The first pressing question upon arriving at PEV Labs in Waynesboro is obvious: Would you like to ride the Dork Pod? An inviting yet slightly terrifying brainchild of Brian Williford, the Dork Pod boasts a zero degree turning radius and one-thumb navigation controls. But it is only one of many…
Boom Town to Brewery Basic City once sat at the crossroads of two railroads and the coming industrial boom. Founded in 1890, the town experienced a three-year rally of manufacturing investments in the “basic” process of turning pig iron into steal. For its moment, prior to a national depression beginning…
Rockfish Gap is in the business of outfitting smiles on rivers, bicycles, and trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Chuck Walker is a 40-year veteran of the outdoor business, but he still insists that the joy and satisfaction of his customers is his number-one priority. “The people who shop here…
The Farmhaus on Main might be ringing in its one year anniversary this winter, but its roots and connections to Waynesboro run much deeper. “We knew we wanted to be a coffee shop that functioned as a gathering place,” says Bethany Mallory, who co-owns the business with her husband Aaron.…
On the first Friday of every month, an eclectic band of hammer wielders descend on the South River Complex in Waynesboro. They come from many corners – one man moved to Virginia from Texas for the certificate program in Artistic Blacksmithing, others hope to become historic reenactors, independent blacksmiths, industrial…
Chatting with the co-founders of Skylark Hammocks and Apparel is a bit like meeting with fraternal twins. High school friends, college roommates, and vocational peers who have both found their home in social work, Jonathan and Seth finish each other’s sentences, delight in each other’s company, and seem compelled to…
Huge north windows frame the glass-blowing furnace behind Minh Martin. It’s an overcast and rainy day, but he’s in shorts and a t-shirt as the cold air blows in from the open warehouse door. He’s intent on his work, and smiling. “Honestly, I can’t image a better life,” he says.…
Finding Home The pottery wheels weren’t the only thing spinning in Jake Johnson’s life. He’d been “always on the move,” from Illinois to Pennsylvania, from outdoor art fairs to new gallery placements. But several years ago, Jake and his wife Katie decided to make Waynesboro their home. Today, Make Waynesboro…
Grounded in Love, Growth Flourishes The story of The Faded Poppy reads like an unexpected love affair, perhaps not unfamiliar to the many brides and grooms who have walked down aisles bedecked in the business’s flowers. Asked to tell the story of its beginning, Jason Kite, who handles the logistics…
It All Began Here Standing in front of hundreds of bales of hemp, housed in a Waynesboro warehouse on a rainy winter day, it doesn’t take Marty Phipps long to arrive at his favorite Thomas Jefferson quote: “Hemp is the necessity for the wealth of our nation.” Growing up in…