Spot the Shop: Painted Porch Gallery is home to coffee, hats and more

Located in a house built in 1914, Painted Porch Gallery is home to a variety of different art pieces, hats and coffee.

Owner Amy Pate is no stranger to the gallery/coffee shop combo, having run a similar business in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Though she visited the area as a child from New Jersey, Pate made the decision to move to Black Mountain after a visit around five years ago.

“Almost immediately when I got to Black Mountain, I just felt like I was supposed to be here,” Pate said. “I still feel like I’m supposed to be here.  Everything has just happened the way it’s supposed to since I moved here. It’s been wonderful. I really feel connected to this place somehow.”

She moved to the area less than half a year later and was able to purchase the old house at 116 Cherry St.

Pate planned to open the business three years ago, but right before Painted Porch Gallery was scheduled to open, COVID-19 hit.

While she waited for the pandemic to pass, she turned the building back to an Airbnb and focused on securing a business loan, which she was able to get from Mountain BizWorks.

“Originally when we were going to do it three years ago, we were just going to open the gallery, but when I got the business loan, I was able to do more,” Pate said. “I think everything happened the way it was supposed to.”

Currently, Painted Porch Gallery hosts a variety of different pieces from different artists, a coffee bar and hats made by Pate.

Although Pate said she does not know why she loves hats so much, she has loved them since she was a child.

“Hats was always my passion,” Pate said. “I just knew that in the second phase of my life I wanted to do hats and make hats.”

Pate said the area is full of artists, and she wants to showcase them in her gallery.

“Between here, Asheville, this whole Western North Carolina area is just saturated with amazing art and artists and creative people,” Pate said.

Along with what she currently offers, Pate plans to turn the backyard into a beer and wine garden as well as starting a wine club. She also said she wants to build a stage and offer art classes for all ages, including hat-making classes.

“My whole goal is to support art and to support other artists and help them have a place to sell their art, to teach their art, to learn from art and to immerse the community in a creative way,” Pate said.

She said she is a creative person, well-versed in many different types of art, from pottery and glasswork to painting and sculpting.

Pate said her goal is to build a community of people who love art and create a place for them to visit.

“I want to stay here for the rest of my life, hopefully,” Pate said. “I just hope to build a community of people through locals as well as tourists.”