Shopping in Taylors

At Country Bear Factory, youngsters bring plush bears to life in a process both imaginative and official enough to merit a birth certificate. Each certificate commemorates the day visitors brought their stuffed buddies—who can tower up to 16 inches tall—into the world, complete with customized outfits. The factory celebrates not only the birth of each bear, but human youngsters’ birthdays, with hostess-led celebrations where littl'uns caper about with balloon animals and prepare for the witness-protection program with face painters.

Humans can find the missing pieces for their homes and kitchens with the lightly used furnishings and appliances at Second Chances Thrift Store, but homeless animals are the ones that really benefit the most from each sale. That's because the shop donates all proceeds to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, a no-kill shelter and a foster program for homeless animals that might otherwise roam the streets with their possessions in a handkerchief tied on a stick. A large inventory of kitchen appliances, books, and furniture flows constantly through the store. Additionally, shoppers can find antiques peppered throughout the selection, identifiable by their black-and-white appearance.

Combining experience in lampworking, glass blowing, and jewelry design, the three resident artists of Asheville Glass Center lead workshops and classes to share their passion for manipulating molten glass. The two- to three-hour intro courses teach neophytes to craft borosilicate marbles and soft glass beads, and more in-depth classes result in intricate implosion flowers and sand-cast solid forms. The center also offers open studio time for more experienced artists who wish to work alone, like the winningest three-legged racers.

In 1950, John Searcy loaded up his pickup truck with car batteries and began peddling his wares to wholesalers. Two years later, John formalized his operation and began Interstate All Battery Center, a battery retailer and service center that spans the continent from Austin to Anchorage powering cars, hearing aids, and cameras. Interstate All Battery Center charges gadgets and vehicles with more than 16,000 types of power solutions, and eases environmental taxes on the planet with a robust battery-recycling system. In a year, Interstate All Battery Center recycled 850 million pounds of batteries—just enough energy to grant immortality to one Furby.

At Mr. K’s Used Books, Music, and More’s five locations, funny money is the currency of choice. In exchange for bringing in good-quality books, CDs, and DVDs, customers receive store-issued dollars that they can use toward the purchase of other items. Some in-demand items, such as school textbooks, modern literature, video games, or sports almanacs from the future, may warrant a cash exchange instead. The shop’s friendly staffers, meanwhile, remain at the ready to help customers locate an item amid the many shelves, organized by genre and number of vowels in the title.