Author Archives: Julie Markowitz

About Julie Markowitz

I am originally from Luray, Virginia, where my family owned and operated several small businesses, including Markowitz Appliances, still located in Downtown Luray and the Holiday Motor Lodge, formerly located ½ mile from the Luray Caverns. I have lived in Staunton since 1993. I came to Main Street in 2006 armed with 10 years experience in mall marketing and promotions, working for Simon Property Group in Harrisonburg at Valley Mall and at Charlottesville Fashion Square. Simon Property Group is the largest REIT and commercial developer in the United States with several overseas developments recently added to their portfolio. I have been fortunate to receive the kind of corporate education that a large company brings to the table. I have a degree in Music from Bridgewater College and feel very fortunate to be able to live, work and promote Downtown Staunton and the Shenandoah Valley.

H.E.S. Rugs Opens at 18 East Beverley Street

Leave a reply

Stop in and you could win one of three rugs!

October 13, 2011. Staunton, VA. – H.E.S. Rugs owned by Ghiyasunden Sadr is a feast for the eyes. Exotic patterns and color festoon the store with beautifully patterned new and antique rugs of all shapes and sizes.

Sadr offers carpets from Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. These pieces of art have tribal designs in a variety or patterns and colors. He has accent pieces for the home with door hangings that were actually used on tents in Afghanistan; tent bands that can serve as a border trim for rooms or ceilings and pillow covers. He also has fringed saddle covers, saddle bags with trims and pockets. These pieces are great for wall hangings, table or chair covers or handbags.

H.E.S. Rugs is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 to 6, Fridays and Saturdays from 10-9 and Sundays by appointment. It is closed on Mondays and Thursdays. Call them at 571-528-2711.

As a special introductory offer, Sadr is giving away three oriental rugs, pictured below. Visit H.E.S. Rugs now through Saturday, December 17 and register to WIN! Winners will be announced from Noon to 2. You need not be present to win. Winners will be notified by phone. One entry per person, please.

American Beauty Salon Opens at 125 South Augusta Street

Leave a reply

April 12, 2011. Staunton, VA. – American Beauty, founded in 2010 by Sarah Stuart, is located inside the beautifully renovated American Hotel building in historic downtown Staunton, Virginia. You can find them on the first floor, Suite 1000, overlooking the Staunton Train Station. With a convenient parking deck on the side of the building they are easy to access, yet set off the beaten path just enough to provide you with peacefulness and privacy while enjoying their services.

“Our purpose at American Beauty is to consistently offer quality hair services in a fun and professional atmosphere. With the high level of training and experience of each stylist you can be sure that your time with us will be enjoyable and worthwhile. We build relationships with our clients and we will do that with you.” says Sarah Stuart. “For years to come you will relax and enjoy your appointments, fully knowing that we understand your hair type and texture, face shape and skin tone, likes and dislikes, as well as your own individual personality.”

American Beauty offers you the latest look while customizing it to your individual needs. Even as the years go by your cut and style will always be up to date with the latest fashion!

SARAH STUART

I have been a licensed stylist for over 12 years and have trained under some of the top national and international educators. Classes have included Advanced Precision Haircutting at Redken 5th Avenue in New York City and Advanced Coloring Techniques in Las Vegas. My specialties include advanced coloring, precision haircutting, textured haircutting with razor, styling, and male haircutting.

JANET HUFF

Originally from the west coast, my style tends toward casual classic looks. Over the past 30 years I’ve enjoyed continuing education from Videl Sasson, Sebastian, Sorbee, and Redken, just to name a few. I also enjoy the people who cross my path and still love making people beautiful. Hope to see you at American Beauty!

American Beauty Salon is open Tuesday through Saturday by appointment only at 125 S. Augusta Street in the American Hotel. To find out more or schedule an appointment call 540-849-6110 or visit them online at www.americanbeautysalon.biz

“Queen City, Green City” Activities Announced

Leave a reply

Saturday, April 16, 9am-Noon
Sunspots’ Parking Lot
(Rain Location: Sunspots’ 2nd Floor)

Staunton will be showing their green for the week leading up to Earth Day. The schedule of events is collaboration between many local conservation, preservation, and non-profit organizations from around the area, representing different aspects of environmental awareness. A full schedule of area events and updated information is available at www.facebook.com/earthdaystaunton and www.earthdaystaunton.org

The Earth Day celebration Downtown is scheduled for Saturday, April 16 from 9 am to Noon at the Sunspots parking lot, near the Farmer’s Market. There will also be an EcoRaffle for green prizes and gift certificates. Tickets are $1 each or five for $3. Winners will be announced throughout the event. You do not have to be present to win.

“Touch a crayfish, see an owl, or hold a bear skull at Earth Day Staunton. Hands-on activities are the focus of this celebration of everything Green in and around Staunton,” says Caroline Sheridan of Sunspots Studios. “This FREE, family-friendly celebration of Earth Day includes live music, wildlife programs, and displays by state and local groups.”

2011 Exhibitors and Activities, April 16

• Headwaters Soil & Water Conservation Districts: Compost give away, “Code Blue” Water Pollution Demonstration, Solar Gadgets, Plastic Water Bottle Ban model
• VA Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries: Live Native Fishes Tank
• Conservation Services, LLC: Tree Seedling Give-away
• Mary Baldwin College “Green Team”
• City of Staunton Service Authority: Utility scoping truck
• Staunton Green 2020
• Augusta Bird Club
• Nature Camp
• Master Naturalists
• Potomac Appalachian Trail Club/Southern Shenandoah Chapter
• VA Dept. of Forestry: White Pine sapling giveaway,Smoky the Bear items
• Valley Conservation Council
• Wild Virginia (Nat’l Forest Advocacy)
• Master Gardeners/Native Gardening: “Plant Doctor”, Seed Planting
• Lewis Creek Watershed Advisory Committee
• Wildlife Center of Virginia: Live animal presentations
• Valley Feed: Rain Barrel watering systems
• VA Native Plant Society: Native Plant Sale
• Friends of Shenandoah Mountain
• Friends of Middle River: Enviroscapes/Watershed Models, MacroInvertebrate touch tank
• Sacred Circle
• Shenandoah Valley Energy Partnership
• Beverley Street Studio School: Earth In The Balance 3-D Earth Exhibit
• Virginia Wilderness Committee
• Virginia Eagle Distributors: Recycling
• C’ville Abode
• Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers: Observation Bee Hive
• Free Range Electric, LLC *The Electric Tractor Store*
• Obaugh Ford, Hybrid Car

Sunspots Stage Performance Schedule, April 16

9:30am Wildlife Center of Virginia
10:15am Puppet Pandemonium ~ Augusta County Library
10:45am Lewis Creek Watershed Hero Awards Presentations ~ Jeff Ishee
11:00am Skylark
11:30am Wildlife Center of Virginia

Earth Day Staunton has expanded to include other events throughout the week and around the area including;

VA Wild Film Festival
Thursday, April 14
7pm at the Visulite (12 N. Augusta St)

Description: The Wild and Scenic Film Festival brings together a selection of award winning films that tell a story about our planet, our beautiful and precious wildlands, and the people of the communities who love and defend them. The festival is a call to action. The stories give us a sense of place and what it means to be responsible stewards of the earth. Tickets are $10 per person for the entire evening. Visit www.wildvirginia.org for more information

Earth Day Staunton
Saturday, April 16 ● 9 am to Noon
Sunspots Parking Lot

There will be an Earth Day celebration in the Sunspots Parking lot, across from the Farmer’s Market. Earth-friendly organizations will have booths and conduct interactive learning and awareness displays. Enjoy kid-oriented activities, live native wildlife shows, a 3-D “Planet Earth” art demonstration, a raffle, face painting, live music, native plant sale, and more. Admission is free. In the event of rain, Earth Day Staunton will be in the second floor of Sunspots Studios. For more information, call Sunspots (540) 885-0678, or visit www.earthdaystaunton.org, or the Earth Day Staunton Facebook page.

Beverley Street School “Earth In The Balance”
Saturday, April 16 ● 9 am to Noon
In the Wharf, at the Earth Day Staunton Event ~ Bring Your Camera! Watch as artists from the Beverley Street Studio School unveil a gigantic image of Earth as seen from outer space. This painting, 13 feet wide by 30 feet long, depicts our planet at its most beautiful: a serene blue marble, brilliantly lit by the sun and floating in a black void.

It is painted in an anamorphic style creating an optical illusion. Viewers may pose in front of it and “spin” the earth on their finger tips. It’s a painting trick, an Earth Day treat, and a new look at an old planet for the whole family.

Augusta Bird Club Bird House Build & Spirit Heart Flute & Drum Circle
Sunday, April 17 • 1 pm to 3 pm
Cannon Hill at Mary Baldwin College, while supplies last.

• 1 – 1:30 PM — Blue Bird Nesting Box Decoration
• 1:30 – 2 PM — Drum Circle
• 2 – 2:30 PM — Exotic Bird Kite Construction
• 2:30 – 3 PM — Blue Bird Box Installation

A History of the Early 20th Century Coal Gas Clean-Up with Bob Ennis of Columbia Gas
Tuesday, April 19 • 7 pm
Staunton Public Library
Learn about the history of the clean-up efforts by Columbia Gas to remediate the site at Route 11 and Coalter Street. The effort, supervised by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, resulted in cleaner soil and decontamination of Lewis Creek.

Local Motion Film Series: Vanishing of the Bees
Thursday, April 21
7pm at the Mockingbird (123 W. Beverley St.)

Description: Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers as they strived to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the US. Filmed across the US, and the world, the film examines the disappearance of honeybees and the meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and earth.

Special Recycling Collection Event for Household Only
Saturday, April 23 • 9AM to Noon
Gypsy Hill Park – Large parking lot next to the football field.

A special collection of recycling of materials not normally collected by the City will take place at Gypsy Hill Park on Saturday, April 23 from 9 am to Noon. Residents will have the opportunity to recycle various nuisance items such as old tires, electronics and scrap metal. The collections are for households only. For more information contact Tom Yeago at 886-2634

Collections sponsored by Staunton Clean City Committee, Goodwill, Rose Time Scrap & Recycling (formerly Staunton Metal Recycling).

Earth Day Staunton sponsored by:

Sunspots
Virginia Eagle
Mary Baldwin College
Paul Obaugh Ford
Cooper Conservation Advisors
C’Ville Abode
My 95.5
Friends of Shenandoah Mountain
Staunton Downtown Development Association

More Buy Local Tips from Barbara Wold International

Leave a reply

GIVE YOUR COMMUNITY A REASON TO SHOP LOCAL! Transform your community into a retail destination, draw traffic and encourage sales.

NOTE: If your merchants are not moving forward, it means they’re standing still, and that is not a healthy competitive position.

Let’s aim to improve the economic health of your neighborhoods, your localities and your shopping corridors.

Shopping local creates jobs. Shops in your town create local employment and self-employment. These people in turn spend in the local economy.
Local independent shops invest more in your communities. Local businesses are proportionally more generous in their support of local charities, schools, and community events. So supporting local shops means a financial contribution to your community.
Local shops sell great products at affordable prices. Some people get out of the habit of shopping locally and are then surprised by the range of products available.
Shopping locally saves you time and money. You travel less, saving on time and fuel.
Shopping locally retains your communities. People don’t like losing shops and services in small towns but don’t equate this with how they spend their money.
Shopping locally retains your distinctiveness. Independent shops create distinctive shopping experiences and stock different products. Local businesses respond more quickly to the needs of local customers, stocking products to meet changing population needs.
Shopping locally saves the environment. Local shops often stock a high percentage of locally sourced goods that do not require long-distance transportation, helping to reduce our global footprint.
Local shops are for everyone. Most people can get to their local shops easily. This is especially important for the elderly, young people and others who rely on public transportation.
Local shops value you more. Evidence from numerous surveys show people receive better customer care and service locally. These businesses survive by their reputation and repeat business, which means you get a higher standard of service.
Shopping local saves services. Private and public sector services cluster around shops. As shops disappear so do hairdressers, banks, restaurants and other businesses.

Consumers can pledge to Think, Shop, Buy, Local and commit to patronizing businesses near where they live and work. Local stores employ your neighbors, pay taxes that support your schools and improve your roads, and contribute to local non-profit groups.

Together we can strengthen relationships that improve our quality of life. So next time before you make a purchase, Think, Shop, Buy, Local.

Barbara Wold bwold@ix.netcom.com 949.675.8845

Queen City Consignment Opens at 126 West Beverley Street

Leave a reply

February 21, 2011. Staunton, VA. – It’s all about being green! Queen City Consignment (QCC) helps you reduce, reuse and recycle.“My dream was to open a business that would help support my family but at the same time help others,” says Vicki York., “ How? By providing sellers a consignment locality to make some extra dollars and providing buyers the opportunity to purchase quality merchandise at a fraction of the cost and to have FUN doing it, all while encouraging our community to become more environmentally conscious.”

Where does Queen City Consignment get quality merchandise? From people just like you! Maybe you have recently changed your decor style, or maybe your closet is taking over your room, or maybe you could just use a little extra green. It’s time to clear out your gently-used, good clothes and your decorative items and bring them to Queen City Consignment, where “I Second That”, says Vicki. QCC is here to help you clean out, make money, save money and reduce, reuse & recycle!

Vicki has provided some ideas to inspire you in the list below.
~ Clean, Quality, Gently Used Clothing
~ Accessories
~ Maternity Wear
~ Decorative Household Items
~ Furniture
~ Vintage and Antique Items
~ Artisan and Handmade Items
~ More…

QCC wants to be partners in helping our community and our environment. For more information give them a call at 540-849-9516, email Vicki York at Vicki@shopqcc.com or visit them online at www.shopqcc.com QCC will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 P.M.

Five Ways to Boost Buy Local–Add Yours

Leave a reply

Think that Buy Local messaging isn’t getting through? Think again. The most recent national survey from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance indicates it is. Last year independent businesses with Buy Independent/Buy Local campaigns reported more than 2.5 times the gains of independent businesses without them. That’s the strongest increase since the survey began four years ago.

Jeff Milchen offers Five Ways to Help Your Community Go Local, including:

Start with the big stuff–banking, energy consumption, groceries.
Find out where local agencies are buying and write a letter or attend meetings to ask them to increase their local sourcing.
Ask the organizations you support–civic groups, clubs, charities, churches–where they purchase their goods and encourage them to use local businesses.
Support pro-local business alliances (like the SDDA!).
Recognize your role as a citizen. What you do and encourage others to do can make a huge difference.

Got other ideas for increasing Staunton’s Buy Local spirit? Add them here.

2010 in Review: Input, Response, Evaluation

Leave a reply

2010 has been a year of more change and review for the SDDA. We are fortunate to have so many willing volunteers, business owners, City employees and a supportive City Council willing to lend a hand in helping us achieve our goals. The sluggish economy and budget cuts (for everyone) have made our jobs much more challenging. We are working harder than ever to keep our projects fresh ,constantly reviewing them for appropriateness and effectiveness without much wiggle room for error. It’s an exciting process and very rewarding; after all “necessity is the mother of invention.”

This year we asked our stakeholders to participate in a survey managed by Virginia Main Street experts. The idea was to get feedback from the SDDA customers (property owners, business owners, the community, the City government), examine and respond to the data and ultimately create a Five-Year Vision at a Board Retreat. The retreat was held in August and going forward, we will use that document as a reference for creating our work plan and setting goals. It is important to know if we are on the right track and make sure that we are moving in the right direction to serve downtown.

This proactive exercise provided insightful information. Overall, we received a 89.9% approval rating – something we are very proud of.

Let me offer an example. We found out that the vacant spaces on Beverly Street were deeply affecting the morale in the community so we planned “Minds Wide Open: Women in the Arts” an exhibit that filled empty storefronts and featured displays from local arts organizations depicting the role of women. The exhibit stayed up through June and July and filled Beverley Street with color and life and greeted thousands of tourists as we hosted Bike VA and A Taste of Jazz, the French American Gospel Choir and the Morgan Car Club. The community loved it and it was probably one of the most popular events we’ve ever planned.

The survey did not provide too many surprises. We were already aware of several needed improvements. The stakeholders offered some criticism about our newsletter and the website. This year, we’ve rebranded the news letter and the new website will launch this month. That is another exciting work of art, nurtured through the process by Karen Lawrence who has the patience and the technical skills to turn the vision into reality.

That’s the process: input, response and evaluation. We just keep repeating it until we get it right. We’re always changing and evolving. Sometimes we get the opportunity to be proactive, sometimes we have to be reactive. The key ingredient is communication, and that seems to be one our biggest challenges, as well. We held a Round Table about communication to determine if there was a more efficient way to communicate. Inspiring the community to respond, participate or even give us their opinion which is paramount to our growth and success. Like this blog, for instance. We’ve sent an open invitation to our community to write a couple of paragraphs with their thoughts ideas, concerns, criticism – whatever. The offer is still open.

We are excited about the coming year. We are hoping for a year of recovery. It is encouraging that we had a more profitable holiday season. We tried to make it fun and interesting for the community and easy for the businesses. We appreciate everyone who supports Downtown and we look forward to seeing and hearing from all of you in the coming year.

Recipe for Main Street Success

Leave a reply

Take a city with beautiful abandoned buildings, vacancies and blight, add a pinch of social consciousness, passionate community preservationists and historians, fold in a supportive City Council and Government and blend with a healthy portion of Virginia Main Street. Mix and bake for about 20 years and you’ve cooked up Downtown Staunton, Virginia.

Evolution of a Main Street

The evolution of our downtown from a once neglected business area back to a more vibrant,sustainable central business district is a story of passionate historic restoration and steady progression through attention-getting activities toward carefully planned economic restructuring programs. Here is a visual walk-through of how Staunton has evolved under the Main Street model of downtown revitalization.

Please join us for an ongoing conversation about our successes and failures! Help us discover new ways to continue to grow the crown jewel of Virginia’s Queen City—our historic downtown– into a thriving, sustainable place to work, live, and share with friends, family and visitors. Add your voice to this process!