov. 23 | 3-9 p.m. | Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd. | $4 | Enjoy a $4 core beer. 🍺
- Puke Pop-up | Tues., Nov. 23 | 5 p.m.-12 a.m. | The Odditorium, 1045 Haywood Rd. | Various prices | Join to eat Stu Helm and Chef Ben Hester’s unique dishes, including the “gut bomb burrito” and “dumpster dive salad.” 🌯
- Sippin’ Santa Pop-Up Cocktail Bar | Tues., Nov. 23-Sat., Jan. 1, 2022 | Various times | Montford Rooftop Bar | Free | Kitschy, festive décor and a tiki-themed cocktail menu with a rooftop view. 🍹
- Planes, Trains and Automobiles | Tues., Nov. 23-Wed., Nov. 24 | 6 p.m. | Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave. | Free | Join for a free movie night.
Wednesday
We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Focus Coworking offers space to elevate your creative + productive energy with inspirational workspace architecture in the River Arts District | Photo provided
Spaces like Focus Coworking offer the perfect way to mix up your WFH environment.
Drop in for the day or sign up for a membership + take advantage of:
- Sit/stand desks
- Dual monitor displays
- A full kitchen
- Free coffee
- Unlimited printer access
Located in a historic property in West Asheville, Focus is right across from New Belgium Brewery (read: meeting for happy hour has never been easier). 🖥 *
Weather
- 41º | Windy | 15% chance of rain
State
- Gov. Roy Cooper signed the $25.9 billion state budget into law on Thursday. The bipartisan bill includes cuts to individual income taxes, average raises of 5% over two years for state employees + teachers, and begins the phasing out of state corporate income tax. (WRAL)
Cause
- Nonprofit Can’d Aid seeks volunteers to help build 60 bikes that will be donated to area youth in foster care. Volunteers will meet at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 at Smoky Park Supper Club. Can’d Aid will provide all the parts, tools, and instruction needed to assemble the bikes. Register. 🚲
- The holidays are approaching, and Eliada Home is seeking folks to sponsor a child and fulfill its wish list. For most of these children, the gifts they receive from sponsors are the only ones they’ll get. To sign up to sponsor, email Rebecca Boline. Can’t sponsor? You can also donate. 🎁
Arts
Eat
- Need some popcorn goodness in your life? Check out Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn’s Holiday Pop! Up Shop at 4 S. Tunnel Rd. (next to the Whole Foods) on Wed.-Sun. throughout the holidays. Inventory includes the classics, plus fall + holiday flavors like Southern Pecan Pie and Reindeer Crunch. See hours. 🍿
Holiday
- The “Home for the Holidays” celebration returns to downtown Hendersonville on Fri., Nov. 26 at 5:30 p.m. with a tree lighting, shopping, hot drinks, carriage rides, and visits from Santa. Fun events will continue into the new year. See the full lineup.
Featured
- Hendersonville’s Caribbean soul food restaurant Dreadlife Kitchen (3591 Chimney Rock Rd.) will appear on an upcoming episode of Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible.” While filming has wrapped, we don’t know yet when the episode will air — but we’ll let you know as soon as we find out. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Try This
- Wanna reduce waste + make great meals? WNC Food Waste Solutions will host a free event with local chef + cookbook author Ashley English on Thurs., Dec. 2 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Bottle Riot. Ashley will demo how to prepare dishes using a local restaurant’s food scraps. RSVP.
Ranked
- NC’s highway system has been ranked fifth in the nation in overall condition + cost effectiveness. That’s according to the Annual Highway Report by Reason Foundation, which ranked the Tarheel State at No. 14 in 2020 and No. 17 in 2016. A reduction in highway fatality rates is credited for the improvement. 🚗 (WLOS)
- Talk about the hotness. Nine Mile’s signature trio of hot sauces won first place in USA Today’s 10 Best Gifts for Foodies. The competition saw dozens of other hot sauce brands from around the country against Nine Mile’s Jamaica-inspired sauce. We never doubted you’d win, Nine Mile. 🌶️
Asked
- We’re all about dazzling holiday displays, and we know y’all are, too. We’re curious: which neighborhood + streets have the best displays of Christmas lights? Please hit us up and let us know for an upcoming guide. 🌟
Biz
- Sit/stand desks, dual monitor displays, central location, free coffee + a full kitchen are just some of the perks you’ll enjoy with a Focus Coworking membership. 🖥 Ⓟ
Job
- Aeroflow Healthcare is currently hiring, offering benefits like company-matched 401k plans, paid parental leave, an on-site gym and fitness classes, and more. Ⓟ
DYK that US Fish and Wildlife estimate there are only 17 red wolves currently in the wild? That statistic is dismal, but the good news is there’s hope at the WNC Nature Center.
The Center is part of the Species Survival Plan, a program launched in 1982 by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which works with accredited zoos and conservation partners to maintain + conserve selected endangered or threatened species of wildlife. Find out how you can support the WNC Nature Center and all the animals in its care, including the red wolves, here.
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Editors Pick: DYK yesterday was NC's 232nd birthday? It turns out the Tar Heel State shares a birthday with Brook's BFF Stephanie, Björk + Goldie Hawn, which we think is pretty cool.
Missed Friday's newsletter? You better act like Cece, and get to walking.
AVLtoday Team
Editorial: Brook, Laura, Sarah, Erin
Sales: Helen
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