In this episode, Jamie visits Torched, a community jewelry studio, gallery, and hub in West Asheville, to talk with co-owners and partners Meredith Tibjash and Nora McMullen about what it takes to build a brick-and-mortar metals studio around access, education, and community.

Meredith and Nora share:

How a chance meeting at a SNAG conference, months of long-distance calls, and a visit to Asheville that Meredith never quite left turned into Torched Why they went big from the start instead of starting small, and how Mountain BizWorks helped them get there with two loans ($70k startup, $25k operating) when a traditional bank wasn't an option What the business looks like day to day: classes are the bread and butter, with casting services, gallery sales, private lessons, make-your-own wedding band workshops, and bench memberships filling out the rest How their apprenticeship program is still taking shape, and why they care so much that it leads somewhere real, not just a certificate that doesn't mean anything outside their walls The ongoing puzzle of pricing: how they structure gallery commissions and push their gallery artists to charge what their work is worth What caught them off guard, like intro classes and lost wax casting becoming their biggest revenue drivers, and watching people walk out the door with something they made with their own hands, completely surprised by themselves How imposter syndrome follows you even when you know what you're doing, and the small, steady reminder that keeps them going: I do know what I'm talking about What Helene looked like from where they were standing, grateful the studio was untouched, watching tourism dry up, and leaning on community when it mattered most Where they're headed: visiting instructors, payment plans, a scholarship fund in the works, and a long-term dream of opening "Torched Two," a welding, fabrication, and blacksmithing school This is an honest conversation about building something you believe in, staying creative while running the numbers, growing without burning out, and keeping the door open for people who think they're not the type to make things.

If you've ever second-guessed taking on debt, struggled to price your work, or felt like the creative community in your city had no room for you, this one's worth a listen.

Learn more about Torched: https://torchedavl.com/

Connect with us: https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/

This podcast is produced by Parkway Studios. Original Music is by Hannah Kaminer.