Erin and Matt Clare are the new owners of Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar in Asheville, N.C. The Citizen Times reported that earlier this month, Donna and Thomas Wright, who founded the business more than 16 years ago, "handed over the keys of the Grove Arcade business" to the local entrepreneurs.
Noting that she had been working closely with the new owners to ensure an easy transition, Donna Wright said they are the right people to sustain the establishment's business model, while bringing something new. She added that the Clares are Asheville residents and "book people," who own Story Parlor, a multidisciplinary storytelling hub for narrative artists, in West Asheville. This played a significant role in the decision-making process.
"They have a real love for the place," Donna Wright said. "We seem to be on the same page with so many things. Anything (Matt) is talking about expanding or changing or doing, I'm on board with that, too. It's heading in the right direction, keeping the heart and soul to make it better.... We're so grateful that we had the opportunity to be an integral part of Asheville's history and its move forward. We have loved our customers and staff, and we look forward to being patrons there, which we plan to be frequently."
In 2020, Erin and Matt Clare relocated to Asheville from Austin, Tex., and a year later launched Story Parlor, which fosters storytelling and connection through events, classes, community-building efforts and advocacy. They had visited Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar early on and loved it.
"Part of the reason that we landed here and were attracted to the city was because we were familiar with all of these incredibly literary legends and authors and people making an impact on the scene," said Erin Clare, adding that they plan to work with other literary groups to promote Asheville as a literary hub.
"We feel like it's an opportunity to do something more aligned in support of the literary community and the Asheville community, in general," Matt Clare said. "It felt like one of those opportunities that would never come about again."
The Clares are planning to make some changes to the space, including opening up areas to allow additional seating, as well as designating the upstairs room for crafts such as writing, filmmaking, and music. In addition, the book inventory will shift from about 98% used to about 75% used and 25% new books, with more local authors featured.
"A lot of people are happy it's open," Matt Clare said. "It's been a warm greeting that we're local and in the community. And we are intentional about trying to make this a space for locals, who are our first patrons, and we'd love for this to be a space where tourists want to be."