There are more 1099 contractors in the workforce than ever before and their numbers continue to rise. The term “1099” comes from a series of IRS documents that are designed to report income received outside of salaried employment. This can include investment returns, tax refunds, and income made as an independent contractor or freelancer. The […]
When Rachel Brozenske, VP with Allison Partners, sat down on a Wednesday morning in October with Linnea White, the two of them were feeling out the possibility of a coach-client relationship. Brozenske has been a business coach for more than a dozen years; White bought the boutique Darling, just off the Downtown Mall, with a […]
Two days into training camp with the Chicago Bears, Maurice Covington’s hamstring tore—and took his future plans with it. “Being focused about football and wanting to make it to the NFL and then having that taken from me,” says the former UVA wide receiver, “that transition was terrible.” A decade later, Covington has turned that […]
A teacher changed the course of chef Antwon Brinson’s life. Now, as he trains Charlottesville residents for kitchen careers, he’s trying to do the same for his own students. Brinson says he never thought he’d become a chef. He enjoyed cooking growing up, but didn’t consider it a career until high school. “I had a […]
Here’s the next level, folks. You might be eating local and shopping local, but are you wearing local? The garments we don often come from very faraway places and seem to just appear out of nowhere; an oft-reported statistic from the American Apparel & Footwear Association states that 97 percent of the clothes sold in […]
The eight-harness loom that Andrea Korotky bought in mid-1970s New York is still a daily companion, standing in the corner of her Charlottesville studio. When the weaver sits down to the loom—which is roughly the size of an upright piano—her more than 40 years of experience are obvious in the fluidity and confidence of her […]
Stepping into Joshua Farnsworth’s Wood and Shop schoolhouse is like wrenching open a time capsule. Traditional woodworking instruments, including saws and handheld shaving tools, dangle from pegs and hug the surrounding white walls. Walking among the homemade workbenches and rustling up a rush of sawdust, you slip back a few centuries. Farnsworth began to home […]
There’s just something about leather: It’s at once rugged and polished. And always cool. Plus, it’s a material that’s easy to source in our area, thanks to local saddle shops and nearby tanneries. Here are three hand-crafters making your next favorite accessory. Stamp of approval Siberia native Daniel Foytik became fascinated with leather as a […]
One night when artist Laurel Smith was sleeping, her mind projected her future onto the backs of her eyes. She dreamt up a whirring dremel tool, a jewelry-making instrument then somewhat unfamiliar to her, and awoke with a newfound sense of purpose. A D.C.-based event planner in her 20s at the time, Smith sensed she […]
What’s not to love about a handmade piece of jewelry? Here are five local gems worth wearing. Direct from nature As a kid, Rebecca Perea-Kane would play with Fimo clay, sculpting tiny animals with her sister (“we must have made hundreds of them,” she says). No surprise, then, that her line of delicate jewelry celebrates […]
Maybe our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, but these five cooks, bakers, and concocters make an extra helping hard to resist. It’s all gravy No one knows the phrase “food is an international language” more than Yvonne Cunningham. The sauce-maker developed the recipe for her “Italian gravy” (so-called because it’s so thick) while living in […]
By Marilyn Pribus – “Each time it rains, pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, and even lead flow directly into our sewers and waterways,” laments horticulturist Karyn Smith of Stanardsville. Since much of the water in our area is drawn from the Rivanna River watershed which encompasses Charlottesville, all of Albemarle County and parts of […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Commercial real estate in Charlottesville and the Valley (including shops, office buildings, apartment complexes, manufacturing plants, subdivisions and warehouses) continues its impressive growth with more of the same predicted for 2019. And so long as families continue to visit and move here for the natural beauty, outdoor activities, job opportunities, […]
By Marilyn Pribus– It’s right there on the calendar. Company’s coming for the holidays. Whether it’s long-time friends, your child’s college roommate or a flock of in-laws, it’s not too early to start prepping. Remember, happy visits don’t just happen. Plan ahead because you (and your guests) will be more relaxed when you are well […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Is golf your game? Or maybe it’s tennis, pickleball, or swimming? (How does a saltwater pool sound?) And wouldn’t it be great if, when you get home, tired out from a workout and ready to relax, you could enjoy beautiful scenery while you sit on your deck and take in […]
By Marilyn Pribus – One of the most appealing quality-of-life aspects of Central Virginia is our vibrant art scene thanks to artisans who populate studios in both Charlottesville and the nearby, scenic Blue Ridge countryside. “We have an extraordinary group of talented people working sometimes in obscurity,” declares Joe Samuels who, with his wife Owie, […]
By Ken Wilson – We gather in the dark to see better in the light. Revelation and apprehension, moral suasion and informed reflection . . . cinema expands our knowledge, clarifies our thinking and moves us to action for our own sakes and our neighbor’s. Opening our eyes, it opens our hearts—or just our mouths […]
By Ken Wilson – It has Blue Ridge views and Starr Hill brews, and it has a treasured piece of Virginia history, Crozet does. And it’s ready for its close-up. Quiet, lovely, and only a 15-20 minute drive from Charlottesville, the little town known for the railroad overpass, the old train depot, and the pizza […]
By Marilyn Pribus – When Eric Dahl, his wife, Jill, and their sons moved north from Florida, it’s no coincidence they bought a home at Lake Monticello where his two brothers already lived. Dahl is now Fluvanna’s Deputy County Administrator/Finance Director. “Jill and I really like the nature aspects of Fluvanna rather than the hustle […]
By Ken Wilson – Nature XXVII, Autumn The morns are meeker than they were, The nuts are getting brown; The berry’s cheek is plumper, The rose is out of town. The maple wears a gayer scarf, The field a scarlet gown. Lest I should be old-fashioned, I’ll put a trinket on. – Emily Dickinson You […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Volunteers are at the heart of any community from folks giving time to their church or children’s activities to those helping victims of domestic violence or injured wild creatures. In fact, the catalog of local volunteer efforts is nearly endless from Little League, Boys and Girls Clubs, thrift stores and food […]
The house, dating all the way back to 1742, didn’t need much work. But the five-acre property surrounding it did. When Sarah Van Steenburg bought a historic house near Barboursville in 2015, she appreciated the renovation work already completed on the structure, and she was attracted to what she calls the “money shot”—the view from […]
Like many people on the hunt for real estate during the housing bubble of the last decade, Mark Otis was being priced out of the market. So when he saw the old Esmont post office come up for sale on Craigslist in 2007, he took notice—both because it was a rare property he could afford, […]