Young folks.

as many of you well know, I am planning to immerse myself shortly in the young elite of this area by relocating myself to west asheville. when i lived in brooklyn, the thought of the high density of young uber hip progressive children in williamsburg was somewhat threatening--too many kids manufacturing their version of the perfect urban utopia. however, after spending a year and a half in a high retirement and more rural area, i have realized that i am greatly understimulated. and the lack of sidewalks drives me nuts. that being said, it's not really fair to compare wavl to williamsburg, because even though outwardly they contain a lot of the same type of people, the vibe is very different--this is still the south after all.
i had decided on wavl not only for its proximity to my still rural place of work, or high percentage of people under the age of 40, but also for its high percentage and diversity of shops, restaurants, and places to hang out. most of this is centered along a main stretch called haywood road, with offshoots of smaller streets heavy with early to mid 20th century bungalows. a long time ago, it was its own village, eventually annexed into asheville, much like brooklyn and the big city. it became a lower income section of town, which is why it began to attract a lot of young but not well off artists and musicians. now it is quickly becoming gentrified, but still seems to have a spirit of its own, the new mixing with the old.

this is just one example why i like the place and the people: on thursday night, i went to an impeccable home and clothing store aptly named Custom (i'll save going on and on about how i love this placed for another time), which was having a clothing swap for charity. for a $7 donation to the local women's shelter, audrey and i got in to the space and sorted through the neatly hung and sorted items, including some samples from the store that still had tags. everyone was allowed to take about 5-7 items and the rest was brought to the shelter. they ended up raising over $600 and a whole bunch of clothes, and i made out with some of the best swap stuff i've ever seen.

this is what i found:

london connection dress in coral.
mossimo leather bomber jacket, just in time for fall.
pocket detail
shoulder detail

dress by laundry, tags still attached.

detail
vintage blouse, with front tie and ties on sleeves
mossimo green jersey top with v-neck beaded embellishment
brand new white belt with striped stitching

i just got an email that they're having a summer sale. guess you might be seeing more soon...