Grocery Stores/Markets

Hi.  Happy Halloween!  I hope you're enjoying the articles.  I'd love to get your feedback, good or bad!

This afternoon I'm going to address another aspect of living in Asheville (or anywhere for that matter!), food!  Not food as in restaurants, a topic to be addressed in upcoming articles, but something much more basic - groceries.  Where to shop in Asheville?  Well, I'll leave that for you to decide but in this article I will give a brief overview of the main groceries stores/markets in Asheville.  To be clear, this is not an overview of all such retail, just the most prominent and well-known.

The most prominent supermarket chain in Asheville has to be Ingles.  This is perhaps to be expected as the founding family lives in Asheville and opened the first store here in 1963.  The Company Headquarters and Warehouse is located in nearby Black Mountain, NC.  A quick check of the Company's website showed 12 locations in Asheville.  The age of these stores can vary but most, especially the newest, provide an extensive stock of groceries as well as Bakery, Deli and Video Departments.

Another regional chain with representation in Asheville is BI-LO.  BI-LO is a similar grocery store chain concept but it is not nearly as prominent as Ingles; a quick check of the Company's website indicated only one store in Asheville.  This store is located at 801 Fairview Road.

Harris Teeter, perceived to be more upscale than either Ingles or BI-LO, is also represented in Asheville.  According to the Company website, this chain has only one store in Asheville at 1378 Hendersonville Road.  I live near this store and do shop it on occasion.  My impression is that while the store may have a more upscale aura, it does offer value in weekly specials, such as the "buy-one-get-one-free" specials.

Another chain (international) represented in Asheville is ALDI.  The Company website shows two locations in Asheville.  I am probably the least familiar with this chain even though one is located very near where I live.  I have only shopped it once and my impression was that of limited selection, relative to other grocery stores, but also some good buys.

I guess it goes without saying that we would have Wal-Mart.  Doesn't every city these days?  The Wal-Mart Super Centers also sell groceries.

In addition to these regional and international "mainstream" chains, Asheville has a good selection of what I'll call the "Whole Foods Market"-type of grocery store/market.  Although Asheville does not actually possess a Whole Foods Market (I'm pretty sure the closest to Asheville is to be found about 65 miles away in Greenville, SC) we do have several good choices in this organic and natural whole foods genre.  I'll overview those next.

The first I'll cover is in downtown Asheville and is called Greenlife Grocery.  According to to the Company website, there are only two locations, one in Asheville and another in Chattanooga, TN.  The Asheville store is located at 70 Merrimon Avenue and is very popular among those preferring this style of shopping.

Next is Earth Fare.  According to the Company website, the chain is found only in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.   This store is very similar to Whole Foods Market, to me in the same way a Sam's Club is similar to a Costco.  In fact, the first time I visited an Earth Fare I was amazed at the similarity.  This chain has two locations in Asheville, one proximate to downtown and one in the south.

Another of this genre is Fresh Market, which is, by the way, my mother's favorite.  According to the Company website, this chain has one store in Asheville.  This store is located at 944 Merrimon Avenue.

The last I'll cover today is the French Broad Food Coop.  This store is, relative to the other stores covered, fairly small but it does offer a good selection of products, including organic produce.  This store is centrally located in downtown Asheville and is easily accessible to locals and visitors.  The coop is located at 90 Biltmore Avenue.

This concludes my overview of the most prominent grocery stores/markets in Asheville.  My intent was not to make recommendations but rather to inform you, the reader, about the key players in this segment of the local economy.  I invite you to visit them all and decide for yourself where you'll shop while Living in Asheville, North Carolina.

Personal: Where I Live

I currently reside at the historic Kenilworth Inn Apartments, which sits on a hill nestled between the Tunnel Road business district, Biltmore Village and downtown Asheville.  Logistically, the location is just about ideal as local roads permit easy access to Swannanoa River Road, to the south, Tunnel Road, to the east, and Biltmore Avenue, to the west.  The building has a rich history that one can immediately infer from its Gothic Tudor Architecture - or the plaque at the entrance showing the building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  The building, in its current configuration, offers 93, often uniquely designed, apartments.  Those drawn to live here appreciate the interesting layout and the charm of the old building.  However, the building one sees today is actually the second Kenilworth Inn to sit atop this hill.

The first Inn, shown above, opened for business in 1890.  Unfortunately, the grand old Tudor building was destroyed by fire in 1909.  The current building, shown below in pictures taken on 10/29/09, was completed in 1918 and went immediately under lease to the US Army as Army Hospital No. 12, to aid in the treatment of casualties of World War I.  The new building did not resume its status as a resort until 1923.

Significant phases of this building's history are summarized below:

1918           Construction of current building completed - Army Hospital No. 12

1919           US Army lease expires

1923-29      Kenilworth Inn

1931-43      Appalachian Hall (a mental health facility)

1943-46      U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital, Kenilworth Park

1946-99       Appalachian Hall/Charter Hospital

2000            Purchased by current owner; renovated/re-opened as Kenilworth Inn Apts

Asheville offers a number of great places to live, in a variety of beautiful, interesting, and historic  neighborhoods, such as Kenilworth, Montford, Beaverdam, West Asheville, - the list goes on.  There is certainly no shortage of old and interesting residential architecture.  The Kenilworth Inn Apartments, where I live, is just one of many options.  For those drawn to an historic residence, with both its charm and quirks, the Kenilworth Inn, with its central location and great access, is a great find.  For me, it's currently where I reside while Living in Asheville, North Carolina.

References:

http://www.historickenilworth.com/history.html

Personal: Welcome to Living in Asheville, North Carolina

Hello and welcome.

As the title indicates, I live in Asheville, NC. I have lived here, full-time, for nearly two years and find it a very unique place to live. I have lived across the US, from Dover, DE to San Diego, CA and many places between, and find Asheville unique as a small city with an interesting, progressive, and varied population. The City is progressive and contemporary, due in part to the influx of accomplished creative and technically-oriented people from across the United States and many other countries. However, Asheville also possesses a rich history which is most apparent to the casual visitor in the architecture of the City, local towns and rural dwellings. And, of course, the ubiquitous beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Why do I choose to write about Asheville? Well, writing about Asheville has been common in recent years, almost cool, as Asheville has gained national attention and experienced a renaissance of sorts. I have been influenced, in some ways, by the national rediscovery of Asheville but my attraction to Asheville and the local area is deeper and more substantial than simply fad or trend. My paternal ancestors were among the first Europeans to settle this area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hopefully, this brief overview of my "roots" will prove interesting and, hopefully, helpful to other descendants curious about their genealogy and ancestry.

The first of my ancestors to arrive in the area were Frances and Robert David Rogers, who were born in Ireland in 1744 and 1741, respectively. Frances died in 1828 at 81 years of age and is buried in Roger's Cemetery in Cullowhee, NC, about 50 miles from Asheville. Robert died in 1810 and his cemetery plot is thought to be on the Biltmore Estate. The couple had 10 children. One of these children, Hugh Rogers, was born in Philadelphia in 1761. Hugh and his parents relocated to this area and Hugh was one of the first settlers in the Fines Creek area, about 30 miles west of Asheville. Hugh served in the Revolutionary War as a young man. Eventually, he and his wife wife Nancy produced twelve sons.

My line derives from one of these sons, Robert Rogers, who was born in 1805. Robert settled what is known as Rogers Cove, just to the north of Lake Junaluska, in nearby Waynesville, NC. Several members of my extended family still live on land originally settled by Robert and the remnants of some of the original cabins can still be seen. Robert and two of his sons died within months of one another in late 1859. Robert and his sons George and Michael are buried at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Clyde, NC, about 20 miles west of Asheville. Robert's wife, Susanna (1810-1901), is also buried at this cemetery.

James K. Polk Rogers, a son of Robert, was born in 1846 and lived in the Rogers Cove area. He died in 1915 and is buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Waynesville. Also buried in that cemetery is his daughter, Callie Rogers Burress, who was born in 1874 and died 1929.

My great-grandmother, Millie Mae (Burress) Melton, was one of three daughters born to Callie and Samuel Pinkney Burress. Mille was born in 1896 and died in 1983. She is buried in Fulbright Cemetery at Rogers Cove. Her son and my grandfather, Robert Vinson Burress, for whom I am named, is buried near her. My grandfather was born in 1916 and died in 2001. My father, Dwayne Vinson Burress, is alive and thriving. He recently turned 73 and he and my mother celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in June of 2009.

So, if you're counting, you probably determined that I am the ninth generation to call this area home. As my father will be buried at the Fulbright Cemetery when his time comes, eight generations will be buried in a five relatively close cemeteries from Asheville to the Waynesville area. I am proud of this unique heritage which spans the life of our Nation. Yes, I find modern day Asheville a pleasant and interesting place to live but my attraction to this City and region is generations deep.

Thanks to my cousin, Cindy Burress Thurmond, whose genealogical research made this article possible.