Your Chamber at Work…Exciting changes – Chamber key events and new business openings in the Gorge


This year the Chamber will have big changes with regard to events! The Lake Lure Farmer’s Market is moving to Morse Park AND expanding the dates. Dates will be every Friday, May 5th through October 27th (26 weeks) and hours 4 pm to 7 pm. Once again, there will be a food truck on site as well as live music each week. This year many of last year’s vendors are returning plus more. Take a look; Rustic Lodge Soaps, Lanning Road Farms, Spirit of Sunda Alpacas, Lyda and Sons Family Orchard, Mountain Barkery, Bud and Bloom Farm, Broom’s Blooms, Honeybee Bliss Apiary, Spring Top Ginseng Farm, Old Highway 20 Farm, Quail Thicket Micro Greens, Fariss Family Farms, Vandele Farms, Mystic Roots Farm, Six Points Farm, Crafty Champster, Raven’s Branch Woodworking, Up All Night Gourmet Goods, DoTERRA Oils Scrubs and More, Finally Done, Seven Oaks Farm, Barnhouse Kitchen, Black Dog Flowers, & Stephenson Pottery! Hope to see you there.

We are expanding our annual Fall dance Festival and will host the 1st Annual Lake Lure Dance Festival. This will be an all-day festival held on Saturday, September 16th. The Asheville Ballet will return to teach their 60’s dance lessons and perform their thrilling dance routines on stage. They are also excited with our expanded genres to include lesson tents for Salsa and Shag and possibly more. We will have great live music, a DJ, a massive stage & sound system, food trucks, looking into two movie nights, and amazing vendors. Due to the restrictive requirements with Lionsgate, the production company holding the rights to “Dirty Dancing”, our board decided to expand the festival to be more inclusive of other great dancing movies and moves! More details to come, the planning committee is working hard! Mark your calendars and book your rooms.

“Revitalize the Golf Course” proposal has been presented to our citizens.  The Community Meeting was held at Bill’s Creek Community Center and the Green Space and had a phenomenal turnout. Thursday’s meeting had 80+ in attendance and Saturday at least 50 attendees.  The goal of our Chamber was to put this proposal in front of the community for awareness and feedback. While we know there are still challenges, there is a group pushing forward with petition signatures and approaching the Town, in a professional manner, to strongly consider this opportunity. For more information you can read the proposal on our website www.hickorynutchamber.org. As of the writing of this article, the Town Hall Meeting on 4/11/23 added the Lie & Loft presentation to their agenda. We would love to see this cohesive, community collaborative, no cost to the Town or taxpayers, proposal bring our historic golf course back to a new life.

On to several new and exciting openings and/or re-openings . . .

  • The ABC Store will be relocating to the strip center next to Lake Lure Flooring early Summer. A bigger space with more storage.
  • Have you noticed the Landings of Lake Lure Assisted Living Center off Buffalo Creek Road? It is looking great, and we hope to hear of its opening date soon.
  • Boon Life Adventures is up and running. After a devastating fire destroying their entire home and business, they have their ATV’s and are ready for business! Go to their website https://www.boonlifeadventures.com
  • The Shaded Crest (previously the Salzburg Guest House) is under new ownership by Jody Bennett and Shaun Manus. They have remodeled throughout the Winter and are open and ready for you to visit. http://www.theshadedcrest.com.
  • Carter’s Lodge in Chimney Rock looks fabulous! Tons of work, rooms remodeled and a complete facelift. Visit their website for bookings www.carterlodge.com and stay tuned for more exciting news and activities at their location.
  • The Lodge on Lake Lure has reopened their Appalachia Restaurant with a new menu and the reviews have been awesome. www.appalachiarestaurant.com
  • Fae Nectar – a fantasy themed meadery – has been hard at work getting their new location in Lake Lure ready to open, very soon. Location is in the old Southeby building next to the Flowering Bridge. If you missed their WinterFest at this location, you are in for a treat with their Warriors, Fairies, Celtic music, delicious mead and more. Check them out on Facebook.
  • Two new food trucks serving breakfast and lunch, can you believe it! The Munch Box is located at the corner of Highway 64 and Island Creek (at the old Relish Truck location). And Lured Market & Grill now has the Lured on the Fly food truck serving breakfast, currently at their market location. Check both out on Facebook for their hours and menus!
  • Welcome Dwell Realty to their new location in Lake Lure, in the old Sacred Living Wellness Center, across from the Willowbrook Inn.

We are thrilled to see all the activity in our beautiful Gorge and look forward to sharing more with you as we have more openings/facelifts confirmed. Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page to keep up to date. www.hickorynutchamber.org

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