Boomer’s owner says tourism decline led to closing bourbon, cigar bar

ASHEVILLE – It was only a matter of time before Boomer’s Bourbon and Cigar Bar closed after Tropical Storm Helen, as customer sales became unsustainable, said co-owner Missy Baker.

She noticed in her office on Coxe Avenue that foot traffic was significantly lower than before the catastrophic event in the fall of 2024, with streets in the downtown South Slope neighborhood nearly deserted.

“It all started right after the storm. We lost our business partners because we weren’t doing enough business because there weren’t enough tourists here. We just kept hanging on after the storm,” Baker said.

Baker said it was not mismanagement of the business that led to Boomer’s closure, as bookings for events such as weddings and birthdays had been steady before Helen’s. The menu has been modified to include non-alcoholic beverages such as CBD drinks to accommodate recent changes in beverage trends, in which consumers are drinking less or abstaining from alcohol.

Baker attributed Boomer’s closure to several factors and said Helen’s fallout was the final blow. She said the city’s initial message after the storm encouraging visitors to stay away from Asheville ended up hurting businesses because people were slower to return to places that were healthy and open for business.

Baker also said the city needs to do more to clean up trash regularly and reduce loitering, which discourages people, especially residents, from heading downtown.

“We’ve got to get the locals back. Our locals and tourists, but if we still have locals when tourism goes down, we’ll still be open, as will a lot of other places downtown that are closed,” Baker said.

Boomer’s bourbon and cigar bar closing permanently

Baker and her two partners opened Boomer’s in March 2020, but the store immediately closed for nearly two months due to closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been a rocky road ever since, with Helene in the fall of 2024 becoming the latest culprit, adding to the company’s woes.

Boomer’s closed for Helene in late September and will reopen in December 2024.

“I lasted a year and we had everybody working and everybody getting paid, but I had to stop robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Baker said.

Baker said at one point they couldn’t afford to stock cigars, so they only opened a bourbon bar.

On October 15, 2025, Boomer’s plans to temporarily close as the partners look for someone to take over the bourbon and cigar bar or open a new concept store in its location. Baker said there were about eight potential buyers, but none came through, citing reasons ranging from the two-story space being too large to a desire to open a new business outside of Asheville.

Boomer’s employs three part-time bartenders, and business partners work shifts. Two bartenders found jobs outside of the service industry, she said. A third bartender opened a food truck.

In January, the search was called off, the permanent closure was announced on social media, equipment and furniture sales began, and other local businesses began acquiring items.

Baker said some items were shipped to the new Marion Cigar Shop and Lounge in Marion, nearly 40 minutes east of Asheville. Other items are sold closer to home, such as The Orange Peel.

South Slope businesses seek more promotions, boost visitor numbers

Boomer’s closure coincides with the closure of Terra Nova Brewing Company, which closed its South Slope brewery and taproom and Swannanoa taproom in December, citing a sharp drop in sales following the Helene incident.

Meanwhile, new businesses opening since the 2024 fall storm include Nightshade, La Pizza Party and Xico Mexican Restaurant.

“While there are tourists downtown, they live on the north side and shop there and there’s things to do there. There’s nothing on the south slope – nothing but booze and restaurants,” Baker said.

In 2020, Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ owner Cheryl Antoncic Suess launched the barbecue restaurant on Coxe Avenue a block from Boomer’s.

Seuss agreed that the north side of downtown fared better than the south slope area in post-Helen recovery.

Seuss said summer sales at Helen’s Post restaurant and bar were stronger than expected, but still not where she had hoped. She said commercial development on the South Slope has lagged behind due to a lack of hotels and major entertainment venues such as Harrah’s Convention Center.

“When we talk about downtown, I think sometimes the South Slope is left out of the conversation,” Suess said. “Those are great things when we have a big event like Billy Strings — the economic impact, the benefits and the positive impact it brings to the downtown, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to the South Slope in the same way.”

Sometimes major economic-boosting events can have a detrimental effect, she said, because they draw people away from the South Slope.

Baker said more retail stores would give people more reasons to visit and stroll the South Slope.

Suess said additional parking, wayfinding signage to guide people from the north side to the south slope (to show there’s more to explore through the city’s transportation center) and a streetcar designated to run between the two areas would all be beneficial.

Baker and Suess said events like Independence Day fireworks on the South Slope help, but it’s not enough.

A multimillion-dollar redesign of an approximately half-mile stretch of Cox Avenue has been approved to enhance safety, aesthetics and stormwater infrastructure along the corridor. It will include a continuous sidewalk, dedicated bike lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, new street trees and a 13,000-square-foot elevated plaza between Buxton Avenue and Banks Avenue. Construction is expected to begin this year.

The city is also proposing to build a temporary 80-foot-by-180-foot open-air public rink with bleachers, seating and lighting on Ashland Avenue after the Carrier Park roller hockey rink was severely damaged by Tropical Storm Helen.

An activity-based social area was proposed last year to help activate the neighbourhood, but the council later withdrew.

Entrepreneurs say they have been active participants in the Business of the South Slope (BOSS) group, a collective of South Slope stakeholders, making the public more aware of businesses and events in the area through strategies such as coordinating events, branding and launching syndicated social media to draw more attention to the community.

“We’ve shifted gears and are taking this approach to attract more business and make the South Slope a destination and a place that people want to come to, with a focus on locals,” Suess said.

Baker said she would be willing to open a new business, albeit smaller, but not in a downtown location.

“They have to take a stand and take steps to bring locals back and revive tourism,” Baker said.

Tiana Kennell is a food reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times, a USA TODAY Network affiliate. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram. Sign up here for our weekly food and drink newsletter AVL Bites and Brews.

This article originally appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times: South Slope Boomer bourbon and cigar bar closing