AND GEORGE
Beautiful by design
It’s one thing to go to a beautiful shop, with beautiful wares, and find something special. It’s a whole other thing to be completely transported into a whimsical, chic tapestry of inspiration. That’s what And George, the uniquely cultivated interior shop owned by mother/daughter team Jan Roden and Christy Ford, offers consumers the moment they walk in the door. Named after their beloved bulldog George, who recently passed away (may he rest in peace), the store’s items on offer include tailored upholstery, patina vessels, mercury glass vases, interesting botanical prints, and other one-of-a-kind finds. But it’s how they are all put together on display that sets this shop apart. These ladies are true interior artists, and it’s fun to just look around.
THE BARN SWALLOW
A piece of history
Over a decade ago, potters Janice Arone and Mary Ann Burk had a vision: Convert an old barn that dates back to the 1800s into a space where local artisans can sell their wares to the public. They named it The Barn Swallow, and today it represents over 75 craftspeople from the Virginia area. The stuff here is authentic and earthy, and there’s a lot to choose from, including Eastern-looking jewelry, Americana ceramics, painted furniture, and local foodstuffs like jarred honey and jams. It’s old-school Charlottesville at its best.
CAROMONT FARM
Cheese, please
For Gail Hobbs-Page, the 50-plus goats she cares for and makes cheese from are her babies. She founded Caromont farm over five years ago in the beautiful countryside of Esmont, Virginia. The fully working farm makes a variety of artisanal cheeses daily in both pasteurized and raw forms. Its chevre could literally make any dish better. And at her City Market stand, samples abound. Hobbs-Page wants you to love her cheese as much as she does. The company is growing, and hopes to sell its product nationally. Lucky for us, we can get it locally.
LOCAL ETSY STORES
You better shop around
Let it be said: Our little hamlet is a shopper’s paradise. And, what’s more, that experience extends far beyond a shopping center. On the Charlottesville section of Etsy (scroll down to “Shop Local” and enter your zip code), the online handmade and vintage marketplace, you can get a sense of just how far your purse strings could stretch.
Find contemporary furniture (right, creamstreetshop.etsy.com) and jewelry (elainebjewelry.etsy.com), vintage maps (plaindealing.etsy.com) and home goods (muracadesignshop.etsy.com), retro eyewear (dontuwant me.etsy.com) and costume jewels (lilblackdressvintage.etsy.com).
Of course, there’s much more than that (about 6,000 items total, in fact), but that’s the benefit of the Internet—you can browse all day without ever leaving the house.
TUEL JEWELERS
Timeless, traditional
There’s something comforting about a store that never changes. The owner, Mrs. Frances G. Loose (far left), began working at Tuel Jewelers in 1953, shortly after graduating high school, and now runs the shop with daughters Mrs. Mary Loose DeViney (right), and Mrs. Frieda Loose-Wagner. If that’s not charming enough for you, these well educated ladies know their stuff, each with a degree in gemology and holding the necessary diamond certificates that grace the walls of the space. Go here for beautiful, classic pieces, all of which are on display in the awesome, old-school windows that are fun to browse when you’re wandering the Downtown Mall. Recent finds include silver baby cups, ready to monogram; classic gold shell earrings; vintage diamond rings; and handsome men’s signet rings. Traditional in the absolute best sense of the word. And did we mention how cute these women are? In typical Southern fashion, you’ll leave with a great new necklace, and a new friend.
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