Nearly 400 small businesses in Buncombe County were announced as recipients of grant funding from the Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund during the June 24 meeting of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.
According to a June 24 press release, the pool of $5 million in grant money was funded through the portion of hotel room occupancy tax revenue designated for tourism product development, and will be administered by nonprofit Mountain BizWorks. A total of 394 businesses out of nearly 450 that applied for the funding received either a full grant or a micro-grant ranging from $2,000 to $50,000. The grants are aimed at covering expenses related payroll, supplies, rent, inventory and other business expenses, and are not expected to be paid back. Roughly 4,800 jobs are expected to be impacted by the grants.
The release also notes that out of the total grant funds disbursed, 232, or 55 %, was allocated to women-led businesses, while 63 grants, or 18%, were awarded to minority-led businesses. The majority of the grants – 356 in total – went to businesses with fewer than 25 employees. Fifty-nine of the grants were made to Buncombe businesses outside of the Asheville city limits. Restaurants and bars were the most represented industry sector with 124 grants given, followed by 102 grants to the segment comprising tours, attractions, outdoor recreation, agri-tourism, arts, and entertainment. Retail operations received 84 grants.
Business were scored on their financial need and sustainability, the impact of the business on tourism, how the grant would affect job retention and recovery and business owners’s plans for reopening safely.
View the complete list of grant recipients, broken down by full grants and micro-grants, below:
FULL GRANT RECIPIENTS
12 Bones $ 30,000
67 Biltmore Downtown Eatery & Catering $ 19,044
Addison Farms Vineyard $ 12,000
Adventure Center of Asheville $ 18,000
Alexander & Lehnert Jewelry $ 5,750
All Souls Pizza $ 24,000
Allgood Coffee $ 12,000
Amazing Pubcycle $ 5,000
Appalachian Craft Center and Appalachian Crafts Too $ 9,900
Archetype Brewing $ 28,750
Ariel Gallery $ 15,000
Asheville Adventure Company $ 5,750
Asheville Art Museum Association $ 25,000
Asheville Beauty Academy $ 5,750
Asheville Bee Charmer $ 15,000
Asheville Brews Cruise $ 6,750
Asheville Chocolate $ 14,250
Asheville Club $ 20,700
Asheville Gallery of Art $ 10,020
Asheville Guitar Bar $ 4,500
Asheville Hiking Tours $ 7,500
Asheville Museum of Science $ 18,000
Asheville Music Hall & The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall $ 15,000
Asheville Pinball Museum $ 18,550
Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. $ 16,000
Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours $ 4,440
Asheville Salt Cave $ 19,780
Asheville Symphony Society $ 17,670
Asheville Wellness Tours $ 2,340
Asheville Yoga Center $ 27,600
Asheville’s Fun Depot $ 15,000
Asiana Grand Buffet $ 19,500
Aux Bar $ 18,000
Axeville Throwing Club $ 14,500
Azteca $ 10,000
Banks Ave Bar $ 10,670
Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria $ 19,500
Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar $ 19,870
Battlecat coffee bar $ 9,200
Bella Gallery $ 9,000
Benjamin T Warner DJ & Musician $ 3,000
Benjamin Walls Gallery $ 17,400
Benne on Eagle $ 25,000
Bette Boutique $ 11,400
Bhramari Brewing $ 15,000
Biscuit Head (Biltmore Ave) $ 16,666.67
Biscuit Head (South) $ 16,666.67
Biscuit Head (West) $ 16,666.67
Black Mountain Bistro $ 27,600
Black Mountain Brewing $ 13,500
Black Mountain Visitor’s Center / Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce $ 4,500
blue $ 5,850
Blue Agave Mexican Restaurant $ 25,000
Blue Ridge Event Staffing $ 5,120
Blue Ridge Hiking Company $ 8,500
Blue Tree Global Apparel $ 5,000
Bomba $ 6,120
Bone and Broth Resturant $ 26,452.83
Bouchon and Rendezvous $ 20,000
Brasilia Churrasco Steakhouse $ 20,000
Button&Co Bagels $ 21,000
Buxton Hall Barbecue $ 30,000
C&Co. All Natural Body Goods $ 10,720
Cakes By Gray, LLC $ 7,000
Capital Club of Asheville (CCA) $ 5,400
Caravans $ 7,500
Catawba Valley Brewing Company $ 5,460
Celine and Company Catering $ 19,665
Center for Craft $ 19,870
Chai Pani $ 30,000
Charmed Asheville $ 7,000
Chemist Spirits, Antidote $ 27,600
Chestnut $ 25,000
Chiesa $ 24,000
Cinnamon Kitchen $ 5,000
Climbmax Climbing, Climbmax Mountain Guides $ 19,500
Cocula $ 15,000
Common Housefly $ 13,000
Contemporaneo $ 6,940
Corner Kitchen $ 25,000
Cosmic Vision $ 12,489
Cucina 24 $ 21,000
Curate $ 21,000
Dining Innovations $ 17,220
Dobra Tea $ 15,000
Double D’s Coffee & Desserts $ 8,400
Early Girl Eatery $ 30,000
Earth Magick $ 5,750
Ebb & Flow Massage Therapy Center $ 5,400
Eda Rhyne Distilling Company $ 8,250
El Charro Mexican Restaurante $ 14,000
Elope Asheville $ 5,750
En La Calle $ 30,000
Enka Youth Sports Organization Inc $ 12,880
Enter The Conundrum $ 7,500
Estate Jewelry Ltd $ 8,250
Europa $ 11,500
Faithfully Elegant Events $ 12,000
FIG $ 30,000
Fleetwood’s $ 17,077.50
Foggy Mountain Brewpub $ 19,500
Food Bev Inc dba Broth Lab $ 13,970
Foothills Farm & Butchery $ 30,000
Foundation Woodworks $ 6,370
Four Corners Home/ Mobilia $ 14,500
French Broad Chocolates $ 27,000
French Broad Outfitters $ 8,400
Friends of the WNC Nature Center $ 13,650
From Here and Far Gallery $ 5,750
Ginger’s Revenge $ 19,780
Glass Onion $ 23,000
Grail Moviehouse $ 13,970
Gray Line Trolley Tours of Asheville $ 30,000
Green Sage Cafe $ 18,000
Grove House $ 15,000
Gypsy Queen Cuisine Deli & Food Truck $ 13,100
Haywood Common $ 22,500
Hazel Twenty $ 7,500
Hector’s Restaurants $ 24,000
Heyday Music $ 5,750
High Five Coffee $ 21,000
Hillman Beer $ 15,000
Hi‐Wire Brewing $ 16,000
Hola Carolina $ 23,000
Homewood $ 6,300
Hood Huggers International $ 16,100
Horse and Hero $ 7,170
Hot Yoga Asheville $ 12,900
Hunter Banks Company $ 10,000
Ichiban Restaurant $ 22,500
India Garden $ 12,500
Instant Karma $ 13,200
Isis Restaurant & Music Hall $ 27,600
Jargon $ 20,000
Jersalem Garden Café $ 21,000
Jonas Gerard Fine Arts $ 18,000
Karen Donatelli Bakery & Café $ 14,250
Kilwins Chocolates, Fudge & Ice Cream $ 12,440.17
Krista Anne’s $ 11,000
laughing seed $ 27,600
LaZoom Tours $ 30,000
Lazy Diamond $ 8,400
LEAF Global Arts $ 15,900
Lexington Glassworks $ 24,725
Limones $ 30,000
LIQUEFY $ 5,750
Little Jumbo $ 17,089
Lookout Brewing Company $ 18,000
Louise’s Kitchen $ 18,000
Luella’s Bar‐B‐Que $ 25,000
Luella’s Bar‐B‐Que Too $ 15,000
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe $ 30,000
Mela $ 8,750
Melt Your Heart $ 10,000
Mexico Lindo Chapala $ 25,000
Milk and Honey Kitchen $ 16,000
Minx Inc $ 10,000
Modesto Trattoria $ 29,880
Montford Park Players $ 11,430
Moogseum $ 7,253
Moonlight Makers $ 19,200
Mosaix Group $ 30,000
Mount Inspiration Apparel $ 5,750
Mountain Fairy Hair $ 5,500
Mountain Made $ 5,750
Mountain Madre Mexican Kitchen & Agave Bar $ 27,600
Mtn Merch $ 10,000
My Asheville Massage $ 5,000
Navitat Canopy Adventures $ 30,000
Nine Mile $ 25,000
Nine Mile West $ 25,000
No Taste Like Home $ 14,000
North Carolina Glass Center $ 13,160
Odyssey Clayworks $ 9,000
Off the Wagon Dueling Piano Bar $ 7,290
Ole Shakey’s Getaway $ 7,000
One Fly Outfitters $ 14,000
One World Brewing $ 11,450
Open Oven $ 15,000
Orange Peel Events $ 20,000
Over Easy Café $ 14,500
Oyster House Brewing Co. $ 24,000
Pack’s Tavern $ 30,000
Paul Taylor Sandals $ 8,050
PennyCup at the YMI $ 8,000
PennyCup Coffee $ 9,200
Pizza Mind $ 12,000
plant restaurant $ 30,000
pleb urban winery $ 8,400
Pomodoros Café ‐ South Asheville $ 15,000
Posana $ 30,000
Ready Play Entertainment $ 7,250
Red Ginger Dimsum & Tapas $ 20,000
Rhubarb and The Rhu $ 25,000
Rockys Hot Chicken Shack $ 22,500
room nine club $ 20,000
Rosetta’s Kitchen and Rosetta’s Kitchenette $ 18,000
Sake Sushi $ 13,500
Sauna House $ 17,500
Sawhorse $ 12,000
Second Gear $ 12,000
Serenity Scott $ 8,400
Shady Grove Flowers $ 6,727.50
Shay Brown Events $ 11,400
Simple Cafe & Juice Bar $ 25,000
Sly Grog Lounge $ 13,970
Smallcakes Cupcakery & Creamery $ 18,000
Southern Highland Craft Guild/Folk Art Center $ 20,000
Sovereign Remedies $ 19,500
Spa at Biltmore Village $ 12,900
Static Age Records $ 9,500
Still Point Wellness $ 21,000
Strada Italiano and Social Lounge $ 30,000
Street Fair $ 8,280
Sugar Britches $ 6,300
Sunny Point Cafe $ 27,600
Sunnyside Trading Company $ 7,000
Sunshine Sammies $ 16,800
Sweeten Creek Brewing $ 10,720
table restaurant and The Imperial Life Cocktail Lounge $ 24,000
Tacos Jaliscos $ 21,000
Ten Thousand Villages $ 5,750
The Admiral $ 22,500
The Asheville Tourists Baseball Club $ 27,600
The Bender Gallery $ 5,850
The Bier Garden $ 30,000
The Blackbird Restaurant $ 19,500
THE BLOCK off biltmore $ 9,000
The Bull and Beggar $ 15,000
The Cantina @ Historic Biltmore Village $ 27,600
The Chocolate Fetish $ 15,000
The Crow & Quill $ 25,000
The Doner $ 24,000
The Double Crown $ 12,880
The Flying Bike $ 8,625
The Golden Pineapple $ 10,750
The Gourmet Chip Company $ 18,975
The Grey Eagle Music Hall and Pub $ 27,427.50
The Haen Gallery $ 12,370
The Lobster Trap $ 19,500
The Magnetic Theatre $ 5,750
The Market Place Restaurant $ 30,000
The Med $ 11,790
The North Carolina Arboretum Society $ 15,000
The Odditorium $ 30,000
The Orange Peel Social Aid and Pleasure Club $ 30,000
The Social $ 15,000
The Times Bar $ 8,250
The Venue $ 30,000
The Village Potters $ 16,120
The Whale AVL $ 7,750
Thirsty Monk $ 18,000
Trackside Studios $ 6,900
Trade and Lore Asheville $ 27,600
Trailhead Restaurant & Bar $ 15,000
Twin Leaf Brewery $ 11,902.50
Ultimate Ice Cream $ 19,500
Urban Orchard Cider Company $ 22,500
VaVaVooom $ 9,150
Veranda Cafe $ 14,500
Victory Blvd Tattoo $ 5,800
visions of creation gallery and studio $ 9,500
Vivian $ 30,000
Wake Foot Sanctuary $ 15,000
WALK $ 19,690
Ware $ 4,500
Wasabi Japanese Restuarant & Sushi Bar, Inc. $ 27,600
Weaver House $ 12,000
Wedge Brewing Company $ 30,000
Weinhaus $ 7,470
Well Played Board Game Café $ 17,060
Whistle Hop Brewing Company $ 12,000
White Duck Taco Shop $ 27,600
White Horse Black Mountain $ 12,000
Wild Ginger $ 28,750
Wonderland $ 6,900
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts $ 30,000
Yesterday’s Tree $ 10,750
YMI Cultural Center $ 16,990
Zambra $ 30,000
Zebulon Artisan Ales $ 15,791
Zen Ink $ 19,500
Zia Taqueria $ 22,500
MICRO-GRANT RECIPIENTS
A‐Escape $ 2,000
Alley Cat Social Club $ 5,000
Ambrose West $ 4,500
American Folk Art & Framing $ 3,250
Andy Herod Gallery $ 3,000
ARTeries by Stina $ 2,000
Asheville AV Club $ 3,000
Asheville Beverage $ 3,250
Asheville Brewery Tours $ 4,600
Asheville Coffee Tours $ 3,000
Asheville Detours $ 4,500
Asheville Downtown Association $ 5,000
Asheville Emporium $ 3,250
Asheville Outdoor Center $ 4,000
Asheville Photo Tours $ 3,250
Asheville Plays $ 5,000
Asheville School of Film $ 4,000
Attic Salt Theatre Company $ 4,500
Baa’d Sheep Burritos $ 4,000
Bagatelle Books $ 2,600
Black Mountain Center for the Arts $ 5,000
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center $ 5,000
Black Mountain Escape $ 4,000
Black Mountain Quilts $ 2,000
Blossom & Be Wellness $ 3,250
Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery $ 4,000
Blunt Pretzels $ 4,000
BREW‐ed $ 3,250.00
Caristo Jewelry Designs $ 4,000
Carolina Fatz II $ 3,000
Carolina Love Events $ 4,000
Carrasco Catering $ 3,360
Cask and Canter Mobile Bar $ 4,000
Chevron Trading Post & Bead Company $ 4,000
clarabell $ 5,000
Comic Envy $ 3,000
Copper Crown $ 5,000
Crucible Glassworks $ 4,000
Design Driven $ 5,000
Dolce Vita $ 5,000
East West Vintage Rentals $ 3,000
Elements Real Food $ 3,000
embellish $ 4,500
Fired Up Creative Lounge $ 4,500
Food Experience $ 5,000
FOX‐N‐OTTER $ 5,000
Frostbite Ice Cream $ 3,500
Gallery Mugen $ 5,000
Harvest Records $ 5,000
Heiwa Shokudo $ 5,000
hey hey cupcake! $ 3,500
Hip Replacements $ 5,000
hummingbyrd studio $ 3,250
iDaph Events $ 4,500
Ignite Jewelry Studios $ 5,000
K2 Studio $ 2,000
Kathmandu Kitchen $ 5,000
Lakeview Putt and Play $ 4,500
Linden Consignment Boutique $ 2,000
L’optique $ 2,500
Lost and Found $ 2,000
lou lou $ 2,000
Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store $ 3,500
Majik Studios $ 3,924
Manicomio $ 2,000
Mitchell’s Tuxedo’s $ 4,500
Mora Collection $ 5,000
Mountain Me $ 4,500
Namaste in Nature $ 4,102
Noble Cider $ 5,000
North Carolina Stage Company $ 5,000
Nourishing Life $ 2,500
O’Henry’s $ 5,000
Olde London Road $ 4,000
Peaberry $ 2,800
Posies For Lulu Vintage $ 3,000
PUSH Skateshop & Gallery $ 4,000
RAZBERRY THREADS $ 2,000
Reciprocity $ 2,000
Red Fiddle Vittles $ 4,000
Relax & Rejuvenate $ 5,000
Roanline $ 4,500
Rocket Fizz $ 4,000
Salvaterra Pottery $ 4,500
Short Street Cakes $ 5,000
Silver River Center for Chair Caning $ 5,000
Skin Spa Asheville $ 2,000
Skinny Beats Drums $ 4,000
Smith‐McDowell House Museum $ 5,000
Sole82 $ 5,000
Southern Charm $ 2,500
Spice & Tea Merchants of Asheville $ 4,500
Spiritex $ 4,500
Splurge $ 3,500
Studio Chavarria $ 5,000
Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center $ 5,000
Tastee Diner $ 5,000
The Ettison Group $ 5,000
The Hop Ice Cream Cafe $ 4,000
The Spice & Tea Exchange $ 2,500
The Town Pump and Root Bar $ 4,000
Traveling Chic Boutique $ 3,250
Uncommon Market Asheville $ 2,000
Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian $ 4,000
Walk With Me Tours Asheville $ 3,150
WAXON Batik & Dye Studio $ 4,500
West End Bakery $ 4,500
Wine & Design Asheville $ 2,000
Work of Nature $ 4,500
Yum Poke Spot $ 2,000
Zillicoah Beer Company $ 5,000
Wow, so $18,000 for known sexual predator Jonas Gerard, and a $3,000 microgrant for outspoken twitter racist Andy Herod?
While *each* location of Biscuit Head receives more money than the YMI Cultural Center?
We see where your priorities lie, TDA.