North Carolina is still in bad shape. FEMA has been either useless or obstructive. [All this is on X on video. There’s probably some on Substack too.]
Businesses there could use some patronage this holiday season. I found this list on X courtesy of Show Me The Data and converted it for here. Go and see the original thread for artists and vendors in McDowell County.
Clothing/Jewelry/Boutiques
Embellish Asheville - Jewelry, Bags, etc
SoulKu - Necklaces made by moms in AVL
Fox and Beaux - Fine jewelry
Tops for Shoes - Downtown Shoe store - great selection!
ThereThere Shop - Home goods, clothing, gifts
Elementality - Clothing and Local Jewelry
Clad - Clothing Boutique - Clothing boutique, Jewelry
Honeypot Vintage - Vintage clothing
Caravans - Clothing store in Grove Arcade
Nest Boutique - Clothing boutique
Eileen's Boutique - Clothing boutique in Biltmore Village
Dogwood Darlings - Children's clothing, gifts, and toys
Shining Rock Goods - Leather goods on Wall St, Beautiful, high-quality leather goods, bags, wallets, Jewelry, Belts, Buckles Moonlight Makers -
Asheville Strong - 100% of Profits Donated to Beloved Asheville to support Hurricane Helene Relief
Rite of Passage Clothing - Rite of Passage is committed to honoring the cloth and the art and skill of sewing. Made in Asheville, NC, we celebrate being part of a new wave of slow fashion rooted in a collaborative domestic textile industry.
Mora Jewelry - Contemporary Jewelry Store - Check the "Asheville All Stars" section for Asheville Jewelers!
On The Inside Lingerie - Lingerie handmade in Asheville, NC!
Home Goods/ Outdoor/ Gifts/ Toys
Garden Party - CBD products and fun gifts
Asheville Hemp Farms - CBD Products - apparel, tinctures, edibles, vapes, pet products, etc
Duncan and York -Gifts + Home goods in downtown Asheville - Gifts, candles, cards, etc
Bagatelle Books - Used books, lovely selection!
Malaprops Books - Local Bookstore
The L.O.F.T Asheville - Lots of fun stuff! Gifts galore
Enter the Earth - Crystals/Stones/Jewelry
Provisions Mercantile - home goods, gifts, local food products
Nest Organics - Organic home goods
Citizen Vinyl - Vinyl record pressing, gifts, etc
Origami Ink - Biltmore Village stationary store selling a few items for pre-sale to help support recovery of the store
Dog and Pony Show - Home goods, gifts
Asheville Home Crafts - Yarn, gifts, patterns - Grove Arcade
The Woodrow Instrument Company - The Woodrow is essentially an upright variant of our traditional mountain dulcimer (also referred to as a lap or Appalachian dulcimer). Our instrument functions like its traditional kin but holds like a guitar or ukulele.
Calamus and Honey - Fine spiritual goods
Bella and Oliver Soap - Beacon Village Candles - "Hurricane Helene devastated my home and neighborhood in Beacon Village. A community of 100 year old mill houses in Swannanoa, NC. Help us bring life back to the valley. $5 of every candle sold will go to http://savebeaconvillage.org" - Bella and Oliver
Soap Spoon and Hook - Home goods/ hand carved wares, cutting boards etc.
Dolce Vita - Gift boutique in downtown Asheville that carries locally made items East
Fork Pottery - Pottery
Dancing Bear Toys Dancing Bear Toys has been family-owned for over twenty-five years. Our toys encourage imagination and creative problem-solving in kids of all ages!
Delighted Gift Shop - Gift shop in downtown Asheville with lots of holiday items!
Black Dome Mountain Sports - Sports and outdoor gear
Sour House - Our mission to inspire more sourdough baking by creating thoughtfully designed tools for the home baker.
Health + Beauty, Bath/Body + Wellness
Serenity + Scott Apothecary - Local asheville makeup and skincare
The Herbiary -Teas, herbs, essential oils, crystals, books, salves, etc
Adoratherapy - Aromatherapy, gifts, perfume, candles - Grove Arcade
Wake Foot Spa -Foot spa and massage - spa products, gift certs online
Abracadabra Botanicals - Organic skincare line made from botanical oils (made from scratch!) Every jar has a positive affirmation :)
Asheville Salt Cave - Salt Cave with wellness services and an online store that sells salt products - also support by buying a gift card
Appalachian Sacred Smoke -p Folk Medicine: Dried herb bundles for ceremony - small batches offered at a time. She will have more for holiday restock.
Cara Mae Skincare - Potter's Skin Butter - nourishing skincare for dry skin
Heilbron Herbs - Tinctures, teas, sincare,carefully sourced from small US farms and made in NC
Kestrel Herb Farm - Bulk herbs and tinctures grown in Sandy Mush
Everyday Oil - Body oil/skincare and related products
Windy Hill Farm - Artisan goat milk bath and body products - Windy Hill Farm is a small family-owned and operated farm, nestled in the community of Alexander, NC
Pines Herbals - Bioregional herbal tinctures that are ethically wildcrafted and clinically formulated by CoreyPine Shane, a nationally respected herbalist, and founder of the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine
Wounded Warrior Ointment - Wounded Warrior Ointment is an antiseptic and astringent for relief of minor skin irritations. It heals, soothes and moisturizes. Safe for children and pets.
Food + Beverage
Dobra Tea - Loose leaf tea - we love Dobra!
Asheville Bee Charmer - Honey! Tshirts, honey items, soaps, etc
Asheville Goods - Gift boxes with local products, jams, chocolate, condiments, cutting boards, etc
Botanical Bones - Plant-Based Dog Treats
Legally Addictive - Cookies
18 Chestnuts - Soups
Hatchet Coffee - Coffee
Cooperative Coffee - Coffee
Rowan Coffee - Coffee
Spicewalla - Spices
French Broad Chocolate - Chocolate of all kinds! - Peppermint Bark is available in the online store!
Pisgah Coffee Roasters - Coffee
Matcha Nude - Matcha
Goddess Ghee - Incredible Ghee in many flavors
Asheville Tea Company -Holiday Trio online for pre-order! - Asheville Tea Co lost their building in the flood.
Crocodile Wine - Local wine shop with a membership option that can be gifted!
Rocket Fizz Candy Shop - Candy Store located in downtown Asheville - Gift certificates help support this lovely candy shop!
Conjure Craft Chocolate - Conjure Craft Chocolate is small-batch bean to bar chocolate roasted and ground in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
YANCEY COUNTY: Burnsville, Spruce Pine, Pendland, etc - Artists and Shops!
PlottHound Books (Burnsville, NC)
Fun Frolic Farm (Burnsville, NC) Goat milk soap, salves, lotion, etc
Joy Tanner Pottery Beautiful soda fired pottery
Debbie Littledeer - Serigraph prints, note cards
Tomlin Design - Jeweler in Burnsville - It looks like her shop may be closed due to an illness in her family - save this shop and be sure to come back and support her work!
Terrane Glass - Custom made to order barware in Spruce Pine Mountain
Time on Main Street - Local artisan goods, home goods, etc
Penland Gallery - Penland School of Craft Gallery - Penland School of Craft's artist gallery shop is OPEN! Note the special section for WNC artisits impacted by hurricane helene. 100% of the proceeds of these purchases through the end of the year will go directly to the artist. Hearth Glass and Gallery - Burnsville Glass Art and Gallery https://hearthglassnc.com/shop Glass products and art - (more to come in their shop soon I've heard!)
Reverence Botanicals - Burnsville - Handcrafted artisan herbal extracts from the pristine mountains of Western North Carolina
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Selina Rifkin, M.S. [Nutrition], LMT, has been Pagan since she was 14 [which was a long time ago] and been to Hades in a handbasket. More than once. This has given her some opinions. She has direct communication with her gods and they’ve always given her answers when she asks. [One does have to ask.] Like most of her generation [X] she’s okay with snark. Most days she tries for good writing. But the snark, and side comments creep in. Be warned.
Pagan Organizations
This is a great and practical wa to help people in the area. I'll post on Gab and maybe elsewhere to share.