Outdoor-gear consignment shop, community hub, and trusted source for up-to-date trail info, Second Gear was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. A mainstay in the Asheville community, this thriving locally owned business specializing in both new and used gear had grown over time and had finally landed on a space in the River Arts District that they planned to be in for at least the next 15 years. But heavy flooding of the French Broad River had other plans for them. After the water receded, Second Gear was a little more than a shell of its former self with a collapsed roof and a muddy, debris-filled interior.
Co-owner and general manager Chris Webster says, “A few shelves from the storage room, a small bike rack, and some wire display grid were about all we could get that was usable. We did recover some sentimental items, like a painting my sister painted for me when I was a teenager, a sculpture that [co-owner Russ Towers] did when he was younger, and Our Lady of the Counter—she’s a little sculpture that has been with the business for our entire 20 years and now lives in the cabinet of our new location. Otherwise, most of our inventory and fixtures floated out the end of the building and ended up in the field downstream or even farther. I’ve had reports of people finding items with our tags 20 miles downstream.”
Fortunately, Second Gear is more than just the building and its contents. It’s a resilient, community-based space that its owners and employees weren’t ready to give up on. And for many locals, it was one of the early beacons of Asheville’s spirited comeback.
When news spread on social media on December 10 that they’d reopened, a mere 16 days after signing a lease in their new location nearby in Westgate shopping center, many took it as a sign that the area would successfully emerge from the storm.
Chris recalls how the community truly showed up for them. “This is the part I get a little misty about,” he says. “It was amazing to see people come by the new location when we were building it out and start cheering for us outside the windows!”
“We’ve seen a lot of familiar faces and are now starting to see new folks who are just discovering us. It’s starting to feel normal to get up and come to work in this new space. Moving out of disaster mode and into daily operations mode is something I really have come to appreciate and hope to not take for granted ever again.”
Second Gear is now located at 52 Westgate Parkway, just a short drive across the French Broad from the RAD. Check their social media at @secondgearwnc information about upcoming events and sales, and to be a part of the comeback.