C-BIZ

Recipe for success: Vu Noodles’ survival story

Those who work in business can tell you that success requires hard work, adaptation, and some smiles from fate. Julie Vu Whitaker, founder and driving force behind Vu Noodles, can attest to all three. In 2013, after 20 years as a social worker, Whitaker decided on a career shift. “[While] I still loved it, I […]

Carol Diggs | August 28, 2020

Culture Living

Eyes to the sky: Young birders build their skills

Dusk. A cold fitful breeze. Quiet except for our footfalls on dry leaves. Far above, a hawk glides, dark against the twilight sky. “Cooper’s,” says Theo after a swift glance. Theo is leading our group along the Rivanna Trail in search of woodcocks. It’s sunset in spring—courting time. Theo picks a spot on the border […]

Carol Diggs | July 29, 2020

C-BIZ

Dollars & sense: The Tax Ladies bring a personal touch to financial services

Libby Edwards-Allbaugh, co-founder and co-owner of The Tax Ladies, thinks being a woman in a male-dominated industry is a strength. “This is such a traditional, conservative field,” she says. “The people in accountancy often lack people skills; I felt I could set a more personable tone.” The Tax Ladies, which she and partner Treat Jackson […]

Carol Diggs | April 25, 2020

News

In kind: Making our city a little brighter, one good deed at a time

Whether you think in terms of “random acts of kindness” or “points of light” or “it takes a village,” all around Charlottesville there are people who go out every day and do their part to make this city a more human place. It’s not their job, but it’s their work. While we, as a community, […]

Carol Diggs | February 5, 2020

C-BIZ

It’s a match: A little green helps grow local businesses

For small business, money is manure– it fosters growth. Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development has launched an innovative program to provide financial fertilizer for budding businesses, encouraging them to put down roots here in hopes they bear fruit– i.e., tax revenues and jobs. The new program, called Cville Match, uses funds from the Charlottesville Economic […]

Carol Diggs | December 24, 2019

News

Lending a paw: Local groups harness the power of animal therapy

Tamera Mason, an EMT working at Augusta Health’s emergency room in Staunton, lives with a life-threatening medical condition: In July 2015, a yellow jacket’s sting set off an extreme autoimmune reaction that devastated her hormonal systems and caused Addison’s disease, which affects the adrenal glands’ ability to produce cortisol. When Mason’s body goes into Addisonian […]

Carol Diggs | October 30, 2019

C-BIZ

Stayin’ alive: Scarpa models small business ‘thrive-ival’

In retail, 25 years is more than a lifetime–and Amy Gardner, owner and founder of Scarpa, knows this as well as anyone. The women’s shoe shop she opened in North Barracks Road in 1994 has evolved into one of the area’s premier women’s apparel stores. Gardner’s adventure in retail was spurred by her passion for […]

Carol Diggs | September 9, 2019