ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Alert to coffee connoisseurs and East Asheville artists: a new art space and café is open right off of Tunnel Road.
Coffee, Art, Music type Place, better known as C.A.M.P., is a coffee shop and arts center open 7 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday to Saturday, at 1 Kenilworth Knolls. On Friday and Saturday nights, the shop reopens for open mic live music from 6–8 p.m.
C.A.M.P. was founded by Danna Leon, a Mesa Global missionary and the director of Swing Asheville, as an outreach space for young artists to display their work and develop their craft.
“The goal is 16 to 26 year olds,” Leon explained. “Giving them a place where they can work on their art, get free art supplies, have mentors help them through it. Same with music, and that’s why I started the open mic as well. So when they start coming in, that they’ll feel comfortable just coming in and practicing, and playing and things like that.”
Leon is the sole employee of the C.A.M.P. operation – though she has some helpful volunteers – which encompasses the coffee counter, serving locally-produced High Noon coffee and Full Moon tea, and the curation of the C.A.M.P. art gallery.
Leon has artwork from 30-odd young artists hanging all over the bright yellow walls of the coffee shop, covering a wide variety of styles in an assortment of mediums, from sketches of elaborate sci-fi landscapes to paintings, jewelry and clothing.
“The artists are allowed to host paint parties or whatever they want to do for themselves,” Leon said. “The biggest thing that I have offered for my artists, which that’s where my biggest heart is, is these guys, I don’t charge them rent for the space. I don’t charge more than 30% what they sell, and in Asheville, it’s typically higher than that.”
C.A.M.P. artists are signed to a three month lease. If at the end of that period their work is doing well, Leon will ask them to renew. If an artist’s work is not, they have a conversation with Leon about what could improve before deciding whether to part ways. For interested artists, there is a waiting list to be considered for a C.A.M.P. lease, but a fresh batch of work will be moving into the space on Aug. 1.
Getting on the waiting list, meanwhile, is simple: come to C.A.M.P. and have a conversation with Leon.
Leon is a devoted Christian, which she is open and transparent about, but made it clear that she wanted C.A.M.P. to be a space for everyone, regardless of their own religious beliefs. While artists of all ilks can hang work in her gallery, Leon adheres to a few rules to keep the space as neutral and broadly welcoming as possible.
“I have four rules for these artists coming in and selling,” Leon said. “Number one is that you can’t display nudity. You can’t display drug paraphernalia. You can’t have foul language. And you can’t have anything religious, from Jesus to Buddha. And the idea behind that is you don’t have to believe the same thing as I do.
“I want you to be comfortable and I want people to be comfortable coming in here, and out of the 30-plus artists that I have in here, they have all been like, wow, that’s something I can support.”
C.A.M.P. is virtually still brand-new. The grand opening was held just months ago on April 26, 2025. As C.A.M.P. continues to grow, Leon has a clear goal in mind:
“I’d like to see a few more young people coming in here,” Leon said. “And helping them out with whatever they need.”
For more information about Coffee, Art, Music type Place, visit www.coffeeartmusictypeplace.org or follow their Instagram and Facebook.
