The Business of Solar: One Maker’s Revolution
By Deanna Geneva Lorianni When Richmond transplant Bert Green envisions the near future, he sees a world where harnessing the sun for energy is the norm. Where machines once reliant on coal and oil run solely with solar. Where we’re, in essence, going back to our civilization roots, relying on nature to help us create. […]
Making Something Memorable
By Sydney Page Lester On any given day in a sun-drenched studio in Manchester, Andrea Gleason is making something memorable. Step inside and you’ll find five to four women next to Gleason, all chatting and laughing while remaining intensely focused on the beautiful assortment of Swarovski crystals, beads, sequins, and pearls in front of them. […]
A Cut Above
A good barber is a storyteller – someone who appreciates tradition and good conversation. He’s straightforward, and, when you leave his chair, you always feel confident. George Monroe is a classic barber. He’s an interesting guy, with interesting stories. A native of Charlottesville, Monroe moved to Richmond in 1995 to study at Virginia Union University. […]
Technology Meets Craftsmanship
“We’ve got a lot going on these days,” a grinning Jeff Rock says as we stand in a bright, 2,000-square-foot single-room warehouse off North Hamilton Street. It’s here where Rock, co-founder of the city’s most prominent software development company, along with his father and colleagues at Mobelux, are trying their hands at creating high-quality handmade […]
Secret Richmond Business Builds Futuristic Antique Bikes
John Ryland has held in his possession, at one time or another, an oddball collection of various modes of transport – each with a different story. There was a classic Land Rover, a collection of old BMW motorcycles, a VW Scirocco, and a crazy French car that looked like a grasshopper. One in particular, a […]
Happy Tails
Good ol’ fashioned nature is a beautiful thing, bearing no boundaries and offering experiences that no man-made object could ever top. Being outside brings about a sense of freedom and excitement. Nobody or no being understands this more than our friend “the dog.” Some dogs are inside all day while their owners are working or […]
Hammer and Anvil
The art and tradition of good blacksmithing – shaping, pointing, bending, splitting, and joining. These are some of the topics you might hear discussed at the Central Virginia Blacksmith Guild. Forging metal to create everything from furniture and sculpture to light fixtures and tools, blacksmiths in our area represent the self-sufficiency and do-it-yourself nature of […]
An Instrument Built to Last
By Davy Jones Many would consider metal to be Richmond’s main musical export, but an instrument with a slightly more dulcet tone is bringing our city’s creativity and ingenuity to households all over the globe—the ukulele. From the Richmond office of Hohner, the storied German instrument manufacturing company, Leon Lewis heads up Lanikai, which has […]
A Town that Prints Together
Climbing into the driver’s seat of a bright-green steamroller, Ashley Hawkins starts the engine and engages the clutch. With a singlewide roll at the front, Hawkins moves the heavy equipment forward with a cheer from onlookers. This was the scene on September 13, 2013 as Hawkins hauled her first steamroller off the lot of Sunbelt […]
Art Happens Here
Change is constant at 2016 Staples Mill Road. It was once Colonial Grocery. Then it was a beauty school. And from there, a mixed-use building that peddled everything from mattresses to flooring. For the past 13 years, the property, however, has served one purpose: the home base for Crossroads Art Center, a growing clearinghouse for […]