Smooth transition: Swivel chairs offer smarter décor options

It’s an open concept world and we’re just living in it. And while the kitchen-living-dining layout creates accessibility (and visibility), it’s a challenge to decorate. John Kriebel, a designer at The Artful Lodger, has a solution: swivel chairs. “I use them as a great connector for entertaining,” he says. “You have two places guests and […]

From business to casual: While maintaining some of its original appeal, a downtown office becomes an eclectic family home

Finding a house in downtown Charlottesville isn’t easy, but Kate Stephenson managed to do it when she spotted a commercial space for sale just north of the Downtown Mall. Like many onetime residences, the brick building had been serving for decades as offices. When she first walked in, Stephenson definitely noticed a “law-office” look—acoustic tile […]

Community building: A longtime dream of building a home reno business prompted Brian and Andrea Hubbell to launch HubbHouse

Don’t call Brian and Andrea Hubbell flippers. Even though they admit what they’re doing sounds a lot like that, the husband-and-wife team behind HubbHouse think they can come up with a better term, one that conveys their more thoughtful approach. “We’re definitely not a quick-flip company,” says Brian. “Quality is really important and the process […]

Ask a technologist: Will losing net neutrality protections affect me?

In December, the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal its own 2015 ruling about how Internet service providers should be regulated, saying it was eliminating “heavy-handed micromanagement” of the Internet. Many users saw it differently, and lamented what they saw as a loss of important safeguards. At the heart of the FCC’s ruling is […]

Can growing numbers of local open work areas fuel tech innovation?

The technology community is notoriously secretive, but there’s one thing Charlottesville techies can’t hide: The local innovation infrastructure is growing at a rapid pace, with two new co-working spaces set to open on the Downtown Mall this year. Construction is expected to begin on the Charlottesville Technology Center, which will go on the former Main […]

How to pass ‘go’: City office lends business owners a hand

Thinking of making the leap to entrepreneurship in Charlottesville? Your first stop ought to be the Office of Economic Development, which offers a broad menu of services to would-be business owners. We spoke with Jason Ness, business development manager, about what he and his colleagues can do to nudge your startup dream closer to reality. […]