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Dec 10, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Madeline Mayhood |Mindy Kinsey |Taylor Pilkington
To Ed and Anna Shore, founders of Solstice Farm Brewery in Catawba, their brewing post nestled in the Roanoke Valley amid scenic peaks and woodlands is more than a spot for drink; it’s a community organization. “I call it an indigenous brewery,” Anna says.
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Aug 25, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Madeline Mayhood |Hope Cartwright |Taylor Pilkington
Kudzu was introduced in the U.S. in the 1940s, specifically for erosion control. Unfortunately, that was a huge bust, and this aggressive vine has become the scourge of much of the American South, invading open spaces and woodlands with lightning speed. No wonder its nickname is “foot-a-night” vine. While our relationship with this bionic creeper is thorny, it’s been used in Asian kitchens for centuries. Its roots, leaves, and flowers are edible, giving it some redeeming qualities.
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Jul 22, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Madeline Mayhood |Dawn Klavon |Taylor Pilkington |Konstantin Rega
The Community Resilience Innovation Challenge is targeting entrepreneurs to solve one of Hampton Roads’ most pressing problems: protecting its residents from flooding and rising sea levels. An initiative from Hampton Roads RISE Resilience Innovations and LISC Hampton Roads (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), the project’s goal is to fortify coastal communities by addressing core environmental concerns of the area, according to LISC executive director Jay Grant.
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Jul 11, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Madeline Mayhood |Dawn Klavon |Taylor Pilkington |George Tisdale
Owning a home is the quintessential American dream. And while it may seem like a no-brainer to take the plunge into home ownership once it’s financially feasible, the decision to buy versus rent warrants careful consideration. Renting: It offers flexibility and lower initial costs, as maintenance is typically covered and leases provide an easy exit strategy. A 2023 analysis from Realtor.com also revealed that renting is cheaper than owning in 45 of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas.
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Jul 10, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Stephanie Ganz |Madeline Mayhood |Taylor Pilkington |Margaret Wadsworth
Hoping to level-up your next charcuterie board? Look no further: Smoke in Chimneys’ farm-fresh trout dip brings an unparalleled blitz of savory, Shenandoah Valley flavor. Husband-and-wife owners Ty and Shannon Walker handcraft the small-batch, warm season offering on a restored, century-old Newcastle trout hatchery. Fish are raised the old-fashioned way in a complex of streams and ponds filled with water from one of the state’s most pristine and nutrient-rich limestone springs.
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Jul 9, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Stephanie Ganz |Madeline Mayhood |Ashley Hunter |Taylor Pilkington
When owner-artist Barbara Buhr announced plans to open an art gallery and café in a 5,000-person rural mountain county, residents thought she’d gone nutty. “Sometimes I think it’s amazing I’ve managed to maintain a business in such a remote [area] and support myself in this community,” says Buhr. But 30 years later, “here I am.”How’d she do it? A knack for attracting renowned artists and a location just five miles from the historic Omni Homestead Resort is crucial.
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Jun 29, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Taylor Pilkington |Heather Bien |Ashley Hunter
Some say you should never go into business with your best friend, but for owners of Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint Mike Sabin and Aaron Ludwig, it’s been a key part of their success.
Mike Sabin and Aaron LudwigPhotos by Fred + Elliott
Growing up in Alexandria, Aaron Ludwig and Mike Sabin were already laying the groundwork for Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint, even if they didn’t know it.
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Jul 5, 2023 | 
virginialiving.com | Dawn Klavon |Martha Steger |Taylor Pilkington |Heidi Speece
Local flowers are closer than you think. Here’s a sampling of farms statewide.
Flowers are a blooming business here in Virginia, where local flower farms have proliferated by 80 percent over the past 20 years. Some call this bloom-boom the “slow flower” movement—a play on “slow food’s” know-your-farmer approach to eating. Others use the term “farm-to-vase” or “seed-to-centerpiece.” Either way, locally grown flowers are a growing field, pun intended.
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Jun 5, 2023 | 
richmondmagazine.com | Taylor Pilkington
This article has been edited since it first appeared in print.
Three cards look up at me from the table: the empress, crowned with stars and raising a gold scepter; the knight of cups, astride a white horse, a winged helmet on his head and golden chalice in his hands; and the king of pentacles, wearing garments patterned heavily with grapevines, his throne carved with bull heads.
This is my first tarot reading. The cards are speaking to me.
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Apr 18, 2023 | 
virginialiving.com | Taylor Pilkington
Virginia Beach's "off-season" beckons.
I‘m at the Virginia Beach Art Center, walking around a giant silver hand making the chef’s kiss gesture. The sculpture, titled Hand, stands near a box of magnifying glasses. They’re for reading the tiny text on a technicolor paper mosaic of a giant eye. The exhibition showcases area artists, and like a mid-winter trip to “The Beach,” it’s full of surprises.
