This September, the City of Waynesboro’s Small Business Development initiative, Grow Waynesboro, will award $20,000 in grants for start-up businesses in Waynesboro. The awards will be announced at a celebration and presentation symposium, dubbed Pitch Night, on September 6, 2018 at 6:00pm at Shenandoah Valley Art Center’s 416 Gallery…
Invention and Play with PEV Labs
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…
Back to the Basics: brewing beer and sharing history with Basic City Beer Co.
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…
Forged in Fire: The craft and the wisdom of blacksmithing in Waynesboro
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…
Unambiguous Joy: Minh Martin talks craft and vocation in Waynesboro
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.…
Handmade Home with Make Waynesboro
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…
What Could You Grow Here?
Downtown Waynesboro is popping with questions, conversation, and new business ideas. Perhaps you’ve seen the storefronts — downtown buildings ask boldly and clearly What Could You Grow Here? Read how Grow Waynesboro has teamed up with property owners to make your search for the perfect downtown location easy and fast.
Feeling the Love with The Faded Poppy
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…
Old Dominion Hemp: a product with a past, a vision for the future
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…
The Art of Innovation with E-N Computers
Unexpected Beginnings The information technology field is full of unexpected beginnings, from Bill Gates dropping out of college to launch Microsoft, to Mark Zuckerberg inventing Facebook while living in the hallways of Harvard. Ian MacRae’s journey began in its own unexpected way, right here in the Valley, in a local…