The Extonization of Asheville

There’s a town in the Philadelphia suburbs called Exton that my brother and I always use as a placeholder for any paint-by-number big-box/franchise-centric town which personify capitolistic banality.  

Exton isn’t a bad place. There’s definitely a universe in which I could imagine landing there. But it doesn’t really have an identity. Editor’s Note: I’ve not spent much time in Exton except for driving through, so it may actually have an identity I’m entirely unaware of, but this is my blog, and thus you’re getting everything watered down through my experiences. Exton consists of mainly shopping centers and strip malls. I’ve been to brunch in Exton. It was in a strip mall. I’ve been to a craft beer bar in Exton. It, too, was in a strip mall. I’ve been to the Target in Exton numerous times. That wasn’t in a strip mall. It was in a shopping center. 

Exton is also full of large, gray, luxury apartment complexes that come with their own sprawl of identity-less businesses for the residents. They have an Italian restaurant. Somewhere with an Asian-fusion flair. A brewery. Maybe a dry cleaner or Lululemon…or, a cantina! None of these places have a backstory having to do with a passion for the cuisine they represent. The brewery does not have a brewer who started brewing in his garage and has exactly one IPA, one stout, one pale ale, and one lager, all of which are essentially interchangeable. No one in the cantina has ever spoken willingly with someone from Mexico. These businesses were not developed by intrepid small business owners looking to turn their passion into profit. They were developed by entrepreneurial developers who noticed an open slot in the market and wanted to turn their profits into more profits. Now, on a macro level (look how economics-y I am!), there are businesses like this all around the country, and they probably vastly outnumber small, passion-driven businesses. However, their sheer number in towns like Exton highlights precisely how paint-by-number they are. How they don’t define or push the narrative or brand of what Exton is. Most of them will probably last a serviceable 3-5 years, then something new will come along, and no one will really mourn what was lost. No one will remember the cantina that is now a Korean BBQ joint (and no one will remember when that turns over into an edible cookie dough shop). 

Asheville—on paper, at least—is the opposite of Exton. I’ve added that cynical “on paper” because Asheville is becoming more profit/developer-oriented. Still, most businesses here are locally owned and built from the hard work and passion of people generally enthralled by the food, beer, or commerce they truck in. Branding is important in Asheville. Backstories are. Character is. Much as I hate to say it, vibes are important here. People come here to experience the eccentricity and charms of Asheville’s eating, drinking, and shopping. 

However—and I feel like I must caveat this by saying I’ve only been here four years, and thus there are many more who’ve undoubtedly noticed this on a grander scale—you could feel things starting to shift. South Asheville and Woodfin, specifically, are homes to numerous instances of the aforementioned tall, grey, luxury apartment complexes, and with those are coming pre-fab bars, restaurants, and other entertainment accoutrement that ensure their residents have everything they need at their fingertips right out their backdoors. They don’t need to drive downtown, explore West Asheville, or walk around River Arts to get food, drinks, or entertainment. It’s created for them and delivered their doorsteps. Sometimes, this looks like local favorites opening up second, third, or fourth locales outside the city (Vinnie’s in South Asheville or Wicked Weed West come to mind). Other times, it looks like businesses are cosplaying the eccentricity of Asheville landing, which is fully formed, right across the street from the hypothetical Pisgah Acres. 

Salt Face Mule Brewing Co. seemingly encapsulates this phenomenon, which I call the Extonization of Asheville. Salt Face Mule Brewing, located just off of 26 in Woodfin, is a brewery and mini golf course that opened last year. Now, yes, beer and minigolf is both a novel and brilliant idea (although I must point out that Whistle Hop did do it first…) and if I were living in the hypothetical Pisgah Acres—a brand new Woodfin apartment complex opened for the purpose of this blog that features granite countertops, a community cold plunge, and $3100 studio apartments—I’d only be delighted if this opened just down the road from me. There’s also nothing terrible about Salt Face Mule Brewing Co. When my parents were visiting recently, we went to Salt Face Mule for brunch and 18 holes of golf. It was a pleasant outing and I texted several local friends saying we’d have to return. But two things can be true, right? Salt Face Mule Brewing could be needed and fun and feel a bit hollow. 

Most new breweries in Asheville launch as small affairs. Cellarest, New Origin, and River Arts Brewing are three that come to mind. They aren’t garage breweries by any means, but they’re modest. If one patronizes these locales, they can see them improve and grow with the success they get (I’ve previously written about this regarding Sauna House and Iron and Oak Brisket). Salt Face Mule seems to have arrived fully formed, and while learning that they’re backed by already well-established local juggernaut Twisted Laurel gives them some passion-fueled street cred, one gets the idea that Salt Mule Brewing was not the long-gestating idea of someone who always wanted to combine their love of craft beer and putt-putt, but rather some savvy entrepreneur, saw the abandoned fun center Salt Face Mule Brewing now calls home and thought to themselves: there’s room to make a killing here (the “about us” section of their blog is rife with Appalachian lore revolving around what Salt Face Mule means…but doesn’t mention any brewers…). 

I don’t know. I feel like the performative idealism I’m admittedly pouring into this post is even making me want to sort of roll my eyes at myself. However, I can’t help but shake that this Extonization of Asheville is just starting and will inevitably not be a bad thing, per se, but maybe just a less fun thing. Like I said, Exton isn’t bad per se. There is nothing terrible about it, and I could picture myself ending up there in an alternate universe. But it’s not a terrible want of mine either, and…we’re in this universe.