Sarah “Sunshine” Vekasi is known by a lot of people as the potter at the top of Cherry Street, but her story starts way before a storefront. We’re celebrating our one-year anniversary by bringing back our very first guest and letting the full arc breathe: growing up as a National Park Service kid in Glacier National Park, getting uprooted to the coast of Maine, and learning how small, remote communities actually work when everyone depends on everyone else.

Then the conversation takes a left turn in the best way. Sarah shares what it was like to organize for environmental protection from inside rural timber towns, including the kind of direct action most people only read about. That chapter leads into the quieter work that followed: three years studying Zen in Japan, learning how to sit, pay attention, and keep going when something feels impossible. We connect that mindset to craft, business, and the slow confidence that comes from doing the work every day.

From there, we get super practical about Black Mountain, NC: what downtown feels like right now, why weekends stay packed, why “shop local” can be more literal than you think when your pottery moves seven blocks from studio to shelf, wrapped in towels instead of boxes. Sarah also previews a five-year milestone celebration with a studio reopening, special anniversary mugs, and a chance to snag functional “seconds,” plus tips for making the most of Holly Jolly weekend and shopping small without the stress.

If you love handmade pottery, small business stories, Western North Carolina travel, or just hearing how a creative life gets built step by step, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves shopping local, and leave us a review so more people can discover the magic of Black Mountain.

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You can tell a lot about someone by what they remember first. For Matthew Daughtry-Grubbs, it is the taste of fresh mango and papaya, hot bread carried home in Bulgaria, and a childhood shaped by missionary life that moved him across the Philippines, the Black Sea coast, and back to Eastern North Carolina. Those memories are more than stories, they are clues to why he now builds spaces where people can breathe again.

We talk with Matthew about coming full circle as the executive director of Cragmont Camp and Retreat Center in Black Mountain, NC, a place tied to his family for four generations. He shares what it is like to lead a Christian summer camp that has grown into a year-round retreat center, and why “camp first” can still mean opening the gates to serve locals through community use of the chapel, dining spaces, and a large gym. If you are searching for a Black Mountain meeting venue, a group retreat facility near Asheville, or a calm spot for a weekend reset, his behind-the-scenes perspective is genuinely helpful.

We also get practical about visiting the town itself, from walkable shops and art galleries to favorite food stops, plus a surprisingly refreshing idea: rooms without TVs and extra distractions so you can actually disconnect. If you have ever wanted an unplugged mountain getaway in North Carolina but did not know where to start, this conversation points you in a clear direction.

If you enjoy community stories and local leadership that feels real, subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review. What is the place that helped make you who you are?

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Best Buy Metals is the industry leader in long-life metal roofing and siding materials. With seven manufacturing locations, they deliver high-quality products at everyday low prices and at speeds others can’t match. But what truly sets Best Buy Metals apart is their people—a dedicated team committed to providing exceptional service for projects of any size, every single day.

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Two emaciated geckos in a pet store triggered a question that still drives everything Joe Richichi does as a veterinarian: what happens when an animal’s life gets weighed against a price tag? Joe walks us from his early years as a working artist in upstate New York to veterinary school in the Caribbean, intense clinical training at Purdue, and finally the leap into building a private animal hospital in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Along the way, we get a clear look at what “practice ownership with values” really means.

We dig into the details of the new clinic design and why it’s built for both speed and calm: exam rooms arranged around a central treatment area, a bigger lobby meant to feel welcoming, and an art wall that showcases local artists while funding a pet emergency pool. That emergency fund is more than a nice idea, it’s a practical tool to reduce the number of times families feel forced into medical decisions based only on cost. If you care about independent veterinary medicine, exotic pet care, and community-centered small business in Western North Carolina, this one hits home.

Joe also shares the part of vet care most people dread, and how he’s trying to do it better: a dedicated euthanasia room in the back of the hospital with privacy features like its own entrance and exit, its own restroom, and space to take the time you actually need. We close with a candid breakdown of “why vets are so expensive,” what pet insurance can cover (including some exotic pets), and why education over judgment helps animals get treatment sooner.

If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe, share this with a fellow pet lover, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What would you change about the way vet care works today?

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Best Buy Metals is the industry leader in long-life metal roofing and siding materials. With seven manufacturing locations, they deliver high-quality products at everyday low prices and at speeds others can’t match. But what truly sets Best Buy Metals apart is their people—a dedicated team committed to providing exceptional service for projects of any size, every single day.

Support the show