At 37 Paynes Way, one dock at Wedge Studios now leads to three businesses. Summit Coffee runs the daytime counter. Joyful Noise Listening Lounge and Kitchen plays vinyl from a resident deejay in the same space. The Bull & Beggar sits dockside next door. All three share one street address.
That shared address shows how the River Arts District has returned since Helene. Most of what reopened did it inside a few large buildings with several tenants: Wedge Studios, the Asheville Cotton Mill, and the Marquee on the Foundy side. The separate, river-facing projects that will change how the district meets the French Broad are still under construction, on hold for repairs, or still on paper. When RADfest arrives on November 14 and 15, the open district will be clustered at specific addresses. A good afternoon there starts with knowing which ones.
Wedge Studios: Three Businesses on One Dock
The Asheville Citizen Times reported that Summit Coffee reopened its River Arts District shop on April 13, 2026, at 37 Paynes Way, Suite 9. It came back in a shared space. Joyful Noise Listening Lounge and Kitchen opened at the same address on May 6 after a soft opening. The Citizen Times described it as chef-made dishes and handcrafted drinks served while a resident deejay plays records.
ArtsAVL's spring overview of the district describes the pairing as café, music and gathering space combined in one room at Wedge Studios. The Bull & Beggar was back first. Its own site marks the restaurant "resurrected" on January 31, 2025, dockside at Wedge Studios at the same 37 Paynes Way address.
In practice, one parking decision gets you morning coffee, an evening listening room and a dinner reservation without moving the car.
122 Riverside Drive: Artists First, Then a Kitchen
The Asheville Cotton Mill came back in phases. The Citizen Times ran a "reopens" headline in February. By June, Mountain Xpress was reporting a successful mid-May soft opening for returning and new tenants, with eight studios operating. The tenants it named include Luxe House Photographic, Align Asheville, Asheville Fine Arts, Ochre Rose Gallery, Linsey Grey Art & Design, Alison Press/Bleu Pansy and ArtPlay Studio NC. ArtsAVL calls the Cotton Mill one of the district's largest and oldest studio buildings. Artists returned after more than a year of cleanup and rebuilding.
In September the building added food. WLOS reported that Guajiro Cuban Comfort Food opened a permanent restaurant inside the Cotton Mill. Before the storm, Guajiro had run its food truck and prep kitchen in the same district. While the building was being rebuilt, the team kept cooking from a replacement truck at Hi-Wire Brewing in Biltmore Village. They also cleared mud from the mill by hand before contractors could start. Co-owner Christian Barroso told WLOS:
"I didn't know it would happen this quickly. Helene was unfortunate, but because of Helene we were able to come in here and start this."
WLOS also noted that the restaurant is opening in phases as the team settles into the space. Guajiro is the same story as Wedge Studios. A business that used to stand on its own now shares a roof with a building full of studios. The Cotton Mill listing on the River Arts District Artists site still describes Guajiro as coming soon, so the WLOS report is the more current record.
The Foundy Side: Bigger Rooms, New Uses
The pattern holds near Foundy Street, where the rooms are larger. ArtsAVL reports that the Marquee has reopened. Before the storm it held hundreds of artists, makers, vintage collectors and creative vendors in a 50,000-square-foot former industrial building. Foundation Woodworks and other production studios are still working in the same area.
Climbing and yoga have moved in too. Explore Asheville's 2026 arts and experiences release lists Cultivate Climbing as open on Foundy Street after flooding destroyed its former space. It also names two new yoga studios, RAD Yoga on Artful Way and Blue Ghost Yoga. ArtsAVL describes RAD Rendezvous as a central hub with studio space for artists in a flexible, public-facing setting.
Here is the open district by building:
| Address or area | What's operating | Reported since |
|---|---|---|
| 37 Paynes Way, Wedge Studios | Summit Coffee, Joyful Noise Listening Lounge and Kitchen, The Bull & Beggar | April 13, May 6 and January 31, 2025 |
| 122 Riverside Drive, Asheville Cotton Mill | Eight studios, Guajiro Cuban Comfort Food | Mid-May soft opening; Guajiro September 2026 |
| Foundy area | The Marquee, Foundation Woodworks, Cultivate Climbing | Marquee reported reopened by May 2026 |
| Artful Way | RAD Yoga | 2026 |
Recognition arrived while the rebuilding was still under way. ArtsAVL notes that USA Today named the River Arts District one of the top arts districts in the country in 2026.
The Riverfront Projects Are Still Being Built
The shared buildings filled first. The separate, river-facing projects are the ones still waiting.
White Duck Taco Shop's locations page lists its River Arts District restaurant as temporarily closed and under construction at 388 Riverside Drive. Burial Beer Co. has acquired the Curve Studios property. WLOS reported in April that the brewery plans to open the land for public access, but gave no opening date. ArtsAVL describes that project as mixed-use redevelopment with riverfront access, public space and creative uses.
At 304 Lyman Street, the former Asheville Waste Paper Company building was meant to be Salvage Station's new venue. Blue Ridge Public Radio reported that a fire damaged it in April. The owners and the property owners said they intended to keep rebuilding, but no timetable has been given. Riverview Station, long one of the district's anchor studio buildings, is now owned by GBX Group, which is moving ahead with a preservation-focused redevelopment. Molten Made, a fine art foundry, is building a new studio after losing its original one in 2024.
The greenway is also only partly back. The City of Asheville's French Broad River Greenway page, updated October 16, lists two open stretches. One runs from Amboy Riverfront Park to Hominy Creek River Park. The other runs from Craven Street Trailhead Park to French Broad River Park. The section through French Broad River Park is still closed because of Helene damage. If you plan to walk from the studios to the river, start from Craven Street.
Planning RADfest Around the Open Buildings
RADfest takes place November 14 and 15. The River Arts District Artists homepage lists 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Explore Asheville's holiday guide lists noon to 8 p.m. and describes the festival as free, family-friendly and pet-friendly, with live music, a molten metal pour and live block printing. The two listings don't agree on hours, so check with the organizers before you leave. Explore Asheville also notes that the festival started in the wake of Helene.
One way to build the day: start with coffee at Wedge Studios. Spend the middle of the day in the Cotton Mill studios and have lunch at Guajiro. Finish in the Foundy area at the Marquee. The district's calendar continues past the festival weekend:
- Through November 28: Pink Dog Gallery's No:Body Photography Exhibition, which opens with a reception on October 31 from 5 to 9 p.m.
- November 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The Second Saturday Stroll & Arts Market falls on RADfest's first day, with open studios, demonstrations and an outdoor arts market, according to ArtsAVL's fall events guide.
- November 19, 5 to 8 p.m.: Foundation Studios' Third Thursday Open Studio Social.
- November 21, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Art Garden AVL's Plant Club Pop-Up Market.
- December 4 and 5: Trackside Studios' Two Day Santa Carving Workshop.
- December 5, 5 to 7 p.m.: Opening reception for Pink Dog Gallery's Vanishing Winters, which runs through January 2, 2027.
- December 6: Trackside Studios' Create Holiday Cards mixed-media collage event.
Every event on that list is hosted by a studio, gallery or market that is operating today. Burial's riverfront land, the Lyman Street venue and the greenway through French Broad River Park will be what makes a future RADfest feel different from this one.
The Cotton Mill reopened in stages, starting with cleanup, then studio tenants, then a restaurant. If you own a mountain home or second home around Asheville and are weighing a renovation, a refresh or full furnishing, The Nth Degree Team manages that sequence from the first contractor quote through the final staged room. Start your home transformation with a conversation about what your property needs first.
