It is always satisfying to reflect on the amazing growth of our start-up businesses. They are reporting new jobs, significant buildouts, and a growing impact on the local economy. We are proud to release updates on the progress and accomplishments of some of our Grow Waynesboro entrepreneurs:

Blue Ridge Children’s Museum, Pyramid: Appalachian Magick + Remedy, and LoStro Entertainment were all part of a cohort of 2018 businesses that were vetted through a panel of local judges.  Applicants then took part in an eight-week business planning class walking them through the process of developing their concepts and a business plan. The business plans were then reviewed by judges and narrowed down to a group of eight finalists.

Blue Ridge Children’s Museum

The Blue Ridge Children’s Museum was awarded a $10,000 matching grant which is being leveraged to raise an equal amount in donations, allowing the museum to transition from their Museum Without Walls program into a downtown bricks and mortar.  In 2021, the Museum created a Natural Playground at their future home, just off the South River Greenway.

Pyramid: Appalachian Magick + Remedy

Pyramid: Appalachian Magick + Remedy, was awarded $6,000 as is the area’s first new age store featuring hand-crafted skin care products by owner, Anh Stanley.

LoStro Entertainment

LoStro Entertainment is a professional entertainment company booking gigs for local musical acts.  LoStro was awarded a $2,000 in the 2018 Grow Waynesboro business competition.

Ula Tortilla, Make Waynesboro, and the Faded Poppy were all part of a cohort of 2016 businesses that were vetted through a panel of local judges. While two-dozen entrepreneurs proposed ideas and received access to business training opportunities, these three businesses collectively received more than $21,000 in start-up grant awards. Looking back, their growth has been swift, and the entrepreneurs behind their successes continue to look to 2017 as year of progress and development:

Ula Tortilla

Ula Tortilla’s founders, Stephanie and James, report that they searched far and wide for the perfect tortilla before founding Ula Tortilla. Today, they make local tortillas using organic, non-GMO corn and an ancient process called nixtamalization to produce more nutritious and flavorful products.

Ula Tortilla directed the majority of their Grow Waynesboro grant funds to complete a build-out at the Mill at South River, utilizing Waynesboro’s strong heritage of manufacturing and open-floor industrial space for their value-added food processing techniques. In addition to opening their doors and beginning to process, package, and distribute in Waynesboro, they received a 2016 Virginia Living Award for one of the best “Made in Virginia” products in the food category.

 

Make Waynesboro

Make Waynesboro has joined Ula Tortilla at the Mill at South River, likewise utilizing historic manufacturing space to fuel a renaissance in local light- and artisan-manufacturing. Specializing in pottery and ceramics, they are installing kilns, pottery wheels, a clay trap, and a classroom studio.

In addition to coordinating with clay artists in the region to teach classes, its owner Jake Johnson has also partnered with the Shenandoah Valley Art Center to obtain retail space for Make Waynesboro products, demonstrating the power of entrepreneurial collaboration in growing and sustaining vibrant local economies. Like Ula, Make Waynesboro won a 2016 Virginia Living “Made in Virginia” award, this time as the category winner in Design. They also won the first-place award for pottery in the Shenandoah Valley Art Center’s Fall Foliage Festival Art Show.

 

 The Faded Poppy

The Faded Poppy supplies flowers, planning, and day-of coordination services to weddings around the region. In 2016, they celebrated their own big day when they opened their new storefront in the 220 Rosser Ave studios.

The Faded Poppy has been featured on wedding blogs including Style Me Pretty, Glamour & Grace, Chic Vintage Bride, Virginia Bride Magazine, and more. They received the Virginia Living award for the Best Event Planner of 2016, along with the Couple’s Choice Award from Wedding Wire for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

The diversity, success, and public acclaim of our entrepreneurs is both exciting and promising. Their track record demonstrates how efforts to find, fund, cultivate, and grow the impacts of local entrepreneurs can be successful. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to them, and look forward to continued energy as we all work to Grow the Waynesboro economy.