ALBEMARLE — At Monday night’s Albemarle City Council meeting, Stanly County Commissioner Peter Asciutto represented his former business, Vac & Dash, and presented a donation of $1,360 to the Albemarle Parks and Recreation department.
“After 18 years of being in downtown Albemarle — which I’ve loved — I’ve sold Vac & Dash and it is now Uwharrie Dash,” Asciutto said before presenting the new owners, Nicole and Jason Britney. “There’s so much going on downtown and the mayor did a great job with bringing Pfeiffer [University] downtown. The fruits of that labor are really shown right now. I just want to say thank you to everybody.”
Asciutto, a 2014 Republican candidate for District 67 of the North Carolina House of Representatives and a Stanly commissioner since 2020, is now set to begin a new career as a high school teacher at Anson High School in Wadesboro.
Since its opening in 2004, Vac & Dash branded itself as “the South’s most unique specialty store” as a combination vacuum cleaner-running shoe store and a common sponsor of many of the area’s charity-themed outdoor running events.
In its reincarnation under the Uwharrie Dash banner, the store will continue with an expanded emphasis on shoes, athletic gear and bike repairs.
“This has always been a dream as I have a passion for running, shoes, and our commitment to community engagement has been a large part of our lives,” new owner Jason Britney posted on his social media page. “We hope to continue the current store offerings, create more community engagement, and support the local lifestyle, whether it be walking, running, biking, disc golf, wearing your custom-designed shirt, or just wearing a great fitted pair of shoes.”
On July 4, the 20th-annual Vac & Dash 3.6-Mile Watermelon Run will return to Morrow Mountain State Park as an Independence Day Stanly County tradition. Additional information about the free event can be accessed at runsignup.com.