Asheville named one of five national Craft Hubs by Etsy

Etsy and Gov. Josh Stein put Asheville at the center of a new $10 million national push for makers, naming the city one of five Craft Hubs during a July 14 event at the Center for Craft. The first round of the Craft Catalyst Initiative will send $2 million to 20 nonprofit organizations across the five hubs, with each group receiving an unrestricted $100,000 grant.

For Buncombe County artists and small craft businesses, the money matters less as a headline than as a pipeline. Unrestricted grants can help local nonprofits cover the kinds of costs that often choke off growth for working makers: studio support, outreach, training, and the overhead needed to keep doors open while recovering from economic disruption and rising expenses. Etsy described the initiative as a three-year, $10 million investment in the nation's creative economy, and the Center for Craft said it is meant to strengthen craft ecosystems across the United States.

The setting underscored Asheville's role in that plan. The Center for Craft at 67 Broadway Street sits in the heart of downtown Asheville, where the city has long built its brand around independent artists, handmade goods, and creative entrepreneurship. Naming Asheville a Craft Hub gives national backing to an economy that reaches beyond tourism and into the daily work of people who sell pottery, textiles, jewelry, woodwork, and other handmade products across Western North Carolina.

The reach is already spreading past Buncombe County. Haywood Community College said the Craft Catalyst funding would include craft communities in its area, and Toe River Arts said it was thrilled to be included as a Craft Hub in the first round of the program. That broad footprint suggests the initiative is not just about Asheville's galleries and studios, but about regional networks that connect makers in Haywood County, the Toe River region, and other parts of Western North Carolina.

The governor's office framed the visit as support for North Carolina's craft economy in Asheville, reinforcing the city's place in the state’s economic and cultural identity. For local makers, the next year will show whether the designation turns into practical help, with grants flowing to the nonprofits that can widen market access, build mentorship, and give small creative businesses a sturdier footing beyond the weekend crowd on downtown streets.