Short Sleeves Coffee honors Swannanoa's past with new brew and exhibit
Beacon Village business Inspired by Warm History of ‘Blanket town’
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 6, 2026
Daniel Lancaster, owner of Short Sleeves Coffee in Swannanoa, created the Blanket Town Winter Blend to commemorate the legacy of Beacon Manufacturing Co. The Beacon Village is hosting an exhibit about the history of the mill through Feb. 14. Photo by Fred McCormick
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Swannanoa supplied warmth to people around the world. Beacon Manufacturing Co. stood proudly in the center of the bustling downtown that shared its name, employing more than 2,000 area residents and becoming the largest blanket manufacturer in the world before its closure in 2002.
The shuttered one-million-square-foot facility burned down nearly 23 years ago, when one of the largest structure fires in the history of the state destroyed the former home of the mill one former employee described as the “big red heart of Swannanoa.”
The “Blanket Town” era of the community is one Daniel Lancaster thinks about often while roasting seasonal batches in Short Sleeves Coffee, which opened its shop in a former service station in the center of Beacon Village last May. It is a legacy the business is honoring with its seasonal Blanket Town Winter Blend and the exhibit that will accompany it through Saturday, Feb. 14.
Charles D. Owen II moved his family’s textile mill from Massachusetts to the Swannanoa Valley in the early 1920s, shortly before surrounding Beacon Village, which includes a commercial district and former employee housing, was constructed to support the massive facility. While many of the downtown structures that were once home to businesses remained vacant for decades after the fire, Daniel and his wife Emily launched their new business in a nearly century-old building that was once home to a service station. The front windows of Short Sleeves overlook the former site of Beacon Manufacturing.
“In the few months we’ve been here, we have plenty of people who drive down this road and have no idea this area is even back here in the first place,” Daniel said. “They have no idea what used to be across the street, and why there are these old historic buildings here. We get people asking us why this neighborhood is here all the time.”
As new businesses bring an increasing number of people back to Beacon Village, Daniel recognized an opportunity to preserve the unique heritage of Swannanoa for a new generation. Last year, he created the Blanket Town Winter Blend, which quickly became the most popular Short Sleeves release.
“We wanted to make a blend that was kind of an ode to Swannanoa,” he said. “Something that celebrates this community’s difficult past with the sweetness that’s found all throughout its story.”
A handmade sign celebrating the legacy of Beacon Manufacturing Co. greets customers as they step to the counter in Short Sleeves Coffee, which introduced its Blanket Town Winter Blend earlier this month. Photo by Fred McCormick
The coffee, which is available in the shop or at shortsleevescoffee.com, boasts flavors ranging from brown sugar to dark honey, toasted marshmallow and black tea. Its profile is derived from caturra beans from Colombia, brunca chirripo from the mountains of Costa Rica and and a harvest from Nebilyer Valley in Papua New Guinea.
The process of curating the right mix of flavors was a thorough one, according to the roaster.
“My approach, which is different from a lot of roasters, is to start with the feeling I’m trying to evoke,” Daniel said. “For this one, I wanted something that would correspond with the story, so I wanted something that was sweet with an underlying depth to it.”
All three varietals are roasted separately to a medium to medium-light finish.
“They each have a little brightness that peaks through on its own, but when paired together they create this underlying depth that leaves you craving a little more,” said Daniel, who sampled nearly 10 recipes in the process. The Blanket Town blend will be available through the winter.
To complete the story echoed by the flavors of his coffee, Daniel wanted to install a temporary exhibit in Short Sleeves. He contacted his friend and local history researcher Sam Shirey and Swannanoa Valley Museum director LeAnne Johnson for assistance.
“Suddenly, resources were available and we had enough for a mini-museum exhibit in here,” he said. “My friend, Emily Worley, helped design the display and we put it up the night before the coffee was released.”
The exhibit features Beacon blankets, photos of the mill and surrounding area, a large information panel and a laminated copy of the newspaper with coverage of the 2003 fire. Prints of the SVM’s Old Town Swannanoa walking tour, with historic sites along Alexander Place, Whitson Avenue and Railroad Avenue are available for customers who are interested in taking coffee on the go to explore the neighborhood. The feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Daniel.
“It’s really fun when someone comes in to get a cup of coffee and see our little handmade sign about the exhibit in the back room,” Daniel said. “They get back there and enter the story of Swannanoa’s history. We’ve had a lot of people say they had no idea this community had so much history.”
An exhibit in Short Sleeves Coffee commemorates the history of Beacon Manufacturing Co., which once stood across the street from the Swannanoa business. Photo by Fred McCormick
Many longtime Swannanoa residents are pleasantly surprised for different reasons.
“People who have been here way longer than I have will come in, look at the pictures, and start telling me all kinds of things about Beacon or Swannanoa that I had no idea about,” he said. “One guy came in and saw an old picture of the gas station that was in this building years ago and told us his dad was in that photo. Stories like that are a real blessing to me and my staff.”
The original plan was to remove the exhibit, Saturday, Feb. 7, but Short Sleeves now intends to extend it a week.
“It’s been pretty popular, so we’re happy to keep it up a little longer to give more people a chance to come by and see it,” Daniel said.
Both the coffee and the accompanying exhibit were conceived in an effort to preserve the stories of Swannanoa and encourage dialogue among the wide range of local customers, according to the business owner, but they coincidentally lead into another event spotlighting the mill. The documentary—”Blanket Town: The Rise and Fall of An American Mill Town”—will be screened at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, at 216 Whitson Avenue. Admission to both shows is free, but donations are accepted.
The film, which features former Beacon employees and explores the mill’s history and impact on the community, was produced by Swannanoa couple Rebecca Williams and Jerald Pope. The filmmakers hosted a community preview of the documentary near the former Beacon site in October of 2022.
As Swannanoa continues to rebuild in the aftermath of Helene’s devastation, now is the time to preserve and share its stories, according to the Short Sleeves owner.
“Putting together this exhibit further cemented my excitement about being in this community, and, in my opinion, reflects the need for this town to continue to shape its identity,” Daniel said. “All along, we wanted to open our business in Swannanoa, and we really just want to be another voice for this place. Just seeing people come in and get reinvigorated or excited about Swannanoa’s story has really meant a lot to us.”