On September 27th, 2024, the South Toe River rose nearly seven feet inside the Celo Inn, a building that had welcomed guests and neighbors for over 40 years. Most people assumed the building was ruined, but when the floodwaters receded, the structure still stood. That fact became the seed of something new.
A group of South Toe Valley residents has spent the past year and a half working to transform the flood-damaged building into Celo Commons, a nonprofit community hub. The mission of Celo Commons is to foster a resilient local economy and improve quality of life for residents across the valley by providing space for health services, creative enterprise, education, and food access. Like many parts of the mountains, Yancey County is split into different geographic pockets. Celo Commons will offer an opportunity for the broader community to build connections and resilience in a geographically important part of the South Toe Valley.
The work to get there has been deeply collaborative from the start. Volunteers have turned out in large numbers for demolition and cleanup workdays, gutting the flood-damaged interior and clearing the grounds. Arthur Morgan School has sent students and staff. Beacon Network has contributed volunteer labor. On weekends, local vendors gather on the grounds to sell fresh bread and locally grown vegetables, and perennial flowerbeds planted 40 years ago by the original innkeepers are being tended back to vibrancy.
Equinox Woodworks, a worker-owned cooperative based in the South Toe Valley, is leading the full renovation. Their plan includes structural repairs, flood-resilient upgrades, and energy efficiency improvements. The vision for the finished space includes studios for artists and small businesses; a storefront focused on local food access; outdoor gathering areas; and a large flexible room for classes, meetings, and events. Celo Commons recently received its federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation and has secured early investment from Dogwood Health Trust, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Celo Community Inc., and the South Toe River Recovery Fund. Renovation is on track to finish by the end of 2026, and programming is expected to open in early 2027.
Celo Commons is designed to grow what this valley already does well: bringing people together, supporting local makers and growers, and building the kind of community resilience that carried our valley through Helene and beyond.
The Celo Commons leadership team wants to hear from you!
Celo Commons is planning a series of community listening sessions this summer, open to anyone in and around the South Toe Valley. These are informal gatherings, not presentations. Celo Commons leadership wants to hear what people need, what is missing, and what would make the Commons genuinely useful to neighbors.
Details on dates and locations will be announced soon. To stay in the loop, reach out at celocommons@gmail.com or visit celocommons.org to join the newsletter. Celo Commons is also gratefully accepting tax-deductible donations for the project on their website.