The single most important driving force in the Asheville, North Carolina Market today is this: How many minutes from downtown Asheville do you want to live? The answer to this question usually influences many other decisions that buyers will make about purchasing a home or land since proximity to downtown goes hand in hand with prices.
What, thendraws so many to our downtown area? I know there are plenty of answers to that question so I will just list some of my reasons why I thoroughly enjoy a visit to downtown. First is the walkability of the area. There are at great streets that you can leisurely stroll shopping at unique retail shops, cultural exhibits and galleries, a variety of fantastic restaurants and of course, the Grove Arcade. My favorite streets are Haywood Ave., Battery Park, Lexington Avenue, Broadway, and Wall Street. During the spring, summer and fall you can listen to a variety of musicians playing on the sidewalks. They even play classical music from time to time (see photo). The library and Civic Centerare also on Haywood Ave right next to each just down the street from Malaprops Bookstore. The Civic Center has a variety of different performers and musicians scheduled throughout the year with this month featuring Kenny Rogers, the Asheville Symphonyand Loreena McKennitt All of downtown also has free Wi-Fi. There are also a variety of outside eating areas in different restaurants and coffee shops so that you can sit among the trees, sip some latte, surf the web and watch the world go by.
There are also several art galleries in the downtown area with the most unusual being the Woolworth Walk , where 150 local artists have their creations featured in an old remodeled 1938 Woolworth store. You can easily spend a hour or two walking through here taking in a variety of different artists ranging from sculptures and paintings to fashion design and beautiful photography of the Western North Carolina mountains.
I guess my favorite store is Malaprops Independent Bookstore. This was the first place I visited when I came to Asheville. It has a potpourri of various authors visiting on a monthly basis for readings while also offering a great range of books on many diverse subject matters. It also has a great cozy coffee shop that you can enjoy without even going to the bookstore.
There is a lot of ground to cover in Downtown Asheville so stay tuned as we tour many of the other different shops, galleries, and restaurants that make this such a wonderful place to visit or just hang out!
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