When Susie Matheson and Christy Ford launched the 10th edition of The Scout Guide Charlottesville this July, they did so as the leaders of a company that’s grown, in about a decade, from a simple blog to a small publishing empire with 23 local employees and 60 franchisees around the country. The Scout Guide is […]
Over the course of the 2016 presidential election, then-candidate Donald Trump asserted the election was going to be “rigged” by unspecified actors. No evidence was ever offered to support that claim, and his concerns about election integrity curiously seem to have evaporated on November 9. But the uncertainty and doubt generated by those statements, and […]
In a town with 400 restaurants, one might be forgiven the occasional restaurant-ownership fantasy. And some of us actually take the plunge, becoming the lucky owners of diners, Chinese takeout joints or high-end date spots. But what do you actually get when you buy a restaurant? That depends. Primarily, says business broker Stu Rifkin, “You’re […]
Greater productivity is good for business. What if the materials that comprised your products could be used—and reused—more productively over their entire life cycles? No matter what your business makes, you have potential to get more value out of your materials. Charlottesville-based nonprofit GreenBlue can help. Its mission is to foster “a resilient system of […]
The words “back to school” don’t mean the same thing for everyone—it’s not all sharpened pencils and shiny red apples for the teacher. For many, it means scraping together tuition for college. But, school is a time for personal development (and not financial anxiety), which is where Virginia’s 529 plan comes into play. Named after […]
How do you get kids to learn math and science? It’s a question that has vexed many a teacher, but Charlottesville-based ExploreLearning has some pretty good answers. Founded in 1999 by UVA math Ph.D. David Shuster, the company develops online learning tools that are now used around the country. The key, says EL’s Tammy Weisman, […]
At the Chancellor Street Preschool Co-operative, the business manager is a parent. The person who refills the supplies and maintenance closet with soap and toilet paper is also a parent. Parents administrate admissions and provide diversity outreach. Parents set the tuition, design the schedule and make strategic decisions about the school’s future. “Every job is […]
By Ken Wilson – Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C major, D. 956 is one of the greatest works of the art form called chamber music, sorrowful but sublime, “a stirring paean to the indomitability of the human spirit” composed shortly before the Austrian master’s death in 1828. John Adams’ whimsically titled Road Movies for […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Hard to believe, but some trees are actually starting to lose their leaves for winter. You should be thinking about getting ready, too. Here are some pointers to prep your property for cold weather. Don’t wait for winter storm warnings. Outdoors Inspect the outside of your property, looking for cracks in […]
By Celeste M. Smucker– Commercial real estate is still a hot commodity in both Charlottesville and the Shenandoah Valley. Agents report the phone is ringing and they are cautiously optimistic that the upward trend will continue. A recent article in Forbes magazine expressed similar confidence in the national market stating: “the industry is expected to […]
By Ken Wilson– Taste of the Mountains Main Street Festival is what’s it’s called, but there are so many different tastes to try as you stroll down Main in the beautiful and historic town of Madison. You could start with the barbeque from Pig ‘N Steak, real pit-cooked, hickory smoked pork and ham the locals […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Parents wanting a private school education for their children have much to choose from in the Charlottesville area. If finding the right private school is a priority for your family, take time to review these overviews from a variety of local institutions describing the remarkable opportunities offered by each. Blue […]
Barbara Stettner grew up in the wine country of northern California, but she’d been in Virginia for 15 years before she found her weekend place in Sperryville. “It’s sort of like the coastal mountains [in California],” she says, looking toward the layered Blue Ridge views. In 2011, when she and her husband, Michael Ewen, bought […]
Over about a dozen years of living in their home on an Albemarle byway, the couple saw many changes. Their twin sons grew from age 5 to nearly 18, and the family’s use of spaces in the house changed along with the boys. More houses were built along their stretch of rural byway. And the […]
Tonda and Mark Morriss had renovated several houses before, and they swore they were done with all that. They also thought they would downsize when they moved from Texas five years ago to be near their daughter and her family—they dreamed of a one-level house with less property to care for. “We did the opposite,” […]
When Charles D’Angelo, managing director of D.C.-based Westmount Capital Group, first saw the Clifton Inn and its surrounding countryside, his initial thought was, “Wow.” “It’s a stunning property, from the 19-acre lake and Blue Ridge mountain views to the infinity pool with the canopy of trees overhead,” says D’Angelo. As a business enterprise, however, the […]
Katherine Kane had always imagined a greenhouse in a certain spot at her magnificent garden at Waterperry Farm in western Albemarle. And not just for sheltering plants. “There are two kinds of greenhouses,” says architect Jeff Bushman, who customized the kit that Kane bought from the English company Alitex. “There are purely service buildings, and […]
Tucked behind a 1920s-era house on a small Belmont lot lies a modern wonder: a water garden oasis featuring ornamental plantings, a raised deck surrounded by a black slate patio, a hand-carved fire pit and a mountainous stone structure from which a waterfall cascades gently into a tiered, purling river. The landscape plan was dreamed […]
By Ken Wilson – It’s a lotta music for a little city, but then the Staunton Music Festival is no local secret or merely local affair. With a hashtag #RethinkClassical and everything from a period-instrument performance of Handel’s rarely-heard operatic masterpiece Hercules to a concert performance of Kurt Weill’s “sung ballet” The Seven Deadly Sins, […]
By Ken Wilson – There is peace in the valley if that’s what you want—and plenty to keep you occupied when you don’t. Just “over the mountain” from Albemarle County is the storied Shenandoah Valley with all that lush countryside, and all those country places. Once so richly farmed it was dubbed “the breadbasket of […]
Patrick McGettigan & Elliott Glass September 23, 2017, at Grace Estate Winery Photographs by Ryan & Rach Photography Throughout the night, Patrick and Elliott kept hearing from guests that the love and positivity in the tent was palpable. That was all the affirmation they needed. “From the very beginning,” Patrick says, “our focus had been on […]
Jane Hawkins & Mike Webb April 21, 2018, at Grace Estate Winery Photographs by Jen Fariello Jane and Mike knew they wanted their wedding to showcase two main components. First and foremost, the beauty of Charlottesville, which they accomplished with the venue. “The view at Grace Estate was spectacular, and we liked the fact that it […]
Huong Doan & Eddie Sniezek July 1, 2017, at Keswick Vineyards Photography by Sarah Goodwin Less is more, and in the case of Huong and Eddie’s wedding, they knew that adding too much to their beautiful venue might detract from its impact. “We wanted to keep it elegant and simple,” Huong says. That meant a muted […]