Go Local Asheville

10/09/2026

Meet our favorite gear-swapping, card-selling, community-loving member: Second Gear! 🎒✨

For 22+ years, this Asheville outdoor consignment shop has helped folks get outside for less. They give quality gear a second life, pay millions back to local consignors, and have donated over $125,000 to local nonprofits. As we all know, Helene did a *number* on their River Arts building...and even in the midst of relocating, they kept right on showing up for their community.

Fun fact: They've been a Go Local member for 9 years and finish first or second in card sales every year. This year, their team turned it into a competition and sold 350+ cards, a personal record for them (and for us!) 👏

(Their secret? Showing customers their savings at checkout. Sometimes the savings alone are worth more than the $ of the card!)

Swipe for the story 👉 then stop by and show your Go Local card for 10% off (excluding clearance items).

What's the best secondhand gear find you've ever scored? Tell us below! 👇

10/06/2026

Leaf season is officially here...and so are the visitors! 🍁 We love the energy, we love seeing our local businesses get busy, and we love supporting them no matter the season.

We know things can feel a little extra bustling this time of year (parking, we see you 🚗 use the Go Local app to see open spots in garages around town btw!), but showing up for local businesses still matters, even when the town seems busier than usual. Swipe to learn why! ➡️

Tell us your fall local favorite below! 👇

09/27/2026

Two years ago, Hurricane Helene changed Western North Carolina forever. We pause today to honor the lives, homes, and businesses lost in its wake, along with everyone who is still carrying what that day cost them.

In the days that followed, WNC showed what true community looks like — neighbors offering water, charging stations, and shelter, volunteers pouring into local organizations with time and support, and countless acts of generosity from local businesses that lit the way forward and provided us all with slivers of hope in what felt like a very dark time.

In the two years since, we’ve seen more progress than we could have hoped for: reopened doors, rebuilt storefronts, revived neighborhoods and main streets. But we know this too: resilience isn't always the same as being okay.

For many people in this community (including so many of the small business owners who make Asheville what it is) "strength" doesn’t always feel like triumph. Sometimes it just feels like showing up again and again, hoping that persistence and hard work will be enough to keep a dream alive.

That’s where community comes in 💛

With the notion not only to rise ourselves, but to lift the others around us: supporting one another, showing up for neighbors, and shaping a future rooted in care and connection. Resilience feels more accessible when we have each other to lean on.

So today we’re here with you, holding two things at once: how far this community has come, and how much some of us are still carrying. To those who lost, who are still rebuilding, who have begun a new chapter, who feel the weight of this day — we see you. We remember. And we stand with you, always.

We love you, Asheville.

09/24/2026

It's time for the ✨final chapter✨ before we meet next year's Go Local Asheville Mascot!!!

2024 brought a dog and a cat together: a nod to Asheville's "Dog City" reputation and the kind of side-by-side partnership that makes this community work (with a shout out to our fabulous music scene) 🎶

2025's Black Bear returned at one of the most important moments in Go Local's history, following Hurricane Helene: representing the resilience, strength, and deep community bonds it took to rebuild together 🖤

And this year, 2026's Parade of Ants captures what's carried us through all eleven years: small businesses, neighbors, and schools, all marching forward as one tight-knit network 🐜

Now you've officially met the whole lineup — eleven mascots, eleven years...one local movement 😉

Stay tuned for our next fun creature...the 2027 mascot drops SO SOON 👀 What do you think it will be? Tell us in the comments below!

09/21/2026

As we wrap up summer and say hello (and FINALLY) to autumn, let's also say HELLOOOOO to our newest Go Local Business Members! 👋🎉

(Aka: brand new places to flash that Go Local Card, snag a local-exclusive deal or discount, AND support a small business! ♥)

Join us in welcoming:

> Inspirata Vita Fina Jewelry () 10% off purchase of Jewelry and Free Jewelry Cleaning

> Parabellum jiu jitsu MMA Academy (): Free private lesson with new Gym membership

> Asheville Pet Cleanup: First weekly cleanup free for new customers

> Avox Craftworks (): $175 off labor for an install or refinish. Minimum applies.

> Drafters Tea Company (): 10% off any purchase of tea

Already know and l-o-v-e some of these folks? Give 'em a shout out below!! Otherwise grab your Go Local Card and support WNC's local businesses 🥰

09/16/2026

It's time for Meet the Mascots Part TWO! 🎉 This installment starts with a dinosaur and ends with an owl — with a whole lot of local business spirit in between 🥰

2020's Appalachiosaurus brought serious strength and protective energy to the card..and a reminder of just how important it is to shop local, keep that support going, and help our independent businesses thrive. Then 2021 kept it simple in the COVID wake: one word, Local — a straightforward declaration of support for local merchants during a tough year.

By 2022, the Monarch Butterfly stepped in to represent resilience and growth as the community came back together. And 2023's Owl closed the chapter out with wisdom, adaptability, and thoughtful care for what's next for .

Swipe through the full lineup, then come back next week for the final three before the big 2027 REVEAL! 👀

Which one's your favorite so far? Let us know in the comments below!

09/15/2026

One of the best things about our Birdhouse Benefit Auction is getting to collaborate with local businesses to spread the word and bring these beautiful, one-of-a-kind birdhouses out into the community!

This year, several amazing businesses in West Asheville are hosting birdhouses, including , , and . Stop by, check out the birdhouses, and while you’re there, support the local businesses that make our community so special.

Then, come to the Bountiful Cities Birdhouse Benefit Auction on Saturday, September 26, and bid on these birdhouses and many more! All proceeds support Bountiful Cities’ work growing food and building community in Asheville.

Get your tickets and learn more at BountifulCities.org. - you can find the link in our linktree!

09/10/2026

So excited that so many local independent businesses will get to shine next week during the PGA Tournament! And hey, Locals, go out and support these businesses while enjoying discounts and special offers!

As the PGA TOUR Biltmore Championship Asheville golf tournament approaches, Explore Asheville has launched an interactive map of Buncombe County businesses called Play Through the Mountains. The database spotlights discounts, dining packages and other deals at more than 140 local businesses. Read more in the comments ↓

09/09/2026

Asheville as a whole is VERY COOL, but if you live here, you know: the real magic comes from all of the quirky neighborhoods (and neighboring WNC towns!), like little boroughs stitched together into one big, weird, wonderful city 🥰✨

Every neighborhood has its own flavor, but it's all the same heartbeat...unique streets, united by the same love of local 💛

Black Mountain, this one's for you! Tag your favorite Black Mountain business below and give them some love 👇 (double bonus points if they're a Go Local member!)

📸 + 📍:

09/08/2026

The Biltmore Championship Asheville is coming soon, and we're getting in on the fun! Get out, discover new local favorites, and play along with our first-ever Mountain Scorecard! The WNC Nature Center is teaming up with amazing local partners to bring you a fun way to discover the area. No golf skills required!

HOW IT WORKS
Pick up a scorecard at any participating business. Collect stamps at each location and claim prizes when you redeem your card at the Nature Center Gift Shop by *September 30*! And when you visit our Gift Shop, say "Hole in One" for 20% off all apparel!

SCORECARD STOPS
✨The Hop Ice Cream or Pop Bubble Tea, 640 Merrimon Ave, Ste 103 Pop Bubble Tea

✨OWL Bakery, 197 Charlotte St or 295 Haywood Rd, Asheville

✨North Carolina Glass Center, 140 C Roberts St, Asheville or 12 E State St, Black Mountain

✨French Broad Chocolate, 10 S Pack Square or 821 Riverside Dr, Asheville French Broad Chocolates

✨The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville

✨WNC Nature Center Gift Shop, 75 Gashes Creek Rd, Asheville

Special thanks to Go Local Asheville for helping us get this collaboration off the tee!

For complete rules and details, go to www.wildwnc.org/calendar