Marshall and Madison County

Marshall, the county seat of Madison County, is quickly becoming a magnet for artists and craftspeople. It combines the ambiance of a small, historic river town with the convenience of being about 25 minutes from downtown Asheville.

There’s a lot going on in Marshall. It seems that almost a third of the buildings are being renovated for new projects. A quick tour of Main Street reveals:
+A new bookstore being built
+The recently opened Zuma’s cafe (the social center of Marshall)
+A new convenience and bulk food store
+A private club that is using the facade of an old arts supply company
+A new gallery almost finished
+Condos being built above the old Chevy dealership, with shops going in below
+A new bank in the old French Broad Bank building
+Firewalker Gallery, which debuted last year, features the work of local artists and craftspeople
+New apartments above Firewalker Gallery
+Martha’s mystery renovation of an old storefront
+The old mill across the river was bought for future work/live condos
+New real estate offices in a renovated gas station
+A beautifully restored antebellum house on Main Street that is now on a civil war tour
+An architect is about to move into her new office above Zuma’s
+The Arts Sanctuary, operated by the Madison County Arts Council (soon to move).
+The Bee and Thistle, an antique store, just opened
+Tthe Rock Cafe has opened with new owners
+Other buildings have recently sold, but we don’t know yet what plans are afoot for them
+There are other buildings that look unoccupied, but you’d be surprised what goes on behind those facades, including a movie set warehouse and design studio, and artist’s studios.

In addition to these newcomers, there are businesses that have been here for generations, including a great general store (Penland’s…you must visit it), two hardware stores, a florist, insurance offices, a Wachovia bank and others.

Madison County is also becoming a destination for folks who don’t want to live in the congestion of Asheville. To find out what’s going on in Madison County, check out the links page.