ARTICLE ALYSHA SIDEMAN | PAINTINGS BY CAROL WAITE
ARLINGTON PAINTER
INTERPRETS LIFE THROUGH ANCIENT
SUMI-E ART
BOLD STROKES OF QUIET CONTEMPLATION: ORIENTAL BRUSH PAINTING TRANSFORMS AN ORGANIC STEW OF SOOT AND SLATE INTO A FINE INK THAT BALANCES WATERCOLOR PIECES.
CAROL WAITE WAKES UP IN HER ARLINGTON HOME AND QUIETLY CONTEMPLATES THE DAY AHEAD. Her dreams were filled with an euphony of nature scenes and enchanting life moments.
Some of those dreams may be interpreted into bold art -- using the traditional process of Sumi-e or Oriental Brush painting -- even as she opens herself up to new muses.
The painter heads downstairs to eat her cereal and drink her coffee. After reading most of the morning newspaper, her day begins to shape up into something highly unusual. Something most people don’t experience. Waite walks out of the door and embraces the day in hot pursuit of new inspirations.
As an award-winning artist, she is extremely prolific, often showing her paintings at several exhibitions at same time, while continuing to work in one of her several studios. As a successful artist it’s vital she remains connected to her creative spirit. In addition, she accepts commissions for a particular need in someone's home, though mostly she sells to individual collectors.
Sometimes "embracing the day" begins with tennis in the morning, a museum visit or a walk in the park.
Inspiration-bound, she often finds the day’s muse shortly after getting “out-of-doors,” she says.
In fact, that’s what Sumi-e is all about-- capturing what is outside and what is natural. If you understand Waite’s love of the outdoors, it will be obvious why she was drawn to the Sumi-e way of painting, which is geared toward interpreting various aspects of nature and life in art.
“My inspiration is always nature,” she says. It is a passion that began when she attended Girl Scout camp as a child. Then, it evolved when she began visiting National Parks.
Photography also serves as a constant companion when she’s in need of a creative pick-me-up.
“I have taken many pictures in my travels, plus I peruse the wonderful images in National Wildlife magazine, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and others, and take inspiration from them. The beauty and peacefulness of nature make me happy,” says Waite.
Although Sumi-e depicts lifelike images like flowers, animals and landscapes it evolved from ancient Chinese calligraphy which used sumi ink and rice paper. Chinese characters generally depicted "pictures" in their writing, similar to the Egyptians.
Sumi-e translated means “oriental brush painting.” The process entails preparing “sumi” or organic ink. It is made from the soot left from burning a mulberry or cattail plant. Waite takes the black caked solid -- created when combining the soot with glue from a deer horn -- and rubs it on a piece of slate with water. This makes the ink (sumi) that is applied by brush onto rice or cotton paper mostly. It can also be applied to silk. Waite uses both the ink and watercolors for her pieces. The “e” in sumi-e means “painting” in Japanese.
She loads her brush with different shades of sumi, depending upon how much water was added during slate grinding. A brush loaded with either sumi or watercolors gives a shaded or multi-color effect. The process deems it be administered in one stroke of the brush and “executed without hesitation.”
“Bold brush strokes are important in this style of painting, showing strength to the images,” she says. The bold strokes offer an enchanting contrast to her love of painting “flowers and birds, and anything to do with the sea,” she adds.
Although Waite majored in fine arts/oil painting in college at George Washington University, it wasn’t until years later that she discovered Sumi-e in a class at the Torpedo Factory. She
immediately fell in love. It also brought her back to her heritage of growing up in Japan.
“Also,oneworksveryfastonricepaper,andIhavelittlepatience, so it suits me well, in addition to my love of nature,” she says.
Besides looking to nature to jazz her up, when the painter heads to a studio to work, she can choose between her private studio, the Arlington Artists Alliance Gallery Underground or Gallery Clarendon.
Waite said she prefers her space at The Red Studio in Crystal City. “It is an inspiration working alongside the artists there,” she says. "I often feed off their energy."
Her workspace contains two big tables which she covers with felt or an old army blanket, which is needed when painting on rice paper.
“I do not use an easel, one paints [sumi-e] flat using rice paper. I also have several sets of shelves where I store framed works, and portfolios holding unframed pieces. In addition, I have a small cabinet and containers holding my paints, brushes, mixing bowls, framing supplies, and other equipment,” she adds.
Since Jan. 2020 her paintings have been showcased at Gallery Underground in Crystal City, Portabellos Restaurant, Virginia Hospital Board Room, Arlington County Judicial Chambers, Arlington Free Clinic, and Brush Strokes Gallery in Fredericksburg. In Dec. 2019, she was honored as an artist of the month at the Arlington Artists Alliance.
The highest compliment to an artist in Japan is to say he paints with his soul.
Waite’s brush indeed follows the dictate of her spirit.
For more information, carolwaitepaintings.com
IN LESS THAN THREE HOURS, YOU’RE IN ANOTHER WORLD
LOVE IS IN THE AIR AT MOUNTAIN RETREAT
ARTICLE ALYSHA SIDEMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY WINTERGREEN RESORT
Blue Ridge Mountain view from Wintergreen
Wintertime Mountain
WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I WANT A RESPITE FROM ARLINGTON’S URBAN BUSTLE, WE HOP ON INTERSTATE 66 AND HEAD FOR THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS. On the way, we pass an increasingly rural blur of strip malls, antique shops and wineries, transitioning from highways to John Denver-approved country roads. Roughly three hours later, the violet outline of the Blue Ridge Mountains appears. In the last minutes of the trip to Wintergreen Resort and Spa, we see cows grazing in the fields. A majestic mountain range comes into full view, then disappears briefly as we move closer to our destination.
Eventually, we head up a swirling two-lane mountain road and drive seemingly vertically for 15 minutes until we reach our getaway in the sky. Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Wintergreen is a rustic oasis at a 3,850-foot elevation near the Appalachian Trail. Wintergreen’s Mountain Village is located on two mountains – Devils Knob and Black Rock Mountain.
After checking in at the front desk, we drive to our condo, which seems to float in the heavens, offering a magical view of the clouds and mountaintops at eye level and the valley below.
Wintergreen provides 30 villa-style condominiums and rental homes -- from studios to seven-bedroom residences-- each with a fully equipped kitchen and living area. Most have fireplaces and a balcony or deck. Like a hotel, the resort provides the basic in-room amenities--daily clean towels, extra blankets, shampoo, soap, paper towels and coffee maker.
But if you don't do your homework you could be facing a parking lot. So be strategic about reservations. The resort website and its reservations desk are both helpful resources in finding you a room with a view. Check out the live cams on the website.
As a four-season resort, the valley view varies depending on when you visit. Trees are lush and green in spring and summer; orange and red in the fall, and frosted white in winter. No matter what the time of year, the lights twinkling in the valley seem so far away.
Skiing is big at Wintergreen. I'm told that mastering the slopes is an accomplishment. If you're game, the resort is holding a ski-chair speed dating event on Valentine's Day. "The Powder of Love" event will be held at The Blue Ridge Express ski lift. Single resort guests will be paired up to ride the ski lift together while discussing topics on a "conversation starter" card. Love connections can ski together for the rest of the afternoon. The resort’s fine dining restaurants and spa will offer Valentine’s Day specials for couples.
The natural beauty coupled with the resort’s amenities make it easy to enjoy some free time with the one you love. The mountaintop, where the front desk and living units are located, has three restaurants, a bar with live music, boutique shopping, a coffee shop, tennis center, golf course and nature center that offers guided hiking tours and 30 miles of guided trails.
A luxurious health spa has the latest beauty and relaxation treatments tailored to the season. This month is the debut of warm stone and peppermint-rosemary body treatments, warm rose oil exfoliations and winter
fig manicures and pedicures. There’s a fitness center with indoor and outdoor pool, saunas, whirlpools, and an activity center that offers wall climbing, tubing, archery and zip lining. It also hosts children’s activities. Excursions like waterfall hikes, early-morning bird watching and s'mores bonfires are guest favorites.
While you can stay on the mountain for weeks and not want for anything, the resort offers more down in the valley, including additional tennis courts, another swimming pool and a golf course with a restaurant that offers great mountain views.
Also nestled in the foothills is Lake Monocan, a hidden wooded enclave that’s great for swimming, sun bathing, water biking and kayaking. Bike trails surround the lake so I never forget to bring a pair of sneakers and shorts to throw over my bathing suit in case a ride is in order. On your way back up the mountain, sunburned and hungry, you'll drive past a grocery store and a dollar store where you can rent Redbox DVDs for later.
The resort is located in Nelson County, a hive of breweries, cider bars and wineries. There’s also a budding artist community that features galleries and craft fairs. Scenic Skyline Drive, a 105-mi scenic road through Shenandoah National Park, is five minutes from the resort.
All the amenities can make you forget that Wintergreen is also home to wildlife but then some things make you instantly remember. Several years ago, my husband had an exhilarating encounter with a female black bear when he walked just feet from our condo to get something in the car. As he turned to open the car door, the bear, sitting in the garden in front of our unit, grunted. The fact that she had her cub up a nearby tree made the situation even more dire. Mother bears will fight to the death to protect their young.
My husband backed away and then walked briskly down the path to our condo, then blurted, “Well that was an adrenaline rush!”
Not to worry though. In the nearly 20 years we have vacationed here, that was our only bear sighting. To my chagrin.
In the evening, we curl up on cushy couches and watch the Redbox rental. On the other side of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and sliding doors is the dark wilderness. I like to keep the shades open at night. The star-lit sky and valley lights are mystical. The other-worldliness makes you feel you could be anywhere exotic.
My husband and I have been coming to the resort and staying in the same condo, high on the mountaintop, for nearly two decades. It was the location of our first trip as a couple back in 2001. It's like a second home. We hope you make memories there too.
FUN FACTS
+ In 1997 and 1998, President Bill Clinton visited Wintergreen when the resort hosted two years of the U.S. House Democratic Caucus in the Commonwealth Ballroom. Vice President Al Gore also visited the event in 1998.
+ During the Reagan administration, the resort sold approximately 3,000 acres that comprised Humpback Mountain to the National Park Service. The sale was unusual for the time period since the government was trying to unload land, not purchase it. This speaks to the great value of the property.
+ Mrs. Lyndon Johnson visited Wintergreen Resort in June 1985 to dedicate the Wildflower Park in tribute to the preservation of Wintergreen’s native plants.
+ During ski visits to Wintergreen Resort in the mid-1980’s, Amy Carter, President Jimmy Carter’s daughter, would repeatedly out-ski the secret service assigned to her.
+ Willard Scott, media personality and former NBC Today Show weatherman, owned a condo at Wintergreen Resort during the 1980’s. Mr. Scott once organized a Today Show live broadcast to promote Special Olympics at Wintergreen.
+ Muhammad Ali owned a property in Nelson County in the 1980’s and was a frequent guest of the restaurants at Wintergreen.
Snow Tubing
Birds-eye view of tennis facility
Hiking
Golf course at Devil’s Knob
Art Heals the Broken
THERAPEUTIC ROLE OF ART IN HEALING IS CLEAR
ARTICLE ALYSHA SIDEMAN
The youngest among us can be affected. Fortunately, we all have the power to heal. Recently, the beneficial role of art therapy in healing has been supported by a number of studies, leading to an uptick in organizations offering art therapy free to hospital patients, including children.
Local programs, like Tracy’s Kids, make it possible for many pediatric cancer patients to draw and paint from bed while receiving unpleasant chemotherapy treatments that can last up to a full day. The creative projects provide a welcome distraction.
By transcending the tether of trauma with art supplies like paint, markers, construction paper, studies show that patients' moods are lifted which, in turn, improves the healing process
The Washington, D.C.-based group travels to local hospitals and treatment centers, including Children’s Center For Cancer and Blood Disorders at Inova Children’s Hospital in Falls Church and offers "to color the lives," of children suffering from cancer.
Program Manager Tracy Councill is an art therapist who has been working with pediatric hematology and oncology patients and their families for 20 years.
When creating art as IV medications are infused, the young patients "hone their craft and develop personal styles of artistic expression,” Councill writes in a recent study of the program. This helps them develop confidence and belief in their own healing abilities, she adds.
"It is not unusual for me to walk into the clinic and see children with infusions in their arms, crayons in their hands, and smiles on their faces," writes Dr. Aziza Shad, chair of Pediatrics at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC. Children who endure long courses of treatment or sudden, life-altering diagnoses often experience overwhelmingly scary events. Events too frightening to be remembered and understood are stored as nonverbal memories
"Smells, sounds, visual images, and bodily sensations can trigger distress if they match the sensory memories of the traumatic event. Visual communication helps our patients identify troubling sensations and memories, put their feelings on paper, and reflect on their experiences in both art and words, gaining distance from scary events," the study explains.
Tracy's Kids serves at least 13,000 people annually, including 5,000 pediatric patients.
February 2020 | Arlington Lifestyle25
DANCE AS ART
HOW TO MAKE ART IN MOTION
"MOVEMENT. SOUND. ART."
That’s the motto of Jane Franklin Dance. But what does it mean?
In three simple words, it captures the troupe’s distinctive productions, which mix dance with performance art. Studio owner and choreographer Jane Franklin creates unlikely or off-the-wall "partners" for her dancers. They include round-wall skateboarders, life-size kinetic sculptures, live video feeds, and dogs being walked, all of which interact with the dancers. Just as air, fire and water are elements of nature; so are movement, sound and art essential to dance at Franklin's Shirlington-based studio.
"Movement is the way we express ourselves everyday, in conversation, sitting at the table, walking down the street," Franklin says. "It's wonderful to put those ideas on stage alongside the fine-tuned delicacy, warmth and physicality that the company generates."
A series of April and May performances will embody these ideas, including the premier of a show about extremes and differences. Entitled "Going Polar," it will be performed at Theatre on the Run in Arlington. Most dances, she said, include a combination of ballet and modern techniques, with her special touches.
"It does combine those forms with a big emphasis on movement quality and expressiveness," she says.
Rather than using paints and brushes, dancers have no tangible tools to work with and instead depend on the body and mind.
For them, the artist is the choreographer, who stitches together movements like a quilt to create art in flight.
Still, rehearsals are collaborative. "The dancers and I create movement, which I mold and edit. It's kind of an ever-changing situation with balancing the movement and the sound while keeping it fresh and alive," Franklin says. "We use movement that reflects various dance techniques but also references the communication of gesture and body language."
Before becoming a choreographer, Franklin attended Ohio State University as a fellow and received a certification from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies in Brooklyn, NY.
Her choreography has been presented at numerous venues and festivals in the mid-Atlantic and southwestern U.S. as well as in Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Franklin likes to refer to her studio as an Arlington arts organization. In fact, it is a one-stop shop. The office, rehearsal and performance space is located at the Cultural Affairs Building at 3700 South Four Mile Run near the Village at Shirlington. The company regularly performs at Theatre on the Run, which is in the same building. The "Theatre on the Run,” she says, “is a great little jewel of a black box in Arlington." Typically, a black box theater refers to a simple performance space, used to create a flexible stage and audience interaction. It is usually a square room with black walls and a flat floor.
CONTINUED >
ARTICLE ALYSHA SIDEMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREW BOSSI; JIM TURNER
credit: Jane Franklin dance
Franklin also offers programs for both adults and children. One dance troupe, "Forty+," is a group of community-based performers past the age of 40. There are also matinee performances and camps for kids.
Most dancers met Franklin at an audition, "or perhaps I've known them through their work elsewhere. Several of my dancers have been with me for quite some time; or take on other projects, then return," she says.
Lately, Franklin has been drawn to community-driven pieces. She produces them by incorporating interviews that are woven into the sound score.
"There's a narrative arc that I'm drawn to as a choreographer, using spoken word and many elements of theater,” she says. “The interviews provide a context for us to create the movement.”
She transcribes and edits the interviews and plays with the words and ideas. Her recent piece "EyeSoar,” which will be performed this month at the Atlas INTERSECTIONS festival in Washington D.C., is an example of her vision coming to life. It will be told through personal stories, movement and visual art as it examines her every-changing neighborhood across the street from a creek.
"It's about the 3700 S Four Mile Run Drive neighborhood, about the changes in this small industrial area, and how space is getting tighter, older businesses residing with the newer things coming in,” Franklin says. “ I interviewed several business owners or key management people from Automotive Express, Weenie Beenie, Inner Ear Studio, and many others and layered that with projected images and video of how the area looks today.”
credit: Andrew Bossi
credit: Jim Turner
ARTICLE ALYSHA SIDEMAN
YOU GET MORE WITH HONEY...BEES
“ECOLOGICALLY MINDED GARDENERS DON’T TIDY UP (UNLESS REMOVING DISEASED PLANTS) UNTIL SPRING.”
WHEN YOU THINK OF CREATING AN ECOFRIENDLY COMMUNITY, DO YOU THINK OF BEES?
No?
Well, maybe you should.
It turns out a vital way to maintain the health of this planet is bringing back these yellow and black honey producers. Even though we aren’t farmers, we can still help bring back the bees. Bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. This is due to the excessive use of pesticides in crops and certain blood-sucking parasites that only reproduce in bee colonies.
Bees are among more than 200,000 species of plant pollinators, including ants and beetles. “One out of every three bites of food we enjoy is due to the direct actions of an animal pollinator,” says Alonso Abugattas, a naturalist, environmental educator and storyteller in the Washington, D.C. area.
In fact, three-quarters of all plants, regardless of whether we eat them or not, depend on animal pollinators to reproduce, he says.
Turns out backyard beekeeping is on the rise and local groups such as Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association can help residents begin running their own urban apiaries. Beekeepers don’t just help the environment. Think of the fresh jars of honey that can spice up your toast and tea.
“THIS IS ONE MORE REASON TO LEAVE GARDEN PLANTS STANDING THROUGH THE WINTER, AS MANY ARE HOUSING INSECTS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THEIR LIFE CYCLE, INCLUDING PUPATING OR ADULT OVERWINTERING BEES.”
NVBA is a nonprofit that educates and supports the art of apiculture. The group sells supplies to get started online and holds monthly meetings. It also hosts classes on beginning beekeeping, mentors and provides instructions on honeybee removal.
And who can you call this spring if you have a beehive? Contact the NVBA and fill out its Swarm Alert form. They’ll remove the bees quickly and safely.
Recently, the group was screening an independent film called “The Pollinators,” about the cross-country travels of migratory beekeepers and the hazards bee colonies face from pesticides and parasites.
This is why urban or backyard beekeeping is so important.
Just ask Kathryn Krenn, long-time member and treasurer of the NVBA. She stresses planting pollinator-friendly plants - like blue, purple and yellow flowers - to help cultivate local bee populations.
“All our pollinators -- native bees, butterflies, moths and honey bees -- are struggling with loss of habitat and pesticides,” she says. “Arlington, with all the neighborhood landscaping, gardens and parks, provides a refuge for them,” adds Krenn.
Another danger to the bee life cycle: homeowners tidying up the yard before winter. In Northern Virginia, about 30 percent of the region’s 450 or so bees nest above ground in dead trees, beetle burrows and plant stems.
“GET A MENTOR, AND READ EVERY BOOK YOU CAN ON THE SUBJECT.”
“This is one more reason to leave garden plants standing through the winter, as many are housing insects in various parts of their life cycle, including pupating or adult overwintering bees,” explains Abugattas, natural resources manager for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
“Ecologically minded gardeners don’t tidy up (unless removing diseased plants) until spring.”
If you really want to help the bees out locally, residents can cut the plant tops off, about a foot high, leaving the stems for bees and other insects to use for the following season. Open tops are perfect for the many bees that need help getting into a stem.
Native plants not only provide nesting and nectar sources, but 35% of native bees are oligolectic, needing the specific pollen of the plants they evolved with to be able to reproduce.
The most common bees found locally include four types of Small Carpenter bees and some larger ones.
So this Earth Day please remember the bees. Their extinction would mean the end of humanity. They are an important part of the food chain and ecosystem. And the truth is, if you’re kind to them, they won’t sting you.
Visit https://environment.arlingtonva.us/ for information on Arlington environmental programs.
BEZOS: WON’T
YOU BE MY GREEN NEIGHBOR?
COMPANY TO POWER HQ2 WITH 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030
ARTICLE ALYSHA SIDEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED
A FEW DAYS AFTER VALENTINE'S DAY, JEFF BEZOS POSTED AN INSTAGRAM PHOTO OF OUR PLANET HANGING IN THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE.
"I’m thrilled to announce I am launching the Bezos Earth Fund," the Amazon CEO, space entrepreneur and newspaper owner wrote
He added: "I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share."
The global initiative, set to begin this summer, would commit $10 billion to fund scientists, activists and NGOs. It calls for collective action from big and small companies, nations, global organizations and individuals.
Several weeks earlier, Bezos announced a rollout of rickshaw delivery fleets in India. They will be fully electric, with zero carbon emissions.
For Arlington residents, Bezos’s heightened green conscience is perfect timing: Amazon just moved into the neighborhood. It began development this year on its second headquarters, known as HQ2, in Crystal City, where two towers will stretch 22 stories into the Arlington sky. Its development will also spread into parts of Pentagon City, Crystal City and Potomac Yard in Alexandria.
Arlington’s own environmental awakening didn't begin with Bezos. The county is rife with green spaces, parks and ecological programs. Amazon, meanwhile, doesn’t have a perfect ecological record. Employees have protested its decision to provide cloud computing services to oil and gas companies, for example. However, the online retail giant is making its Arlington construction a model of sustainability- a move that fits into Bezos’s new initiative.
Amazon's move will create 25,000 jobs in Arlington.
Global designation: This LEED plate in Rome is a sought-after designation meaning "leadership in energy and environmental design." HQ2 will hold a LEED certification.
AMAZON IN ARLINGTON
The company’s $2 billion Arlington headquarters will create at least 25,000 high-wage jobs over the next 12 years.
The Arlington County Board ironed out the details with Bezos after numerous meetings.
Former chairman Christian Dorsey called the deal “extraordinary” after it was approved, adding that the headquarters “comes with energy commitments that are unprecedented in Arlington.”
Dorsey was partly referring to Amazon’s commitment for non-carbon, renewable energy to fully power the Arlington headquarters by 2030. It will either be produced on-site or through renewable energy credits.
To help reduce its environmental impact on Arlington, the new headquarters will meet the requirements of the Community Energy Plan, which is designed to ensure the entire county is carbon neutral by 2050. The first phase of Amazon’s headquarters will be built at Metropolitan Park, a 16-acre mixed-use complex with a central green.
The campus will include 4 million square feet of energy-efficient office space, a footprint that could eventually double. A block of 1950s-era former warehouses will be turned into two new LEED Platinum-certified buildings. There will also be several levels of green roofs, on-site parks, public open spaces, and 620 secure bicycle parking spaces. Pedestrians and cyclists will have upgraded bike lanes and pathways.
More than an acre of new open space will feature a dog park, recreation areas and farmers markets, helping realize the community’s
vision for a centrally-located park. There are plans for the developer to maintain the finished public park and new open spaces.
Amazon and the county agreed to buy all of the electricity generated by a solar farm to be built by Dominion Energy in Pittsylvania County. The project, called the Amazon Arlington Solar Farm, will be completed in 2022, with Amazon taking about two-thirds of the energy and the county using the rest to power county adminstrative offices.
"To address the climate crisis and transition to a low-carbon economy, the majority of the world's energy must come from zero-carbon power sources, but renewable energy buyers face regulatory and market hurdles," said Patrick Leonard, senior manager of Amazon’s renewable energy procurement team, who led the initiative.
"My role working with the team in Arlington County involved sharing perspectives on how to strategically assess a renewable energy project that is right for a business or a government and the environment. We are thrilled that we could share this project with Arlington County," said Leonard.
Leonard, also participates in learning sessions through the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance to share the best ways to approach energy projects with other companies. His experience helped Amazon work with Arlington to achieve the renewable energy goals.
“[We are] pleased that Amazon shares our commitment to renewable energy and to achieving net carbon zero in our operations,” said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey.
“I WANT TO WORK ALONGSIDE OTHERS BOTH TO AMPLIFY KNOWN WAYS AND TO EXPLORE NEW WAYS OF FIGHTING THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THIS PLANET WE ALL SHARE.”
Protests in Queens, NY convinced Amazon to pull the plug on building a second facility there. Queens and Arlington were chosen out of thousands of eager cities.
High-rise apartment building, local bar, and office buildings in Crystal City, next to the future site of Amazon HQ2 at 1851 S Bell St.
the rise of resale
LUXURY SECOND-HAND STORES GAIN TRACTION WITH TECH-SAVVY CONSIGNORS
ARTICLE ALYSHA SIDEMAN
IT MAY BE TIME TO CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET.
Online consignment sales are becoming big business, a trend exemplified by websites such as ThredUp and The RealReal.
Now brick-and-mortar luxury consignment boutiques that have digitized their inventory are riding that wave. Tech-savvy resale shops, such as the Current Boutiques in Arlington, are gaining traction among stylish customers in a way that has eluded typical second-hand stores.
The luxury consignment stores are streamlining clothing consignment for busy fashionistas who would like to sell rarely-worn outfits but don’t have time to oversee the process. It’s tough enough to part with five-inch-high Louboutins, even if they are charmingly impractical. Besides launching websites, the boutiques are giving previews of new items on social media sites such as Instagram. They're also adding software that allows favorite consignors to log on with a personal account and keep track of their loaned goods and sales. Some clients can even download their own photos into the store's online database.
Luxury consignment, or resale, offers a more curated selection of clothing and accessories, chosen for their ability to retain value even after being resold repeatedly. The appeal of upscale consignment is that items, such as Chanel bags or Hermes scarves, that might have been too pricey for some shoppers, are suddenly affordable. Consumers with money are willing to spend more on a Gucci jacket because they know they can recoup part of the cost by consigning it later. Typically, consignment shops split the profits with consignors.
Luxury consignees, such as Finder’s Keeper’s in Westover, have adopted software programs with easy-to-use interfaces for their clients to keep track of their outfits. And keeping tabs on a particular piece is easy at New to You in Falls Church and at Mint Condition in Alexandria because they post new arrivals online.
Meanwhile, Shopify.com allows Delray-based Bellies & Babies, to transform its website into an eCommerce destination for high-end baby clothing and maternity fashions.
At Agents In Style boutique in Crystal City, first-time consignors are given a contract to sign and an online account. Then they can track what is sold, at what price it sells and what percentage they will receive. They also can check their balance at any time. The store pays consignors who are owed more than $50 every two weeks, so no need to field calls from those in need of extra cash.
"I took what I learned from clients and customers and made it into an easier system,” owner Rhoda Wheeler says.
Historic $2.6M Home Embodies
A SPRAWLING, HISTORIC HOUSE IN NORTH ARLINGTON IS BRIMMING WITH ENOUGH NEW TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE IT SEEM PERFECTLY AT HOME IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
The Lyon Village property sold in August for $2.595 million, a record sale for the neighborhood according to John Eric l Trevor Moore & Associates (JETMA), which is under the Compass umbrella.
This 2½-story, pre-war landmark has nearly 6,000 square feet of space. Built in 1939 in the Colonial Revival style, it’s listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. While stately, a renovation completed in 2013 by Robert Morris, an award-winning local architect, added modern touches while maintaining the pre-war aesthetic. It was one of his last projects. Robert died a year later at 53.
The house sports five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, his-and-her walk-in closets, guest quarters, a bay-window-adorned office and four fireplaces. The redesign achieved an elegant mix of old and new with amenities such as media rooms, kitchen gadgets and plug-ins. The ceiling was raised. A free-standing tub and other spa-like extras were placed in the spacious en-suite. A wall of windows and French doors were installed in the back, allowing a floor-to-ceiling view of the manicured grounds.
The AV-compatible technology appeals to lovers of music and movies. The home theater has a 110-inch screen with HD that rivals commercial cinemas. Speakers are in every room, including the screened porch and back garden. A sound-buffering system insulates each floor.
The enormous chef's kitchen is the heart of the home—a bustling gathering place for friends and family. The renovation stayed true to the period but added conveniences such as Sub-Zero appliances, a new dishwasher, oven and microwave. A Lacanche French range was surrounded by handmade wooden cabinets designed by Amish artisans. A wet bar was included on the home's upper level.
Robert also gave an enthusiastic nod to conservation and sustainability. Organic materials were used liberally throughout the remodel. The reclaimed wood in the home’s flooring, for example, is debris found at the bottom of the James River, which runs from the Appalachian Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay. Robert kept the pre-war vibe as much as possible. The stone used in the renovation was sourced from the same quarry that supplied the original building material more than 80 years ago.
This grand but unassuming home can be found just north of the Clarendon Commercial District, between Wilson Boulevard to the south and Lee Highway to the north.
Lyon Village, a planned upper-middle-class urban community in the 1930s, is now a quiet, historic district of tree-lined streets and venerable houses. It is difficult to believe this property was built the same year Germany invaded Poland, instigating the beginning of World War II.