Rockgeist was nearly wiped out by Hurricane Helene last fall, but after months of recovery, Asheville’s beloved bag maker is back on its feet and in a brand-new space. While they’re not at full capacity yet, the team is up and running and in good spirits. Find a few photos of the new shop from their open house this past weekend, and consider picking up some gear to help them roll forward…

In case you missed it last fall, the longtime workshop of Rockgeist, our favorite local bag maker—one of the best in the business—was practically destroyed on September 27, 2024, after Hurricane Helene tore through Asheville, North Carolina, along with much of the Southeastern U.S., bringing with it record, catastrophic flooding. Rockgeist’s 3,000-square-foot facility took on five feet of water from the French Broad River, destroying most of their materials, fabrics, and equipment. While the team managed to save a few essential machines and supplies, production came to a near standstill, leaving their small crew of seven without work. Despite the devastation, Rockgeist was determined to rebuild, and we’re happy to report that nine months later, they are back in action and in a new space.

This past weekend, the team celebrated with an open house, welcoming folks from the surrounding community to check out their new 2,700-square-foot space. The workshop is in the same historic mill complex north of the River Arts District—a hard-hit area preciously loaded with small businesses, many of which are all but forgotten—but now they’re on much higher ground. When I walked in, Rockgeist’s owner and proprietor Greg Hardy was just wrapping up the restoration of his first sewing machine, which was inundated with mud and silt from the flood, a bittersweet moment, no doubt. Now the shop is fully outfitted with countless Jukis, fabrics, and tools, and almost ready to roll.

Still, Rockgeist isn’t at full capacity just yet; they’re putting final touches on the shop and working to get the new wiring fully connected in order to operate some of the heavier machinery. In the meantime, they could use your help. Consider picking up one of the lovely Helene or High Water relief shirts, an incredibly useful Armadillo bag protector, one of the in-stock 52hz frame bags, or something from the list on this page they put together for this transitionary period.

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