Having worked on private boats and distant shores, her creative explorations eventually brought her to Asheville, where she worked as the executive housekeeper at the downtown Hotel Indigo for two years.  Witnessing the health and environmental effects of large-scale industrial cleaning, she decided to step away from the corporate world to create a line of green cleaning products. With a passion for ecological harmony, empowerment and a good scrubbing, Julie currently sells her Green Bamboo Cleaning Supplies to some of Asheville’s most fabulous restaurants and hot spots, such as Cúrate, Plant, Sensibilities Day Spa and Tupelo Honey.

 Julie Wishart joins the team at our North Carolina mountain getaway

As she progresses toward gaining the attention of larger hospitality chains,  Julie has found one employer who resonated so deeply with her product and – as we say in Asheville – “her vibe,” they asked her to join the team (ahem – that would be Barkwells). Julie is convinced that power lies in the hands of the educated consumer, and if she keeps striving to influence the market through her product, consumers will eventually start asking the questions and shifting demand in larger markets.

At our mountain getaway, we are already receiving many such questions around our green practices, and have responded with continued efforts to reduce our paw print with green cleaning products, composting, energy efficient equipment and more recently biodynamic methods of grounds maintenance (see Barkwells Growing Greener on our blog). So when Julie called to pitch her cleaning products, our common values became immediately apparent: a profound connection between a laundry detergent and a pet friendly cabin in North Carolina based on a mutual appreciation for entrepreneurship, conscientious ownership and sustainability.

As she continues to develop her product line, Julie will supervise laundry, inventory, scheduling, cabin inspections, and bouncing quarters off of the sheets. She explains her role as “finding the most efficient way to meet the high bars of Barkwells’s pristine atmosphere.” Aside from being a dog lover, she explains that this role is a good fit on so many different levels. She understands that entrepreneurs take a strong sense of pride in their work, and “It’s great to be a part of a small business with like-minded people.” We think so, too, Julie. Welcome aboard!

Barkwells is excited to welcome Josh Hale to the outdoor team. Josh came across our pet friendly cabins via the Unity Center, where he’d been gardening while his daughter attends the Montessori school housed in the church next to Barkwells. Josh joins Andi in tending the nine acres of grounds, caring for the chickens and goats, and keeping the property maintained and looking gorgeous.

With a genetically green thumb, it was a natural transition for this biodynamic farmer and his wife to flee the biochemistry labs of Central Florida to pursue the renowned biodiversity and horticultural opportunities in Asheville. With a scientific and empirical understanding of our mini biosphere tucked into the North Carolina mountains, he’ll be working to increase sustainability and encourage development through 10,000 year-old practices right here on the property.

Josh explains biodynamics as a system developed by Rudolf Steiner in early 1920s. It’s a farming philosophy that incorporates astrology, vibrations and energy, and builds from ancient practices from the pre-petrochemical era. No, this doesn’t mean we’ll be dancing naked around the garden beds under the full moon (we ask that such rituals be kept in the cabins : ) – biodynamics is simply about working closely with plants and understanding their needs from all angles. He’s already tilled up space for organic vegetables to be grown near the well pump house. It will be watered with a rain barrel system supplemented by water from our 600 foot deep well. The veggies will be amended with biodynamic compost (don’t worry – you’ll still be able to feed your scraps to the chickens). You will be the beneficiaries, as said organic veggies will be available to guests come harvest time.

Josh and Andi are working on digging up and replanting the lower chicken coop as Josh plans to supplement the chickens’ feed with beneficial plants such as sorghum and corn; and the corn silk will go to our goats to strengthen their digestive tracts (so they can digest the trees we keep catching them eating). He also has composting doggie waste on his project list for this summer.

Barkwells is grateful to have Josh’s expertise and fresh ideas. Currently, he’s researching flowers for a medieval clock garden to surround the purple martin house on the hill. Used in cloisters and castles, clock gardens would show the time of day based on which flowers were open. He hopes to bring his knowledge to guests not only through beautification and beneficial plantings, but some day through classes as well.

So why, when Josh could be farming, did he choose pet friendly cabins in North Carolina? He’s working some subsistence projects on their new land in Swannanoa – a hop yard, an old apple orchard, chickens and veggies. And aside from the obvious perk of getting to wave to his daughter from over the fence every afternoon, Josh has always had a special space in his heart for animals. Injured dogs and stray cats used to follow him home. The goat herd they tended for his wife’s artisan cheese business was comprised of goats that had been mistreated or unwanted – they just needed to be loved (and milked). Josh said that a space with this much love for animals – that’s canine-centric but with chickens, goats, wild birds, fish and frogs, too, AND needs gardening and landscaping – well, it’s his two life passions merged into one place.

And the play was really great, too!

Six pups packed with personality (and powerful vocal cords) tumble into the playground at Deena’s Doggy Daycare. They introduce themselves as a bichon frise who sings opera with her two dads in their high-end apartment. A young Jack Russell who lives to love and is trying to find his voice as his comrades teach him to bark. A compassionate and  stunningly talented cocker spaniel with an obsessive sock complex. A chocolate lab who’s getting on in years and reminiscing about the unrequited loves of his younger days. A sassy pug who tells it like it is and holds nothing back. And lastly, a mangy mutt with a ‘tude, tethered to the tribulations of the real world and dreaming of big meadows and endless butts to sniff.

I know what you’re thinking, but this play is so much more than The Breakfast Club, doggie style. The talent crammed into a local all-volunteer theatre production in this town is absolutely remarkable. The bichon frise has performed with the local opera company, and the performers crooned and howled with the precision and range of any professional cast. For two hours, the actors-turned-canine tussle with the daily ordeals of being a dog, and enlighten us as to what the world looks like from their black and white perspectives. Looking us right in the eye, Sassy Pug explains, “The only reason I get into the garbage is because your food is better than mine!” The Jack Russell offers up a ditty about the joys of finding the ideal place to pee (which, in case you’re wondering, is a tire if you’re lucky enough to find one, a hydrant no matter how cliché, and the cat).  As the three ladies put it: “Life’s a bitch and so am I.”

“Saved!”
photo credit: Ewa Skowska

Their problems of wearing the dreaded cone or facing the day their human goes off to college without them are illuminated in song, dance and playful banter. In one absolutely hilarious number, King, the chocolate lab, wakes up to find that he’s missing a key ingredient of his physiological masculinity. Rather than feeling despondent, King discovers that he’s been saved from the evils of “Satan’s dice”: “Brothers and sisters – when life’s got you by the balls, snip them off!” He preaches from the top of the doghouse to his puppy parishioners about the perks of life as a Castration convert.

Above all, Bark! serves to remind the audience of the simple joys in life – laughter, unconditional love, honesty, and living in the moment.  Barkwells was delighted to be one of the many dog-friendly businesses around Asheville to sponsor such a fun production.  The theatre exhibited canine organization information and local dog artwork, including the smiles of a photo competition to find the face of Asheville’s Bark! Forty-three pups were entered, and the proceeds were split among three puppy lovin’ non-profits: The Animal Compassion Network,  Brother Wolf Animal Rescue and The Asheville Humane Society. This was the first time that the three organizations have collaborated on a large undertaking like this competition.

The play runs through March 10^th at the Asheville Community Theatre in downtown Asheville, and  makes for a delightful evening out for lovers of dogs and theatre alike.

Sweet face of the photo contest
photo credit: Caren Harris

Every single contestant had a huge grin
photo credit: Carly Deyton

The new Barkwells site shows you a pooch’s paradise: pet friendly cabins in Asheville, North Carolina

Whether you’re a first-timer on the Barkwells site or are back to daydream about your next trip to the mountains, welcome to our new website! We invite you to paw through the fantastic upgrade and usability of our new design. Check out everything we have to offer at the most dog-centric and luxurious pet friendly cabins in the Asheville area.

We had a dog help develop the site to help attract new friends to these pet friendly cabins in Asheville

You might notice something fishy (mmm, fish?! Can I roll in it?!) about the text of our new website. It would seem that everything we write for, cater to and focus on is directed at the dog. This isn’t an oversight on our part: despite what the cat thinks, or the attention your toddler demands, everyone here knows that the real monarch of the household is the dog. Barkwells is known for hosting pet friendly cabins in the Blue Ridge mountains near Asheville. Why would we focus on the luxurious king beds, the hot tubs and the wireless internet for people? That’s not what our fuzzier market is going to drool over, so we called in a few consultants to ask what they thought we should highlight. As you explore what they said under property amenities, invite your pooches to look over your shoulder and get their feedback. We’re pretty confident they’ll give you four paws up and help nose your mouse to the reservations page.

Won’t you Come. Sit. Stay.® at our pet friendly cabins in Asheville?

Come on! Click the button! Click the button! Oh my gosh, he clicked the button! I KNEW he would click the button!

This is the one time your dog won’t get in trouble for begging. After you’ve scoped out all of our pet friendly cabins, you can look up availability and book your stay with a few simple clicks.

We boast being dog-friendly so frequently, we wanted to make sure that our site and services were user-friendly, too. Our website’s transformation is a testament to that dedication – to be friendly to all of our guests, no matter how many thumbs they have. You can now make a reservation, learn about our history, amenities and services we offer through our Come. Sit. Stay. Well-Being and Community tabs. Make yourself at home, explore – more info will come soon on the new features of this site.

We’ve worked hard on the new site, but try not to slobber on the screen – it’s not good for the microchips. (Microchip? I’m microchipped! But you can ignore that address and just send me to Barkwells Lane if I get lost!) ….Uh, thanks, Patty. Sorry – she takes over sometimes. Anyway, we hope you think the site’s as awesome as we do, but we’d like to remind you that 1) we welcome your feedback and 2) the real thing is SO much better. So once you’re done playing around in virtual Barkwells, reserve your stay and join us in the mountains!