coming to the mountains - unc a · fort mountain to establish a general store, all the way to the...

This exhibit was created to give middle and high school students an idea of the business footprint that immigrants have left on WNC over the last 200 years. Beginning with the Scots Irish Baird Brothers in 1792, who hauled a wagon up over Old Fort Mountain to establish a general store, all the way to the present when a Tienda is a common site on any rural mountain road, immigrants have fueled the American dream. Reading their stories of hope and hard work provides a moment to consider:

“What dream brought you the reader or your family to this land of opportunity?”

Coming to the Mountains: Immigration & Western North Carolina

Underwritten by

The Janirve Foundation

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina

Sponsored by

The Deutsch Family Fund

The Slosman Corporation and Ness Disposables

Wachovia Regional Banking

Mission Healthcare System

A Project of the Center for Diversity Education

In thinking of mountain history we must begin with the only non-immigrants in our nation. Western

North Carolina was a humanly populated place long before the arrival of people of European and African Origin. Downtown Asheville was part of a Native American trading path that connected the Ohio Valley with the Atlantic. Most of Buncombe County was hunting territory for the Cherokee nation. The historian Foster Sondley noted that when the first non-native people began to build a community around what is now Pack Square in 1792 there was a Shawanoe Burial ground close to what is now the Kress Building.

James Patton, a weaver from County Derry in Ireland, landed on American soil in 1783. He was part of that great migration of

landless tenant farmers out of destitute Ireland who followed their Scots-Irish Presbyterian forbears to establish roots in America. Of leaving Ireland he said in his autobiography,

“The death of our landlord, and others coming in and raising the rents, prevented my mother from giving her children more than a very limited education. This, together with the many difficulties we labored under in Ireland, induced a wish on my part to try my fortune in some other part of the world. Accordingly, in the 28th year of my age, I obtained her consent to come to America for the purpose of procuring the necessary means of bringing herself and family to this land of liberty, where we would no longer feel the oppression of haughty landlords, where virtue and good conduct give a passport to the highest stations in society.”

After an initial three years of poverty and sickness, he surmised a vital link he could provide in commerce along the eastern seaboard as a back peddler. Mr. Patton would purchase various supplies and bring them to the wilds of Virginia and middle North Carolina and make the return trip as a drover of animals that he would sell to purchase more sundries to sell on the return trip.

By the early 1800’s, he had brought over his mother, brothers and sisters and married Ann Reynolds of North Carolina. By the time Mr. Patton arrived in Asheville, he had a well established regional reputation as an excellent businessman and one who knew how to turn an opportunity to his profit. The Eagle Hotel was Mr. Patton’s original business venture in Asheville, opened in 1811. The Hotel stood on the west side of what is now Biltmore Avenue (then Main Street) near where the parking garage is now located. A cast iron eagle in flight stood on a pedestal outside the hotel giving rise to the name of the street that still intersects Biltmore today.

The Buncombe Turnpike was to be one of Mr. Patton’s most notable contributions to this area. When the legislature voted to allow Patton and other investors to build a toll road that would connect Greenville, SC to Greenville, TN along the French Broad River through Asheville, Mr. Patton knew the importance of this road to the fledgling economy of the area. In particular, drovers would use this road to move livestock to the larger city markets in South Carolina and Georgia. Mr. Patton also built Alexandaer’s Inn to house drovers and their animals on their journey.

Note: Both the Eagle Hotel and the Buncombe Turnpike were operated by the labor of enslaved peoples. From 1800 onward, 13% of Buncombe County were peoples of African heritage who were enslaved.

The Eagle Hotel and The Buncombe Turnpike James Patton - Ireland of Scottish Parents

James Patton


Isaac Dickson’s early life is sketchy at best. Family recollections indicate that he was born in 1839, the son of his slave mother and the man who owned her in Shelby,

North Carolina. The slave owner was, it is said, an immigrant from Holland, making Isaac a first generation immigrant. Dickson lived in Morganton for a time before moving to Asheville around 1870.

Mr. Dickson worked as a custodian in the Battery Park Bank and gradually began to acquire property along Velvet Street which ran parallel to Valley Street. He eventually owned some 20+ rental units along with a coal and grocery store to furnish the needs of the neighborhood - now referred to as Dickson Town. He was an important leader in the community, including the founding of St. Matthias and the Free Masons.

By 1886, a bond to establish public schools in Asheville had failed three times. While wealthy people hired private tutors and supported private schools, working class people - both white and black - were without options. During the election that year the white leaders approached Mr. Dickson about organizing the black male property owning vote in return for providing for “colored” as well as white schools. The bond passed by two votes. Mr. Dickson was appointed to the first School Board that year and for nearly 70 years was the only African-American to serve on a school board in the State of North Carolina.

Mr. Dickson was also involved in the founding of the YMI (YMCA), including hosting the first organizational meeting in his home on September 1, 1890 that was led by the newcomer from the West Indies, Mr. Edward Stephens. Mr. Dickson is buried in Riverside Cemetery. His children followed the great migration to the north in the 1920’s, where his descendents continue to live.

Dickson Town and Coal and Grocery StoreIsaac Dickson - First Generation, paternal - Holland

Photos from the D. Hiden Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, 28804

Isaac Dickson (left) and James Wilson in front of Coal Shop on Valley Street.


This letter of introduction written in the 1860’s was carried in Mr. Isaac Dickson’s pocket at all times, such was its value to the owner. It reads simply that he is an honest and upright man. It is signed by the Sheriff of Cleveland County.

A view of Dickson Town from the churchyard of St. Matthias which he helped found.

Stephens - Lee High School, The Young Men’s InstituteMr. Edward Stephens, The West Indies

Newly arrived Edward Stephens was interviewed for an article in the Asheville Times on August 30, 1890 which began with the headline

“Well Informed Negro:”

“Edward Stephens who has come here as principal of the colored schools was born in an English Colony in South America. At two years of age he was taken to England... He attended schools there. He speaks six languages - French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and Italian.”

He was recruited, perhaps by Isaac Dickson, to principal the school for “colored students” and went on to be the principal at Catholic Hill High School when it was established in 1891. Records indicate that he came to Asheville with the idea to begin a YMCA just as he had done in St. Louis the previous year. He organized the initial meeting at the home of Isaac Dickson, and soon thereafter he approached Mr. Charles McNamee, the general overseer at the Biltmore Estate, to enlist the help of Mr. Vanderbilt. As there was a strong influx of laborers for the building of Biltmore Estate, Mr. Stephens suggested to Mr. McNamee that Mr. Vanderbilt would assist in funding a program directed at Social Services for that community. The YMI was completed in 1892 and Mr. Stephens was hired to be its first director. Programming included Sunday afternoon song meetings that were attended by 400+

people along with bathing facilities and programs directed at developing the character of young men.

By 1894, Mr. John Love was the new director, and Mr. Stephens moved elsewhere. When Catholic Hill High School burned down in a tragic fire in 1917, the new school Stephens-Lee High School was named in part for Mr. Stephens, the first principal of a high school for African-Americans in Western North Carolina.

Zealandia and The Henry MuseumPhilip S. Henry, Australia

Born in Australia in 1863, by 1904 Mr. Philip Henry was an Asheville resident in a beautiful mountain

home on top of Beaucatcher Mountain called “Zealandia.” Mr. Henry was a scholar and art collector who devoted considerable energies to the establishment of an Art Museum in Asheville to display his sizeable collection.


Winyah Sanatorium and Research LaboratoryKarl Von Ruck, Germany

By 1880, the depression of the post Civil War was ending as the train made its way up the mountains of Old Fort, bringing with it new possibilities for Asheville and the entire region. By 1885, Asheville had become

nationally known as a healthy retreat, especially for those suffering from the consumptive illness of Tuberculosis. Dr. Karl Von Ruck, born in Constantinople of German Diplomat parents, founded the Winyah Sanatorium on top of Town Mountain along with an internationally known research laboratory. Mr. Von Ruck, and colleague Dr. S. Westray Battle, gathered about them some of the most outstanding researchers and treatment specialists in the country (which in turn drew some of the most influential patients), making one more link in the chain to put Asheville on the map.

P. Demens Woodworking CompanyPeter Demens, Russia

While many people made Asheville their home for a lifetime, others blew through on their way to somewhere

else as with Peter Demens, born Pitor Alexewitch Dememtief, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Before coming to Asheville during the boom year of 1889, he had been instrumental in building a railroad that allowed for the creation of St. Petersburg, Florida - named after his birthplace.

In Asheville, he is know for the design of his home on a remote hillside near the French Broad River now known as “Hanger Hall.” Apparently dissatisfied with his prospects in North Carolina, Demens sold his Asheville property in 1892 and moved to an even greater boom town, Los Angeles.

Winyah Sanatorium on top of Town Mountain

Dr. Karl Von Ruck

North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library, 28804


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The Biltmore Estate

The arrival of Mr. George Vanderbilt to Western North Carolina had a far reaching impact on the mountains. Not only did Vanderbilt

enlist some of the most creative minds and craftspeople from all over the world to build the estate, but in time he became the mountain’s largest employer with some 550 staff people in the early 1900’s. In addition, those that came to visit the Estate spread the beauty of the

region far and wide, continuing the message in the pre-Internet days that Asheville was the Land of the Sky. Several immigrants were particularly influential in the later development of the mountains.

Smith and Carrier ArchitectsRichard Sharpe Smith, England

Mr. Smith hailed from Harden, Yorkshire, England in 1852. He immigrated to America in 1882 where he later joined Richard

Morris Hunt’s architectural firm. He became the supervising architect at the Biltmore Estate in 1890 and became Vanderbuilt’s resident architect after Hunt’s death in 1895. Following its completion, he stayed on to found Smith and Carrier Architects which became well know for its steel reinforced structures and unique combinations of building materials. Smith designed some of the most recognizable buildings in and around downtown Asheville, including the YMI on Eagle Street, Hopkins Chapel, St. Lawrence Basilica (with Raphael Gustavino), the Masonic Lodge on Broadway, the Legal Building, the Old Penney’s Building on Haywood, and innumerable private residences.

Guastavino’s Fireproof Construction CompanyRaphael Guastavino, Spain

Raphael Guastavino was a Spanish Architect credited with the revival of an ancient system using tile and mortar to

create vaulted or domed ceilings and roofs. He emigrated from Barcelona, Spain in the early 1880’s and was hired by Richard Morris Hunt to build the arched ceiling surrounding the Winter Garden of the Biltmore House.

While working on the Estate, he built a home in Black Mountain where he continued his work. His patented invention can be seen in the domed ceiling of St. Lawrence Basilica (where he is buried) along with Grant’s Tomb and the great hall at Ellis Island, both in New York.

This shot of Broadway Avenue in the 1920’s includes the Masonic Lodge on the left corner and the building across the street (now housing WCQS radio station). They were both designed by Richard Sharpe Smith.

Photo courtesy of Library of Congress


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Finkelstein Pawn ShopHarry Finkelstein, Russia

Harry Finkelstein had already had a lifetime of adventures before he came to Asheville to

begin a new one. As a teenager, he witnessed a soldier “getting fresh” with his mother so he picked up a piece of stove wood and knocked him unconscious. Harry’s father paid the injured soldier fifty rubles not to tell anyone for fear they would take him away to the Army. It was customary for Jewish boys as young as twelve to be forcefully conscripted in the army for twenty five years - usually as stable boys. Taking no chances of the soldier’s return, they got young Harry out of Russia as quickly as possible.

His first stop was South Africa (where he got lead poisoning from house painting) before finally joining his brothers in America. Eventually, all five of them would open Finkelstein Pawn Shops across the south - Louis in Florence, Moe in Columbia, Charlie in Wilmington and Neil in Jacksonville. While visiting Neil, Harry became ill and a doctor advised that his only hope was to try the restorative air in Asheville, North Carolina. After arriving, he never left. Harry went on to open the fifth Finkelstein Pawn Shop at the head of Main Street (now Biltmore Ave.). In 1901 it was know as the “poor man’s bank.”

Plateau Studio, Asheville Photo ServiceGeorge Masa, Japan

Born in 1881 as Masahara Iizuka, in 1915 Mr Iizuka had made his way to Asheville by way of the University of Colorado. Soon after his arrival, he was employed by the Grove Park Inn as a valet and took for himself the

name George Masa. His photography business began with the development of film for guests at the Inn and later was enlarged to include magnificent pictures, particularly panoramas, that he took of his adopted mountain home.

Mr. Masa developed a number of photography businesses in and around downtown Asheville. But perhaps his greatest contributions have to do with his love of hiking. Mr. Masa was the first person to systematically measure many miles of trails and to chart the terrain of the Great Smokies. He did this with the help of a bicycle wheel, frame, and handle bars, to which he attached an odometer. He pushed this unusual contraption up and down innumerable peaks and valleys throughout the Southern

Appalachians leading him to assist with the accurate naming of the mountains when the Great Smokies National Park was instituted.

Mr. Masa died in 1933 from influenza and is buried in Riverside Cemetery. In 1961, through the tireless efforts of Dr. Samuel Robinson, a peak in the Great Smokies was named “Masa Knob.”

*taken from an article by William A. Hart Jr. in May We All Remember Well, edited by Robert Brunk.


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Broadway Hosiery CompanyThe Chakales Family, Greece

Stavroula and Peter Chakales came to Asheville before 1910 to visit her brother who was convalescing in a local sanatorium

with tuberculosis. The mountains reminded Stavroula of her home in Sparta and the “horio” of Greece. By 1910 they had moved here with their young son Charlie to be followed by Eddie, George, Socrates, Eula, Virginia, Theresa, Bessie, and Jimmy.

Mr. Chakales began with a restaurant, The Athens Cafe, and later a dry goods store on Pack Square. Mr. Chakales died in 1944 and it was a year later that the Chakales’ sons, sons-in-law, and mother Stavroula began the Broadway Hosiery Company, operating in a number of buildings throughout Asheville.

The American Enka CompanyHolland

In September 1928 newspapers all over the state reported that the biggest rayon factory in the nation was about to be built in a small community seven miles outside of Asheville. American Enka Company of Arnheim, Holland

had looked at more than 50 locations before selecting Hominy Valley for the site of its modern plant.

The Dutch not only selected the area because of its accessibility to raw materials and markets, ideal climate and fine water supply, but also due to its ready and available labor force. Twenty engineers and technicians were sent

to the facility to train new workers, and many stayed on to make their home in the village named Enka. The village began a new model for a textile “mill town” that followed the “garden city” plan of English social scientists.

The first boiler was fired in the Enka powerhouse on June 11, 1929. A few months later, the great Stock Market Crash of 1929 occurred, plunging the nation into a deep depression. Enka made slow steady progress and reached full production during 1930, with plant expansion completed in 1933. By 1940, 3,000 people were on the payroll. American Enka, (variously known as Akzona BASF) survived several floods, changes in production lines, and economy shifts while continuing to play a historic role in the development of a community. Currently, it is a site for innovation as a “business incubator” for A-B Tech.

•According to a doctoral thesis Enka, North Carolina: New Planning in Early Twentieth Century Southern Mill Town by Kathryn Ann Franks, there are two possible versions of how Enka got is name. One is taken from the phonetic sound from the beginning letters of Nederlandsche Kunstzijdefabriek. The other possibility comes from the first letters of Eengste Nedarlandsche Kunstzijdefabriek, Arnheim (or First Netherland Rayon Factory).

Photo courtesy of Willis Wright


Blue Jay Knitting Julius Blum, The Czech Republic

Julius Blum grew up in a close knit family in the mountain community of Munkacs on the Hungarian line. In his youth

he trained for the Olympics in running. During WWII he survived the horrors of the Concentration Camps along with Death Marches and Slave Labor Camps. When his last camp was liberated on May 5, 1945, he began the process of putting his life back together again.

In 1947, he immigrated to America where he received a degree and worked in textile plants in South Carolina while looking for the opportunity to open his own plant. He would often visit Asheville and remark how it reminded him of his boyhood home in the Czech Republic. In 1966, he and his wife Phyllis borrowed enough mon-ey to purchase three knitting machines and opened a small plant in a garage in West Asheville, naming it Blue Jay Knitting.

By 1972, the mill employed over 250 people and operated four shifts - such was the boom for double knit fabrics in the 1970’s. Mr. Blum developed a number of different textile plants in Asheville until his retirement in the late 1980’s.

Mr. Blum retrieved this picture from the trashpile behind his former home where he returned after being rescued from the concentration camps. For years it was the only picture he had. Both of his parent survived the war but his brother (to the right) did not.

For years Mr. Blum did not know this picture existed (he is the little boy in his grandfather’s lap.) In the summer of 1998, he received a call from the Holocaust Museum that a cousin, who had left Mukacs in the early 1930’s, was looking for him. When they contacted each other, he sent Mr. Blum this treasured photograph.


Photos from the D. Hiden Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, 28804

The Slosman Corporation and Ness DisposablesNettie Ness Slosman, Russia

Nettie Ness was 12 when her parents died, leaving her the principal caregiver to two younger brothers aged 8 and 10. Her two older brothers

had already left for America and it became her responsibility to care for them as well as insure the safe passage for their journey to a new land. Until her brothers could send tickets, she had to make ends meet. She took rags from the attic which served as insulation and began to peddle them throughout the village. In the early 1900’s rags had many uses - insulation, cleaning, diapers and bandages, along with other personal hygiene uses.

It was 1923 and Nettie was 13 years old when she and her brothers took a horse drawn cart and then a train across Eastern Europe to Germany. What was already a difficult journey for one so young became strewn with one obstacle after another. First, she was told that could not board the ship without someone older who would take responsibility for them. Nettie went from passenger to passenger asking them to sign the piece of paper. She assured them they would be no burden. One gentleman finally agreed.

Then began the process where each person was inspected to insure that they were healthy. When they came to Nettie’s little brother, they found that a cow bite he had received before they left had become infected. They would not let her or her brothers (or the gentleman who had signed for them!) leave. After several months, the bite had healed enough to board the boat.

When they arrived in Boston - almost two weeks later - they again were inspected to determine their health. By this time, the infection had returned on her brother’s shoulder (this was before antibiotics). The inspector took a piece of chalk and put a big “X” on his coat. Nettie knew what that meant - he was being sent back to Russia. What was she to do? As she climbed the staircase she could see the man at the top was sending those without marks to the left and the others to the right. She would never allow her family to be separated. She put her arm around her brother for an affection hug and rubbed the chalk off his coat. When they

got to the top, she and her young charges were sent to the left and into the waiting arms of their older brothers and extended family.

There she and her brothers continued to work in the “Shmata business.” (“Shmata is “rag” in Yiddish). Over time, they turned a push card shmata business into other textile concerns. In the late 1920’s Nettie married Sam Slosman. In 1935, they followed one of Nettie’s brothers to Asheville where they opened a wiping cloth business made from the scrapings they bought from textile mills in the area - a recycling based operation.

During WWII due to government contracts, the business grew to 200-300 employees and included a fabric and

remnant store that Ms. Slosman operated. Today Mr. and Mrs. Slosman’s son, Fred, and grandson, Jeff, continue to operate the wiping and disposable cloth business. In addition, a large extended family continue to make enduring contribution, in the tradition of their ancestors, throughout the community.


The Three Brothers RestaurantThe Zourzoukis Brothers - George, Gus, Demo, Chris - Greece

George Zourzoukis lived through some of the worst times of the

Greek Civil War in the 1940’s, when soldiers from opposing sides would criss-cross his small mountainous village - Karpenisi, Evrytania - and press into service any young man they could find. These daily raids would send the villagers into the surrounding hills hoping for safety. During one such raid, George’s mother was killed in the gunfire. As many families as could, left this struggling village for other lands.

George came to America in 1951 - sponsored by John Pistolis of Johnny’s Cafe. He loved Asheville from the start, as it reminded him of his boyhood home. Soon after his arrival, he opened The Montford Cafe - where the Montford Bridge now stands. In time, he brought over his three brothers (a sister, Maria, stayed behind to care for their father). With two of his brothers, Demo and Gus, they opened Three Brothers Restaurant in its current location in 1958, initially as a drive-in. Soon they were joined by a fourth brother, Chris. But by then the name had stuck and the mathematical discrepancy has amused the community, and the nation, ever since - as evidenced by this National Lampoon cover. The four brothers married women from their Greek homeland and began to grow families of their own, keeping Three Brothers in the family even today, where they continue to serve American favorites and Greek specialties.

And what about Karpenisi, Evrytania? There are enough families in North Carolina to form the Evrytania Associa-tion. A few years back, they raised the funds to build a

Nursing Home for many of their aged family members. And that is not all. What was once a poor village is now a thriving moun-tain vacation spot. With an infusion of capital from American family members, local residents set up their own bed and breakfast and eateries. Many Evrytania Association members have summer homes of their own and return yearly to soak up the Greek sunshine and maintain their deep family roots.

But it is not just Karpenisi the Zourzoukis family invest in, but Asheville too. Numerous Zourzoukis family members have been involved in many community affairs, including the Greek Festival, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the Oasis Shrine Temple, Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, and much more.

The Retirement Home in Evrytania

The Zourzoukis family business now includes the next generation in its day to day management.

The four brothers - George, Gus, Demo and Chris - enjoyed a visit from their father in the early 1960’s


Kim’s Oriental FoodsYang Choon Ja and Kim Dai Suk, Korea

Following the Korean War, Yang Choon Ja’s sister married a Korean serviceman and moved to Fletcher. In 1967, Yang

Choon Ja and her husband Kim Dai Suk joined their sister in the WNC mountains where they purchased an Asian foods business on Merrimon Avenue and renamed it Kim’s Oriental Foods. While they enjoy the business of the Asian community (the Korean community alone boasts some 200+ families), they have also seen a marked increase in the non-Asian community over the past ten years. The store features a wide selection of fresh and packaged foods from all over the Far East as well as other dry goods and Korean speaking videos and is now located in Regent Park.

(In Korea, there is no such thing as a “maiden name” and the family name is used at the beginning rather than the end of the name. When addressing someone, the full name is spoken).

Celine’s CateringCeline Hunan Lurey, Egypt

Even though Ms. Lurey’s family had been in Egypt for many generations, according to the Government of Egypt, they were still - and as Jews, always would be - stateless. In 1965, when she turned 16, her parents

received a letter informing them they had three days to leave the country. Their home, all their belongings and business had been nationalized. Three days later, they were on a boat headed for Paris, and as in Egypt, they were helped by HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). A year later they were headed for America.

They moved to Washington, DC to be near other family members. While Celine began to contemplate what work she could do to support her family, HIAS insisted that she would get an education first, and so Celine came to Warren Wilson College where she went on to meet her future husband Michael and his family. She never left town.

In Egypt, Ms. Lurey recalls army trucks barring entry to the Synagogue. When she came to Asheville, she looked for a Synagogue to attend - to be able to do so, without struggle, became a great gift.

When Ms. Lurey opened Celine’s Catering, she focused on the customs of hospitality that surrounded good food in Middle Eastern Culture.

“My grandmother’s and mother’s homes were always open and overflowing with great food. When I decided to open my own business, that was the feeling I wanted to create.” - Celine Lurey

Ms. Lurey wonders if students can imagine what it means to be stateless, to be in a situation where you have no country that you belong to. “It is only when you lose something, or gain something that you never had - that you can truly appreciate what it means to have a country. Suddenly you long for that which was denied you.”


The Jeusalem Garden CaféFarouk Bader, The West Bank/Palestine

Mr. Bader (which means “the moon” in Arabic) left his hometown of Nablus, Palestine on the West Bank in the 1970’s to join his

family in Greenville, SC. He was offered three jobs in Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, but ultimately chose to be near his family in the North Carolina mountains. Before opening The Jerusalem Garden Café in 1993, he worked with his brother’s pharmacy and at a boutique he operated at The Asheville Mall.

“It is beautiful here - the mountains, the people - everything.”

The Flying Frog RestaurantSandhya Shastri, India

Mr. Shastri left his home, a town of 4 million near Bombay, to study chemistry in Milwaukee in the 1970’s. He came to Asheville to

work for Chemtronics and later opened The Windmill Restaurant before starting The Flying Frog.

Mr. Shastri’s children (son Vijay is pictured with his father) grew up in the restaurant and learned every part of the business. By the time they were 17 and 18, they operated their own eating establishment, Cafe Bombay. Mr. Shastri feels that: “Each generation is smarter than the last; more energetic, more creative. Use your parent’s base and then add your own strengths. It is like a puzzzle that fits. In America, this puzzle has the spectrum of the rainbow and together we are beautiful.”

Togar RugsTunc Togar, Turkey

Mr. Togar grew up in Istanbul and first visited the US in 1962 with the AFS student exchange program in California. On

returning to Turkey, he established a succesful travel agency along with a business in Oriental Rugs. In 1973, his then wife-to-be Nancy also made a student trip to Turkey. When they met and decided to marry, the Togars returned to Nancy’s hometown of Asheville, NC. In 1978 they established Togar Rugs. Mr. Togar spoke of how often student exchange programs create friendship and communication across the national and cultural lines that then afford many types of relationships, including business. He has been impressed by the extremely friendly nature of Americans. When he first started selling rugs in the area, he was often surprised at how willing people were to open their homes to him for rug shows at no benefit to themselves. As Mr. Togar says, “That would only happen in America.”


SalsaHector Diaz, Puerto Rico

As a child, Mr. Diaz lived in a rural village in the mountains of Puerto Rico. When he turned ten, his family decided he should

go live in New York with other family members where he could go to school - something that was not available in their small village. The shock of going from rural Puerto Rico to the streets of New York was too much. Hector did not leave the apartment for 18 months. Finally, his family convinced him to try a school that met three times a week and specialized in teaching kids how to be “an American,” how to speak English, play basketball, eat hotdogs - the regular stuff. The real clincher was when he met a young girl from Ireland, also an immigrant, and she helped him get over missing his island home.

After completing an Associate Degree in Chemistry, he was looking for a place to raise his children when he decided on Asheville. It also gave him a chance to start a business using the lessons and recipes of his grandmother - and named it Salsa. In addition to two restaurants, Mr. Diaz markets a line of salsa throughout the US.

The Orengo BandRuben Orengo, Puerto Rico

Mr. Orengo’s mother followed the dream of more opportunity to

New York City bringing Ruben, then a child of five, with her. He later attended the New York City School of the Arts and on graduation continued his studies at the NC School of the Arts and Mars Hill College. While teaching in the Strings Program at Asheville City Schools, he also formed, with his brother Ozzie, The Orengo Band, specializing in Latin Jazz. He keeps close contact with his family in Puerto Rico, including a brother, cousins, aunts and uncles. When asked about what he thinks students need to know about those from other lands who come to America, he responded:

“Education is the key to everything - regardless of where you come from. With a good education, doors will open that were not possible for you before.”


Airport EconolodgeLalbhai and Parvati Patel,* India

Mr. Patel arrived at the University of Wyoming in 1969 and received a degree in Mechanical Engineering. But when he went to San Francisco to look for a job, he found little opportunity without a permanent

residency card. So he went into the family business of motel ownership.

In India, most of the Patels live in the state of Gujarat and in two specific counties. In the early 1970’s they switched occupations from the farming in India to motel management in America and now are responsible for a huge percentage of small business ownership in the motel industry all across America.

Funding for the family enterprises works without bank loans for capital investments. When a family member wants to own a motel, they borrow money from various family members here and there. Mr. Patel borrowed enough money to open his first motel in California in the early 70’s. Before arriving in Asheville in the late 1980’s, he had spent some years in the motel business in Florida (too hot). Both Mr. and Mrs. Patel work hard in the business - he manages the front, she manages the back. And they are glad to be a part of a growing Indian community in WNC of more than 80 families, not to mention the majority culture as well.

As with many family members, Mr. Patel belongs to an Investment Club of sorts, with part ownership in a number of enterprises all across the states. Working without bank capital, the members pool their resources to buy and develop businesses with good potential. Mr. Patel stressed (“make this in big letters,” he said): “You Have To Set a Goal.”

“If you seriously want to be a business person, you must be hardworking - forget about weekends off. After you set your goal and work for it, never think negative stuff. If anything bad happens, just think positive - that’s the name of the game in business - you have to think positive.”

*Nicknames - Al and KayWhen people move to a new country, there are often issues of name pronunciation. When asked for their “real names,” Mr. Patel began to explain how he and his wife came to be called Al and Kay. Mr. Patel began to spell L-A-L-B-H-A-I. When he said “L,” people heard “A-L.” After a while, he decided to just go by what people were hearing. Kay is short for another Hindi name used in her family. Not only do their given names seem “funny” to others when they say them, but they sound “funny” to Lalbhai and Parvati when they hear them pronounced. Outside of the Indian community, “Al” and “Kay” is much easier.


House BuilderSam Samal, Iraq

He grew up in some of the hardest times, as in 1974 when Saddam Hussein was bearing down with a vengeance. America opened

its doors and thousands of Kurds settled in Nashville, Dallas and San Diego. After graduating from Bagdad University in 1980, Mr. Samal made his way first to Italy where he waited for his number to come up on the Visa list. Then his destination was Nashville, Tennessee where there is a large Kurdish community. After studying English for several years and marrying his teacher, they found the mountains of North Carolina during a vacation in the mid-1980’s. Not only did the mountains remind Mr. Samal of home, but they liked the quieter, and safer, nature of a smaller town.

Mr. Samal uses his Economics and Business degree to manage the operation of a home builder business along with a number of enterprises. When asked what he would say to American students, he replied, “Never take anything for granted. Students have so many freedoms here. A toy that is thrown away, without a thought, would be the only toy a child in Iraq would ever have. Only very rich people have toys. When you travel, you learn about other people and it helps to develop an appreciation for what is taken for grantaed - freedom.”

The Noodle ShopWang Jing Chun, China

Wang Jing Chun grew up in Lang Zhou, China. Her mother came to the United States before the rest of the family, and she was later joined by her husband and two daughters, including Wang Jing Chun.

That was in 1985. She explains that her first year learning English was very hard, but after that the language became easier and America started to be a great place to be.

In the mid-1990’s she joined her cousins, who were operating The China Palace at the time, before she eventually opened a restaurant herself in Biltmore where she was joined by her sister. In February 1999, she opened The Noodle Shop on Pack Square. She was proud to receive her American Citizenship shortly after.

Wang Jing Chun says that school in China is very different. A class of students stay together all the way through elementary school. In fact, they stay in the same room and the same desk. Each year the teacher changes. When asked what she thought students might be interested in, she replied, “Students living in America are so comfortable - not near so much pressure is on them - and perhaps that is good. In China, students must pass a test before they can enter high school or college. Here everyone can go no matter what. Every parent there worries for their small child, ‘Will they pass the tests and have a chance at opportunity?’ and so they push and worry a lot. There are a lot more choices in America.”


El Chapala RestaurantMartin and Maria Isabel, Jimanez, Mexico

In the late 1980’s, Martin left his native Guadalajara for California

following other countrymen to the fields for picking the seasonal crops. Later, he was joined by his wife Maria and small child. When a second baby was on the way, Maria suggested that they head to Georgia where Maria had family in the restaurant business - the first El Chapala in Atlanta operated by her uncle and aunt. Martin had lots of experience picking fruit, but none in a restaurant. He was unsure of the move, but knew they needed more financial security with another child on the way. After moving to Atlanta, Maria’s family decided that the Mexican restaurant market in Atlanta was flooded with authentic Mexican specialties and began to look for an area with less competition. That’s when the family found Asheville. There are now six El Chapalas, all owned by family members. The one on Great Smoky Park Highway is Martin and Maria’s. Maria’s uncle gave various responsibilities to Martin in their other locations until he learned the ropes of restaurant work. The name El Chapala comes from a big lake and familiar landmark near the city of Guadalajara.

Maria and Martin both love Asheville for its beauty and friendly people. They compare it to their growing up in a small town in Guadalajara, whereas Atlanta reminded them more of the big city feel of Mexico City. Their three children love it here too, and while they enjoy their once a year vacation to Mexico, they never want to leave their mountain home. Martin and Maria continue to take English lessons, while their children are fluent in both Spanish and English - the adaptability of youth.

About Latino immigrationMany students are surprised to learn that the majority of people of Latino heritage in the United States have been American citizens for many generations and are not themselves immigrants. Another assumption that is often made looks at Latino culture as monolithic, all originating from Mexico. In fact, there is much diversity including people from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, etc. - each with their own unique culture. The Latino community is the fastest growing segment in the United States.


Erwin Hills Electronic RepairAnatoly Kozel, Belarus

In 1990 Anatoly Kozel’s family received word from the government of the USSR that they had

permission to go to the United States. He and his family had been waiting for that news for 15 years. “I don’t know who did it, who finally got us out. It was God, I think. Gorbachev was still in charge and it was during Glasnost, but before the USSR broke apart, it was not a land of opportunity like here, but a land of troubles.”

When Mr. Kozel arrived he headed for Niagara Falls, New York. His girl friend Janna was in Niagara Falls, Canada. He spent several years crossing the border to see her and trying to get her a Visa to come to the US. After a few years that seemed like forever, Mr. Kozel was able to bring Janna to the U.S., and the two were married. Following the advice of a friend in Buffalo, they looked at Asheville for a place to move. When they arrived, they connected with the large Russian community that has moved here. Mr. Kozel bought Erwin Hills Electronic Repair and moved it to the present location on Leicester Highway.

Of starting a business in the U.S. compared to the former USSR, Mr. Kozel says, “Everything is easy here. You don’t have to wait in line for anything. Everything here is for the people. The government is for the people, not the people for the government. We pay taxes here, but it is not bigger than our income. It took one day to get licenses. When I was in the USSR, I couldn’t even open my business, and now Russians have to pay everyone for it and it takes forever. But here you have to work for serious, and not for fun. I work very hard. A few months ago, I got my citizenship and in the next election, I will vote. I don’t know if it will make a difference. But I will vote. I think America is great.”


African Drumworks and World FashionsGora Faye, Senegal

Gora Faye came to America from Dakar, Senegal in 1993 to join his older brother, Sega and pursue his education.

Once here, he established a business that was based on the traditions taught to him by his grandfather who learned it from his grandfather. He comes from a long line of drummers and drum makers. As Mr. Faye explains:

“Before about 1960 there was a time in history known as ‘Josawn.’ During that time my family of ‘Faye’ was part of an ethnic group know as ‘Griot.’ We were the entertainers of my region. We were responsible for storytelling, drumming, dancing, that kind of thing. Before there was the commercialization of music, where someone could pick up music on a radio, my family provided that service for the community. Not only were we the entertainers, but, more importantly, we were the advisors to the King. It was a very important position. Now that is different. Our family name of ‘Faye’ is historically know for that skill, but we do not play the same role in the community after the new government.”

When Mr. Faye came to Asheville, he began to market his skill as a musicologist and now shares his time with club dates in Charlotte. He also repairs drum heads and builds six different types of authentic drums from scratch including Jimbae, Ashiko, Dijon, Ken Kendinj, and Sabar. He encourages students to learn more about diversity.

“Because in diversity you find what you like to do - what you can be good at. Since I’ve been here, I have learned about diversity too. Life in America is very different than life in Senegal. In Senegal, if a guest stops by and you are eating, you give him your plate and later you find something else to eat. In America, there is not the same sense of hospitality. But in America there is so much more freedom - especially around opportunity. There are so many more ways of making a living. So there is a lot to get used to here.”


This story of immigrants began with James Patton who established businesses in

Buncombe County almost two centuries ago. Today Mr. Patton’s great great granddaughter, Mary Parker, continues to live in the family home built by Mr. Patton in 1840. She and other siblings and cousins continue the legacy that Mr. Patton left them, through his words of wisdom in his autobiography:

I would advise you to have your names connected in a greater or lesser degree with the public institutions of the present day. ...These institutions cannot be sustained without means, and the means cannot be procured without the aid of individuals. You may think that a small amount from you would bring little bearing, and on that account refuse it; but if every person were to act in the same way, there would be nothing done.”

When immigrants put down roots in a community, they set into motion a future of which they can only dream. Over and over again, the people of Buncombe County have been the beneficiaries of those hopes and dreams, such as were voiced by James Patton and are carried out by his great great grandchildren almost 200 years later.

Through the eyes of history, we can see the enormous legacy immigrants have brought to this adopted homeland. Their contributions are innumerable. They shape the very way we think of ourselves as a community - forged by the efforts of people from all five continents.

In the end, it is the lasting legacy of a pluralistic democracy that is strengthened - and we, and our descendants, are the beneficiaries.

In Conclusion, We are a Nation of Nations no different than the newest immigrants who long to call America home.


coming to the mountains - unc a · fort mountain to establish a general store, all the way to the...

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