Vanity, also known as Vanity Shops or Vanity Shop of Grand Forks will soon be joining other retailers at the Asheville Mall on Tunnel Road. Headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, Vanity opened their first store in 1969. The popular junior fashion retailer has since grown to over 170 locations in 26 states. 

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Saturday, September 19th is the day that marked a shift in the Asheville community for years to come. When the story about Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens, owners of the former Waking Life Espresso in West Asheville first broke, it was met with a mix of concern, disdain, outrage, and disgust. Concerned West Asheville citizens organized an impromptu protest on the sidewalk in front of the popular coffeehouse at 4 pm. Normally open until 8 pm, co-owner Jacob closed the doors to the store at 4:10. This was the start of the avalanche that suddenly immersed Asheville in a wave of a culture that few knew about: the red pill, pick up artists, and misogyny.

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11 days after the owners of Waking Life Espresso were outed for the misogynistic blog, twitter, and podcast they had kept for over 2 years, a search on Google shows the popular West Asheville coffee shop as permanently closed. 

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The now controversial coffee shop is for sale, we learned today. Protesters had resumed their stance outside, offering coffee and doughnuts to passersby. "The coffee shop is indeed for sale," one of the parties who wishes to be unnamed, told us. "At this point, it is more selling the assets than the business itself." The two individuals who had arrived at the coffee shop late this morning shared that they also own other coffee stores, and are interested in the cold brew equipment. 

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Yesterday, information was released about the two owners of Waking Life Espresso, in which it was made public that Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens had admitted to using their place of business to further their sexual escapades. Since 2013, Rutledge and Owens have been running a podcast, Twitter, and online blog detailing the women they slept with, rating those women, and outlining the sexual acts in detail.

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Waking Life Espresso, a West Asheville staple for over 5 years, has recently come under fire by locals. Owners Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens, have been collaborating online to produce a blog and podcast alongside a twitter account about their sexual conquests. "Putting the sweet D in the tender V since 2013" is the title of their online narrative, and includes charming entries such as this:

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Cheap Joe's Art Stuff started as a business in 1985, operating as a single shelf of art supplies in Boone's Drugs. The western North Carolina owned and operated company has since opened two locations in their hometown of Boone, and one retail store in Charlotte. Artists all over the world shop cheapjoes.com for affordably priced, high quality art supplies. Soon, Asheville residents will get to shop at Cheap Joe's in person, when they open their 7,000 square foot retail location in the River Arts District. 

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Nestled among the cobblestones of Wall Street downtown Asheville, enterprising businesses have set up shop. While many locals may be familiar with the eateries available, the yoga studio, and perhaps even Love Hate Social Club, a tattoo studio owned by Miami Ink famous Ami James, few may know of the small businesses quietly tucked into the building simply known as 12 Wall Street. Those who operate out of 12 Wall Street are practitioners of sorts, ranging in scope from holistic healers to therapists, massage and otherwise. It is in this unassuming building that Thistle and Pearl Tattoo studio resides. 

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Friends Jason Istvan and Caleb Autrey have a few things in common: they love Asheville, and they love ice cream. After two years of planning, they are thrilled to be opening their joint venture, Frostbite Ice Cream in Asheville in October. Located on Patton Avenue in the parking lot of Sky Lanes bowling alley, FrostBite Ice Cream will be 1,000 sq feet of soft serve paradise. Using local ingredients to create unique flavors, Frostbite plans to offer 12 different types of soft serve ice cream and 40 fun toppings. 

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Mitchell's Tuxedos is a small shop tucked in the back corner of the Asheville Mall, where they have been serving customers for over 35 years. A family owned business, this local enterprise is one of three storefronts in the mall that are not part of a big box retailer. Owner Kathy Beatty realizes that bigger is not better when it comes to providing customer service and that personal touch that clients crave for their important day. Mitchell's Tuxedos offers the sale and renting of quality tuxedos for prom and weddings, as well as offering business suits available to rent for that important meeting or interview. "We clothe families through generations, and consider it a total commitment. It is so amazing to see some of our clients return with their sons or grandsons to rent their first suit," Beatty tells us. 

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