Caite Hamilton has been telling Charlottesville’s stories since 2007, when she started at C-VILLE as its part-time proofreader. Her passion for local journalism took root even earlier, watching her artist mother and goldsmith father build their own businesses from the ground up, benefitting from the power of good press. Her drive to do them justice has shaped her two-decade career telling the stories of journalists, activists, and entrepreneurs across the country, both online and in print. Now, as Editor-in-Chief of C-VILLE’s newspaper and suite of magazines, she continues that mission—lifting up the people who make this city what it is.
August 2011: Timeworn traditional
When Cate West Zahl first laid eyes on the Rugby-area rental she and her family (husband Dave and 10-month-old Charlie) would inhabit after their move from New York, she was taken aback by the living room’s canary yellow walls and crimson accents. “It was like…a Monticello yellow. I get it,” she says, “but I don’t […]
July 2011: Another man’s treasure
Just five years ago, Darryl Smith couldn’t picture himself as a homeowner. A renter since college, he’d enjoyed being able to pick up and move when he got tired of the place. Cut to last Christmas, when he and roommate Alex Wear, a carpenter at Builder Beast and Alloy Workshop, began renovating his Monticello Avenue […]
June 2011: A collector's items
If it’s true that every person has a story, then it stands to reason that the objects a person acquires in her lifetime must also have stories. And 25-year-old Jess Lee’s got stories. Sporting a degree in fashion design from Virginia Commonwealth University, Lee works from the bedroom of a charming Woolen Mills rental that […]
Summer 2011: Fine print
If it’s true that good things come in small packages, then it’s no surprise that, at 30, 5′ tall jewelry designer Laurel Smith is already a national success. But, ask the Charlottesville native what it feels like to have her Laurel Denise line in more than 150 stores across the U.S.—including Anthropologie’s flagship store in […]
Summer 2011: Some like it hot
Pretty party (left to right): Julia Thomas wears a Molly B. blue and yellow polka dot bikini from Spring Street ($115; ), a Velvet blue maxi dress from E.G. ($142), Bernardo Maverick sandals from Duo ($108), an Elise M. double skinny belt from Lola ($40), bangles from Bittersweet ($3 each), and gold-filled lapis earrings from […]
Summer 2011: Check her bag
The phrase “perpetual motion” comes to mind when the name Hyam Hosny pops up. The Clay Fitness owner, nutrition counselor and personal trainer rises at 4:45am, gets to her studio an hour later and doesn’t stop moving until 3pm—only occasionally does she break for lunch. (Don’t worry; she keeps up her energy by munching on […]
May 2011: Sew big
Walking from closet to closet in Sherrie Hannah’s sewing studio, you might feel a bit like you’re touring the prop room at HGTV headquarters. Boxes of fabric line the shelves, spools of thread sit in the windowsill, five pairs of spring-loaded scissors lay scattered on tables and desks. In fact, Hannah, a sewing instructor at […]
April 2011: Big deal
“Go step into that corner. That’s my favorite corner,” says Downtown homeowner Hank Wells. A favorite corner? “It sounds crazy, but you really can tell a difference between standing here [in the kitchen] and standing here [in the living room].” It’s not surprising Wells has such an opinion about the 1,000-square-foot condo he shares […]
March 2011: Concrete ideas
When Colleen Beights decided to renovate the kitchen of her 19th-century farmhouse on Old Trail golf course—literally, the course was built around the centuries-old structure—everyone thought she was crazy. But, for the freelance interior designer, it was hard to imagine dreaming up anything in the space, be it a family meal or a creative thought. […]