ASHEVILLE – Paddy Collins has wanted to open a grocery store since moving to the city five years ago. After surveying other residents, he discovered he wasn’t alone in his desire for a market dedicated to sustainability and offering local, fresh goods, produce, meat and seafood. And downtown proved to be where it was most needed.
On June 10, Paddy Collins and his wife, Heather, will bring the concept to fruition, introducing the Asheville Forager at 35 Wall St., in the former location of Asheville Emporium, and across from The Market Place restaurant.
“People want the all-inclusiveness of having everything made on-site, and they want to see more competition down here,” Paddy Collins said.
Asheville Forager owners Padraic “Paddy” and Heather Collins chat inside their grocery store along Wall Street in Asheville, June 3, 2025.
Shopping at The Asheville Forager
The Asheville Forager adds to downtown’s grocery options, joining French Broad Co-Op on Biltmore Avenue, nearly a half mile away.
The Asheville Forager will have fresh-cut meats at its butcher and deli counters.
Local beef and pork from regenerative agriculture farms, Shipley Farms and Hickory Nut Gap Farms, and seafood from North Carolina coastal distributor, Locals Seafood.
The New York-style deli will offer meat and dishes like hoagies made with pastrami, carver ham from Hickory Nut Gap Farms and turkey from Joyce Farms.
Fresh fruit sits on display inside Asheville Forager along Wall Street in Asheville, June 3, 2025.
In-house bakers will make fresh, scratch-made bread and other baked goods, and items will be sourced from Annie’s Bakery, French Broad Pastry and other local bakeries.
Paddy Collins, who has worked at local restaurants and managed New York Butcher Shoppe in Arden, said they aim to take the prestige out of local, hearty, organic and socially progressive food.
“We hope to take (out) some of the stress and prejudice around good food,” he said.
The 3,700-square-foot store will feature a café with table seating at the front, where customers can enjoy breakfast and other light meals and snacks.
Local chefs will prepare healthy, fresh, and ready-made heat-and-eat meals.
“We try to keep the prices approachable and affordable for people who don’t feel like they can afford higher quality ingredients and food,” Paddy Collins said.
Shopping meets sustainability at The Asheville Forager
Asheville Forager’s approach is rooted in sustainability and supporting local businesses, with more than 35 area vendors and chefs collaborating on the zero-food-waste concept.
Asheville Forager along Wall Street in Asheville, June 3, 2025.
The Collinses intend for it to become the first established, certified zero-waste grocery store in North Carolina, through the TRUE zero-waste certification program, an organization that encourages solid waste diversion from the landfill, incineration and the environment. The Asheville Forager must divert 10% of its waste from the landfill and meet other guidelines to qualify.
Produce and other ingredients that would otherwise go to waste or are approaching their expiration date will be used to make meals and products.
Inventory will be tracked, and chefs can pull from the designated baskets of produce and other ingredients to cook, which may inspire creativity and result in a new menu daily.
Upholding its commitment to sustainability, Heather Collins led the sustainable design project, upcycling items to make and rehabilitate the sales counter, produce stands, booths, the tree mural and other accents.
Branches from downed trees were used to make wall shelves on the mural. Circular branch cuts were adhered to the sales counter, which features historic photos of Wall Street and downtown, illustrating the neighborhood’s evolution.
On June 10, the Asheville Forager’s grand opening event, officially marking their entry into the historic Wall Street neighborhood, will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, local suppliers and vendors, food samples, special guests and more.
“They can have a place to eat, to congregate and to do their grocery shopping,” Paddy Collins said.
Now hiring: The Asheville Forager
The Asheville Forager is hiring. The business is a Living Wage Certified employer, meaning it meets Just Economics of Western North Carolina’s criteria of offering workers a minimum of $23.15 per hour, which is deemed to be the living wage in Buncombe County.
The Asheville-based wage advocacy organization’s living wage rate is determined considering how much a single person would need to earn to afford a one-bedroom apartment in the county and pay other bills and expenses.
The Asheville Forager’s 11-person staff will also share tips from the tip pool.
The Asheville Forager
Where: 35 Wall St., downtown Asheville.
Hours: 7 a.m-8 p.m. daily, beginning June 11.
Info: For more, visit The Asheville Forager on Facebook.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Forager grocery store opening: Here’s what’s in stock
