ASHEVILLE ― Originally opened in 2017, High Five Coffee in Woodfin has weathered many hardships, including a pandemic, hurricane-induced flooding and total destruction in an alleged arson.
It's not over for the little coffee shop that could.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, High Five Coffee will host its "grand re-re-opening" celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2000 Riverside Drive. It's scheduled for a few weeks after the new coffee trailer had its soft opening at the site of its former brick-and-mortar location ― and more than four months after the building, restored after flooding from Hurricane Helene, burned down.
Owner Jay Weatherly said it was important to continue serving the neighbors who have become loyal customers over the past nine years.
"This
location in Woodfin, in this little area by the river, is a pretty special place that became special for a lot of people over the pandemic and after the hurricane," he said. "We built a community and built a following, and there's a specialness to this place that people are glad to have back."
What happened to High Five Coffee in Woodfin?
In fall 2024, floodwaters severely damaged High Five Coffee-Woodfin when the French Broad River, just steps from the shop, rose to a record 24.67 feet in Asheville during Helene, which arrived in Western North Carolina as a tropical storm. Weatherly told the Citizen Times that nearly 4 feet of floodwaters had inundated the 600-square-foot wooden building.
In June 2025, it reopened after months of extensive repairs.
On May 7, 2026, about a month before High Five Coffee's reopening anniversary, an overnight fire destroyed the one-room coffee house in the rear parking lot of the mixed-use commercial area, The Mill at Riverside. A suspect was arrestedon charges including burning a commercial building, a felony.
Weatherly said he had leased the building and that there are no plans to rebuild a permanent structure because it's in a flood zone. The coffee trailer will operate at the site indefinitely.
Weatherly said new developments added to the reasons to maintain a foothold in the Woodfin neighborhood, citing the construction of the Taylor's Wave whitewater feature in the French Broad River and the planned extension of the greenway connecting Woodfin to Weaverville.
"It seemed not only the right thing to do as a business for bringing this space back for people to enjoy, but I also was not interested in leaving the legacy of someone burning my shop down and then having that be the end of the story," Weatherly said.
High Five Coffee also has brick-and-mortar shops at 190 Broadway St. and 13 Rankin Ave. in Asheville.
Celebrating High Five Coffee's revival
The Woodfin menu is slightly condensed from its former version, but still includes a complete selection of beer and wine in addition to coffee drinks, as well as baked goods, biscuits, bagels, lunch sandwiches and snacks.
Fall favorites include the Punkie Spice Latte, Cranberry Mulled Espresso Tonic and Salted Maple Orange Latte.
High Five Coffee's Woodfin hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday, in addition to its grand re-re-opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., it will be open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the same hours Sunday. Future weekend hours may change, and updates will be posted on the business's website, highfivecoffee.com, and on Instagram at @highfivecoffee.
The grand re-re-opening will feature music by local band Coconut Cake from noon to 2 p.m., lawn games and local vendors.
"It's a Saturday to celebrate being open and reopening after a long summer and a long couple of years," Weatherly said.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Co., covering the food and beverage industry, including the James Beard Awards, Michelin Awards, restaurant openings, closings and other hospitality industry news and events. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram. Sign up for AVL Bites and Brews, our weekly food and drink newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Showing riverside resilience, High Five Coffee makes another comeback
