After Hurricane Helene, our town of Swannanoa lost its main grocery store.
Post-hurricane life was (still is) exceedingly more difficult in almost every way and it felt like salt in the wound to not even be able to grab a loaf of bread or box of cereal without going to Asheville or Black Mountain. Months and months went by with no progress on the old grocery.
Then, I remember seeing a Facebook post from The Rite Buy – advertising that a local couple would be opening a small grocery right next door to one of my favorite coffee shops, Short Sleeves Coffee. Reading the owners’ story was inspiring, our neighbors left their jobs to open a small business because we needed it! That’s community care.
I DM’d their instagram account wanting to know if there might be middle eastern groceries. Diana, one of the owners, and I connected right way over a shared love of middle eastern food and she asked thoughtful questions about the food and ingredients that I find hard to get in Buncombe County. She invited me to come to the store to meet and showed me around – sharing her dream and vision.
Months later, the store opened! The Rite Buy has fresh fruit and produce, bread, bulk lentils, grains, etc., frozen meats and ice cream, dairy, and a small array of canned and dry products. Is it a full service grocery store? Nope! But I can stop and get bread or eggs or a box of cereal if I’m in a time pinch. I can buy high quality ingredients and local products. And it’s the perfect size to zip in and out with my kids – a lot less draining than a full blown grocery excursion.
Recently, my daughter got an award at school. I asked her if she wanted to stop somewhere for a treat. I thought she might want to go to an ice cream shop or the gas station for a chocolate bar. Instead, she asked to stop by The Rite Buy. She wanted to grab her “favorite juice ever” and a tub of local ice cream for home. I think kids too can sense the difference in how a place feels when you know the cashiers by name and its in your own neighborhood – special and comfortable.
The Rite Buy continues to be a ray of sunshine in our community, they’re partnering with the Valley Hope Foundation on community care cards to help folks get access to food. I hope you’ll stop by whether you’re a Swannanoa local, from nearby, or just visiting. And while you’re at it – this whole block has a lot going on these days including Short Sleeves Coffee, Ovenbird Kitchen, Roots and Branches, Blunt Pretzel, and Cherry Tree Beads. Pretty soon Town Hardware will be opening too. Go on a social media following spree, I dare you:
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