Calling all outdoor enthusiasts. There’s a new place in Black Mountain where you can learn more about your favorite hobbies.
WNC Outdoor Collective is a place where nature lovers can learn more about their favorite hobbies — from camping and biking to climbing and fly fishing — and find things for their next adventure.
Organizers said the business is centrally located — 110 Black Mountain Ave. — and also accessible for bicyclists to ride in and out of easily.
“So, you can start here or you can ride up to the trail head and then ride down to Old Fort from here. So, it’s a nice little ride. Or, if you came out of our doors in the other direction, you could take the greenway and head towards Asheville,” WNC Outdoor Collective founder Lincoln Walters said.
The collective operates as a co-op for local makers and brands in the outdoor industry and is specifically designed to promote and sell their products and services.
WNC Outdoor Collective creates a place for local companies to have physical space while reducing the risks that come along with a traditional retail space, Walters explained in a news release.
Walters said the model allows businesses to reinvest revenues in their companies and constantly refine and improve their products.
“Local makers often have higher margins than the mega brands. The collective model allows start-ups and mid-size companies to have products in a store without assuming wholesale margins. All together, this concept’s intent is for the maker,” Walters said in a news release.
COLLABORATION AIMS TO PROVIDE MECCA OF MOUNTAIN BIKING, ACCESSIBLE TRAILS NEAR OLD FORT
In the middle of the collective is a ride-in/ride-out outdoor beer garden — a starting and ending point for group rides and runs that happen regularly in Black Mountain. The tap area will have 16 locally crafted beers and kombuchas on draft, and plans to carry local canned beers as well.
The courtyard also has a “European-feel” coffee shop built into one of the brick walls of the space and will use locally roasted beans.
The outdoor space will be the central location for outdoor enthusiasts to learn more about their favorite pursuits through regular workshops hosted by local professionals.
Another aspect of the collective is space for adventure-based nonprofits. The collective hub provides a 1,200-square-foot shared workspace for nonprofits to collaborate on projects and fuel concepts and ideas with one another.
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