Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
More of what’s going around on a Monday:
–Patton Avenue Public House has a new name – Byrish Haus Pub.
–The brand new Ingle’s grocery store at 863 Brevard Road is set to open at 6 a.m. on Oct. 20. The grocery store company demolished the old Ingle’s at the site and built this brand new, bigger store.
-In case you missed it, the old Fiddlin’ Pig restaurant building off Tunnel Road was recently demolished. Loyal reader Dianne sent in this photo of the demolition of the decrepit building.
–The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands returns to the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville Oct. 20-23. In its 69th year, the showcase presents a rich selection of talent from contemporary and traditional craft. It will exhibit works of fiber, wood, clay, metal, glass, paper, leather, jewelry, natural materials and mixed media. Both floors will be filled with almost two-hundred masters of craft that honor and celebrate the legacy of the Appalachian creatives who established this well-recognized culture, according to a press release.
-More high praise for Wilma Dykeman’s newly published memoir, Family of Earth, this time from the New York Times Book Review.
–Steve Fisher, a National Geographic magazine Adventurer of the Year who has paddled some of the wildest rivers in the world, will speak at Mars Hill University at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17. He’ll speak on the topic of “Thriving Outdoors: A vision for following an unconventional path.” A multimedia presentation starts at 7 p.m. in Moore Auditorium, and is free and open to the public.
-Asheville will be one of more than 20 cities around the world where World Climate simulations will be held this week, according to a press release. World Climate is the award-winning “serious game” designed in Asheville by Climate Interactive, an organization with offices at The Collider. The event is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at The Collider. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Pizza and drinks provided. All ages welcome.
–Vortex Doughnuts will be celebrating its two-year anniversary/ birthday on Oct. 27, and the shop wants to celebrate by giving away 365 free “Vortex” Doughnuts, according to a press release. The Vortex is the shop’s signature doughnut, a cinnamon sugar yeast doughnut topped with a swirl of French Broad dark chocolate.
–The East West Pop Up Shop will be popping up with a three-day Fall Pop Up Market showcasing the best in handmade and vintage, beginning Thursday, Oct. 13 and running through Saturday, Oct.15, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. The market will be held indoors at East West Venue, 278 Haywood Road.
–Magellan Strategy Group and JB Media Institute have partnered to host the area’s first Internet marketing conference for tourism professionals. Share Your Story: A DIY Tourism Marketing Conference will be held Nov. 14 – 15 at The Collider in downtown Asheville, according to a press release.
How about Ingles copies Whole Foods 365 and open up both smaller and larger stores. The smaller ones like Aldi will be primarily discount. BTW I would like to see a Whole Foods 365 in the area (maybe in Henderson County). Buncombe is full of health foods stores.
Whole Foods Market has been in a mess that I do not see additional Whole Foods Market and 365 stores opening in Buncombe and Henderson counties.
Ingle’s would be smart to open smaller stores. Store 205, 1851 Highway 14 East, Landrum, South Carolina 29356-9698, is a decent example of smaller stores with food, pharmacy, fuel, and Starbucks. It does not have a pharmacy drive thru or a walk-in beer cooler.
Sav-Mor limited assortment/discount grocery stores are nice. I find them to be an upgrade from Aldi.
Ingles needs to tear down the old buildings or they’ll be stuck in the past like Food Lion. The store on 780 Hendersonville Road, though, is fairly new so its puzzling why this one will be torn down before older ones. The problem with that location could be it slopes down and that its too far from the road.
Store 79 either expanded or was replaced in the late 1990’s. The pharmacy replaced the video department in 2012.
The space north of store 79 over to the post office will be demolished. This will allow store 79 to expand.
I have not noticed South Forest Shopping Center to slope badly.
Stores 2, 7 New Leicester Highway, Asheville, North Carolina 28806-2725, and 5, 669 Haywood Road, Asheville, North Carolina 28806-3257, are older stores that could use improvements.
Ingle’s #5 could rebuild and/or expand if additional parcels along Haywood Road and Jarrett Street were acquired. That would be the only way to become a 72,000-square-foot store at that location. I do not know if Ingle’s Markets could consider opening new, smaller Ingle’s stores.
Ingle’s #2 is the oldest store in operation. It is easy for customer traffic to get in and out from and onto Patton Avenue westbound and New Leicester Highway northbound. It is bad for trucks to get in and out from New Leicester Highway to make deliveries. I think store 2 has expanded several times.
Can you identify a strategy in terms of spacing? How far does Ingles expect its customers to travel from their homes?
I know that the newish store #62 on New Leicester Hwy is often preferred over #2 for people living between the two stores who have their own transport, and #31 on Smoky Park Hwy over #5 for people out west, especially for the “weekly shop” vs picking up a few items on the commute.
I think AVL LVR has a point here, and those smaller stores could potentially remodel around fewer lines: perhaps not “discount” like Sav-Mor but with a greater emphasis on best-selling products and ready-to-go than bulky non-food items, along with more self-checkout spots. You see that in France with Monoprix, and also in the UK with Tesco Metro and Sainsbury’s Local, which average around 11,000 sq. ft.
A one and five-tenth-mile radius with a quantity of residences with disposable income is typical of a supermarket chain operating a quantity of stores in a specific area.
They need to tear down the West Asheville Ingles on Haywood and rebuild. That store is a P.O.S.
Ingle’s #5 is an older store that can use improvements.
The opening of the new Ingle’s #24 will mark an important milestone for the supermarket: its 100th pharmacy company-wide.
Stores 31, Plaza West, 153 Smokey Park Highway, Asheville, North Carolina 28806-1138, and 79, South Forest Shopping Center, 780 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, North Carolina 28803-2900, should be the next stores in Buncombe County to be replaced (store 31) or rebuilt (store 79).