In the beginning . . .

“The Dome” was started in 1983 by three friends, Trent C. Thomas, Matthew D. Hodges and Lloyd U. Hammarlund. Each of these men possessed extensive experience in outdoor activities and the outdoor industry. Their original store was an 1800 sq. ft. building located in Asheville’s Historic Biltmore Village.
They named the store after the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Standing 6,684 feet above sea level, North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell is a popular destination for many travelers. Before being named for famed local explorer Elisha Mitchell in 1950, the mountain was known by Native Americans as the Black Dome.
The goal of that first, small shop was to provide a unique blend of cutting edge outdoor technology with local flavor and expertise. The timing was right and their hard work paid off – Black Dome quickly became known as the premiere outdoors shop of the Southeast.

By October 1986, Trent Thomas had become the sole owner. Foreseeing the huge potential for growth, he opened a second shop on Tunnel Road, Asheville’s main retail corridor. Sales continued to climb. Aided by a mail order business – one of the few around at the time – Black Dome gained a reputation as one of the premiere mountaineering shops in the nation.

In November 1991, Black Dome combined its two smaller shops into one large store that still exists today at 140 Tunnel Road. Trent continued to keep his eyes on the future as Asheville and the outdoors industry changed. In 2003, Black Dome opened another store in the growing area of South Asheville. In the fall of 2005, that store converted all of its apparel, tents and sleeping bags exclusively to The North Face, one of the modern outdoors industry’s best-selling brands.
Today, the company has entered a new era. Jay Curwen, an Asheville native and shop employee from 1987-1998, has returned as general manager. Jay left for eight years to work as a sales rep for The North Face and Patagonia, two of the largest and most well respected outdoors companies. An accomplished athlete and passionate conservationist, Jay will guide The Dome through its third decade of serving Asheville’s outdoor needs.