First a Concept,
Becoming a Place
and a Movement
We intend to face the past history of harms, to openly talk about where and how it hurts, to begin healing, to generate ideas for change and growth, to make a new way, to become free…
We've closed the door (literally) on our time at 58 Broadway
We're looking for a new physical home for The People's Place AVL, and have big plans for the new year.
Building Social Connections and Solidarity in Buncombe County on October 24th
We're gathering to continue an important conversation about building stronger social connections - and political and economic power - in Buncombe County.
Learn more and RSVP here.
WE (WERE) OPEN - AND WILL BE AGAIN SOON
Phase III: People's Place AVL Mini-Museum and Gift Shop @ 58 Broadway
Our mini-museum and gift shop at 58 Broadway was open from January to November. We were invited to lease this space by Mountain Housing Opportunities. They were planning to sell the building, and expressed a strong interest in seeing it go to a community-oriented organization like us, rather than just put it on the market to be snatched up by a developer. Unfortunately, their plans shifted, and in the end they decided they weren't open to a long-term arrangement but needed a cash sale.
We’ve learned some valuable firsthand lessons about the complicated dynamics between landlords and tenants. And like so many, we are feeling the ripple effects of how the storm continues to impact so many good intentions, favoring profits over people as the driving force for change.
This is only the end of one chapter in our story. We’ve built some momentum towards the kind of people-powered change that we all want to see in WNC and are confident that will only grow in the years to come. Stay tuned for all that comes next as we turn the page...
WE'VE LAUNCHED
Phase II: Building the Dream
We are in the second phase of realizing a collective space for learning, imagining, nourishing, healing, and engaging in meaningful conversations. We are in the process of showcasing the many offerings that will be contained with The People’s Place building. We started with a delicious demonstration of The People’s Place Cafe, featuring the culinary genius of B.J. Dennis of Charleston, South Carolina, and a panel discussion around cultural foodways. Over the course of 2024, we will be unveiling other aspects of The People’s Place, by collaborating with others in Asheville’s social justice ecosystem.
WE STARTED OUT R.A.W.
Phase I: Resiliency At Work
This was our first phase of realizing a collective space for learning, imagining, nourishing, healing, and engaging in meaningful conversations. The People's Place grew out of a series of gatherings (EAT – Engaging in Antiracism Together) for anti-racist activists who regularly met to share and contemplate experiences, to breathe and heal, and to just BE with one another AND it was always over a meal.
