ASHEVILLE – The Asheville food and beverage industry has had a rocky road to recovery as it regains its footing in an unstable environment created by Tropical Storm Helene.
The S&W Market, a downtown food hall, is among the local businesses revising plans and depending on innovation and consumer support to survive and thrive amid the evolution, seven months after the historic storm ripped through the region.
On May 2, Highland Brewing, Asheville’s pioneer craft beer brewery, will close its downtown taproom on S&W Market’s mezzanine, 56 Patton Ave.
Patrons dine inside S&W Market in downtown Asheville, April 25, 2025.
In June, a new concept will be introduced to attract customers while still spotlighting Asheville breweries.
“Coming out of Helene, everybody went through a lot in the restaurant industry, and this is our rebirth and reimagining of the food hall,” said Ryan Israel, director of property management for Ellington Realty Group, and owner and operator of The S&W Market.
Chris Faber, owner of The Times Bar, which has been on the first floor of the food hall since 2017, is leading a team to create a new beverage-centric space that will offer an assortment of local beers, including Highland, craft cocktails and wines on draft.
Highland Brewing, founded in 1994, became an S&W Market vendor in 2021, an extension of its main brewery and taproom in East Asheville that helped to connect and introduce the beer company to tourists.
Leah Wong Ashburn, president, CEO and family owner of Highland Brewing, said in a statement, “We are proud to have been part of this group effort with Ellington and made friends along the way. It’s fortuitous, for S&W, in that Chris Faber can expand the reach of his talent, and for Highland, where we will focus fully on our destination brewery.”
A patron enjoys a beverage inside S&W Market in downtown Asheville, April 25, 2025.
In April, Ashburn spoke to the Citizen Times about the breweries’ challenges amid Helene, customers’ changing drinking habits, price inflation, supply chain issues and impending tariffs.
“We’re worried. We’ve had so many hits,” Ashburn said. “That’s a lot of hits for any business to take, and I would ask people to drink thoughtfully. Put thought into their choices at the grocery store, bars and restaurants and support the companies they believe in.”
S&W Market’s new drinking destination
The new mezzanine bar’s name will soon be announced.
Faber and co-bar managers Spencer Shultz and Becky Bronson, who have worked at local restaurants including the now-defunct Rhubarb, Cucina 24 and Contrada, will lend their libation expertise to the new watering hole.
Faber said it will offer assorted options to a wider guest demographic and will be unique to The Times Bar, a coffee and handcrafted cocktail bar.
Patrons sit outside The Times Bar in downtown Asheville, April 25, 2025.
The mezzanine bar has 17 taps that will prominently feature local breweries, like DSSOLVR and Burial Beer, which he said could encourage visitors to seek out the breweries’ main taprooms across the city.
Craft cocktails and zero-proof drinks, like Negroni, margarita and grapefruit soda, will be made in-house for the draft system. Shultz, who has experience creating draft sodas and cocktails for restaurants around the city, will lead the production.
Local and imported wine will be available.
The S&W Market food vendors
Israel said S&W Market is the tourists’ introduction to Asheville.
The S&W Market local vendors include Flour, The Hop Ice Cream, Farm Dogs and Buxton Chicken Palace.
Zen Sushi will debut in early May, the North Asheville restaurant’s second location.
Israel said the food hall mainly attracts lunch crowds, and visitors include downtown workers, residents and tourists seeking a quick meal. A goal is to transform the space from a grab-and-go eatery to a stay-and-enjoy destination.
Patrons dine inside S&W Market in downtown Asheville, April 25, 2025.
“This is an opportunity for those restaurant vendors and local breweries to showcase their products,” Israel said. “We’ll be available to explain who they are, where they’re at, and what’s going on to help fuel the breweries on-site as well as the restaurants that aren’t necessarily downtown, but Asheville originated.”
Music, lighting, furniture, and other interior design components will help create a cozy, welcoming environment.
Israel and Faber said the intended outcome is to drive guest traffic, increase food vendors’ revenue, and support extended evening hours, allowing vendors to hire additional staff and offer long shifts.
After Helene, S&W Market reopened with limited daytime hours. This summer, evening hours will be added, and it may stay open as late as 11 p.m.
S&W Market in downtown Asheville, April 25, 2025.
Israel said table service may be added to assist guests with orders, and patio enhancements could attract more passersby.
The mezzanine bar area is intended for events and other programming, such as wine and food tastings and artisan markets showcasing River Arts District artists displaced by Helene and other local creatives.
“There’s still more to come,” Israel said. “We’re always looking for that new, innovative concept that wants to showcase themselves, whether it be temporarily in a market setup or coming in as a new food vendor. We’re always interested in hearing their ideas.”
For more, visit swmarketavl.com and follow @swasheville on Instagram.
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: Highland Brewing departing S&W Market: What to know about changes
