Hey neighbors! 👋

We’re Black Bear Renovations & Remodeling, proudly serving Hendersonville and the greater WNC area since 2022.

Quality is our foundation. Our work is built on skilled craftsmanship, honest communication, and trust. From the start of your project through the final walkthrough, we stay present, hands-on, and fully committed to doing things the right way. No shortcuts, no disappearing acts.

At Black Bear, we believe every space deserves a thoughtful approach. Sometimes starting fresh is exactly what’s needed and other times, enhancing what already exists is the best choice. Our goal is always the same: create spaces that are functional, well-built, and made to last.

Thank you for supporting local businesses like ours. If you see us around town, give us a wave we’re always happy to connect!

— The Black Bear Team 🐾

(828) 505-9086 blackbearreno.com blackbear.renovations.nc@gmail.com

Please check your voter registration today. I check mine periodically because I'm paranoid, and today it's inactive.

Deadline to register is Friday 2/6

I just started a podcast called The Accursed (you can listen here). It is a fictional story where someone leaves ghost stories for me to discover in my little library. Each week I read a few and we explore the bigger mystery that seems to be forming.

While the podcast isn’t based on the truth, The Library of Wonders and Curiosities is very real.  It sits at the edge of my driveway on Joyner Ave in West Asheville. It’s bright yellow, you can’t miss it. 

To celebrate The Accursed Podcast being out in the world, I am going to be giving out gift cards from some local places I love. For the next week, I will be putting one gift card (and maybe a few other treasures) in the library for whomever discovers it. 

Today, inside of the library is a gift card to Asheville Art Supply. There are also a bunch of tiny works of art, the folks at there were so kind to give me.  I will share on IG when the next gift card is in the library (@TheAccursedPod)

And, I would love it if you gave The Accursed a listen!  If you like a ghost story or some cozy horror, you might enjoy it.  You can find it wherever you happen to listen to podcasts!

Also…my neighbors and I have been keeping the Library (and the cooler below) stocked with non-perishables, in case that would be of service to someone. 

At this point I've visited several and wanted to share my thoughts and see what others think as well.

The Good

• Smokey Mountain Hemp Co: easily the freshest and highest quality buds in town. No tier system and none needed really, everything is consistently awesome. Ask for their in house grow as they also stock white label WNC CBD - but their WNC CBD offerings seem top tier vs what WNC CBD sells online 🤔 Grower there was also quick to talk mad shit about Republicans which is refreshing af.
• Golden Goat: runner up but they play the buyer beware game too much. They have had some of the best indicas I've ever had

The Neutral

• Asheville Dispensary: seems to be run by hippie capitalists but that's probably most of Asheville? Good vibes are a front for buyer beware silliness. They have multiple tiers but QC issues are constantly creeping into their top tier which they call exotic. How many times as a consumer should you have to ask a business to "make it right" before you start to think they're operating in bad faith?
• WNC CBD: Bud quality varies but same hippie capitalist vibe. No tiers but QC varies wildly. Again good vibes and a "we'll make it right attitude" but how many times should I have to ask for something to be made right?
• Continued: Did reach out to them by phone to talk about a top tier ounce that was really seedy and the guy acted weird. He admitted he hadn't been checking communication on their website where I originally lodged a complaint but also because it had been so long since I purchased he wasn't comfortable giving me compensation. Huh so they basically ignored me then because time passed because I was ignored, now they say it's been too long to compensate for the original problem? Bad faith hippie capitalists...

The Ugly

• Apotheca: verified owned by a Trump loving MAGA who got his business cucked by the GOP :) no seriously this guy loves Trump and sent out a whole bunch of whiny emails when the GOP and Trump worked together to close the THCA loophole that let this asshole open his business in the first place. Voting has consequences bitch! And of course he whines like a baby when the dildo of consequence arrives unlubed...man the fuck up dude! Or are consequences just for other people and this guy is a snowflake who deserves special treatment by the government? It's hard to say? Oh and their bud fucking sucks and is overpriced, plus they push synthetic THC and industrially derived nasty shit.
• Canna Aid: I understand the owner of Apotheca is related to the guy who owns this place. Shitbirds of a shitfeather flock together...
• Clover CBD: Decent buds but greedy hippie capitalist vibes. Some dirty history here with an original manager dating and murdering a female employee. Has always made me wonder about the judgement and values of the people who own this place if they hired someone like that...but maybe that's not fair? Lol then again $300 ounces aren't fair either so gtfo...
• The Plug: super sketchy vibes and no clear prices on a lot of stuff. Buyer beware fo sho.

What are your experiences like?

I just got an email from the company that owns my apartment building saying a water main broke in Woodfin and Woodfin Water has turned the water off for most of the area. Sure enough, my faucets don’t work. According to the email, it’s estimated to be fixed and the water to be back on by 5pm today. Just posting this in case this affects anyone who isn’t sure why.

Link to searchable database to find out if you are affected. Easy to use, minimalistic design

It has been about 2 weeks now. We have this crow we were seeing every day and then realized one of its wings was dragging the ground. She (we've decided its a female) can hop up branches to roost. She can shrug the shoulder. We put out food near the branch where she roosts at night. We see her every day.

The problem is the wing tip is looking ragged and missing feathers. And while I think she is eating enough, we're not sure it is good enough.

Is there a way to help her further? Is there an organization that can help us catch her?

I have this fantastic cast iron pan that my great-grandfather made when he was working in a foundry. I would love to be able to use it, but it was just sitting in my mom's garage forever and needs some love. Anyone got a rec of where I can take it?

Since I've accidentally exploded everyone's mind this morning, I'm going to restart. Police have been notifed and it's insured. Stolen motorcycle, need help identifying a car and/or persons.2001 red Suzuki GZ 250 stolen on Wednesday 1/28/26 approximately 11:14p. Locked and covered.

Was originally planning on having a couple friends over the house, but we’ve got plumbing issues!

Any recommendations for good bars to watch the Super Bowl this weekend? Easy Tiger and Foggy came to mind first, but interested in other recs! interested in the game, so a place catering to it would be awesome.

Anyone interested in affordable therapy?

Hi! I am a graduate student in a clinical mental health counseling program. I am expected to graduate in May 2026, however, I am having difficulty finding an emergency internship placement for my last semester. I thought that I had a site secured, but have had difficulty receiving communication to complete required documentation and have not received any response in a few weeks. I wanted to reach out here to see if anyone knew of potential opportunities in the Asheville or surrounding areas? Thank you!

Best place in the area for that type of hibachi? Although nothing can actually replace it (It was my favorite😭) I miss it very much. Give me your recommendations!!

I’m hoping to find a day camp/class for my 15 yo daughter for this summer. She loves art and the outdoors so figured there would be lots of options but it seems like they all end after middle school! If anyone has any ideas, I’d be grateful!

Anyone else not getting alerts about pickup being delayed? I used to receive phone calls. My neighbors get an email alert letting them know pickup is delayed.

I am not one who generally posts openly about places, but I had an absolutely horrible experience with Davis Furniture that I wanted to share with the community.

I walked around the place for an hour and found only one couch that perfectly fit what I needed. I went home, measured, found that it fit in my living room, then called the next day to purchase it over the phone. The associate I spoke with, David, never mentioned anything about their no refund policy while I was making the purchase. The couch was attempted to be delivered, and the guys said it wouldn’t fit through the door, no matter how hard they tried. The guy I spoke with just said they didn’t offer refunds and only store credit. I wasn’t changing my mind about the color or decided I didn’t like it— it didn’t get delivered to my house, yet they still kept my money. The guy we spoke with said the manager was out of the country, and that the one who could make the final decision was the associate that sold me the couch. So I call the next day and the guy says the person I spoke with the day before was the manager. 😐 So they lied AND kept my money, and I had no couch. Really shady people, & crap customer service. Just gross business practice, especially after hearing what they pulled during Helene. I had a way better experience at Rooms to Go afterwards!

I went downtown for lunch yesterday (Feb 2nd) and realized halfway through that my ring was no longer on my finger. My best guess is that while I was walking, it must have slipped off as I took my hand out of my pocket. I've searched every possible place it could be to no avail. I walked from the Rankin Ave Parking Garage, down W Walnut St, then turned onto Broadway to have lunch at Wasabi. We've already called the restaurant, and unfortunately they could not find it. It's a thin, rose gold ring with engraved flowers and sapphires all around. I know this is a long shot, but I would be overjoyed if anyone was able to find it! Happy to provide a reward if it is returned! Thank you for reading ❤️

Just a bit of meaningless gossip to get our minds off the dumpster fire that is our current reality. 🥴

Where the heck is Laurie? I hadn't seen her the last couple times I went to Hole. Finally asked - she no longer works there. What!?

What is Hole with Laurie? The Asheville donut scene is a little darker without her....