Each time Stephanie Carter searches for a skilled tradesperson to repair or rebuild something in her home, she’s reminded of why CATEC is important. “We know there’s a nationwide trend that shows trade skills on the decline,” she says, “even as there’s so much work that needs those skills.” In her new role as director […]
Each time Stephanie Carter searches for a skilled tradesperson to repair or rebuild something in her home, she’s reminded of why CATEC is important. “We know there’s a nationwide trend that shows trade skills on the decline,” she says, “even as there’s so much work that needs those skills.” In her new role as director […]
From long-standing icons like Union Market in Washington, D.C. and Chelsea Market in New York City to relative newcomers like Workshop Charleston, food halls are a mainstay in urban districts across the nation. And Charlottesville will be getting one of its own in spring 2020 with the Dairy Market on Grady and Preston avenues, part […]
While some locals lament the passing of small-town Charlottesville, tucked away in the Belmont neighborhood is a blacksmith shop called Blanc Creatives, where local artisans forge hand-crafted culinary tools they call “modern heirlooms made for daily use.” Corry Blanc–blacksmith, designer, and founder of Blanc Creatives–is a north Georgia native who learned pottery in high school, […]
THEN: Woolworth’s, opened in 1965 (originally 1924); closed in 1997 / NOW: Caspari, opened in 2005 “Your Money’s Worth More at a Woolworth’s Store” was one of the ad slogans of the beloved discount department store, a downtown C’ville fixture for 73 years. Woolworth’s first opened downtown in 1924 on Main Street, and in 1965 […]
THEN: A&N, closed in 2006 / NOW: Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar, opened in 2011 If you grew up in Charlottesville, you probably remember stopping by A&N in the summer to shop for back-to-school gear. For several decades, A&N, a popular, Richmond-based sportswear chain founded in 1868, operated on the Downtown Mall (among other locations in […]
As the U.S. population grows less homogeneous, organizations are increasingly seizing on opportunities to incorporate diversity and inclusion programs and policies—or in abbreviated corporate parlance, “D&I”—into their workplace cultures. Diversity covers the spectrum of human differences, including age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexuality, language, national origin, and socio-economic status. Inclusion refers to a culture […]
Smart-tech companies Lime and Bird introduced dockless electric scooters to Charlottesville late last year, as new “micromobility” options have swept in to urban areas nationwide. Forty-six percent of vehicle trips in the U.S. are under three miles, and scooters are fast, green alternatives to climbing into the car. Smaller cities with university populations like Charlottesville […]
Producers of handmade or uniquely sourced goods often start with an idea, a shoestring budget, and word-of-mouth buzz to launch their dream. Whether scaling up or staying small, here are three who have made it work. Stephanie Williams started La Vache Microcreamery, her gourmet caramel enterprise, after the ‘08 downturn temporarily dried up her architecture […]
Most small farmers could use a little green. That’s the idea behind Slow Money Central Virginia, a micro-finance nonprofit that helps local small farmers grow. The venture is affiliated with the Slow Money Institute based in Boulder, Colorado. Named in tribute to the slow food movement, the Institute provides what it calls “nurture capital” to […]
If your business isn’t on social media, some say, it doesn’t exist. It’s only been a scant 13 years since social media hit the mainstream. Yet as “new” as social media still is, it has become so pervasive in our lives that most businesses today need it to compete and thrive. For companies that are […]