Beauty and the beer
The Lowdown catches a vibe at Mellie Mac’s
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 5, 2022
Black Mountain business owners, Randy Giles and Mellie Macsherry, will celebrate the opening of the Lowdown, a beer garden inside Mellie Mac’s Garden Shack, on May 7. Photo by Fred McCormick
When Mellie Mac’s Garden Shack replanted its West State Street roots in an up-and-coming business district along Black Mountain Avenue in 2020, owner and operator Mellie Macsherry found an ideal home for her popular nursery. Situated below the railroad tracks, just south of the heart of downtown, the space offered sweeping views of the mountains and plenty of room for her to carefully arrange her colorful flowers and lush bushes and shrubs.
Yet, even as her loyal customers marveled at the picturesque setting, one question persisted.
“Everybody asks: where’s the wine? Or, where’s the beer?” said Macsherry, who operated an intimate wine bar at her previous location. “It’s not just occasionally, it’s actually something that comes up almost daily.”
When her fellow Black Mountain business owner Randy Giles launches his latest venture—The Lowdown—at 12 p.m., Saturday, May 7, thirsty customers will have no problem finding a drink at Mellie Mac’s. The collaboration between Giles, who opened BAD Craft in 2017, and Macsherry will bring new flavor, live music and a casual family-friendly atmosphere to the rapidly expanding south side of town, which inspired its name.
“I consider everything from the railroad tracks to Mellie Mac’s to be ‘lower downtown, because it’s just south of the center of town and lower, elevation-wise,’” said Giles, who operated a nearby tap room on Black Mountain Avenue in 2021. “I had a regular BAD Craft customer who suggested I think of a nickname for this part of town, and as soon as he said it, I said, ‘it’s the Lowdown,’ a combination of lower downtown.”
That moniker was still fresh in his mind when Macsherry approached him with a business idea in the fall of 2021.
“People were constantly asking me when the wine bar was coming back, and honestly, I’m so busy with the nursery, I didn’t have time to do it,” Macsherry said. “But, when I found out Randy was available, I went straight to him.”
Mellie Macsherry waters flowers in Mellie Mac’s Garden Shack, a nursery and garden center she opened 11 years ago. Photo by Fred McCormick
A regular customer of BAD Craft, Macsherry had long been impressed with Giles’ ability to cultivate a casual atmosphere in a business that showcases local beer, art and dessert.
“We have similar visions, as far as music and spending time with our families,” Macsherry said. “BAD Craft has always been such a family-friendly place, and that’s what I wanted here.”
Giles jumped at the opportunity to open a beer garden in Mellie Mac’s.
“I felt like this was a perfect fit, because I think we have similar views of our places in the community,” he said. “People come into my shop all the time and ask why everybody here seems so happy and friendly. I tell them it’s because we’ve all chosen to be here, raise our families here and start small businesses here.
“We’re all here because we want to be here, and when I first had the idea for BAD Craft, it was inspired by wanting to be part of a community,” Giles continued. “I know Mellie is also passionate about having a business with strong roots in the community.”
While he will continue running his 500-square-foot Cherry Street store, which provides a cozy setting in the town’s historic district, Giles was intrigued by the prospect of operating in a unique setting like Mellie Mac’s.
“It has so much that BAD Craft doesn’t offer,” he said. “There, we have the walls filled with local art in this small downtown storefront. This place is the complete opposite, where we’re totally outdoors with space to roam around, and there’s always a breeze.”
The Lowdown, which is launching on the 11th anniversary of Mellie Mac’s, will share space in the nursery’s “GROW shed,” which borrows its name from the colorful letters displayed above the entrance. Customers can order refreshments, including beer, wine, seltzers, ciders, ginger beer, sodas and packaged snacks, through windows on either side. The limited indoor space features retail displays of handmade crafts and pottery, available through Mellie Mac’s, and a walk-up counter for drinks.
Seating will be available in an assortment of carefully placed vignettes throughout the property, according to Macsherry.
“We want it to have an intimate feeling,” she said. “You can sit quietly with your partner somewhere and have a conversation, or find a spot where the kids can run around within the gates, or play games.”
The grand opening celebration will feature food from Kiss BBQ & Catering and music by The Pulses and River Logic, while Mellie Mac’s will celebrate its anniversary by offering 11% off selected items.
Live performances will be a regular feature at the Lowdown, which plans to host shows every Friday night and Sunday evening, according to Giles, while serving as the new home for the Dark City Poets Society’s monthly Poetry Night.
Randy Giles, who opened BAD Craft in 2017, is opening a beer garden at Mellie Mac’s. The Lowdown, which takes its name from “lower downtown” Black Mountain, will serve craft beer, wine, cider, sodas and snacks. Photo by Fred McCormick
“We have a few different ideas for events, especially since we have so much public parking next door,” he said. “We really want to do some fun stuff that lets the community get together here—in the sun, under the shade and around the plants—and enjoy themselves.”
The collaborative spirit of the new business is a reflection of the broader community, Macsherry added.
“We all work together down here,” she said. “That’s one of the great things about this town.”
The Lowdown not only showcases that, it also highlights many other things that make the Swannanoa Valley a great place to live and visit, according to Giles.
“If you can’t catch a vibe in Black Mountain, that’s on you,” he said. “This place will epitomize that. If you can come here and be surrounded by plants, music, games, mountains and views, and you’re not having a good time, then I’m not sure what to tell you.”