New Catawba Vale Business Hub
Small business owners can participate in a subsidized co-working space in Old Fort.
A place to enjoy coffee, co-working, small-group meeting rooms, and create community.
Executive Director Stephanie Swepson Twitty describes the business hub as “an expansion for Asheville-based Eagle-Market Street Development Corporation,” and it involves the ‘Incubate to Innovate’ program that EMSDC has operated since 2004.
Here small business owners can participate in a subsidized space—a place where they can enjoy coffee, co-working, small-group meeting rooms, and create community. Seed funding for Catawba Vale came in a grant from Dogwood Health Trust, which allowed Catawba Vale to purchase its historic building.
The organization’s short-term plans include culinary arts programming, Outdoor Leadership Development Training, and, using Craft for Creativity, Catawba Vale will present “Counter Culture Coffee” to train baristas. Current programs include a partnership with the Wilderness Education Association for the Out-door Leadership training to reignite the Old Fort economy through outdoor recreation.
Swepson Twitty notes, “McDowell County has been granted the opportunity to do 42 miles of new trail development in the Pisgah/Grandfather range, with Eagle-Market, Camp Grier, People on the Move, and Community Engagement Coordinator Lisa Jennings. With that force, we secured the funding from Dogwood Health Trust to do six miles of the trails, which we cut the ribbon on in June of this year.”
In late summer, “the rotating chef” program will begin, offering an opportunity for individuals who are emerging or starting-out chefs to do a cooking session that will be filmed by the Caleb O Production company. The community can reserve a seat for the filming of each episode—and stay to purchase a delicious lunch or dinner!
One of the most exciting features of the Catawba Vale building is its artworks, currently featuring artists and artisans from Buncombe and McDowell Counties—and which will generate more works from the wider region. The current exhibit was curated by Alexandria Novel from the YMI Cultural Center, with whom EMSCD is forged a strong partner relationship.
Swepson Twitty adds, “I would just like to encourage everyone to come off the beaten path, come on down the mountain. It’s only 20-plus minutes to Old Fort. Come visit the Catawba Vale Business Hub at 37 W. Main Street.”
For more details, contact Eagle-Market Street Development Corporation at (828) 281-1227 or at [email protected].
