Firestorm Books & Coffee

Part oddities shop, part tattoo studio, full of taxidermy and the strange and beautiful. If you like your souvenirs a little dark, this is your stop in West Asheville.

A cavernous open-format space packed with booths from local artists, antique dealers, and makers. Give yourself time, because you don't walk this one in ten minutes.

A working glassblowing studio on the South Slope where you can watch pieces get made right in front of you, furnace roar and all. Grab a beer, pull up a bench, and stay for the live blowing.