White Horse Black Mountain purchases its building with help from community member donation

After transitioning to a nonprofit business model in April, White Horse Black Mountain has now purchased the property it sits on.

Board member David LaMotte said the news that the building was being sold came right as the venue was working to become a nonprofit.

“In the middle of that, that’s when we got the news that the building was being sold,” LaMotte said. “It was terrifying. We’re in the middle of trying to save this very special place, and we’ve got this news.”

Zach Hinkle, director of operations for White Hose Black Mountain and son of founder Bob Hinkle, said the previous owners of the property, the McMurray family, gave his father the first opportunity to purchase the building. He also said the McMurray family dealt with the process “with a sense of honor and integrity.”

Hinkle described the sale as “quite the hurdle” as White Horse Black Mountain was in the middle of completing paperwork to become a nonprofit when the property was to be put up for sale.

Though the venue was not able to purchase the property outright itself, a donation from someone in the community who currently wishes to remain anonymous allowed White Horse Black Mountain to make the purchase.

“We were lucky enough, blessed enough to have someone who is connected to this White Horse community want to help us,” Hinkle said. “Because his idea of a community center that is focused on music and focused on connecting the humans in that community in positive ways is one of his missions in life, and he saw that we were doing it.”

The final sale of the property was $700,000.

More: White Horse Black Mountain transitions to nonprofit business model

Hinkle said the purchase allows White Horse Black Mountain to move forward from both a “human energy” and financial standpoint and gives “just a tiny bit of breathing room" for the nonprofit.

“The purchase of the building is so important to lay the foundation for a sustainable future for White Horse Black Mountain,” Hinkle said. “That puts us in a position to be able to actually kind of paddle the boat.”

He said the plans for the building include making improvements to the outside to match the “energy and soul” of the inside of the building, but those plans have not yet been finalized.

As White Horse Black Mountain moves toward the future after the property purchase, Membership Coordinator Selena Hilemon said she hopes to grow the memberships of the nonprofit.

With starting the nonprofit, White Horse Black Mountain also launched a tiered membership system. There are five membership levels, ranging from the Appaloosa level at $20 a month to the Arabian level at $400 a month. Perks vary from level to level, but include lapel pins, T-shirts, discounts and free tickets to events.

“Membership is the absolute key to our long-term sustainability,” Hilemon said. “It keeps us really honest in that kind of not being fearful and trusting the power of the collective in that way. Growth has been fast and furious.”

Hilemon said there are currently a little more than 200 members.

LaMotte said that these memberships help White Horse Black Mountain be able to help other nonprofits in the area.

“It’s our hope and our plan that as the White Horse becomes more financially stable that we’ll be able to use our 501(c)(3) status to nourish other nonprofits more directly through financial donation and grants that are going to help keep other organizations going that we believe in,” LaMotte said.

Hinkle said purchasing the building allows the nonprofit to be “more free” with gifting the building for others to use for nonprofit events.

“We want the 501(c)(3)s to think of this place as their place and communicate with us and partner with us when they have needs,” Hinkle said. “We want that for every single human that walks into this space, too.”

Karrigan Monk is the Swannanoa Valley communities reporter for Black Mountain News. Reach her at kmonk@blacmmountainnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: White Horse Black Mountain purchases its building with help of donor