Lou's Story
Originally from New York, Lou Accornero has been a homeowner, developer, and active community member in Weaverville for over 42 years. In 1967 he founded Accornero Construction which he has operated since in Florida, Louisiana, and now Weaverville.
Notable renovation projects include Fire House Station at 10 S. Main Street in Weaverville. Lou purchased the old fire station, originally built in 1917, and restored it for adaptive use. It now houses the Twisted Laurel restaurant, Allgood Coffee, and Maggie B's Wine & Specialty Store. Additionally, for 42 years Lou has owned and managed 26 N. Main St. in Weaverville, presently home to the regionally renowned Well Bread Bakery.
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Lou's extensive civic background includes:
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Service in the US Army National Guard and Army Reserve (1964-70)
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First Economic Development Commission, EDC
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First Chariman, ABC Store, Weaverville
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Member of:
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Weaverville Business Association
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The Preservaton Society of Asheville and Buncombe County
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American Chestnut Foundation
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Weaverville Community Center
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Dry Ridge Historical Museum (board)
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Lou and his talented wife Gail currently live in the lovely mountain community of Herron Cove Heights where they enjoy spending time with their 3 sons and 5 grandchildren.
And when you visit Herron Cove Heights you likely will, as he is on site nearly every day making sure the community he is creating is the kind of place he and his wife Gail would like to move to- because they did.
Like many of us, Lou is not a Western North Carolina native, but he has certainly left his mark on the area.
If you’ve spent time in downtown Weaverville you’ve likely enjoyed a place Lou helped make possible through his thoughtful investment and renovation.
Developer Lou Accornero stands outside what was, until recently, the town’s fire department. A tape measure clatters against his pant leg as he points out favorite details of the structure: “You see those capitals? They’re almost Deco. Beautiful.” Downstairs, he places a hand against a wall reverentially. “They tell me that behind this plaster are the old hitches where they tied the horses that pulled the fire wagons. I haven’t seen them yet, but they’re gonna stay.”
Trim and tan, Accornero bought a piece of property in Weaverville back in 1964 but said there wasn’t enough opportunity at the time for him to consider raising a family here. He’s happy he was able to come back. “I was born in Manhattan, lived in Miami, and spent 20 years in New Orleans. And I’ll tell you: This is the best place yet,” he says.
Behind the station is a pile of bricks (“Seventy-two hundred of them in all,” Accornero says) salvaged from a local textile plant, now destined to become a patio and fence. The building’s doors came out of a 1930s-era home in Asheville’s Grove Park neighborhood. “They weren’t cheap,” Accornero points out. “But they’re part of the area’s history. Buildings have a soul, you know? I can almost hear this one breathing a sigh of relief that it’s getting a second chance.
“When I go back to Italy — half my family is still there — the thing that I love about it is that it’s the same place every time,” he continues. “I go to the house where my father was born, where his father was born, and we sit down and have lunch. It’s the same as ever. And Weaverville can have that same feel, if we just take the treasures that are here and fix ’em up rather than knocking them down.”
Renewal of the former Weaverville fire station, Accornero believes, should be done by fall. He imagines a brew pub here, or a restaurant, or an art gallery. Or all three. Next to one of the station’s front doors, where trucks used to dash off on emergency calls, sits the silver bulk of a stainless steel hose-dryer, half as big as a typical refrigerator.
“We’re gonna keep it,” Accornero says. He smiles. “I don’t know how we’re gonna use it, but we’re gonna keep it.”