Table talk

It may seem fussy to worry so much about your wedding’s tabletop décor, but it’s a great way to carry out the vibe of your big day,from floral centerpieces to charger plates. Here are three ideas worth a second look.—Caite Hamilton Colorful tapers The days of romantic pastels and rustic details may never be behind […]

Next level

Want to host your wedding reception at a city-based venue that makes you feel like you’re in the mountains? That’s the jam at Level 10, an event space perched above downtown Charlottesville, and offering unobstructed views of the Blue Ridge. “We’re the highest venue in Charlottesville, and that is pretty fun,” venue director Mary Blanton […]

Follow the reader

Former librarian Flannery Buchanan had always dreamed of openingher own bookstore, but financial limitations forced her to get inventive: She bought a 1966 Banner camper and turned it into Bluebird Bookstop, a bookstore on wheels. The curated collection includes a little something for everyone—by design. “Right now times are hard and stressful and I’ve found […]

Reduce, re-use…

Back in the spring of 2020, while a student at UVA, Alec Brewer noticed something outside of his apartment complex that didn’t sit quite right: mattresses stacked 20-high, ready to be sent to the landfill. Around the same time, he was learning about the concept of customer discovery in one of his classes. He put […]

Call it a comeback

Jacquelyn Lazo thinks a lot about communications. So, as the Charlottesville resident spoke to a friend whose child was having trouble with the COVID-19 pandemic, she was really listening. A former Darden Report managing editor and current poetry magazine proofreader, nonprofit communications consultant, and engagement specialist for Save the Children U.S., Lazo sprung to action. […]

Choco-talk

Esther Bobbin only had to be near the chocolate industry to fall in love. Now, through her nonprofit United By Chocolate, she’s trying to change the business for the better by breaking down language barriers. “There are about 4.5 million cacao producers worldwide, and the majority of them don’t speak English,” Bobbin says. “And yet, […]

Wine school

Kylie Britt knows the wizardry behind winemaking. And she wants you to know it, too. “I think it’s important to know where wine comes from and the people who make it, but I want to share that in accessible ways,” says the aspiring consultant and current “wine specialist” at The Wool Factory. Britt’s journey into […]

Small kindness

Kindness Cafe + Play opened quietly during the first COVID-19 wave’s peak. Now, after battling pandemic-related challenges for almost two years, owner Katie Kishore is looking to expand on her mission: To give adults with cognitive disabilities structured, gainful employment and a place to feel like they’re part of something big. “It has been wonderful—even […]

Consummate culinarian

Becky Calvert loves to cook. She’s held cooking and canning classes around town—places like the Charlottesville Cooking School, Market Central, The Happy Cook, The Spice Diva, and PVCC—for more than a decade, and always with a secret weapon: her cookbook collection. Numbering in the hundreds, it spans centuries and genres.  “Cookbooks fascinate me because they […]

‘We all eat’

Is cooking an art or a craft? Whichever side you come down on, cooking is clearly creative. That’s why Brittany Fan—painter, illustrator, graphic designer, photographer, food blogger, and self-professed “all-around maker”—loves it.  A native of Blacksburg, Fan came to UVA for a degree in studio art, art history, and arts administration and stayed for a […]