Change along West Asheville's Haywood Road business corridor: Different Wrld moving, new coffee shops are coming; and what's next for Neng Jr.'s?
Also, there are no plans for a roller rink in the old Family Dollar
This newsletter sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.
There’s a lot of change happening along West Asheville’s Haywood Road business corridor right now. I’ve reported it in bits and pieces over the past few months, but it really hit home the other day when I walked down Haywood to take storefront photos for an Instagram story.
Why am I paying attention here? Because over the past 20 years or so, West Asheville has experienced a remarkable renaissance, one that mirrors the much-more-talked-about rebirth of downtown Asheville. Haywood Road is lined with mostly locally-owned small businesses, and the neighborhoods that branch off the main drag have been desirable (and more affordable than some other parts of town) for locals and newcomers alike.
So here’s a look:
Let’s start 701 Haywood Road, which sold last month for $2.34 million. (More details in my blurb last month.) Since the sale of the building, tenants have been moving out. First it was the ceramics studio Half Light Honey. Then this week, Different Wrld, the creative studio, event space, bar and music club, announced it was moving out at the end of April.
That leaves Neng Jr.’s restaurant as the last tenant. Chef/owner Silver Iocovozzi opened the restaurant, Asheville’s first Filipinx eatery, in the summer of 2022. It’s literally a little hidden gem, with the restaurant’s front door located, unassumingly, at the back of the 701 Haywood building. There’s a bar and about 20 seats. That’s it.