Cover me: When it comes to reupholstery, where do you begin?

When C-VILLE’s Art Director found a 1940s-era chair in storage at his parents’ house, he wondered if its good bones and solid structure didn’t warrant a recovering. So he went to local designer Kelly Witt, who helped focus the project (nail head or braided trim? Stripes or solids?) and place an order for the fabric. […]

Erika Proctor: To the animal rescue

In the 13 years since she’s been an animal behavior specialist, Erika Proctor has fostered 387 animals—and she’s only kept three for herself. The founder of nonprofit organization Green Dogs Unleashed, Proctor realized how little is known about therapy dogs, so in 2007 she began establishing the Troy-based business to rescue special needs animals, rehabilitate […]

Stephen Pollock: The guitar guy

The Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” is to blame for Stephen Pollock’s love of music. “I was nearly 14 and had no idea what I wanted to do with myself until February 9, 1964,” Pollock said. “That was the evening of the first Beatles “Ed Sullivan” appearance. I, like a million other boys […]

Tears fears: When it’s O.K. to cry in front of your kids

Fine, I did it. We were pulling into our parking space, and even with the Happy Feet DVD playing and my escalating promises of macaroni for lunch and juice at dinner and twin ponies made out of Skittles for her 32nd birthday, my toddler would not stop crying. I could be having a root canal […]

A counter point: Wes Carter wants to top off your kitchen

After years of working with toxic chemicals in his bath tub repair and refinishing business, Wes Carter decided he wanted “a cleaner, less harmful occupation,” so he focused his attention on stone. “It could provide me not only with those options, but also a rewarding finished product,” he said. He opened Albemarle Countertop Company in […]

Mr. Fix It: Spotlight on Winston Yancey

An old, rusty fan sat in a building for 30 years before, thanks to Winston Yancey Jr., it got a second chance. The fan, which once belonged to Yancey’s grandfather, had withstood winter’s cold and summer’s heat before Yancey rescued it and brought it back to life with 10 hours of elbow grease, no tools, […]