Entry No. 43 — the Asheville file — filed under: records
Madam Clutterbucket's Neurodiverse Universe
A ground-floor shop on Battery Park Avenue stocked with sensory fidgets, mystery bags, disability-advocacy patches and pins, work by neurodivergent artists, and a rotating layer of curated vintage. The premise is the staff: the store was built as a workplace for neurodivergent adults, run on the argument that inclusive employment is possible in any town, and the merchandise leans into it — self-described eccentric, rock n' roll, and openly in the business of calling out ableism. It sits a block from the Grove Arcade, and the city's tourism bureau lists it straight-faced alongside the galleries and outfitters. Expect to leave with something small, loud, and hard to explain.
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The story
Ashley Deck worked in special education around Atlanta for nearly twenty years before moving her family to Asheville and opening a store at 21 Battery Park Ave in the fall of 2021, timed to the tourist season. The premise was never the merchandise. It was the payroll: a family-run retail shop staffed by adults with developmental disabilities, built on her argument that accommodation is easy if you plan for it while building the business. “The word disability — ‘dis’ means ‘less,’” she told the Citizen Times. “We have to change the verbiage.” Her son Foster, who is autistic, had been turned away from jobs once employers found out; he is now assistant manager, running inventory and advocacy. Her daughter Sophia builds the windows.
Those windows are the hook, and they rotate: skeleton crews staging elaborate nonsense, a Universal Movie Monster series that has included a full Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. They took Best in Show in the 2021 downtown Asheville Christmas window competition. Inside is a ground-floor room with no unifying theme by design — sensory fidgets and weighted blankets beside apothecary jars, typewriter lamps, crystals, taxidermied birds and butterflies, disability-advocacy patches and pins, and work by neurodivergent makers, including a staff member’s handmade peacock-feather earrings. The motto is printed plainly: “Our wares are as diverse as our employees.”
The rest runs on job coaching, résumé building and references, so staff can move on elsewhere. By late 2022 Deck told WLOS she had employed more than a dozen adults with disabilities, aged 16 to 52. Starting pay in 2021 was $10.25 an hour, three dollars over the state minimum. It is a for-profit business and Deck is pointed about why: she wants other shops to copy the model rather than admire it.
What it's like
Suite 101, ground floor, a block off the Grove Arcade — you will stop at the window before you reach the door, which is the intent. Inside is deliberately not bright; a staff member told the Citizen Times he appreciates that, having light sensitivity. Someone will explain the mission within a minute of your walking in, because that is the job, not a pitch. Handle the fidgets; the whole wall is meant to be picked up, clicked and squeezed. Ask before touching the vintage and the taxidermy. The room is small, so holiday weekends get tight — one associate joked to WLOS that Small Business Saturday “can be overwhelming with a lot of people in the store.” Give the register the time it takes.
The move: Buy each other a mystery bag — no peeking at the register — then walk the block to the Grove Arcade, find a bench, and do the reveal. House rule: whatever you pull, you keep on your desk for a month.
📍 Before you go Open daily most of the year with evening hours (typically to 7 or 8pm), but the schedule contracts in deep winter — recent Januarys have meant shorter days and Tuesday closures, so check the site's hours page. Metered street parking on Battery Park or the nearby Wall Street garage. Phone: (828) 552-3013.
- 📍 Asheville
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 21 Battery Park Ave Suite 101, Asheville, NC 28801
Hours: Added 2026-08-25 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Moogseum — Ten minutes east on Broadway, and the same rule governs both rooms — the exhibits are meant to be touched, clicked and played rather than admired through glass.
- Skinny Beats Sound Shop — Another downtown shop where the merchandise makes noise: djembes, gongs and singing bowls on Eagle Street, a short walk that turns a fidget-buying morning into a hands-on one.
- The Crow & Quill — Six blocks and a full tonal shift — daylight browsing on Battery Park, then a candlelit antique parlor on Lexington once its door opens at 5pm.
More weird in Asheville
Good to know
Where exactly is it, and where do I park?
21 Battery Park Ave, Suite 101, ground floor, a block from the Grove Arcade. Metered street parking runs along Battery Park Ave, with the Wall Street garage a short walk downhill. Phone is (828) 552-3013.
What should I budget?
Browsing is free and takes longer than you expect. Mystery fidget bags run $20.99 online in four flavors — noisy, calming, visually stimulating, and just-for-fun — and Foster’s Mystery DnD Dice Bags are $15. Vintage, antiques and taxidermy scale up from there.
Do the hours change seasonally?
Yes, noticeably. Most of the year it is Sunday–Thursday 10am–7pm and Friday–Saturday 10am–8pm. Winter hours have started January 6, closing earlier — 10am–6:30pm Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10am–7:30pm Friday and Saturday — with Tuesdays closed through January. Check the site before a winter trip.
Is it a reasonable stop with someone sensory-sensitive?
It is a small, low-lit room stocked with sensory-regulation tools, and the staff have first-hand reasons to be patient about it. The constraint is crowding rather than lighting, so aim for a weekday morning over a Saturday afternoon.
Can I work there, or sell them something?
Both are on the site. The careers page states they prioritize applications from adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and a separate consignment page covers anyone bringing goods in.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · exploreasheville.com
last checked: 2026-08-25