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Free market

Last fall, Megan Salgado stopped by Reid’s Super-Save Market on Preston Avenue and was gobsmacked. “The shelves were almost completely empty,” she recalls. “I’d seen on Instagram that the store was in trouble, but it was worse than I thought.” In January, she decided to galvanize support for the long-standing neighborhood grocery store and put up a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 to help it survive.

Reid’s GoFundMe page—which, as of this writing, has raised more than $20,000, twice the original ask—generated local media interest, and stirred up debate: Is the purpose of public fundraising efforts to get a failing business out of trouble? Or is the purpose of a community funding effort to raise all boats in the community, whether they are an individual, a nonprofit, or a store that’s a neighborhood institution?

The market’s supporters and donors clearly feel Reid’s is a special case; many regard it as part of “the old Charlottesville.” The original store downtown, then called the Stop ‘n’ Shop, was bought by Malcolm Reid in 1961 and renamed. When the building burned down in 1982, Reid sold his satellite store on Preston Avenue to employee H. Kennan “Kenny” Brooks. Brooks died in 2016, and his daughters Kim Miller and Sue Clements took over. Sue, who works full-time for the University of Virginia, has gotten more involved in the grocery store’s operation in the last few years. Her husband, Billy, who handles day-to-day operations, has worked there for more than 35 years, while Kim is more involved in running the satellite Reid’s in Dillwyn, which opened in 2015.

The first thing Sue wants to make clear is her commitment to keeping the store open. “My father was the kind of guy who, if you came in and said you didn’t have the money for groceries that week, he’d let you shop and pay him back later—that’s just the kind of man he was. We still have customers who will call and ask us to put an order together for them. We try to help our customers out—we had a community day here the year before COVID hit, and it was a huge success.”

Reid’s still has a large community posting board outside its entrance, with everything from concert ads and lost pet fliers to business cards and event notices.

But times and the neighborhoods have changed. “It used to be that 60 to 70 percent of our customers were from the neighborhoods [Rose Hill/Birdwood, 10th and Page, and Starr Hill],” says Sue. “Now it’s under 50 percent.” As the neighborhood population has aged, customers pass away and families move out; large family homes get sold off. Real estate values have soared as the Preston Avenue corridor has developed, but the people moving into the new upscale homes and apartments have new habits. “People don’t do all their grocery shopping in one place anymore,” Billy Clements notes.

The Clements acknowledge a confluence of factors that they should have noticed earlier. Troubles began well before the pandemic—which actually boosted sales, as people were reluctant to go into large grocery stores and were buying in bulk for fear of shortages. But then, when the shutdown eased, people stopped hoarding. Post-pandemic issues hit the store hard; as sales dropped, they had trouble making the payments to distributors to keep products in stock. By last October, Reid’s had a sign on the door letting customers know that in spite of empty shelves, the store was still open. “We own this building, and it’s valuable real estate,” says Sue. “It would be easy to sell, but our customers were saying, ‘Please don’t leave us.’”

The crisis spurred the Clements to re-examine their operations, realizing that business as usual wouldn’t suffice. (Sue says proudly that although they have lost some employees to attrition, “all our people have continued to get paid, and there haven’t been any layoffs.”) This is when Megan Salgado walked in and mentioned the possibility of a GoFundMe page to one of the store managers. Other customers had brought up the idea, but Sue and Billy said they were reluctant to put up a page asking their own customers for help. They were, however, open to the idea of the community taking charge.

A few weeks later, Salgado decided to go ahead. She had grown up in Charlottesville, and spent her middle school years in the Rose Hill neighborhood. “I would always run into people I knew [at Reid’s],” she says. After moving away from Charlottesville, she recently returned to live in the Woolen Mills neighborhood and would shop at Reid’s a couple times a month. “It’s a really good location for a grocery store, I would stop by on my way to somewhere and pick up things I need. Once it was a bundle of firewood—you can’t get that at a convenience store.”

But her reactions to Reid’s troubles went deeper than convenience and nostalgia. “In Charlottesville, we talk about being a community and keeping things local, but sometimes there’s a disconnect between the talk and what’s happening. How can we be better about that?” To Salgado, Reid’s is even more than a beloved community institution—“it’s a grocery store in the middle of a food desert. If Reid’s shuts down, who are the people who will be hurt by that?”

When Salgado put up the page, she set a goal of $10,000, a figure she picked randomly, “and I thought that would be a reach.” She posted the link to Reid’s Facebook page, and shared it on NextDoor and her Instagram account. “I was surprised at how quickly [the GoFundMe page] caught on—it’s apparent the store has quite a following.”

Of more than 200 donations, the majority range from $10 and $100—but there are many for $200 to $500. Notably, there are two $1,000 donations from fellow businesses: Bodo’s and The Markets of Tiger Fuel, both of which have stores across Preston Avenue from Reid’s.

“I see Reid’s as a community resource, and the well-being of their business is important to the community,” says John Kokola, co-owner of Bodo’s. “And they’re our neighbor, I want to help when I can. They represent the spirit of the neighborhood, and have deep roots in Charlottesville’s history. And then, what would it look like if this business weren’t here any more? I hope that people will vote with their feet, and their pocketbook.”

Gordon Sutton, president of Tiger Fuel, says, “My brother [Taylor Sutton, Tiger Fuel’s COO] and I live downtown; we shop at Reid’s, we love the people there—they’re really service-oriented and friendly—and we want to see them survive.” The Preston Avenue Tiger Market staff have been known to send a tray of sandwiches over to the Reid’s staff for lunch.
Sutton acknowledges the objections that have been voiced about donating to a business when so many community efforts in Charlottesville need support. “I vetted the idea through our management and our marketing director, who oversees our efforts to support local nonprofits, and got their blessing. We all see Reid’s as a community institution.”
In the end, Sutton says, he and his colleagues decided that Reid’s was a special case, and a place worth supporting: “I’m cheering for an old institution that I like.”

So is long-time customer Norman Lamson, who has lived in the Rose Hill area and patronized Reid’s for 30 years. “I’ve always done all my shopping there,” he says. “It’s five minutes away, and they have the best meats in Charlottesville.” Seeing the empty shelves “was sad—I figured they were having difficulties, so I decided to keep going there to support the store. It’s important that it’s a family business.”

While the outpouring of support was welcome, the Clements know that Reid’s has to succeed as a business to survive. The first step, says Sue: “Address what we’re selling. In the past, the grocery business was all about options. But now, we’re going to be stocking fewer products while still offering a range of high-, low-, and midpoint cost items.”

Reid’s has always been known for its meat and produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be hard to find in a small mom-and-pop outlet, but Reid’s has an entire wall of produce at prices close to the large supermarkets. One online reviewer may have noted that you can’t find bok choy or papaya, but then there’s plenty of shelf labels noting what foods are eligible for SNAP benefits. “We are trying to serve all the genres of our neighborhood,” Sue says.

But it’s the meat department that gets customers raving—and coming back. Reid’s is one of the few stores around that has its own meat-cutter, a skill that is less and less available as more large outlets stock only pre-cut and pre-wrapped meat. The market carries a wide selection of beef, ready to sell or cut to order. Billy says proudly, “You want your steaks two inches thick, fine. You can even call ahead.” Reid’s selection of pork runs from head to feet—literally. “We sell everything but the squeal” is clearly one of Billy’s favorite lines, and you can always find Kite’s Virginia ham. The offerings of poultry and fish are more basic; fresh fish is delivered once a week.

One innovation that has brought in buyers is the new value aisle. When a distributor has an overage, or a good deal on products the Clements think will suit their customers, they advertise the weekly special on Reid’s Facebook page and website, and in local fliers. These rotating specials can include special-offer meats and produce, as well as staples from canned tomatoes, cereal, and soft drinks to mac-and-cheese, vegetable oil, and Oreos.

Sue is aware the store’s marketing efforts have to expand, and she hopes the attention to its plight will encourage more people to come in the door. “Grocery stores are a penny-making business. But we’re here to serve the community—the people and families that work here, our family, and the families that shop here.”

As for the GoFundMe page, Salgado always saw it as a temporary measure to get Reid’s back from the brink. “The key is to have people patronize the place,” she says. “I hope people know that they ought to be shopping there. I hope they capitalize on this interest.”


Local resources for small businesses

“The challenges facing small local businesses aren’t any different here in Charlottesville,” says Matt Johnson, assistant director of the City of Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development. “Sourcing supplies, slim margins, the cost of real estate whether you own or rent, attracting the right staff—these are universal problems. But because small businesses usually run with much tighter profit margins, they often have less funding available to facilitate change.”

Long-standing small businesses, especially those that are locally owned, have a special character, says Johnson. “People have emotional connections to these places, where they might have gone as children or shopped in their early years. That’s the benefit of having these businesses—they help to shape the community.”

OED strives to be responsive to businesses of all sorts and sizes, says Johnson. “One of our main purposes is to serve as a point of contact. Whether your business has challenges or you want to position your business for future growth, we want to point you to the resources you need, within city government or outside sources and partners.” He notes that OED is adding a staff person who will be specifically focused on supporting entrepreneurs.

Johnson cited other resources in the area which, like OED, are available without fees—and most of them have programs specifically geared to small, women-owned, and minority businesses:

  • Central Virginia Small Business Development Center offers business counseling ranging from start-up advice to financial, marketing, and workforce development for established businesses; access to market and sector research; and a variety of events and training sessions.
  • Community Investment Collaborative supports development and growth of community businesses and entrepreneurs, focusing on early-stage business education and connection to resources including mentoring, microfinancing, education, and networking.
  • Virginia Small Business Financing Authority is the state’s business and economic development program, which provides access to financing programs specifically geared to small businesses.

Johnson also noted that Piedmont Virginia Community College runs a range of programs for business management and workforce development.

Categories
Arts Culture

Peter Bogdanovich: He was the cinema

Peter Bogdanovich and writer Justin Humphreys formed a friendship after the director came to Charlottesville for the Virginia Film Festival in 2010. Supplied photo

Film writer Justin Humphreys remembers Peter Bogdanovich, who passed away on Thursday, January 6, at age 82. His tribute is followed by a re-posting of his 2018 interview with Bogdanovich in preview of that year’s Virginia Film Festival.

Peter Bogdanovich: He was the cinema

Peter Bogdanovich was the cinema—both a brilliant director, and a historian who peerlessly chronicled Hollywood’s golden age. And he was a dear fried.

I first interviewed Peter in 2010 at the Virginia Film Festival (and again in 2018, as posted below). I’d loved his books and films since my teens, and was jazzed to finally meet the grandmaster himself. We hit it off instantly. That afternoon, I kidded him that I sometimes called myself “a poor man’s Peter Bogdanovich.”

“Why ‘poor man’s?’” Peter replied. “You’re just younger.”

We stayed close. I visited him in North Carolina when he taught film there. We hung out in L.A. whenever possible. The last time I saw him was August 2021, at a dinner at director Sam Fuller’s home, which Peter had visited for decades. It was a lovely, convivial evening. We last emailed in December about meeting for lunch.

Peter’s influence on filmmakers and film historians was gigantic. He was our link to so many long-gone greats—I told him he had “The hand that shook the hands.” He profoundly shaped my own life and work.

There’s a stupid old cliché about how you shouldn’t meet your heroes. Peter was absolute proof that you should.

Decades ago, actor/writer/director/film historian Peter Bogdanovich promised his friend and colleague Orson Welles that, if Welles couldn’t finish his work-in-progress, The Other Side of the Wind, he would complete it for him. Now, Bogdanovich, at age 79, has beaten countless setbacks and fulfilled that promise.

Academy Award-winning editor Bob Murawski and co-producer Frank Marshall worked with a team to parse 100 hours of Welles’ unedited footage, shot decades ago by a mostly deceased crew. Marshall describes the process as, “a cross between a jigsaw puzzle and a scavenger hunt.” Together, they assembled a cohesive work respectful of its legendary creator’s vision.

The Other Side of the Wind stars John Huston as Jake Hannaford, a vile, macho director, trying to revive his faltering career with a counterculture movie. Bogdanovich co-stars as director Brooks Otterlake, Hannaford’s protégé. The highly anticipated film will be shown on Sunday at the Paramount Theater.

In addition, Bogdanovich’s new documentary The Great Buster, which chronicles comic genius Buster Keaton’s turbulent life and career, will screen on Saturday.

Ironically, Keaton was one of the few classic Hollywood giants Bogdanovich didn’t interview. “I missed him by about two months,” Bogdanovich says. “I was just trying to find him and he died.” Bogdanovich spoke with C-VILLE’s Justin Humphreys by phone from France.

C-VILLE: After so many failed attempts at finishing The Other Side of the Wind, how did the film finally coalesce?

Peter Bogdanovich: After [producer] Filip [Rymsza] got the two women, Beatrice Welles [Orson’s daughter] and Oja Kodar [co-author/star], to collaborate on the picture, everything else seemed to fall into place. Netflix stepped up to the plate and they’ve been just incredible, I mean extraordinary—better than any studio I’ve worked for. We went over budget and they didn’t even mention it.

You were heavily involved in the editing?

Oh, sure. [The film’s veterans] all were. We all had input. Bob did a very good job. It was a long process. …Everybody worked on it very hard, very diligently, very dedicated, with a lot of love there.

Many of the film’s participants are now gone. How did it feel being one of the last men standing and watching the finished product?

A little strange. I mean, here I am in my 70s, watching myself in my 30s. That was pretty odd. And I hadn’t seen much of the footage with me in it . . . So it was quite an experience, actually. I haven’t quite dealt with it fully.

What was it like being directed by Orson?

That’s interesting. Orson Welles created an atmosphere on the set—not for the crew, but for the actors—where you absolutely felt like you could do anything. You never felt like you shouldn’t do something, or shouldn’t try something, it was a very free atmosphere where you could do anything you wanted. He laughed a lot and made us laugh. He made it a fun set for the actors. [Meanwhile] the crew worked like dogs, like slaves.

They got along famously, [Huston] and Orson. It was great. You know the climactic scene between Huston and me, where I stick my head in the window? Huston wasn’t there for that scene. I played that scene with Orson. That’s why it’s so emotional. And Orson’s only direction to me in that scene was ‘It’s us.’

I sensed throughout the film that it was so much about you two. It was touching.

I haven’t let myself really go with it emotionally. I just watch it and say ‘It’s brilliant and Orson’s brilliant.’ And it’s the best performance I ever gave in a movie, or anywhere.

How did The Great Buster come about?

I had met Charles Cohen before, the producer, I don’t know where. And he asked me if I would like to do a documentary on Buster Keaton, and I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And that was it.

It’s wonderful that Keaton was revered at the end of his life, after several rough decades.

Happily, the Venice Film Festival gave him that tribute, which allowed me, in the plot, to come back to the features at the end, which I thought was the one really good idea I had—to make it a celebration and come back to the features at the end rather than the middle.

What do you think is Keaton’s lasting genius as a filmmaker?

He always knew where to put the camera. He was a brilliant actor of comedy—extraordinary. He knew instinctively what to do.

What’s next for you?

I’m not quite sure. Paramount, out of the blue, asked to option The Killing of the Unicorn, the book I wrote about Dorothy Stratten, and they want to make a 10-hour series out of it. As far as features are concerned, the one I’m planning to do but I don’t know if I’ll do it next, because it’s a bit elaborate, is a comedy-drama-fantasy called Wait For Me, that I’ve been working on for 30 years. I think it’s the best thing I ever wrote.

Categories
Culture Food & Drink

Consummate host

Justin Ross elevated the Charlottesville fine-dining scene with his dedication to the guest experience. Image: Martyn Kyle

The Charlottesville food scene lost a bright and passionate figure when Justin Ross passed away unexpectedly on March 26, at the age of 40. Those who knew the talented restaurateur and wine connoisseur remember him for his beaming smile and commitment to hospitality.

Ross moved to Charlottesville in 2013 to launch modern Mediterranean restaurant Parallel 38 in The Shops at Stonefield, but it was love that brought him here. 

Jackie Bright worked with Ross at José Andrés’ Zaytinya in Washington, D.C., where Ross was the beverage director and general manager. 

“He was probably one of the most exceptional hospitality leaders I had met,” remembers Bright. “He just had this passion for creating an experience for guests, and also brought so much joy to the team.”

Bright left Zaytinya in 2008 to return to her hometown of Charlottesville. She and Ross kept in touch, and reconnected when Bright returned to visit her former restaurant crew. The pair had dinner and fell in love. While trying to decide where to live, one of the employees on Andrés’ team suggested that Ross lead a new concept in Charlottesville, making the couple’s decision easy.

Born in Maryland in 1980, Ross began working in kitchens as a teenager, and spent his whole career in hospitality. “He loved being with people, serving people wine, food—all of the energy around hospitality,” says Bright. He was adamant that his staff use the word guest instead of customer.

Warm, kind, and food savvy, Ross befriended guests and employees alike. They tell stories about his mischievousness—becoming a Red Sox fan in a Yankees family—and whimsy—leading a dinner party into a soaking summer rainstorm.

Former Parallel 38 manager Jesse Fellows met Ross a little less than a decade ago. 

“We became fast friends, and it very quickly felt like he had been in my life forever,” says Fellows. “There are too many stories to pick one, but a common theme among them was Justin’s brilliance, fierce loyalty, and very personal brand of kindness. He always remembered the smallest details and took time out of his busy schedule to make people feel special.”

A wine fanatic who held an Advanced Sommelier certification, Ross frequently delved into his own collection to further a guest’s experience. “When you wanted an excellent bottle of wine and conversation to match, you went to see Justin,” says Tavola’s Michael Keaveny. “And that pork belly dish in the early days of Parallel 38 set the bar for everyone else in town.”

Nothing was more important to Ross than sharing his passions with loved ones. In 2013, he told the Charlottesville 29 food blog: “I’m not sure what’s better about our regular C&O date night, a much-needed break with my lovely lady or the sweetbreads.”

“We had dinner together every single night,” says Bright. “Even when he was working in the restaurant I would wait for him to come home. We always waited for each other.”

He and Bright welcomed a son in 2018, and Ross was thrilled to have a new partner at his side to pursue life’s adventures. An outdoor enthusiast, he took his toddler on hikes at Monticello and Walnut Creek, and kept maps of the trails, marking their progress each time out. When cooking his much-loved Sunday gravy recipe, he’d hold Dash in his arms, teaching him the gifts of his Italian heritage.

“I’ve never seen someone so devoted to a child,” says Bright. “He would refer to Dash as his best friend.”

As Bright reflects on the span of culinary experiences she shared with Ross, sausage and peppers is the dish she will always remember, and she’s especially grateful for their trip to explore the Champagne houses of France, where Ross was playing with dogs, drinking Champagne, and the couple revelled in the extraordinary hospitality of their hosts. In that happy moment Ross was a guest.

At the time of his passing, Ross had recently been hired as the general manager for Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s new fine-dining restaurant at Keswick Hall. He was ready to pour his heart and soul into the high-profile project. “He wanted to create something really special for people,” says Bright.

A celebration of Justin Ross’ life will take place at King Family Vineyards on April 23, his 41st birthday. For information on how to contribute to a college fund for Dash Ross, contact Meredith Coe at coemeredith@gmail.com.

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News

Legalize it right

Nationwide, Black and white people use marijuana at similar rates. In Virginia, Black people make up about 20 percent of the population—but 52 percent of citations for marijuana possession in the last year were given to Black people, says Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of Marijuana Justice, a Richmond-based group fighting for the enactment of equitable legalization policies. 

This month, both houses of the Virginia legislature passed bills that will allow legal, adult-only, recreational marijuana purchase and use beginning in 2024. In the next few days, a small conference of legislators from both houses will meet to reconcile the two bills. Governor Ralph Northam is expected to sign the final version into law, making Virginia the first Southern state to legalize the drug.

Decades of racial discrimination in enforcement means marijuana legalization is a consequential criminal justice issue. And for many supporters of legalization, Virginia’s proposed bills fail to provide adequate redress for the harms caused by the decades-long war on drugs, specifically within Black and brown communities.

“As of right now, I’m terrified,” says Higgs Wise. “The bills now are really bad. I would not want them to pass as they are right now.”

In response to the proposed legislation, Marijuana Justice—joined by RISE for Youth, ACLU of Virginia, and 21 other advocacy groups—sent a letter to Northam and the General Assembly, urging them to meet specific criteria that center on racial equity.

A central  point of contention is the legalization timeline. While the state Senate bill would permit simple possession of marijuana for adults as early as July 1, 2021, the House version would not do so until 2024, when the sale of marijuana is also legal.

Many activists also do not think it’s necessary to wait until 2024 to permit the sale or possession of the drug, pointing to the marijuana-friendly states Virginia could look to for guidance. 

“It’s going to take time to establish a new agency and go through a new licensing process, but does it need to take that long? Probably not,” says Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director of Virginia NORML. “Such a delayed implementation really only serves the illicit market.”

Pedini suggests that legal access be quickly expanded through existing medical marijuana providers, as many other states have done.

Another key criminal justice component of legalization is the expungement of marijuana-related offenses from criminal records. Both bills would automatically expunge misdemeanors and allow those convicted of felonies to petition for expungement. Certain expungements may also require people to pay off court fees.

Automatic expungement of misdemeanors is crucial, but not a conclusive step. “Prior to 2020, anything over half an ounce was a felony,” explains Higgs Wise. “The people who have been most impacted by these unfair laws are the people with the felonies,” which impact career, housing, and education opportunities.

For those currently incarcerated, the new laws aren’t a get-out-of-jail-free card. People who are currently in jail or prison for marijuana-related offenses would be resentenced, but it remains unclear which offenses would be eligible for reevaluation, and when the resentencing process would begin.

The legislation would also make it illegal to have marijuana inside a vehicle, even if it’s not being used. Activists fear this will only worsen traffic stops—a huge driver of marijuana cases.

“Last year, we fought really hard and got the odor of marijuana to no longer be a reason to search or seize in your car,” says Higgs Wise. “In order to continue to criminalize us in the car, now all a cop has to do is say they see a green leafy substance in your car anywhere, and they have a reason to search.”

If a container of marijuana that’s been opened is found inside the car, the driver could be charged with driving under the influence.

Meanwhile, minors caught with marijuana would continue to face harsh penalties under the proposed laws, including fines, drug tests, probation, school expulsion, and the denial of a driver’s license. 

Such punitive measures have proven to have a disproportionate impact on Black youth. While Black and white youth are arrested at similar rates, Black youth are significantly more likely to be incarcerated instead of put into diversion programs.

“There’s actually data that shows us that there’s no increase in youth use because of marijuana legalization,” says Higgs Wise. “Why in the world create more penalties for young people, when we know which young people are going to be the most impacted?”

Categories
News

In brief

Photo of Heather Heyer Way
Heather Heyer Way is an example of an existing honorary street. PC: Staff photo

Sign of the times

After months of debate over Charlottesville’s honorary street name policies, City Council unanimously approved two requests last week recommended by the Historic Resources Committee: Black History Pathway and Byers-Snookie Way.

Black History Pathway, located on Fourth Street NW between West Main Street and Preston Avenue, pays homage to the city’s rich Black history. It will cut through a former Black neighborhood known as The Hill, which was razed—alongside Vinegar Hill—during urban renewal in the 1960s.

Meanwhile, Byers-Snookie Way, located on 10th Street NW between Preston and Henry avenues, will honor Black community leaders, William “Billy” Byers and Elizabeth “Mrs. Snookie” Harrison. After becoming Charlottesville’s first Black aquatics director in the 1980s, Byers helped create the school division’s swim program, teaching many low-income Black children how to swim. Harrison worked alongside Byers and managed the Washington Park pool for decades.

Out of the dozen proposals sent to the HRC last fall, the committee also recommended that council approve street names honoring Black activist Gregory Swanson, enslaved laborer Henry Martin, and Charlottes­ville’s sister city Via Poggio a Caiano, Italy. 

The committee turned down requests for Tony Bennett Way (and Drive), largely due to the UVA men’s basketball coach’s “previous substantial national and community recognition.”

However, council decided to hold off on approving additional proposals until March. The HRC is also still ironing out the details of the honorary street names policy.

The committee recommends waiving the application fee, substituting the application’s essay section with simple short questions, allowing applicants to choose between a temporary or permanent street marker, requiring two to three letters of support per nomination, and providing historical context on honorary street signs and a website. 

To better handle future honorary street name proposals, the committee advises City Council to create a special naming commission that includes members from related committees.

__________________

Quote of the week

“We’ve come to a strong compromise that reimagines our criminal justice system…to provide a clean slate for Virginians who have paid their debt to society.”

—Virginia House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria) on the passing of legislation automatically sealing the criminal records of people convicted of certain misdemeanors

_________________

In brief

City offers rent relief 

The City of Charlottesville has distributed $181,000 in rent relief funds in recent weeks, according to City Councilor Michael Payne. The program, initiated to combat the effects of the pandemic, was put together in a short period of time and has already helped 467 local households. 

Credit where it’s due 

Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania has confirmed that Mayor Nikuyah Walker is not under criminal investigation for her use of city credit cards. Speculation about a possible investigation arose in recent weeks after acting City Attorney Lisa Robertson sent a memo to City Council reminding the mayor that “Even a small unauthorized purchase can have serious legal consequences.” However, Platania wrote in a February 22 letter that he has long been “extremely concerned about the lack of consistency and clarity surrounding the city’s credit card policy,” and that he won’t prosecute any cases of potential violations until the policy is rewritten. The credit card policy is just another thing on the already long to-do list of new City Manager Chip Boyles.

Joe Platania PC: Supplied photo

Picture this

Earlier this month, the Virginia House of Delegates voted 99-0 to make the “dissemination of unsolicited obscene images of self to another” a misdemeanor—in other words, they made it illegal to send dick pics without consent. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, not to the Virginia Senate, where eight male senators in a 14-person subcommittee killed the legislation, citing constitutional and enforcement concerns. 

Categories
News

Deja vu: Local activists and leaders on how to move forward after chaos

Thousands of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. PC: Starmax/Newscom Via ZUMAPress

Two weeks ago, the far-right riot at the U.S. Capitol—fueled by President Donald Trump’s false claims that he won the election—shocked people across the world. But for many, it was a familiar scene. As the country looks ahead to a new administration and beyond, Charlottesville’s leaders and activists have hard-won advice for President Joe Biden.

“[The January 6 siege] is the same horrific play we’ve seen over and over again in this country,” says community activist Don Gathers, who was at the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally. “So much of the opening act of that play looked just like Charlottesville, where the police stood by and did nothing.”

For weeks, watchdog groups and activists repeatedly warned law enforcement that Trump supporters’ plans to violently storm the Capitol—and assault, kidnap, and even kill members of Congress—were posted across social media.

Despite these warnings, the Capitol Police anticipated a crowd in only the “low thousands,” and prepared for “small, disparate violent events,” according to Representative Jason Crow.

So, like in Charlottesville, police on the scene were massively unprepared for the thousands of people who showed up to Trump’s rally. Insurgents later overpowered the police and stormed the building, resulting in dozens of injuries and five deaths.

“It’s not like they were secretive…It was all over the internet,” says community activist Ang Conn, who was also at the Unite the Right rally.

Before August 11 and 12, 2017, members of the far-right also openly discussed their plans to incite violence and threatened local residents online, as well as held a few smaller “test” rallies in Charlottesville, says Conn. Local activists continuously alerted law enforcement and urged the city to stop the event from happening, but were not taken seriously.

“The people who were supposed to be keeping the peace had all of this information given to them and they ignored it,” says Tyler Magill, who was hit on the neck with a tiki torch during the Unite the Right rally, later causing him to have a stroke.

Video evidence also shows several Capitol officers moving barricades to allow rioters to get closer to the building, as well as one taking a selfie with a member of the far-right mob. Some rioters were members of law enforcement themselves, including two off-duty Virginia police officers.

The scene at the Capitol serves as a stark contrast to the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last year, during which police deployed tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and other types of force against thousands of people, and made over 10,000 arrests.

“If Black and brown folks were to do that exact same thing [at the Capitol], we would be dead,” says Conn.

Now, those who were present for the Unite the Right rally say a key to moving forward is to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Since January 6, federal authorities have arrested around 100 people, and say they could arrest hundreds more.

“This cannot be seen as anything other than armed insurrection,” says City Councilor Sena Magill, speaking solely for herself. “It needs to be very clear that people who participated in this need to be prosecuted, and not lightly. …Representatives who instigated this also need to be held accountable.”

Tyler Magill says it’s crucial to expand our definition of white supremacy. “We as a society just don’t take far right extremists seriously,” he says. “We think of it as rednecks [and] trailer park people when it’s not—it’s everybody. The people at the Capitol riot tended to be middle class and above, and the same happened in Charlottesville.”

Other activists have warned that arrests or the threat of arrests will not be enough to deter far-right extremism on—and after—Inauguration Day, pointing to white supremacist calls for violence online.

“We know that they’re not finished,” says Gathers. “I’m fearful for what may happen on the 20th of January, not only in D.C. but really all across the county.”

And though Biden’s inauguration, and the end of Trump’s term, will be a cathartic moment for many, Conn emphasizes that it won’t solve our problems overnight. After the inauguration, she anticipates more white supremacist violence across the country, and says she doesn’t expect President Biden to handle the situation in the best possible manner. Instead, she fears the new administration will ramp up its counterterrorism programs, which are “typically anti-Muslim and anti-Black,” she says.

“The change of the administration doesn’t change the fact that the system of white supremacy is embedded in the fabric of what we call America,” she explains. “We cannot expect [anything from] an administration that condemns uprisings stemming from state violence against Black and brown folks but calls for unity without resolve.”

Gathers also does not agree with the calls for unity made after the riot. “You can’t and shouldn’t negotiate with terrorists, and that’s who we seem to be dealing with,” he says.

However, both activists hope that now more people will not only see white supremacy as a serious threat, but actively work to dismantle it.

“We’ve got to figure out how to change not only laws, but hearts and minds,” says Gathers. “If what we saw [at the Capitol]…and in Charlottesville in 2017 wasn’t enough to turn people around, I’m not sure what it’s going to take.”

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Magazines Weddings

Charlottesville’s the best backdrop for out-of-towners

Photo: Eze Amos

If you’re having a wedding in Charlottesville, you already know all of the wonderful things about the area—the wineries and restaurants, the music venues, the art galleries. But you should assume your guests—many of them from out of town—don’t have a clue what the town has to offer. Consider this an official guide to helping your guests feel right at home. (Feel free to stick it in your welcome basket!)

Friday

If your guests arrive this afternoon for the rehearsal dinner, direct them to…

  • The Downtown Mall, where they can visit Ting Pavilion for Fridays After Five.
  • Peruse a few of the city’s best bookstores (Daedalus Bookshop, for its labyrinthine selection, or New Dominion, Virginia’s oldest independent bookseller).
  • A quick drink (social lubricant for all that inevitable small talk!) at Tilman’s or Zocalo.
  • An after-dinner nightcap at local favorite C&O, or Miller’s—if that’s your end-of-night vibe.

Saturday

Likely this is the day of the wedding. Instruct your guests to… 

  • Visit IX Art Park farmers’ market, where they can snack on a pastry from Baker No Bakery while deciding where to go for breakfast. 
  • Get breakfast. Recommended: Belle for breakfast sammies, Farm Bell Kitchen for banana beignets, or Oakhurst Inn for smoked chicken hash.
  • Try a winery, brewery, or distillery. We couldn’t possibly recommend just one—pick whatever suits your mood (urban? Mountain views? Dave Matthews’ seal of approval?). 

Nap, then suit up!

Sunday

Your visitors will need a come-down after all the fun they had last night. Try…

  • Grabbing a quick Bodo’s breakfast. 
  • Taking in an exhibit at one of Charlottes­ville’s many galleries: McGuffey Art Center, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Les Yeux du Monde… Pick your pleasure.
  • Picking a lunch spot on UVA’s historic Corner (The Virginian is a classic choice) before…
  • Buying a bottle of wine at Market Street Wine—owner Erin Scala will recommend the perfect souvenir to stash in your checked luggage until the return home.
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Magazines Weddings

Local event firm makes your wedding truly yours

Supplied photo.

If you think the devil is in the details, you’re not alone: Local events rental firm Eventide strongly agrees. For your special day, these folks want the décor, from bowers to umbrellas, to fit your vision. Whether it’s tables and chairs, linen, cutlery and glassware, service trays, or tents, the firm provides a range of choices on … well, everything.

Who knew there were nine kinds of ice troughs, more than three dozen varieties of platters (wood, ceramic, melamine, and metal), and 21 options for baskets? But Eventide’s objective isn’t to overwhelm you with choices—it’s to provide a wonderfully specific, curated setting for your occasion. The firm’s specialty is its customized wood pieces: bars, bowers, canopies, serving pieces and platters, and decorative items. 

When it comes to custom bars, Eventide offers three customizable options. The Belmont features a semi-circular or circular bar, which can be adapted to your wedding’s look/color scheme with variations in color, panels, and countertop—and then accessorized with shelving, food displays, and umbrellas. The more casual Carleton is a two-server bar with more than 20 variations of front panels and countertops to fit your setting, as well as built-ins to provide everything the bartenders need. The rustic Avon features a striking restored wooden canoe with optional display stands, serving as the centerpiece for buffets of charcuterie, breakfast, or desserts.

Eventide was launched about two years ago, as a sister company of The Catering Outfit, a local boutique culinary design firm started in 1999 by executive chef Walter Slawski. While the rental firm started out handling wedding events, it’s starting to build a clientele in corporate events and private parties as well. Eventide just recently moved into a larger warehouse space, and now has a dozen employees.

Charlottesville native Sheri Scaminaci, Eventide’s rental director and warehouse manager, has “been here since the beginning,” she says. With a background that includes restaurants, catering, and carpentry, she would seem to have been custom designed for her job, which includes everything from consulting with planners, designers, and couples to going out on deliveries. And, her father runs the firm’s woodshop, designing and constructing many of its custom products.

Eventide’s current client mix is about 50 percent planners (they have worked with Hannah Rose Design, Day by Fay, Magnum Opus Events, and several others around town) and 50 percent individuals and their designers. “We’re always open to your ideas,” says Scaminaci. 

While Eventide doesn’t do total wedding planning, its services are designed to mesh seamlessly with the logistics of your party. Luckily, Scaminaci’s background also includes volunteer firefighting—so she can handle just about anything. “Each event can get to be a lot of work,” she says, “but I love it.”

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Magazines Weddings

These outside-the-box vendors up the ante on your best day ever

Photo: Parlor the Studio

More and more, couples are viewing their wedding not only as an opportunity to declare their love for one another in front of everyone who feels important to them, but also—let’s face it—as an opportunity for the best party they’ll ever throw. To that end, here are three local vendors who can add that extra something to make your big day truly stand out. 

Picture this

Photo booths are fine for some, but Parlor the Studio can do you one better. The creative duo of photographer Anna Kariel and stylist/retailer/designer Annie Drury work with clients to create a bespoke photo “set” curated and fabricated to the style and ethos of the event. Think paper moon in a Prohibition-era speakeasy, or a sailboat braving dramatic seas. “During the ideation phase of the design process, clients are invited to present ideas and provide feedback,” says Kariel. “We gush over a fun theme, and we are equally excited to pitch our own ideas when requested.”

Just your type

You may have spotted Charlottesville Poem Store’s Laura Frantz parking her tent (and her vintage typewriter) at the Farmers Market at Ix, The Doyle Hotel (total Algonquin Round Table vibes), and special events around town like the Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival and Common House’s Writers’ Happy Hour. But she’s also for hire. Have her set up at your wedding and craft an on-the-spot poem for each of your guests based on a set of agreed-upon prompts. Now that’s poetry in motion.

Beautiful discovery

On such a perfect day, it’s easy to see that your future looks bright. But your guests may want a peek at what’s to come for them, too. Enter tarot. “A different language that speaks through images,” as Sealed in the Stars’ Jess Bronson writes on her website, tarot is a tool for self-discovery. Let Bronson lay all her cards (she carries multiple decks and matches them to each recipient’s vibe) on the table.

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Magazines Weddings

Considering a destination wedding?

Photo: Meredith Coe Photography

Choosing a life partner is a really big decision. Having a wedding, on the other hand, is a hundred smaller ones. And for many couples, the primary decision is ‘where?’ Which brings up the question of a destination wedding—how do you decide?

“The first question is, why are you thinking of a particular destination?” says planner Mary Andrews, principal of Mary Elizabeth Events (just back from her own wedding in Tuscany). “Does that place mean something special to the two of you? Or are you seeking an experience you’ll share with you guests? Or do you want a getaway?”

Part of that decision is considering who you want to share in your special day. “A destination wedding may mean lots of people you have invited won’t be able to attend,” Andrews points out. You should consider your guests’ ability to travel (for example, elderly family members or pregnant friends), as well as their financial situation.

One way to include a wider group in your big day, says Andrews, is to hold wedding-related events (such as the bridal shower, or a pre- or post-wedding reception) locally. Or you could borrow a pandemic tactic: livestreaming or video-recording the ceremony and/or part of the reception, like the speeches and the father-daughter dance.

If you’ve decided on a destination wedding, prepare for more decisions. Do you want an all-inclusive resort that provides transportation to and from the airport, accommodations for your guests, a space for the ceremony, and facilities for the rehearsal dinner, post-wedding reception/dinner, and the next-day breakfast or brunch? That kind of convenience is attractive, but usually more costly for both you and your guests. 

A more casual, less-structured approach may enable your guests to save money (on hotel rooms, for instance). But the destination you have chosen is key—an all-inclusive resort may be more sensible if you are gathering in the Costa Rican rainforest, while if you’re getting married inside the Eiffel Tower, guests can likely find their own accommodations. Another way to hold costs down is to plan for the off-season, or hold your events midweek.

As with any wedding, “the guest count is one big factor in your costs,” Andrews says. Since guests are paying for airfare and accommodations, they expect you to provide the event meals. Here, your style could help you keep to your budget—having a reception rather than a sit-down dinner, or providing buffet breakfast and a trip to a local winery instead of a formal brunch. And don’t forget to factor in the local economy, everything from hotel rooms to meals, entertainment, and food taxes (for example, VAT in Italy is 22 percent). 

Then there are the practical details to consider. If a health emergency arises, are there medical facilities nearby? Do you want a friend to officiate at your wedding? If so, check out the local regulations first thing; in many places, Andrews points out, if you aren’t getting married in a church, you have to marry in a registry office first. And be realistic—is it safe for your guests to travel there?

Now you’re really down to nuts and bolts: Will your guests need a visa or vaccinations? Do they all have current passports or REAL ID cards? What about dietary restrictions (not all destinations have kosher or halal caterers)? How will the bridal party get their dresses there? (As for gifts, Andrews suggest that for a destination wedding, your invitation should make clear gifts are optional, or should be sent to the couple’s address rather than brought to the wedding.)

By this point, it’s clear that one thing you will need is a wedding or event planner who has experience in your destination. This can be someone local (logistically easier, and more likely to understand expectations) or someone who is actually on site at the destination, although that person may be harder to reach given time zones. Another option, Andrews points out; The venue you choose may have relationships with local event consultants. 

“People have big dreams [about their wedding day,]” she says. “The challenge is managing those dreams versus reality.” But it can be done. “You need a good understanding of what you want and what’s needed—and a good Plan B,” says Andrews.

Categories
Arts Culture

Illiterate Light

Photo by Joey Wharton.

If you’ve listened to Illiterate Light, you know it can be hard to pin down the band’s sound. The task hasn’t gotten any easier with new album Arches, the third LP from singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer Jake Cochran. Moving between easy indie rock, kaleidoscopic neo-psychedelia, and electro-embellished Americana, the duo weaves together a sonic world full of enigmatic energy. Celebrate the official release of the new album as Illiterate Light returns to the region that gave birth to its singular Shenandoah Valley sound.

Friday 11/8. $25–50, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Culture Living

Pull! A tale of sporting clays

Central Virginia Sporting Clays combines skill and intuition in its group lessons. Photo by Stephen Barling.

Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated with the idea of shooting skeet. I must’ve seen it in a Bugs Bunny cartoon or something. My father liked hunting, and to varying degrees, family members enjoyed the venison from his efforts. I grew up around guns and, therefore, grew up with a healthy respect for them.

During grad school, I frequented a gun range, learning to fire just about everything it had. The unfortunate context for my interest at that time was that someone in my life had made threats with a firearm, and my thinking was that if I had to take a gun away from someone, I’d better know how to use it. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed learning about the different weapons and firing them under safe conditions at a gun range using paper targets.

With stationary targets, I’m a decent shot. Still, I longed to try something like skeet, with moving targets. After not shooting for 20 years, I decided to cross skeet off the ol’ bucket list. I called Central Virginia Sporting Clays, and my education began. There are several popular shotgun sports: trap, skeet, and sporting clays. The main difference is how the clays move. With sporting clays, they can go in any direction. I scheduled a group lesson and donned my Elmer Fudd hat.

What

Shooting sporting clays.

Why

Because I’ve always wanted to yell “Pull!” and shoot a moving inanimate target.

How it went

Many clays exploded that day.

From Charlottesville, it’s a bit of a trek to get to Central Virginia Sporting Clays in Palmyra, but IMO it’s well worth the effort. The CVSC site says map apps may not get you there, but friends joining me used their apps with no problem.

Upon arrival, we met up with our instructor who grabbed shotguns before we headed to the five-stand area. Our knowledgeable teacher explained how sporting clay shooting works, shared safety information, and distributed hearing and eye protection. The most Yoda thing he conveyed to us was that shooting sporting clays is more about relying on one’s intuition than aiming.

My friends encouraged me to go first, because they’re kind and I coordinated the outing—but probably more so because the older I get, the less I care about embarrassing myself. The five-stand area has—as you might assume—five wooden shooting stands in a row. After sidling up to a stand, the instructor demonstrated how to load the shotgun properly and coached me on my form. A remote control launched targets from clay throwers in different positions around a clearing in front of the stands. Some clays launched toward the stands while others moved away. Some crossed from the sides, and one thrower skipped clays across the ground to mimic landbound animals (sorry, bunnies!).

My goal was to hit one clay. If I did that, mission accomplished—everything else was gravy. The first clay launched, and I clipped it. I hit three out of four clays in my first round and felt like the queen of the world. But I had just been hitting the edge of clays, making small bits pop off, and I wanted to make a target explode. The instructor repeated the initial training process with each of us, adjusting for our different dominant eyes, body types, stances, and firing quirks. After he finished, we were all breaking clays. I learned that I really enjoy shooting clays—at least trying to—and that I have a proclivity to double tap. Sometimes crossing something off your bucket list results in a new hobby. I know I’ll be back.

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News

City Council mulls proposals to support unhoused people 

A rendering of Center of Hope, the Salvation Army’s high-barrier shelter on Ridge Street. Image via City of Charlottesville.

It’s been just over a year since tents popped up in Market Street Park, and at the October 21 City Council meeting, City Manager Sam Sanders presented an array of proposals to better support not only the area’s unhoused population, but the entire community. Potential projects and services include the creation of a year-round, low-barrier shelter; the launch of a street outreach initiative; and public restrooms on the Downtown Mall.

While cold-weather shelter is available through nonprofit organizations like People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry, there is no year-round, low-barrier shelter in the Charlottesville area. At present, the Salvation Army is the only organization providing year-round shelter services for unhoused people, but space is limited, and it is considered a high-barrier shelter due to requirements for participants, including random drug and alcohol tests.

A rising unhoused population has resulted in an increased demand for shelter beds, exceeding the capacity available at PACEM and the Salvation Army. Estimates for the number of unhoused people in Charlottesville and surrounding areas vary, with a 2023 Point-in-Time count identifying 191 unhoused individuals, though this number is not considered comprehensive.

“I’m standing in front of you [City Council] today saying to you that we can do all the things that are on this list if you are so inclined, but again, reminding you that that means other things won’t necessarily be able to get done or become a little more challenging for us to try to do, and we’ll have to be creative and or wait on some other things,” said Sanders at the council meeting. “Ultimately, this is about defining and taking some bold action. But I also want to point out that this is really about setting new standards and managing expectations. We can’t do everything.”

City Council has until the end of the year to allocate remaining American Rescue Plan funds. Photo by Eze Amos.

Under the plan introduced by Sanders, the city would support the Charlottesville Salvation Army in the conversion of its Cherry Avenue thrift store into a low-barrier shelter, as well as the renovation and expansion of its existing high-barrier shelter on Ridge Street. Upon completion, the low-barrier shelter would have a 50-bed capacity, and the Ridge Street Center of Hope would have more than 100 beds.

Part of Sanders’ proposal would include a major contribution to the Salvation Army’s capital campaign, with $1.25 million currently slated for the thrift store conversion. The city manager also suggested an annual contribution of $200,000 for five years to the nonprofit to help offset the cost of closing the store, with an additional $500,000 each year to support the shelter’s operation.

No organization or collective of nonprofits has committed to running the low-barrier shelter yet, though the Salvation Army indicated it would be willing to handle operations dependent on future conversations with the city.

Most of the money for the shelter and other suggested initiatives would come from American Rescue Plan funds, interest on that money, and an anticipated budget surplus, according to Sanders. The city has until the end of the year to allocate ARP funds, otherwise they will be returned to the federal government.

Other recommendations from Sanders included increasing annual capacity support for the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, filling an already funded homeless services coordinator position. Several pilot initiatives were also proposed.

City Manager Sam Sanders formed a work group in October 2023 to address the homelessness crisis after tents were set up in Market Street Park. Photo by Eze Amos.

“We need restrooms on the Mall that are available, period. And we know that,” said Sanders. He, along with other city officials, have been testing public restroom options, and suggested obtaining three Green Flush Restrooms. The units can be moved with a forklift and serviced like a standard portable toilet, but do not require utilities to be flushable.

 “I don’t wanna be here five years from now and not know that we’ve solved this bathroom problem,” Sanders said. “No one wants it next to them, but that’s what they say about everything.”

Increasing city official presence, especially on and around the Mall, has been a recurrent topic at City Council meetings. As part of that effort, Sanders recommended two dedicated street outreach personnel be introduced on a two-year trial basis through existing grant funding. The creation of these positions would also support the work and capacity of BRACH, which is the continuum of care coordinator for homeless services for not only Charlottesville, but the entire region.

According to Sanders, BRACH’s staff is currently “one and a half people.”

For transitional housing, the city manager suggested purchasing six pallet homes, which are being used for the creation of micro communities around the country. On that topic, Sanders also announced that “the reason you haven’t heard from me on the Avon Levy site, … [is] there is no plan for that site because there’s no need for us to have a plan for that site just yet. Once Premier Circle actually comes live, the shelter is in place, the Center of Hope is up and running, we will know a lot more about what’s going on, and then we can actually tailor that project to the needs that we may have.”

City Council is expected to allocate American Rescue Plan funds and advance other projects by the end of the month.

Categories
Arts Culture

Adrenaline Film Project

Supplied photo.

It’s a mad dash to the finish line of dramatic excellence with the 20th annual Adrenaline Film Project. In just 72 hours, groups of three will write, film, edit, and screen original stories with the aid of industry experts. Teams can draw from a professional actor database, or cast friends, family, and neighbors as the stars of their three- to five-minute short films. The entire process takes place at Light House Studio, including screenings of the final cuts, where cash prizes are offered for the Judges Choice, Mentor Selection, Audience, and Actors awards.

Sunday 11/10. $15, 8pm. Light House Studio at Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lighthousestudio.org

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News Real Estate

Upfitting a West Main building for new kind of donut shop

A company is renovating 917 W. Main St. to be a franchise called Mochinut, which sells Japanese and Korean food. Photo by Sean Tubbs.

While the city may have recently abandoned an expensive plan to upgrade West Main Street to be more of a destination, those who want to take a risk on business continue to make investments. 

At least that’s what a Chesterfield-based firm did when it purchased 917 W. Main St. for $1.3 million in August 2022. 

The city’s Neighborhood Development Services office issued a commercial building permit on July 30 for a tenant upfit. The cost of construction is at least $400,000, according to various permits. Los Angeles-based company Mochinut is listed as one of the contacts. 

According to Mochinut’s website, it offers a unique product.

“Mochi donut is a donut that originated from Hawaii which is a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi,” reads a description. 

Mochi is a Japanese sweet rice cake; a mochi donut appears to be eight balls of this substance arranged in a circle. 

So far, the company has no outlets in Virginia where one can buy the donuts. It also serves Korean-style hot dogs, which are breaded with a variety of different materials.

A request for confirmation and a timeline for opening was not answered at press time. At the moment, the site is still under construction and the sidewalk is blocked. 

Such a store could benefit from the foot traffic of University of Virginia students who live in the apartment buildings in the neighborhood. 

That’s also a reason there is now a 7 Day Junior franchise right across 10th Street on the lower floor of 1001 W. Main St. In the last 15 years, that entire building has been transformed from an auto repair shop into one that has served as multiple restaurants.  

The building at 917 W. Main St. was constructed in 1950, and the current renovation of the facade unveiled an old sign for Charlottesville Office Machine Company. At one point, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville had an office at the location but it has been vacant for at least three years since the nonprofit relocated in 2021.

Both buildings, as well as five others, are within the West Main Architectural Design Control District and any future demolition would have to be approved by the Board of Architectural Review. City Council added that protection in December 2013, when the construction of several large buildings in the neighborhood were proposed. 

In the years that followed, council approved The Flats at West Village, The Standard, and Lark on Main. Special use permits for those mixed-use projects came with conditions that retail space be included on the ground floor, but all three of them have spaces that have never been utilized. 

At the same time, the city had begun work on a project to widen sidewalks, add bike lanes, and add other amenities to West Main Street to improve the urban fabric of what was planned as one of the city’s most dense corridors. In 2022, council agreed to transfer the millions that had been committed to the project to instead expand Buford Middle School. 

While the overall streetscape is desolate, the city is aware of the need to make improvements at a cost much lower than the defunct project’s $50 million estimate. 

“The city does not presently have plans developed for this intersection, but will be kicking off a project looking at the West Main Street corridor [next year] and opportunities to improve safety through low-cost interventions and restriping,” says Afton Schneider, the city’s director of communications and public engagement.

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News

Dogwood Vietnam Memorial seeks to expand space, continue mission as center for community healing

Local veterans work toward an expansion of the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial. Photo by Eze Amos.

Surrounded by towering trees and flagpoles, Charlottesville resident and Vietnam War veteran Bruce Eades walked to a podium in April 1995 at the very first Vietnam memorial in the nation and began his healing.

“I had to face my demons,” says Eades, who saw combat as a rifleman and interpreter in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, but had never talked openly about it until that moment, 27 years later. He had not even shared his stories with his wife Joan and their daughters. In fact, when Eades first returned from Vietnam, he consciously chose to distance himself from his identity as a Vietnam War soldier. He grew his hair out, bought a Volkswagen van with tie-dye curtains, and moved to Miami, living like a “weekend hippie,” as he described it.

But on that April day at the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial, Eades spoke out, addressing a feeling of being slighted that he had not fully confronted until that moment.

“Because of the stigma associated with the Vietnam veteran,” Eades said to an audience of local veterans and their families, “I, like many others, rarely spoke of my experience in Vietnam and I kept those memories sealed inside me, not revealing them to anyone. I hid my tears when I remembered my fallen friends.”

Since that speech in 1995, Eades has returned often to the Dogwood Memorial. He’s mowed its grass. His wife would embarrass him and snap photos as he tended it. He would pray at the memorial, too, sometimes in the rain.

“I’d cry a lot,” Eades says, remembering his early visits to the site that helped soothe his mind and settle his soul.

Now, every April, he takes part in a ceremony of remembrance at the memorial. Since 2016, he has been president of the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial Foundation. He nicknamed the spot “the hill that heals.”

“Once I [spoke], I realized that I owed those guys a lot,” says Eades, referring to the 28 men from the Charlottesville area who were killed in Vietnam and whose stories are told with plaques at the memorial.

As America prepares in 2025 to recognize the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon that ended the Vietnam War, the Charlottesville-based group that maintains the country’s first Vietnam memorial is seeking support to continue its mission as a destination for individual and communal healing.

The Dogwood Foundation plans to expand the memorial with a two-part project: a brick plaza that will include 26 more Vietnam veterans’ stories and an Access Project that would make the space more accessible by adding a parking area and a pedestrian bridge. 

The new parking area will fit alongside the trail that hugs the John Warner Parkway. The bridge—which will be 110-feet long and 14-feet wide—would stretch over the roadway and connect the parking area to the memorial. It would comply with guidelines set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Currently, the memorial’s configuration makes it challenging for older veterans and residents to access. The expansion project is aiming for completion in 2026.

The Dogwood Vietnam Memorial was constructed in 1966, 16 years before the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Photo by Eze Amos.

Born in a barbershop

On a fall day in 1965, a barber chatted with two friends at his Charlottesville shop. The conversation centered on national news that was starting to have a local impact. Eighteen-year-old Earlysville native Champ Lawson had died November 4 in a mid-air helicopter collision over South Vietnam after three months there. Lawson’s wife was pregnant with their first child. Because of the combat accident, Lawson never met his son, CJ III. Earlier that year in March, President Lyndon Johnson had ordered America’s first combat troops to Da Nang in Central Vietnam. Lawson had received his assignment in July.

So Ken Staples, owner of Staples Barber Shop, brainstormed with local real estate agent Bill Gentry and engineer Jim Shisler. Lawson’s death was central Virginia’s first casualty of the war, but surely more would come, the trio thought. 

And in that moment, their idea was born: Build a memorial that showcased the spirit of sacrifice represented in residents like Lawson.

Sixty years later, this historic showcase endures. The 28 soldiers honored there represent a diverse snapshot of central Virginia life in the 1960s: young men born in the Charlottesville area, and those who arrived later because of a parent’s job or because they enrolled at the University of Virginia. The memorial is home to graduates of the all-Black Burley and Jefferson high schools, to students from the newly integrated Lane High School, and also to University of Virginia student-athletes and ROTC trainees. 

Their backgrounds vary, but the men are united in their fate and their purpose: They all died in Southeast Asia while serving the U.S., their lives cut short by war. Their absences were felt by family and friends who had hoped for their return. 

“What I always think,” says Peggy Wharam, Champ Lawson’s older sister, “they were so young. They really didn’t get to live their life. I thought, ‘Here we are, doing picnics and parties and having babies and building houses, and they missed it.’” 

Three days after the barbershop epiphany, Staples, Gentry, and Shisler met on a grassy knoll at the southeastern edge of McIntire Park. They agreed that this spot, dangling majestically over Route 250, would be the site of the memorial.

Then Shisler made the vision a reality. In short order, he convinced Charlottesville’s city manager to approve the plan, and construction on the memorial finished in January 1966. It became the first civic/public memorial in the U.S. dedicated to soldiers from the Vietnam War, built 16 years before the national memorial in Washington was christened.

The death of Vietnam soldier Champ Lawson inspired three locals to initiate plans for a memorial. Supplied photo.

The Vietnam War ended in 1975, but the importance of the memorial was just beginning. For the next six decades, it has become a site of healing for friends and family of the 28—like Wharam—as well as for veterans like Eades who seek a way to confront their war memories and to share war stories with family and friends.

For Wharam, healing from the loss of her brother Champ has taken time.

“I took all the pictures down,” she says. “I put everything away for maybe 10 years.”

She now visits the Dogwood Memorial often, especially on Wreaths Across America Day in December, when holiday wreaths are laid at more than 4,000 memorials and grave sites nationwide and abroad.

Cause of the soldier

One summer day in 1994, Shisler saw Eades mowing the grass around the memorial and invited him to share his story. After a period of soul-searching, he agreed to deliver the speech that began his healing.

For too long, American society deprived Vietnam War veterans of an outlet for their grief, for their pain, for their bewilderment over what exactly happened in Southeast Asia. The Vietnam veteran stereotype became that of a homeless, drug-addicted man, troubled and adrift. How do you rewrite the narrative and jolt people into understanding your plight, without sounding preachy or resentful? 

For Eades, he wants to change the narrative of the Vietnam soldier by sharing how veterans such as himself returned from the war to build their own businesses and contribute meaningfully to their communities. After his 13-month tour of duty, Eades used the GI Bill to earn a college degree in Miami. When he returned to Charlottesville, he bought a crane and started a steel company, studying construction management at Piedmont Virginia Community College as he expanded the business. His career in welding spanned 25 years and two companies, building churches, firehouses, and shopping centers.

Eades has dedicated himself fully to the cause of the soldier, volunteering for many veterans’ support groups. He has also examined his mind and soul for what he and his country did in Vietnam, and he’s reached some conclusions about the conflict in Southeast Asia and about war in general.

“Even a good day in Vietnam was pretty sickening,” Eades says. “War is ugly, and if I don’t get any other point across, I think that people in our country need to know that war is not a good solution. You think it’s going to be short, but it never turns out that way. People take war too lightly. The saving grace for this country right now is our veterans, because our veterans understand that. Nobody hates war more than a warrior.”

Eades also offered guidance on how to meaningfully support veterans, aside from the requisite “thank you” at a barbecue or at the grocery store.

“We thank the veterans, but we don’t ask them questions about how it was being away from their families,” he says. “The conversation ends often with, ‘Thank you.’ That should be where the conversation starts. You learn a lot more listening than you do talking.”

Eades’ wife Joan has done much listening, whether it’s when dishing food to veterans at American Legion meetings or during rides on the back of her husband’s motorcycle in the Dogwood Festival parade. She lived a block away from him growing up, on Forest Hills Avenue in the Fifeville neighborhood. He would often see her playing at Forest Hills Park. Fast forward to Eades’ return from Vietnam when he moved back in with his parents, and was soon pricked by cupid’s arrow. 

As Eades tells it, on their first date, he escorted Joan on one of his motorcycles. Joan was so scared by the experience that she refused to go out with him for the next three months. Eventually, the courtship commenced, and they danced at a local club called The Second Sizzle.

“She sizzled a lot, so I married her,” Eades says. “She changed my life. She gave me a reason to want to be a better person and to start caring again. When I came back, I knew I needed a balanced life. I knew I needed a relationship.”

Like her husband, Joan sees the need to continue to find ways to make Vietnam veterans feel welcome and appreciated in American life. In 2018, Charlottesville’s Dogwood Festival parade invited local Vietnam War veterans to march as honorary grand marshals. On that April day, Joan spoke to the honor’s symbolism. After all, Vietnam soldiers didn’t receive the same victory celebration that their fathers enjoyed after World War II. America didn’t “win” the Vietnam War like it decisively “won” the Second World War, if war stories should even be told using the frame of victories and defeats.

Bruce and Joan Eades continue to find ways to make Vietnam veterans feel welcome and appreciated in American life. Photo by Eze Amos.

“It is very important to have a welcome-home parade,” Joan says. “These men finally feel like they did something honorable for their country, and they’re just a very special breed of people who love their country, fought for their country, and they did what was asked of them.”

As the Eadeses continue to encourage individual and collective healing, Wharam’s mind turns to remembrance. Who will tell the stories?

“[Champ] told me one time, ‘I just want to do something to be remembered by,’” she says. “I just realize that in a couple generations, no one is going to know who he was.”

So long as the keeper of the stories— the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial—stands, the story of Lawson’s contribution, and many others like it, will endure.

A planned expansion

Image via Hill Studio.

The Dogwood Vietnam Memorial Foundation is currently planning a Brick Plaza Project to honor any veteran who served in the U.S. military at any time, in any place, and in any conflict. The funds from the project will go toward the memorial’s expansion costs.

To support the Brick Plaza Project, veterans and their families can buy a brick and inscribe messages that honor service and sacrifice, in keeping with the spirit that Staples, Gentry, and Shisler originally hoped to capture. The bricks will be featured on a new plaza that is part of the expansion and will include 26 additional biographical plaques honoring University of Virginia students who fought in Vietnam.

The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society will host a free discussion at 6pm November 14 at The Center at Belvedere to address the question, how does a community heal from war, especially one as divisive as the Vietnam War? Eades and other Dogwood Vietnam Memorial leaders will share their thoughts and continue their mission as local healers.

For more information on the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial and its expansion project, go to dogwoodvietnammemorial.org.