JACK OF THE WOOD WHERE KINDRED SPIRITS GATHER
S
itting at a table in the depths of the cavernous Jack of the Wood on Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville, Joan and Joe Eckert shake their heads in awe when asked about the 25th anniversary of the beloved pub and music venue. “It just seemed like the natural thing to do in this city, to open a Celtic-style pub, but to also have it be sort of an Appalachian tavern, too,” Joan said. “And live music has always been part of this business and what we want to put forth
— Celtic, Americana roots, bluegrass, old-time, folk and mountain music.” When the Eckerts arrived in Western North Carolina from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, back in the 1980s, the couple was looking to raise their family on a farm in the mountains. That soon morphed into Joan operating a small lunch counter at the local YMCA specializing in vegetarian cuisine. And with the encouragement and backing of the late Julian Price, a storied Asheville entrepreneur and philan-
thropist, Joan eventually opened The Laughing Seed on Wall Street — a pillar of the city’s bustling culinary scene to this day. Initially, the basement of the restaurant (which faces Patton Avenue) was used as a root cellar, but the Eckerts had another idea in mind for the space — a British Isles inspired pub. “We’ve spent a lot of time over there and always loved those pubs, where everyone is singing and dancing, just having a great time together in
“And live music has always been part of this business and what we want to put forth — Celtic, Americana roots, bluegrass, old-time, folk and mountain music.” — JOAN ECKERT 22
BLUE RIDGE MUSIC TRAILS
