In this episode, we get an update from three past guests.
SARAH HOOKER
https://www.viragoboudoir.com/
JEFF KAPLAN
https://ventureasheville.com/
TIM GORMELY
https://burialbeer.com/
In this episode, we get an update from three past guests.
Photo by Nicole McConville (www.nicolemcconville.com)
Nicole McConnville
https://makingitinasheville.com/episode/045-nicole-mcconville/
https://makingitinasheville.com/episode/045-nicole-mcconville/
https://makingitinasheville.com/episode/024-zach-eidson-from-metro-wines
https://makingitinasheville.com/episode/028-alyssa-phillips-ampd-designs/
More to come from https://makingitinasheville.com/
In this episode, we interview Sarah Ubertaccio — co-founder of Making It In Asheville — about her new business QB Cucina. Sarah is a life-long Italy enthusiast with a special love for Italian food culture. When the pandemic hit, she dove into past making and quickly realized there was an itch she needed to scratch. Now, she runs the internet’s defacto home for all things pasta tools and Italian (or Italy-inspired) kitchen wares.
Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:
- How, why, and when QB Cucina came to life
- What lessons Sarah had to learn to start a product business (after years of marketing and service work)
- What tactics and strategies have worked and not worked so far in her business
- And what platform is ideal for a new product business
Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with Ashton Zager of Ashton Zager Fiber Arts
Show Notes
About Sarah Ubertaccio
Sarah was born in Atlanta, GA, and got her BA and MBA in Providence, RI. After school, she moved to Italy for 5-years, taught English, and lived the dolce vita. Since returning to the USA in 2017, she’s worked at Eataly in New York, founded Making It Creative (which powers this podcast).
About QB Cucina: From their Website
“q.b. cucina, is a gathering place for Italian food lovers and home cooks across the world. Our dream here at q.b. cucina is to bring you delicious Italian food content (recipes, guides, tips) as well as a curated collection of beautiful, hard-to-find Italian kitchen tools and accessories. Every day, we’re working on creating new and exciting content and sourcing the best Italian-made and Italy-inspired kitchenwares from incredibly talented artisans and producers.”
To learn more about QB Cucina, check out the links below:
People
- Gille Roberts – helped Sarah get started buying and selling products online.
- Garnet Fisher – helped Sarah design the QB Cucina website
- Jeff Kaplan – was a resource for helping QB Cucina get connected to local business accelerators
Platforms
- Shopify
- WordPress
Music by Commonwealth Choir
In this episode, we reset and answer these questions:
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Where have we been?!
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What’s Sarah up to?
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What’s next for the podcast?
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What’s next for the community?
Episode Notes:
We had a son! That’s right, we made him in Asheville. His name is Nico and he’s a happy and healthy baby.
Sarah’s primary focus is now QB Cucina.
- QB Cucina Website
- QB Cucina Instagram
We’re still working with select clients via our agency, Making It Creative.
We’re looking to use our platform to share more good news and great work in the community. Click here to learn about how to send us a 1-minute voice memo.
More projects are coming down the pike, so if you’re not yet, please subscribe to our email list. That’s where we’ll be share the most information.
Quick announcement episode!
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The podcast is back
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There have been a lot of changes at Making It In Asheville HQ
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We make a request for Voice Memos from the community
We make an open call to non-profit and non-commercial organizations in Asheville. If you’d like to share a 1-minute sound bite about the work that you’re doing in Asheville, please visit this page to learn how to send us a voice memo.
In this episode, we interview graphic illustrator, brand developer, and bassist, Logan Hall.
Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:
- How Logan’s creative outlets overlap between design and music
- How the nature of Logan’s work is always allowing him to learn something new
- The collaborative effort of musicians and artists in general
- The development and exciting future for Pink Beds music
- How Pinterest still stands strong
Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with local Graphic Designer, Alyssa Phillips.
Show Notes
About Logan Hall
Logan Hall is a Designer and Illustrator who operates under Logarhythm Creative. Logan is a native of Western NC and graduated from Appalachian State University for Graphic Design. He moved to Asheville around 2.5 years ago and began freelancing full-time at the beginning of 2020. Before this deep dive into the abyss, he worked at agencies in and around Colorado and also led in-house design for a global family of cannabis brands. Logan’s work focuses on Brand Identity, Graphic Design, and Illustration. He loves working with like-minded brands, businesses, entrepreneurs, musicians, and politicians.
Oh, what is a Logarhythm? Other than a misspelled button on a calculator, it began as an Instagram handle for a young music-playing ‘Log’ where he typically played bass in the ‘rhythm’ section. Logan has played guitar and bass in bands since he was a kid and is a huge music fan
(snob)! He now plays in an Asheville band called Pink Beds with some long-time friends.
To learn more about Logan’s work in graphic design and music check out the following links:
People
- Alex and Kyle from the band Empire Strikes Brass
- John DuPre is the sound designer and editor for Making It In Asheville
- Logan mentions the band Okey Dokey, who Pink Beds is doing a show with soon- buy tickets here!
Announcement for Pink Beds
- There is a new single coming out on June 25th! Find them on your favorite music streaming app.
Music by Commonwealth Choir
In this episode, we interview Debbie Word, the owner of Chemist Spirits in Asheville, NC.
Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:
- What makes moonshine so aggressive and why great spirits taste good.
- The serendipity that led to the Chemist’s distillery and Antidote bar’s incredible location on the south slope in Asheville
- The difficulty in finding investors and funding and how that’s actually been an asset to the business
- What’s next for Chemist Spirits (psst… lots of growth and new spirits)
Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with Tim Gormley of Burial Beer or Leah Wong Ashburn of Highland Brewing.
Show Notes
About Debbie Word
Debbie has a history of jumping in with both feet. Before she began moonshining with a small home still, she had a career in landscape architecture. Since founding Chemisit Spirits in 2016, she has been a full-time problem solver. In this conversation, we talk about the history and future of Chemist Spirits.
About Chemist Spirits
Founded by Debbie Word, Chemist Gin was born from a small family still and many hours of moonshining with her daughter Danielle, an actual Chemist. Their unique appreciation for classic distilling and modern science led to the creation of their first spirit – a beautiful gin made with American botanicals and distilled wheat spirit. This female-led distillery strikes a perfect balance between the traditional craft and the modern American spirits movement.
To learn more about Chemist Spirits, check out the links below:
Music by Commonwealth Choir
In this episode, we interview Cameron Farlow of Organic Growers School. Cameron started with OGS in 2012 and after providing service in a variety of roles has moved to Executive Director. She is a proponent of lateral leadership within their organization and shares what it looks like to reframe and work towards providing education and tools within agriculture as a whole. Food is the great connector, friends.
Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:
- How OGS and agriculture as a whole is working away from commercial and capitalist definitions to include a wider view of people including Indigenous cultures and communities
- How Cameron is creating a supportive structure and organizational culture that supports life in and outside of work
- The long history of racism within farming and the steps OGS is taking for racial equity and social justice
- The romanticized vision of farming and the loving (but necessary) bubble bursting that comes with education
Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with Luke McLaughlin of Holistic Survival School.
Show Notes
About Cameron Farlow
Hailing from Greensboro, NC with dairy farming in her blood, she has made her home in WNC, and has been with OGS since 2012. With a Master’s Degree in Appalachian Studies & Sustainable Development, Cameron also brings experience in the realms of farmland conservation, food security, farm to university, and land access for farmers. Outside of OGS, Cameron is a mother, dancer, baker, gardener, and avid explorer.
About Organic Growers School: From the Website
“Organic Growers School provides year-round opportunities for farmers and home-growers of all levels. Whether your interest is in farming, gardening, homesteading, healthy food, or organic community, our classes, workshops, and services will inspire you, build your confidence, and support you in creating your sustainable life.”
To learn more about OGS, sign up for classes, donate, and more, check out the links below:
Organic Growers School Website
People
- Lee Warren was the previous director of OGS and set a great foundation to move toward lateral hierarchy within the organization
- Dianna McCall is a great teacher and gardener in Black Mountain that Cameron mentions in this episode
- Frances Hesselbein is a renowned leader that Tony mentions who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor, in 1998 for her leadership as CEO of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
Books
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins
- Peter Drucker’s Five Most Important Questions: Enduring Wisdom for Today’s Leaders
- Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture (recommended by the folks Perma Pastures Farm)
Music by Commonwealth Choir
Photograph by Julie Douglas
In this episode, we interview Ashton Zager of Ashton Zager Fiber Arts. The local Ashevillian shares her story of success, curiosity, and persistence.
Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:
- Believing in “The AND” and what this means to Tony and Ashton
- The importance of persistence in Ashton’s life and of “showing up” during highs and lows
- How tragedy impacted her business and her overall tone on social media
- Scaling up with an online presence with passive income
- The importance of being seen as a human
Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with Anneleisse Gormely of Spoon + Hook.
Show Notes
About Ashton Zager
Ashton Zager is a self-taught fiber artist based out of her home studio in Asheville, NC. Along with making her own original art, she and her husband Casey produce and distribute weaving kits all over the world to help introduce others to a love of weaving.
To learn more about AZ Fiber Arts and purchase your own fiber art kits (these color and fiber combos are gorgeous btw), ebook and more, check out the links below:
Ashton Zager Fiber Arts Instagram
People
- Claire of Moonlight Makers – Ashton met Claire at an event and Claire offered such kindness to her during an extremely trying time
Places
- Hole Donuts – shoutout to Laurie
- The Chocolate Lounge – One of her favorite spots to eat and check out previous guest and owner of the lounge
- Craggy Gardens – One of Ashton’s favorite lookout spots (this place is epic if you haven’t been in person)
- The Nest Boutique – Ashton did a show there in 2018 and started doing weaving workshops there for over a year
- The Gathering Asheville- their family’s church that they love and have a great community with
Music by Commonwealth Choir
In this episode, we interview Meghan Mciver & Lindsey Riley. The owners and all-around vibe curators of the plant disco and store, Palm + Pine in Asheville, NC.
“We want to create a bubble for you to walk into and have a really vibed experience, a really nice time. That’s the goal” – Lindsay and Meghan
Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:
- Different strategies for managing pressure as business owners and most importantly, human beings
- Expectations vs Agreements- Creating realistic timelines for a project and the importance of giving yourself enough lead way
- The challenges of stocking a retail space within the living (plant) industry
- How the pandemic forced Meghan and Lindsay to crawl instead of run at the start of their business
- How capital and having a business has allowed them to better address the socioeconomic issues that exist with AVL
- Making plants accessible and nonjudgmental
Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with local aesthetic genius and photographer, Nicole McConville.
Show Notes
About Meghan and Lindsay
Originally from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Meghan McIver has lived in Asheville since 2008. She graduated from UNCA in 2012 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a concentration in Human Rights Policy. Her work with plants began in 2013, with an organic farming work-trade and later, a local agricultural non-profit internship. Her interest in tropical plants and environmental design was initiated in 2015 with a heightened intrigue for creating accessible, functional, and inspirational indoor green spaces. Merging her love for tropical plants, design, art, and community, Palm + Pine was created in an effort to offer a safe, welcoming, fun, and vibrant space for the people who live and work in Asheville.
With a background in performance and installation art, Lindsay Riley moved to Asheville in 2017 from Austin, Texas.
Riley’s skills span from illustration to graphic design to fiber arts and fashion design. Her work as a massage therapist for the past 10+ years offered Riley more insight into her artistic practices and vision, eventually leading her to merge a love for visual arts with holistic healing arts. Riley’s current artistic approach lands on creating environments that highlight the relationship between the human body and its immediate surroundings, intending to create safe spaces that promote healing and inspiration.
To learn more about Palm + Pine, check out the links below:
Instagram, where Meghan champions the IG game
People
- Audrey is their first employee and good friend who works at p+p, shoutout to Audrey.
- Karie and Rob of Shelter Collective are neighbors to P+P. They initially told them about the space opening up next door. (It’s a big deal to find real estate in AVL)
- Honey of DIFFERENT WRLD and Neng Jr’s are two businesses opening soon that M&L are excited for. In the interview, Meghan and Lindsay mention that they appreciate the role they are playing in the community.
Places
- Crocodile Wine is where Lindsay and Meghan had their last pop-up shop before opening their retail location.
- Fifth Season Gardening Co. is P+P’s trusted store that takes gardening to the next level.
Music by Commonwealth Choir
