Exploring the Valley
Discover the hidden gems, local legends, and can’t-miss experiences in Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley as we dive into the perks of Chamber membership and uncover what makes this mountain town a must-visit destination. Whether you're a local business or just passing through, there's something cool waiting for you!
Episodes
42 episodes
How Tourism, History, And Volunteers Keep Black Mountain Thriving
You can learn a lot about a place by listening to someone who has loved it for decades, then chose to serve it on purpose. We’re joined by Glenn Cox, a Swannanoa Valley local with deep family roots and a lifetime of stories that stretch from At...
Why Painting A Flood High Water Mark Matters
A local business owner pulls you aside at dinner and says, “We want you to take ownership.” That’s the moment Jessica Gruver and her now-husband Nathan step into a life-changing decision: buying Black Mountain Handyman and leading a team that h...
From Rory Gilmore To Chamber Pro
She packed up her life, moved to the mountains days after graduation, and jumped into a Chamber of Commerce job that didn’t even come with a neat little job description. That’s the kind of real world leap we love, and it’s why our conversation ...
What If The Right Town Finds You First
They came to the mountains to be close to their daughters at summer camp and left with something way bigger: a new sense of home in Black Mountain, North Carolina, plus an “accidental” house purchase that might change everything. We sit down wi...
Ask Jeeves Got Replaced By Ask Wesley
You can tell a lot about a town by the people who quietly keep it moving and by the ones who choose to come back after trying somewhere else. We’re talking with Wesley Barker, a lifelong North Carolinian who grew up in Ash County, took a detour...
Mountain Town Stories
You can live near a place for years and still realize you’ve never actually seen it. That’s the moment that hits when Judy Schuford talks about finally taking a real tour of Swannanoa and walking away convinced we all need to show up, spend loc...
The Disco Ball Barn That Launched A Thousand Ideas
A place can hold more history than we realize until someone walks us through it with names, dates, and stories that snap the whole landscape into focus. That’s what happens when we sit down with Leigh Maher, longtime event producer at Lake Eden...
Use Your Legs And Buy The Fish
Fresh seafood in the mountains sounds like a contradiction until you hear how it actually works. We’re catching up with Carolyn Bajesse, a St. Thomas native who found her way back to Black Mountain, North Carolina and stepped into ownership of ...
The Day The Secret Service Took Over My Shop
Your neighbor town can feel a mile away, until someone tells you the truth in a parking lot. We sit down with Brian Burpo, a Black Mountain local and the owner of Diamondback 4x4 in Swannanoa, to talk about how communities really connect and wh...
How A Neurodivergent Boarding School Builds Belonging In Black Mountain
A teenager walks into a coffee shop and the staff already knows his name. That sounds small, but for a neurodivergent kid trying to rebuild confidence, it can be life-changing. We sit down with Brandon Moffitt, a licensed clinician and the foun...
Selling Sofas While Planning A Festival And Raising A Baby
An 80-year-old furniture store doesn’t last by accident, especially in a town that’s changing as fast as Black Mountain, North Carolina. I’m sitting down with Olivia Tyson Warren, a Black Mountain native and third generation leader at Tyson Fur...
Black Mountain Parks And People
A new director walks into town and decides the best way to learn it is to get outside with everyone else. We’re joined by Jacob Guiot, Black Mountain’s Director of Recreation and Parks, who’s only a few weeks into the role but already deep in t...
What If The Person Your Town Needs Is You
A town can carry grief in its buildings and still be ready for a comeback, and Swannanoa, NC is proving it. We’re joined by Daniel Lancaster, founder of Short Sleeves Coffee, to talk about turning a 1920s gas station into a specialty coffee sho...
He Builds Houses And Blows Things Up
Fireworks look effortless from a blanket on the grass, but the work behind them is anything but. We’re joined by Jim Wright, better known as “Pyro Wright,” a local licensed pyrotechnician who’s bringing professional fireworks to Black Mountain ...
We Will Help With Almost Anything Except Snakes
A 3:45 a.m. dispatch. Flames pushing out of the Beacon Plant. And a chief who still talks about service like it’s personal because it is. We sit down with Swannanoa Fire Chief Anthony Penlin, a Swannanoa native who started as a volunteer firefi...
A Mountain YMCA With Big Energy
A place can change you when it removes the noise and gives you something real to pay attention to. That’s why our conversation with Greg Hall at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly stuck with us: he’s building conference and retreat experiences that feel ...
Four Cats One Road Trip Zero Roaches
A new town can make you feel invisible, even when you’re surrounded by friendly faces and beautiful views. We talk with Elaine Looney, the new executive director of Black Mountain Counseling Center, about the real nuts-and-bolts of starting ove...
From Maui To Goats To Clean Windows
Maui to the mountains is a big leap, and David Carmona made it with a three-year-old, a newborn on the way, and a vision of a life built by hand. We sit down with the man many locals know as “David the Window Man” to talk about what people rare...
Yes You Can Shower In A Van
Paul Krause is the kind of person who sees a “safe” job as a launching pad, not a finish line. We talk about how he walked away from stability, moved into a van, and built a working life on the road through sports photography, weekend tournamen...
Walk And Talk Coaching In The Mountains
Coaching can feel mysterious until you hear it framed like sports practice for adulthood: clear goals, honest feedback, and small tweaks that compound. We talk with Adam Knapp of Knapp Creative Coaching about transformational coaching, how his ...
Fresh Food With Dignity
A packed Jeep, a brand-new town, and the kind of fear that comes with starting life over from scratch. That’s where Ali Casparian’s story begins, and it’s also where a radically practical idea takes root: hunger relief can look like dignity, ch...
Small-Town Pastor, Big Community Impact
A YMCA conversation in Black Mountain turns into a surprisingly deep look at what makes a town feel like home. I sit down with David Carter Florence, associate pastor at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, and we trace his winding path from the...
New In Town, Falling For Black Mountain
A leap of faith can look like a rental signed sight unseen, a job change across state lines, and a promise to figure it out as you go. We sit down with Melissa Baker to trace how a Florida beach couple found their footing in Black Mountain, Nor...
Rooted In Bloom: How Volunteers Shape A Mountain Town
A beautiful town rarely happens by accident. We sit down with Anne Drummond of the Black Mountain Beautification Committee to pull back the curtain on how 135 volunteers design seasonal displays, care for street trees, and make public spaces fe...
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
A room lights up when the right neighbor walks back in. That’s the energy Tammy Potter brings as she traces her path from New Mexico to the Smoky Mountains and shows how a “service first” mindset turns a company into a community engine. We dive...