History@Hand is a consulting firm formed in 2001 by Jan Schochet and Sharon Fahrer. Currently it is run solely by Sharon Fahrer and specializes in applied history, collecting people’s stories and putting research into usable forms including interpretive panels, exhibits and books. Projects often center on community history using a combination of oral history collecting and primary material research (documents).
Sharon Fahrer moved to Asheville in 1996 partly because of its rich history and architecture. People drawn to Asheville often reinvent themselves. Sharon is a recovered environmental planner turned history geek armed with a a B.A. in Geography from Clark University and a Masters of Urban Planning from Wayne State University. She began the Family Store Project with Jan to capture the memories of people who knew Asheville’s downtown in its prime and to better understand her adopted home. History@Hand has grown to offer walking tours, and provide interpretive panels for buildings and outside exhibits. To date she has authored more than 40 panels on a wide array of topics including African American and Montford history, as well as important sites and people of local history. She has done extensive work enhancing an archive on Jewish Life in Western North Carolina at D. Hiden Ramsey Library Special Collections at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. She chaired the 37th annual meeting of the Southern Jewish Historical Society in Asheville and currently serves on the board of Jewish Heritage NC and on the research committee of the Community Remembrance Project. She also serves on the board of the Wilma Dykeman Legacy.
Jan Schochet and Sharon co-wrote two books: The Family Store A History of Jewish Businesses in Asheville, North Carolina 1880-1990 and The Man Who Lived on Main Street Stories by and about Sol Schulman. Sharon also wrote A Home in Shalom’ville A History of Asheville’s Jewish Community.