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Friday, May 26, 2017
OUR VALLEY
OurValley 2017 Best Of The Valley Pages 20-29 Editor’s Note ...........................................................3 Bigfoot In His Element ...........................................4 Marble Master ........................................................6 Metal To Art ..........................................................8 Crafting History .......................................................10 Strumming Along .................................................14 BrydgeWorks Produces Wonder ............................16 Best Of The Valley ..............................................20 — HDR Continues Streak .......................................22 — New Awards, New Winners ..............................24 — Magnolia’s Wins Best New Restaurant .............28 Furniture Works ....................................................32 Fabric As Medium ..................................................34 Copper Creations ..................................................36 Wood, Steel, Art....................................................38
Harrisonburg, Va.
Harrisonburg, Va.
OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 26, 2017
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Don’t Call Them Arts And Crafts
T
hey’re the masters of their medium. Whether it’s stained glass or scrap metal, sewn fabric or solid blocks of wood, craftsmen and women throughout the Valley harness their creativity into fine handcrafted works of art. These artisans are linked by a passion that flows through their veins. It’s what drives them to create. Some of them might sell and make money off their pieces. But it’s not about the money; it’s about the pursuit of excellence — of perfection, One self-taught artisan in Clover Hill transforms wood, horns, silver and sometimes even coconut shell to craft anything from long rifles to knives and jewelry. Another, a luthier from Linville, creates handmade guitars and other instruments from woods ranging from red spruce and maple to Haitian mahogany and Guatemalan rosewood. And those are only two of the profiles featured in this special Our Valley section, which seeks to highlight some of our more artistically gifted neighbors. So, read on and remember one little thing: Don’t call what they make “arts and crafts.” Because, as Elkton marbling artist Barbara Polin so eloquently phrased it, those words better describe crocheted toilet paper covers. — Ryan Cornell
Nathan Jenkins, known as the Bodging Bigfoot, hand turns a bowl in his studio in the Factory Antique Mall in Verona. All of his fabrication is done entirely using hand and foot-powered tools using traditional techniques. Daniel Lin / DN-R
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 26, 2017
Harrisonburg, Va.
Woodworking A Natural Habitat For This Bigfoot By VIC BRADSHAW Daily News-Record
VERONA — In his booth near the back of the Factory Antique Mall that serves as a studio and retail space, Nathan Jenkins furiously pumps his right leg as presses a chisel into a whirling piece of maple. Shavings fly in every direction. Most land on the floor, but some take hold in the hair and beard that haven’t seen scissors since late 2009. Jenkins isn’t just making a living via the vanishing craft of wood turning. He’s in his element, as much as an outdoorsman known as the Bodging Bigfoot can be under roof, and is doing his part to prevent the tide of modernization from eradicating old-fashioned craftsmanship. “I’m from a family of craftsman,” the 31-year-old said. “My goal is to keep these trades alive. “All these trades are being lost, and there has to be someone to carry it on. Our mountain culture is being lost because there’s no interest in it.” Jenkins creates functioning wooden objects
largely without the aid of power tools — he’ll use an electric drill to make holes smaller than a quarter-inch. Bowls of various sizes, spoons, plates, measuring spoons, forks, swords, wands, whistles, mallets, miniature baseball bats and rattles fill the vendor space. He also creates chairs and, using another disappearing craft, baskets made from thin strips of white oak. Prices range from $5 for a “snowman kit,” a small piece of wood painted orange to represent a carrot nose and two smaller ones with black on the end to use for eyes, to $450 for a chair put together without nails or bonding agents. Jenkins has done period reproductions for clients, including the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton and the Luray Valley Museum at Luray Caverns. He’ll take on custom work when asked and sharpens tools and knives. For Jenkins, though, it’s not simply about making a living. It’s about a lifestyle, about history, about heritage preservation. Wistfully, he said, “There’s only a handful of
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Family Tradition As a craftsman, Jenkins is carrying on a family tradition. His ancestors were farmers, woodsmen and craftsmen, he said. He lives in a log cabin his great-grandfather built in 1898 on a farm outside Stanley that’s been in his family since the mid1800s. His father, Clyde, is a stonemason and white oak basket maker. He taught Nathan both crafts. Jenkins said his affinity for wood started as a child, carving from the age of 5 or 6 and beginning wood turning about five years later. He’s a self-taught wood turner, as there were no YouTube videos about the craft two decades ago. He made his own lathe, and almost all of his tools are homemade. He forges iron to make his chisels. “I enjoy being able,” Jenkins said, “to touch and feel and make something out of nothing.” Rod Graves, senior vice president of Luray Caverns, has known the Jenkins family for years. Clyde and
Daniel Lin / DN-R
Nathan Jenkins, known as the Bodging Bigfoot, hand turns a bowl in his studio in the Factory Antique Mall in Verona. Nathan did stonework for the attractions’ Luray Valley Museum, and they’ve done wood-turning and basket-making demonstrations, too. Graves said he’s had Nathan Jenkins make a small chest he uses in his home and reproduce a chair for the museum. “The chair is fabulous,” Graves said. “That’s a really, really special piece, I think.
“He copies chairs made here in the Valley that are particular. They don’t look like chairs from Ohio and Pennsylvania. They had a very distinctive look to them here in the Valley.” Graves also got Jenkins to make items from several so-called “witness trees” from local battlefields. The trees were alive when Civil War battles raged around them more than 150 years
ago, and when they succumb to high winds, Jenkins turns them into bowls and other items sold to benefit the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. Kai Zhang of Weyers Cave is another satisfied customer. He knows Jenkins through friends and has bought rattles and swords and commissioned See BIGFOOT, Page 5
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Baby Rattles A Local Best-Seller Bigfoot
FROM PAGE 4
a pencil holder, wooden frames and a small chair. Zhang likes buying from local craftsmen and the look of the items. “It’s very nature-feeling,” he said of Jenkins’ creations. “You keep some of the features of the wood with the furniture and toys he made, and it’s very safe for children to play.”
Rattling Up Sales The Bodging Bigfoot isn’t just a nickname. It’s Jenkins’ business name. He said the “Bigfoot” part originates from his size (he’s 6-foot-1 and about 235 pounds), his woodsman’s gait and, well, all that hair. As he was walking through the woods one day, a couple of friends started yelling “Bigfoot” at him. “Bodging” is what he does. It’s the term for turning green wood. The creative process for making a bowl begins when Jenkins takes a piece of wood and, using a froe and a mallet, splits it. Using a hatchet, he then hews a piece of wood into the general shape he wants and places it on the lathe. The lathe is turned by a pulley attached to a treadle, a lever the 2004 Page County High School graduate pumps with his foot. He uses high-carbon steel chisels he made from scratch to shave the piece of wood into the shape he wants. Once off the lathe, Jenkins takes a knife and carves the wood to finish out the piece. Sandpaper is rarely used, and never on eating utensils because it would embed grit that eventually would be consumed. “Everything here is designed to use up all our wood,” he said. “We value
our material so much we don’t want a block of wood to go to waste.” If a pattern is desired on the item, most wood-burning is done by Paul Paquin, a friend from high school who also helps weave chair bottoms, finish baskets and is learning to turn wood. What sells varies by year, but Jenkins said baby rattles are No. 1 all-time. He sells 500 or 600 a year, more than a few when parents use one to preoccupy their child while watching him turn wood only to have the child squawk when the parents try to take it away. He avoided making swords for years “on principle” because he didn’t want to promote violence. But he did one as a favor for someone, liked it and started turning them out. Wands became part of his repertoire during the Harry Potter craze.
Important Work For years, the affable Jenkins made items at home and at shows and sold them at shows almost exclusively. October’s move into the antique mall provided a regular retail space and the opportunity to turn wood
in any weather. “I’m loving every minute of it,” he said of being in the Verona attraction. “It’s surprised me, really. My stuff in an antique store?” Jenkins also sharpens knives and tools and repairs furniture on-site. This year, he estimated that he’ll do 30 to 40 shows — events such as fairs, craft shows, and heritage festivals — most in an area bound by Virginia Beach to the east, Raleigh, N.C., to the south and Berea, Ky., to the west. Tourism industry veteran Graves said Jenkins has the proper demeanor for such events. “He’s very, very good with the public,” Graves said. “I think that helps with sales, and he’s quite a character, too.” While his Pacific Northwest namesake might be shy, the Bodging Bigfoot embraces people watching his work. His new indoor studio is nice, but he prefers turning at shows. “I’m better when I’m being watched by a crowd,” Jenkins said. “As a demonstrator, I’m always at my best when I’m being watched.” In the hopes of in-
Nathan Jenkins, known as Bodging Bigfoot, starts the process of making a wooden bowl out of a piece of maple in his studio in the Factory Antique Mall in Verona. In addition to woodworking, Jenkins also sharpens knives and tools and repairs furniture on-site. Daniel Lin / DN-R
spiring others to take up the craft, the renaissance craftsman offers wood-turning classes. Prices vary, but he said a bowl-making class runs $300 to $350. Students get wood-turning tools made by Jenkins and one or two pieces they’ve made. When children show an interest in his work, Jenkins often invites them to
make something and lets them keep it. His hope is it will spark an interest that could help pass wood-turning to another generation. Graves praised Jenkins’ talent and said what he’s doing is important. “He loves history and he loves art,” Graves said. “It’s great to see a young man like him pursuing a
craft when so many don’t want to get their hands dirty anymore. “He’s doing what comes natural to him, and I think that’s wonderful. And he’s carrying on very, very important tradition here in the Shenandoah Valley of trade, of craft.” Contact Vic Bradshaw at 574-6279 or vbradshaw@dnronline.com
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Friday, May 26, 2017
Master Of Marbling By RYAN CORNELL
ELKTON — Not many people can say their artistic careers started in lingerie. Barbara Polin can. Polin, an acclaimed marbling artist who owns SoLace Studios in Elkton, runs a gallery that represents more than 250 American craftsmen and craftswomen — including many from Virginia. Located at the triangle where West Spotswood Avenue and West Spotswood Trail converge, SoLace offers fine handcrafted art ranging from jewelry, pottery and paintings to Polin’s own line of marbled clothing, accessories and leather goods. Polin opened the shop as a working studio in 2001 and as a full-time gallery in 2006. She said her marbled creations are sold in other galleries and gift shops all over the country. SoLace, a member of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Artisan Trail, recently won best gift shop in the Shenandoah Valley from Virginia Living magazine for the seventh consecutive year, according to Polin. “People drive from all over the state to shop here,” she said. “They plan their trips.”
ads, writing spots and producing them for small-market AM radio station KLTR — Keep Listening To Radio — in Blackwell, Okla. She would stay at the station for a year. She then headed into publishing, and for about eight years worked as a production manager for a dental trade magazine in Tulsa. A job at the former Shenandoah Valley Press printing company brought Polin to the Valley, first working in Strasburg. While working at the plant, she began making and selling lingerie on the side, refashioned from vintage and handmade lace. These, Polin said, “sold like hotcakes.” “I worked a lot, and the more I worked the more I went home to sew,” she said. “And because I was sewing lace and realized sewing lace gave me solace, I realized the word, ‘solace,’ was made up of two words, ’sew’ and ‘lace.’” Polin was introduced to marbling by a friend, who took a class at James Madison University. She fell in love with the look of marbling and hasn’t looked back. It’s taken her years to master, even though she says she’s still figuring it out.
That’s So Lace
An Ancient Art
Polin’s journey to becoming Elkton’s premier art destination begins in Oklahoma, where she grew up in a family of four girls and one boy. When she and each of her sisters turned 10, they took sewing classes. But she wasn’t always so focused on fabric. After graduating from the University of Tulsa in the late 1970s with a degree in communications, Polin landed her first job selling
Marbling has a rich history, stretching back to the Japanese method of marbling paper in the 12th century. The method, called suminagashi, involved floating ink on water. The Persians and Turks also marbled, using a technique called ebru. They added mucilaginous substances to the water to thicken it. To get the unique swirls and patterns of color in her work, Polin uses a process
Daily News-Record
similar to ebru. She fills a tray with water and carrageenan — a chemical derived from seaweed that’s often used as a food additive — which thickens the water into a gel. She squirts ink on top of the surface and uses a comblike tool to pull the colors into chevrons, bouquets and “all sorts of cool stuff.” “There’s over 100 different patterns,” Polin said. “I just do what I feel like at the moment.” She places a fabric down on the surface, “and the second it touches,” she said, “it’s there.” After the patterns are transmitted, the fabric is rinsed in water and hung on a clothesline to dry. Polin said her favorite thing about marbling is “just the magic” of it all. “Even though I do the See MARBLING, Page 7
Harrisonburg, Va.
Elkton Artist Sells Clothing, Accessories, Leather Goods
Photos by Nikki Fox / DN-R ABOVE: Marbling artist and SoLace Studios owner Barb Polin (left) tells Linda Copeland of High Point, N.C., how to care for marbled leather at the downtown Elkton shop. BELOW: SoLace Studios runs a gallery that represents more than 250 American craftsmen and craftswomen, many from Virginia.
OUR VALLEY
Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday, May 26, 2017
7
Polin One Of Few Artists In U.S. Who’s Perfected Marbling Technique On Leather Marbling
FROM PAGE 6
same thing with the same ink, time and time again, it doesn’t look the same” she said, “It doesn’t even look the same from one end of the fabric to the other.” Throughout history, Polin said, marbling has been used on the end sheets of ledgers to detect forgeries. Marbled paper was used to wrap gifts and found on the inside cover of hardback books. “The interesting thing is the master marblers always kept one secret from their apprentice so they would have to take the time and effort to figure out how to do it,” Polin said. Although she doesn’t have an apprentice, she’s helped at the studio by three part-time assistants and her 15-year-old collie mix. She does, however, hold onto a secret technique. Polin said she’s one of only a few artists in the U.S. who’s been successful at marbling on leather. “It’s hard to figure out,” she said. “And I’m not telling my secret.” Even after further prodding, she refused to relent. “Just these little things that go wrong that you have to figure out why,” she said. “There’s just issues I can’t even … and I wouldn’t share it with you, anyway.” Most marbling artists use paper as their medium, and if they do marble on fabric, they use scarves and ties because they don’t sew, Polin said. “So, I’m probably one of only a few that has a full line of clothing,” she said. After running the studio for so long, she’s become well-acquainted with the customers who return to the shop.
Patrons Of The Art When Anna Fotias and her husband stay at their Massanutten Resort timeshare, she makes a point to stop by her favorite shop. Fotias, who lives in Annandale, has been a regular at SoLace for about 10 years. “This store just has interesting and unusual art and jewelry and stuff you can’t find anywhere else,” she said while browsing its shelves late last month. “It’s unique.” She’s far from the only one who makes SoLace a stop on their itinerary. Donna Crosby of Lancaster, Pa., has been shopping at SoLace since purchasing her Massanutten time-share more than five years ago. “Because, of course,” she said, “once you find it, you come back.” Crosby has a marbled leather wallet and checkbook cover crafted by Polin. The outfit she wore to her son’s wedding, a pair of marbled pants and a matching top, also were created by Polin. “Her marbled stuff never wears out,” Crosby said. “My checkbook cover — I’ve had that for a very long time.” One artist who recently started exhibiting her pottery at SoLace, Bobbie Greer of Page County, first visited the studio while on vacation. “When I discovered this shop of work that’s made from artists from all over the country and many of them I know,” Greer said. “They’re artists I know because I’ve seen their work at shows and I’ve exhibited with them … and I just think
Photos by Nikki Fox / DN-R ABOVE, LEFT: Barb Polin, owner of SoLace Studios in Elkton, marbles silk designs. Polin said marbling has been used on the end sheets of ledgers to detect forgeries, as well as wrapping gifts and on the inside covers of books. Polin, however, says she’s one of only a few artists in the U.S. who’s been successful at marbling leather.
Barb has a wonderful eye for really picking out fine work.”
Nearing The End Ten years ago, Polin restored the building that now houses SoLace and opened as a full-time gallery. The structure, built in
1922 to replace a building destroyed in a fire, served as a pharmacy for Dr. William Edgar Kite and as a doctor’s office for Dr. Miller. While Miller worked upstairs, Kite minded the pharmacy below. A beauty bar once stocked with cosmetics for the pharmacy lives
on at SoLace, displaying jewelry available to purchase. Polin, who has gone from marbling once a week to once or twice every couple months, said she hasn’t given any serious thoughts about retiring from marbling, but that time may be getting close.
“I’m getting to the end and I’m more interested in working in the shop and promoting other craftsmen,” she said. “And [marbling is] very physical and exhausting.” Contact Ryan Cornell at 574-6283 or rcornell@dnronline.com
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Friday, May 26, 2017
Harrisonburg, Va.
Turning Scraps Into Art Bridgewater Art Professor Uses Metal As Medium By NOLAN STOUT Daily News-Record
BRIDGEWATER — While he can’t wander through scrapyards searching for metal anymore, Michael Hough finds the materials he needs. Sometimes he’ll stop at someone’s house or a farmer will dump metal in his driveway. “I will stop and talk to anybody that looks like they’ve got something interesting in their yard and offer them money,” he said. “Really, I love trying to find it. Part of the fun is the hunt.” Hough, 57, an associate art professor at Bridgewater College, started his art career in ceramics, but is now a full-fledged welder.
The Sacramento, Calif.-native received a master’s of fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and created massive sculptures in his first years at BC 20 years ago. About 14 years ago, a student came to him with an interest in welding and Hough didn’t hesitate. “If a student comes to me with an idea and they want to make something, I will do everything in my power to figure out how we can do it,” he said. Hough banded with a couple of students and created an introduction to metal sculpture class, which taught him as well. “We built the class around their needs,” he said. “They were all gung-ho, they
wanted to work.” Hough said the class quickly became popular. “What I liked about it, what we all liked about it, was it was very immediate,” he said. “You had two pieces of metal and you held them together and you liked them, you could glue them together.” Hough offers the class every other year and it fills up at least a year in advance. Scott Suter, 54, an associate English professor at BC, is a former student. Suter, interested in art as a student at the University of Virginia in the early 1980s, took a few sculpture classes but got away from it. “It didn’t fit into my schedule or life for years after that,” he said.
Daniel Lin / DN-R
Michael Hough, a Bridgewater College art professor, welds metal for a sculpture at his studio in New Hope. In 2014, Suter was invited to Hough’s class. “Michael said, ‘Just take my class, just take my metal class,’” Suter said.
Suter said it didn’t take long to learn how to work with metal, although mastering the technique takes time.
“I think you can learn to put two pieces of metal together pretty quickly,” he See METAL, Page 9
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Friday, May 26, 2017
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‘I Love Found Objects And Rusty Metal’ Metal
FROM PAGE 8
said. “But there’s definitely a skill to making it look nice.”
A New Purpose Hough said his fascination for “found objects” started when he was 12, living in Northern California’s Gold Country and digging bottles out of the ground. “I’ve always been a collector. I love found objects and rusty metal is one of the things I collect,” he said. “This allows me to use some of the things I pick up and make things out of them.” Suter, a lifelong Rockingham County resident, said “craftblood” runs in his veins, even though he didn’t pursue an art career. His great-great-grandfather was a potter and his family is in the furniture-making business.
He’s taken the Suter name in a new direction. “No one in my family, that I’m aware of, ever made art in terms of welding or anything,” he said. Hough uses items such as old farm machinery to create sculptures up to 10 feet tall in his welding shop in his New Hope home. While some of his pieces are in museums in Maryland or at Blue Ridge Community College, most of his work is scattered around his property. “It’s like an acre-sized gallery that you can walk around and see it,” he said. Suter and Hough also have their work in local art galleries. Hough holds an open house in the summer and around Christmas, and opens the property for perusing in the summer,
tempting potential customers to find his home. “I’m not on the way to anywhere,” he said. “So, they have to make a concerted effort to get to my house.” Suter tries to use rusted or intact pieces and give them a new look. “I like to get pieces that are something, like say a hayfork or some tines from a garden plow or a meat hook,” he said. “I like to turn it into something else that causes people to look at it from a different perspective.” Hough said he tries to let the items keep their original character. “I allow the metal to dictate what it wants to be,” he said. “I’ll look at pieces and figure out how they go together.” Hough likes to know the story of a piece of metal be-
Hough says that when working with metal, he tries to let the items keep their original character. “I allow the metal to dictate what it wants to be,” he says. Daniel Lin / DN-R
fore working with it. “I’m fascinated by metal that has a history,” he said. “It used to be something else and I can give it a new life but you can still see it used to be a piece of farm machinery or tool.” Usually, Hough works on several pieces at a time. He said it takes about a week of work to finish a project. Hough occasionally will
take orders but prefers to work on his own terms. “Oftentimes, the customer has an idea and if it doesn’t fit their idea, you have to remake the piece,” he said. “But if you walk in and they see something that you’ve made that’s already done, they either like it or they don’t. And that makes me happy when they like it and I can
find a home for the pieces.” Suter has significantly less experience than Hough, but “I learn a lot from hanging around with Michael.” “I credit Michael with teaching me how to do it,” he said. “And, in a way, teaching me how to think about metal as an art form.” Contact Nolan Stout at 574-6278 or nstout@dnronline.com
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Friday, May 26, 2017
‘Craftsman To The Past’ By TONY BROWN Daily News-Record
CLOVER HILL — Mark Thomas, self-described “Craftsman to the Past,” was born in 1953, but his heart — and the hands that manipulate wood, horn, ivory and a variety of metals into elaborately scrolled period weapons and objets d’art — are all about the l8th and 19th centuries. Then there’s that avalanche of a beard, part old-fashioned whiskers, a little bit Santa Claus, and more than a soupcon of the late 1960s and early ’70s that saw his coming of age. Engraving, woodcarving, silversmithing and fashioning stocks for muzzleloading rifles, Thomas
specializes in esoterica for the esoteric, folk art for folks who take Civil War re-enactments, replica-gun collecting and historical pageantry very, very seriously. “All my work is custom,” he declared casually, sitting at a small kitchen table that doubles as a workbench, one of three scattered throughout his disarrayed-to-a-tee home, as befits a man of his caliber. He was fresh back from almost a week of being one of 140 sutlers at the Fort Frederick State Park’s annual 18th Century Market Fair in Maryland. That’s where the picayunish history buff could buy modern-day replicas of period buttons, equipage, wigs
Harrisonburg, Va.
Clover Hill Artisan Crafts Elaborately Scrolled Weapons
and fabrics. “Mark,” mused friend and fellow artist Ken Schuler of Linville, who uses a common No. 2 pencil to make meticulously detailed drawings. “I guess you could say he marches to a different drummer.” The reference to Henry David Thoreau’s famously out-of-step drummer is apt. But instead of living for two years in a cabin by Walden Pond, as did the 19th century New England essayist, Thomas has lived for the past 32 years this May in a modest home that sits literally in the shadow of Union Springs Dam, just Holly Marcus / Special to the DN-R inside George Washington Mark Thomas has been using his self-taught skills to craft everything from long rifles to knives and National Forest. jewelry for more than 30 years. Thomas uses wood, horns, silver and sometimes even coconut See PAST, Page 11 shell to produce his work from his home near Clover Hill in George Washington National Forest.
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Thomas Brought To Area By Printing Job Past
FROM PAGE 10
His house is directly in front of the 87-foot high downstream embankment of a 1965 earthen flood-control dam — maximum capacity, 289.5 million gallons. He moved in about six months before the Election Day Flood of 1985, a 100year event that wreaked havoc up and down the Valley and into West Virginia. But the dam held, the spillway worked, diverting water away from residences, including his, and he stayed. “Yeah, that was pretty eye-opening,” Thomas said. He experienced another, less devastating flood a decade later. “I would just walk up and take a look at the levels every
once in a while.” Now, Thomas says, he’s set for anything short of a 1,000-year flood. “I should live so long.”
From Printer To Graver Thomas already has packed a lot of life into his 63 years, including those bits he declines to talk about, the ones before he settled down, saying only, “There’s people still alive.” Born in Monterey, Calif., Thomas was raised and spent his early adulthood in and around Springfield, Ohio, “a typical suburban childhood,” he said. He tried to leave in 1972, when he joined the U.S. Navy — “at least they still had bell-bottomed dungarees and beards,” Thomas said. But his enlistment lasted “26 whole days” before
eczema proved fatal to his military career. The Navy sent him back home, medically unfit to serve. Mechanically inclined, Thomas got into the printing business, which brought him in 1980 to the Harrisonburg area and ended a 3½-year marriage. He went to work at Banta Corp., known since a 2006 takeover as RR Donnelly. Meanwhile, Thomas built his first muzzleloading rifle in 1978 from a preshaped stock blank. Already somewhat familiar with engraving through working in press maintenance, Thomas was encouraged in 1982 by a master engraver to decorate the metal on his rifles with a hammer and chisel. “He said, ‘Go home, cut straight lines,’” Thomas recalled. “‘When you get
Holly Marcus / Special to the DN-R
Mark Thomas polishes a knife he took to a trade show. tired of that, cut C shapes. When you get tired of that, cut S-shapes.’ That’s what you call ‘rococo,’” a fanciful and curvy 18th century style. “You learn how to
use the properties of a material your advantage.” After doing historical research, learning his materials and techniques, and collecting hundreds of
tools, Thomas passed up a chance to be based in Chicago and stay in printing. “This is where I needed See PAST, Page 12
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Quit Printing Industry For Art In 1993 Past
FROM PAGE 11
to be, in the Shenandoah Valley,” Thomas said about his geographical situation. Biographically, “I quit the printing industry in 1993 to begin my career as an artist,” he said, enunciating each word carefully. “I swore I’d never be a slave to the [work] bench again.” He still uses workbenches. The kitchen table sees a lot of horn, used to hold black powder and to fun-
nel it into long rifles. The weapons had 44-inch barrels, largely to improve sighting and accuracy, Thomas speculated. In a back room, up a half-flight of stairs, he does most of his metal engraving, using a combination of modern and traditional techniques. And in the basement Thomas does his “dirty work,” shaping hunks of wood into gunstocks, for example, or wooden “blanks,” which have the general shape of the rifle
Mark Thomas taught himself how to carve and engrave, which he uses to make knives, jewelry and other art projects.
and await refining. He’s careful to draw a distinction: “I’m not a gunsmith, which would require a federal license. I’m a gunstocker” for whom the whole experience is about “the embellishments” to the wooden and metal parts of the rifle.
Powder-Horner To The Stars Thomas took his place among the most wellknown at what he does as a founding member of the Contemporary Longrifle Association, for whom he created a special powder horn. The CLA presented
Holly Marcus / Special to the DN-R
that horn in 2005 to Fess Parker, five years before the actor’s death at age 85. Parker was best known to those old enough to watch
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TV in the 1950s and ’60s mostly through the 18th for his coonskin cap-wear- century way: by word-ofing Davy Crockett, king of mouth. the wild frontier, and DanThe collectors find him. iel Boone, who was a man One admirer, a blogger — yes, a big man. for the website blackpow“Many Americana collec- der411.com, did so, and tors today will readily recog- praised Thomas for being nize Mr. Parker as the visual able to transition from richaracter that has spurred fles to brooches. their love of history and “The sterling silver their collections jewelry is an extoday,” Thomas tension of the “I quit the says on his webrifle, in a sense site, markthomthat the first printing as-graver.com. jewelry pieces industry in As Boone and were influenced 1993 to begin Crockett would by the escutchno doubt admire, my career as an eon plates used artist. I swore on the forestock Thomas lives so far up a holler I’d never be a of a rifle during that he can talk the Golden age slave to the of mountain cat of the Kentucky [work] bench sightings, so far rifle,” the blogagain.” up he doesn’t ger wrote. have a cellphone “His jewelry — MARK THOMAS — “just don’t and other silCRAFTSMAN work up here” — ver objects are so far up that the unique, one-ofonly TV he can a-kind, heirloom get is on DVDs, of which he quality pieces of art made has a pretty mountainous one at a time and encollection. graved one line at a time.” “He can be crazy as Thomas has been the hell sometimes, or a free subject of articles in such spirit,” his friend Schuler specialty hard-copy and said. “Living up there by online publications such himself, he doesn’t really as Muzzle Blasts — “the care what the rest of soci- official publication of Naety thinks.” tional Muzzle Loading He gets publicity Rifle Association.” through the gatherings A writer for the Honhe does, such as the 18th ourable Company of Century Market Fair, See PAST, Page 13 through the CLA and
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Thomas: ‘I Make The Object So I Can Carve And Engrave It. It’s The Art Of It.’ Past
FROM PAGE 12
Horners website spilled some of Thomas’ horn secrets: “He soaks his horns in a bath of walnut and butternut hulls with Osage orange sawdust. Sometimes he will hit a horn with a Bivins walnut stain if the horn needs a little something.” Rather than revel in such publicity, Thom-
as likes the smaller accolades best, especially when he has made something specifically for a customer: “The emotion on their faces is just ...” said Thomas, at a rare lack of words. “When you put all that blood, sweat and tears into a piece.” Thomas can put in 40 to 100 hours into a “kit gun,” where all the parts come preshaped
and ready for his artistry, or he can put in 200 hours building one from scratch. The difference in price can be $5,000 versus $10,000, depending on the intricacy of the embellishments. You can, however, own a piece by Thomas for as little as the mid- to low $100s he charges for some of his silver jewelry or cupware, which
might take 12 to 20 hours to craft. Insisting his existence is at or near subsistence level, Thomas said it’s not about the prices, or even the objects themselves. “I make the object so I
can carve and engrave it,” he said. “It’s the art of it more so than the object. The object might belong to the customers, but I will always own the art.” Stopping to think about it, Thomas pronounced the
bottom line on what he does — and on his life as well: “Work is work,” he said. “The fun part is the embellishment.” Contact Tony Brown at 574-6286 or tbrown@dnronline.com
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Photos by Nikki Fox / DN-R
ABOVE, BELOW: Stephen Showalter, a luthier who makes guitars and other smaller, stringed instruments, makes the back of a new guitar. Showalter sources local woods like spruce and maple for his instruments.
Strumming Along Linville Luthier Sources Local Materials By KELLY CLARK Daily News-Record
LINVILLE — Some collectors have drawers of coins or shelves of rare comic books. Stephen Showalter has a room of 14 handmade guitars. They are made of such local woods as red spruce and maple, or more exotic woods, including Haitian mahogany and Guatemalan rosewood. A ukulele, a dulcimer and a mandolin also share floor and wall space. What the instruments all have in common are the hands that made them: Showalter’s. The 66-year-old retired brickmason launched Showalter Guitars in 2013. He builds instruments in a workshop next to his home in Linville and sells them online at showalterguitars.com. “I was thinking about retirement, and I asked myself, ‘What would I do?’” he said during an April interview at his workshop. See STRUMMING, Page 15
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‘I Wanted A Guitar, But I Didn’t Want To Buy One’ Strumming
FROM PAGE 14
He had woodworking experience from former carpentry and cabinet-making jobs, and he had a love of guitars that began with the first one he made in 1981. “I wanted a guitar, but I didn’t want to buy one,” he said. “I thought if I made it, I would learn to play quicker. I played a lot, but then I got away from it.” He became a regular luthier — a maker of stringed instruments — when he retired and transferred control of Showalter Masonry, which he had owned and operated for decades, to his son, David. By his own count, he has made 53 guitars, six dulcimers, two ukuleles and a mandolin — the latter instrument not one he looks forward to making again.
“There’s a lot of detail to those,” he said. Building a guitar usually takes about 80 hours, Showalter said. To make the frame, he heats wood to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, throws water on it and wraps in foil before bending the piece against a mold to get the curves the way he wants. He uses a round, rough dish to sand the edges of the frame, and constructs the neck with a dovetail joint so that it snaps into place on the guitar for a firm fit. “When it gets snug like that, it’s not going anywhere,” he said. “It’s like one solid piece.” Showalter started his business using wood bought from all over the world. But international restrictions, especially on wood from South America, made
him switch to local sources, including sycamore and spruce. “I like to pick out woods that really have a lot of character,” he said. “I thought they needed to be built with exotic woods, but I found through experience ... great sounding American wood.” Showalter’s favorite is Adirondack red spruce, found mostly in western West Virginia. Another that has a special place in his heart came courtesy of his son, Aaron. “He told me, ‘Dad, you’ve got to build a guitar with Osage orange,’” Showalter said. “Osage orange is one of the hardest woods in North America. Most sawmills don’t want to mess with that. I strung my first guitar up and our jaws just dropped, it sounded so good.”
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Most of his supply comes from Rockingham County landowners. Referring to a 5-foot stack of planks in his shop, he said, “I’ve got enough wood to last until I die.” Notable users of Showalter’s instruments include the four members of the Timberville father-and-sons bluegrass band The Hatcher Boys. “We have three of his guitars in our group,” said Michael Hatcher, the band’s lead singer and guitarist. “My oldest son [Dane] purchased one and my middle son [Spencer] is using one as well.” Hatcher praised Showalter’s craftsmanship and the sound of his instruments, which matters to musicians because the sound must align with the style of music being played.
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Stephen Showalter works on the back of a guitar. “Folk can be more mellow, and bluegrass tends to be brighter,” he said. “It’s the best guitar I’ve ever played, and I’ve played a lot of guitars.” In addition to guitar-making, Showalter drives a bus for Rockingham County Public Schools. He also loves to fly and briefly owned a flight school. “I’ve got enough to keep me busy,” he says, adding
that he hopes to keep his business going for as long as he can. “I was 62 when I started, so I’d say I’ll keep going until I’m 92,” he said. “It’d be nice to make a 30-year career out if it. They say when you have a purpose in life, you’re going to live longer.” Contact Kelly Clark at 574-6290 or kclark@dnronline.com
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Harrisonburg, Va.
BrydgeWorks Studio Creates Stained Glass Wonders By RYAN CORNELL Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Some children whet their business chops by running a cul-de-sac lemonade stand. Others might capture the entrepreneurial spirit by selling Girl Scout Cookies. Growing up on a dairy farm in Elkhart, Ind., Rebecca Brydge recalled selling her art — or at least trying to — from the side of the road. “We lived on a country road where not many cars came by,” Brydge said. “I never sold anything, but I was out there with my drawings.” She’s come a long way since that art stand in rural Indiana. These days Brydge and her husband, Steve, create stained-glass works, lead classes and sell art and supplies at BrydgeWorks Glass. The studio, on Va. 42 north of Harrisonburg, opened a little more than two years ago. And, as they explain it, the endeavor couldn’t have come at a better time.
‘A Very Unique Tool’ Brydge said she’s always known she wanted to be an artist, even in elementary school, when her mind would often wander back to art class during the day. She spent a year studying art at Goshen College in Indiana. It was there she met Steve. The two hit it off and got married. They moved to Steve’s hometown of Newport News, where a friend asked her to draw a pattern for a stained-glass piece. “That was my first little touch of stained glass and I enjoyed doing that,” Brydge said. “So, that got me thinking, if I have the opportunity, I would like to take a class.” She got her opportunity after moving to the Valley about 20 years ago. In 1997, she took her first class in stained glass at the now-closed glass studio Carousel on East Market Street in Harrisonburg. The medium became more than just a passing interest, and she sought to expand her knowledge in all things glass.
Stephen Swofford / DN-R
Key Schimmel, manager of BrydgeWorks Glass north of Harrisonburg, works on a piece for the See GLASS, Page 17 store.
Harrisonburg, Va.
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Father’s Idea Prompted Brydge To Start Water-Jet Business In Parents’ Garage Glass
FROM PAGE 16
It was around that time, her dad had a innovative idea. Traditionally, artists must score, snap, break and grind their glass to fit the pattern they’re working on, Steve Brydge explained. “And her dad said, ‘Man, I know a machine that would cut that like butter,’” Brydge recounted. The machine he was referring to is an industrial water jet. Not only can it slice through glass at ease, but also floor inlays and metal. Running with the idea, the Brydges started a water-jet business in her parents’ garage in Indiana. They brought their idea
to Rockingham County ground by hand, and most and opened BrydgeWorks of what they teach is the Waterjet & Powder Coat- traditional process. ing about 15 years ago. “There would be purists Steve Brydge said the that will say, ‘No, using a water jet, which can be water jet is cheating; that’s programmed to cut pat- using too much automaterns and shapes to exact tion,’” Steve Brydge said. specifications, is Filling A Niche “a very unique Key Schimtool” to have in a “And her dad mel, who manglass studio. said, ‘Man, I “I would say know a machine ages the glass studio, has been out of 500 stuthat would with Brydgedios in the Unitcut that like Works since it ed States, there opened on Valmight be two butter.’” entine’s Day or three that — STEVEN BRIDGE 2015. [have] a water REBECCA BRYDGE’S Schimmel jet on-site,” he HUSBAND first learned how said, adding the to make glass machines are exart after taking pensive. But, he said, not every- an afternoon class about thing in the studio is cut 30 years ago. Stephen Swofford / DN-R “But I didn’t really using the water jet. Much Rebecca Brydge, owner of BrydgeWorks Glass, got the idea of using and industrial water jet to cut of what they create is still scored, snapped and See GLASS, Page 18 glass for stained-glass creations from her father.
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Brydges Knew They Had A Niche To Fill After Carousel Closed Four Years Ago Glass
FROM PAGE 17
start doing stained glass for another 10 years,” she said, “because I have children, and you shouldn’t do the two together.” Before joining BrydgeWorks, Schimmel was manager at Carousel. When Carousel closed nearly four years ago — roughly two years before BrydgeWorks opened — the Brydges knew they had a niche to fill. “All of us who worked with glass in this area were really feeling the loss of Carousel,” Rebecca Brydge said. “And I know Key had a lot of people saying, ‘Where are we going to go?’” “That kind of reminded us, ‘Hey, there’s a real need for stained-glass classes and doing stained-
glass custom work and themselves a lot in their supplying,’” Steve Brydge abilities, on their creativisaid. ty, and so part of what we do is give them encourageFast-forward to today. ment,” Rebecca B r y d g e Brydge said. Works, a mem“People Members, ber of the newly second-guess who pay a launched Harmonthly fee risonburg-Rockthemselves to use the stuingham Artisan a lot in their dio, have time Trail, offers abilities, on during regular memberships and and classes for their creativity, business and so part of m e m b e r s - o n l y all experience hours to work levels and ages, what we do how they want though Schimis give them and learn from mel said children should be encouragement.” each other. They have acat least 14 to be— REBECCA BRYDGES gin learning how OWNER OF cess to the stuto solder. BRYDGEWORKS dio’s water jet and tools, and The basics of can use the four stained glass can be learned fairly quick- full-sized kilns and two ly, she said, “but perfect- microwave kilns to transStephen Swofford / DN-R ing that can take several form their projects into Linda G. Dove of Linville looks through sheets of stained glass for a piece she plans to make at years.” See GLASS, Page 19 BrydgeWorks Glass. “People second-guess
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19
Studio Schedules Wine, Cheese Nights it,” Rebecca Brydge said. “Every time we pull out a new piece we go, ‘Wow, I shimmering works of art. The studio also sched- think that’s my new favorite.’” ules wine and And, she cheese nights, said, all their with customers “There’s a lot glass is made in learning how to of personal America. decorate flatsatisfaction. It’s “The qualitened wine bothard to explain ty control in the tles. About three without using U.S. is much more consistent,” times a year, the words, she said, comthe Brydges or‘Zen-like paring it to glass der a new crate state.’” from China. “And of glass. Each if you were to crate contains — REBECCA BRYDGES work with both of roughly 48 glass CO-OWNER OF them side-to-side, panes of differBRYDGEWORKS you could really ent colors and feel and see the patterns. difference.” Lightboxes Brydge said she and situated around the studio illuminate the swirls Schimmel also create and gradients in each commissioned art pieces. The two artists work piece. “It’s so varied it’s hard as a team, with Brydge not to fall in love with often designing the cre-
Glass
FROM PAGE 18
ations and Schimmel putting it to life in glass form. Brydge said part of what attracts her to working with glass is the challenge involved. “Part of the challenge for me is … to follow those rules,” she said. “You can’t just draw a picture and say, ‘I’m going to make this into glass like this,’ because you have to think through every piece, whether it’s going to be strong enough, whether you have to break this piece because it’s too complex. “There’s a lot of personal satisfaction,” she added. “It’s hard to explain it without using the words, ‘Zen-like state.’” Contact Ryan Cornell at 574-6283 or rcornell@dnronline.com
Stephen Swofford / DN-R
Key Schimmel, manager, and co-owner Rebecca Brydge talk about their work at BrydgeWorks Glass.
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The results are in!
{
{
bestShopping&Services
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{
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HDR Continues Streak With Seventh Win Nab Award For ‘Best Use Of Taxpayer Money’ By SHELBY MERTENS Daily News-Record
Holly Marcus / Special to the DN-R
FROM LEFT: Lauren Huber, Andrea L. Dono, Kim Kirk and Jeremiah Jenkins (not pictured), members of The Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance team, meet at the Hardesty-Higgins House.
It comes as no surprise that readers voted Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance as the “Best Use of Taxpayer Money” for the seventh consecutive year. HDR, a public-private partnership created in 2003 to revitalize downtown Harrisonburg, has swept the category every year since 2010. Executive director Andrea L. Dono said the organization is “extremely proud” of its winning streak. “It’s an expression of satisfaction from the community we serve,” Dono said. “The community’s vote of confidence [shows] that they like what they see downtown … and want to see that our work continues.” A study from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development found that for every dollar that goes into HDR’s budget, another $16.45 of
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The small organization — with only Right now, HDR is working on a marfour paid staff members — has helped ket analysis project that Dono said will bring in dozens of restaurants and retail be finished by July. The market analysis shops to downtown. Today, downtown researches the local economy to find opHarrisonburg has nearly 40 restaurants portunities for growth. HDR will share in 40 blocks. The city’s downtown has the data with the city’s economic develbuilt a reputation as a foodie destination opment office, James Madison Universisince it became the state’s only Culinary ty and the Rockingham County EconomDistrict in 2014. ic Development office, “that way we can “We’ve been hard at work for quite be more strategic,” Dono said. some time to make sure downtown is a Once the market analysis project is vibrant place and has a lot to offer,” Dono finished, HDR is looking into starting an said. innovative small business In just a few years, the assistance program that number of housing units will provide training to lo“We’ve been downtown jumped from cal entrepreneurs. HDR is hard at work for 150 to over 500, Dono said. waiting to secure a grant for quite some time Several new apartment the program. to make sure spaces have opened, includMeanwhile, the Build downtown is a ing Sancar Flats, Urban Our Park project is still in vibrant place Exchange and The Livery the process. Dono said they Lofts, to name a few. HDR hope to break ground on the and has a lot to works with developers to expansion of Turner Paviloffer.” take advantage of historic ion within a year. tax credits. HDR is also gearing up — ANDREA L. DONO “[We] help create an enfor its Friendly City Fortuvironment where people nate raffle on July 4. The want to live, to make it a walkable com- organization is giving away $250,000 munity with [vibrant] businesses,” she in cash and prizes. The proceeds from said. raffle ticket sales will go directly toward HDR has played an instrumental part HDR’s downtown projects. Dono hopes in the establishment of urban mixed-use to raise $200,000 from the raffle. buildings such as the Ice House project, Contact Shelby Mertens at 574-6274, and other large-scale revitalization proj@DNR_smertens or ects, including the Keezell Building, the smertens@dnronline.com Hess Building and the Train Depot.
Barberitaville Hair Salon is the place for all your hair care needs from cuts to color. Monica welcomes all old and new customers to come in or give us a call today!
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FROM LEFT: Andrea L. Dono, Lauren Huber and Kim Kirk pose for a photo at the HardestyHiggins House. Holly Marcus / Special to the DN-R
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 26, 2017
Harrisonburg, Va.
New Awards, New Winners By ALEDA JOHNSON
and they’re thrilled for the opportunity.
Daily News-Record
New Creation Each year, Valley residents vote on the best businesses, places and personalities in their respective categories. But year after year, certain aspects of local culture slip through the cracks, so the Daily News-Record Features staff created some new categories for 2017. Ten categories have been added this year, including Best Trivia Night, Best Brewery, Best Healthy Options, Best Car Dealership and Best Nonprofit/Charity. While those in the new categories are no neophytes to the Harrisonburg business scene, it is the first time they’re being honored for these aspects of the city’s culture,
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In its first Best of the Valley win, New Creation was voted Best Nonprofit/Charity in the Valley. Founded by Sabrina Dorman-Andrew and her husband, Steven, New Creation’s goal is to fight human trafficking through raising community awareness and educating both children and authority figures about the signs of trafficking. Dorman-Andrew was excited and shocked to be recognized by Valley residents for their work. “We know that without our community support, shopping or our donors and volunteers, we wouldn’t exist. We feel so
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Live edge wood bowls
Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10-5* *Visit Stoney Run Artisans on Facebook for additional hours and events 804-512-6986 Also, Bridal Registry for today’s brides One of a kind gifts you will cherish. www.highlanddesignsstore.com/wedding-registry
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Friday, May 26, 2017
Harrisonburg, Va.
Thanks for voting!
Harrisonburg, VA • Monday–Saturday • 11am – 7pm (540) 746-7515 • grilledcheesemania.com Daniel Lin / DN-R
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A selection of bowls are prepared for customers at A Bowl of Good in Harrisonburg. The restaurant won Best Healthy Options, a new category this year.
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Clementine Cafe Trivia Night Wins Big New
FROM PAGE 25
and owner Katrina Didot is happy for the recognition. “We’ve won in other categories before, but haven’t been recognized in a few years,” Didot said. “Sometimes we get lost behind the downtown crowd a little bit, but we’re very pleased to be chosen, and I think it’s an accurate choice.” Didot opened A Bowl of Good in 2005 with the goal of making food with healthy, unprocessed ingredients. “We aspire to be passionate purveyors of good, locally sourced food, and have been since 2005, before the whole big local food movements,” Didot said. “I think we were forerunners in local, healthy, internationally-inspired food — all things that are very popular now.” Lunch is their busiest time of the day, with crowd favorites like the Bowl de la Milpa — a Spanish inspired
bowl — and the It’s All Greek To Me salad — featuring garbanzo salad with hummus, pita and dolmas. “It may be in the middle of the work day ... and you don’t want to eat a heavy hamburger that you will feel for the rest of the day,” Didot said. “I love a good hamburger, but you can’t do that every day.” Although lunch is popular at the restaurant, their Saturday morning breakfast is often overlooked. The “All-you-should-eat” buffet offers a variety of dishes from three cooks that change weekly depending on what they get locally. But Didot wants to make sure potential customers know that healthy does not have to mean tasteless or bland. “We’re healthy, but the food is delicious,” she said. “Healthy options should never be interpreted as not exciting and not yummy.”
For more information or to look at the menu, visit abowlofgood.com.
Clementine Cafe In entertainment, Clementine Cafe took home the first Best Trivia Night in the Valley honor. Team Trivia night, held every Tuesday at 9 p.m., challenges teams of six or less to stretch their brains and compete for prizes. Whether college is in session or not, trivia draws crowds of up to 150 people, and manager Luke Watson said it’s because of the two energetic hosts — who used to be trivia regulars themselves — and the atmosphere. “Once Jody Dodson took over two years ago, he started linking up with breweries and distillers to sponsor trivia night,” said Watson, who
bartends in the downstairs lounge during trivia. “They provide a bunch of swag and a couple kegs, and that beer or liquor would be sold at a discounted rate.” To accompany the booze, the kitchen creates a special “inspired” trivia menu every week, and each item only costs between $4 and $6. “There’s usually one thing off the regular menu,” Watson said. “But it could be anything from scallops to tacos to small noodle dishes.” Each night, first place teams get a $50 Clementine Cafe gift certificate, second place gets a free draft brew at the downstairs lounge and third place gets a free domestic from the downstairs lounge. But other prizes such as shirts, koozies, bottle openers, hats and even bicycles have been offered depending on who is sponsoring trivia that night. Dodson keeps track of
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regular winners, and every couple of months, Clementine will hold a tournament of champions where the best teams compete. Watson thinks trivia night is a different, less stressful way to enjoy the bar scene downtown. “It’s always on a Tuesday, so it’s not a big party, so you don’t have to deal with a loud bar scene,” he said. “It’s a nice night to go out and
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have a few drinks and see what you know.” Trivia starts promptly at 9 p.m. and fills up fast, so Watson suggests getting there early and enjoying cocktails or appetizers before it begins. For more information, call 540-801-8881 or visit clementinecafe.com. Contact Aleda Johnson at 574-6275, @DNR_ajohnson or ajohnson@dnronline.com
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 26, 2017
Harrisonburg, Va.
Magnolia’s Chosen As Best New Restaurant By SHELBY MERTENS Daily News-Record
The hard work that goes into opening up a brand new restaurant seems to be paying off for Chris and Claudia Kay. Readers chose Magnolia’s Tacos & Tequila Bar as this year’s Best New Restaurant in the Daily News-Record’s annual Best of the Valley survey, which can be seen as a vote of confidence from the community. “It feels amazing and humbling at the same time,” Chris Kay said. “It’s been such a great response and welcoming from the community and everybody’s who has come out to see us. … We couldn’t be more blessed with this honor.” Magnolia’s won in a fairly close race with fellow downtown restaurant Taj of India. The award went to Ruby’s Arcade last year. Nestled in a small space on Water Street behind Jack Brown’s and Billy Jack’s, Magnolia’s was opened by the Kays on Feb. 7 with the goal of bring-
Guests gather at Magnolia’s Tacos & Tequila Bar in downtown Harrisonburg. Daniel Lin / DN-R
ing fast casual Mexican fare and an impressive stock of tequila to downtown Harrisonburg’s culinary scene. “It’s quick and easy and you’ve got a lot of flexibility to create whatever you desire,”
Chris Kay said in a previous DN-R article. “Combined with tequila, there’s just a broad range of profiles and flavors. With tacos and tequila, there’s something for everybody. It’s something that’s a little differ-
ent from your traditional Mexican restaurants, and a little more complex than your Chipotle and Qdoba. It’s kind of a mix of the two.” Customers can choose from 13 different tacos filled with a
range of proteins, from shrimp, fish, pork, pulled chicken and beef to eggs and roasted sweet potatoes. An order of two tacos comes with the choice of tortilla as well as cilantro lime rice or black beans and tequila pickled jalapeños. Magnolia’s food menu also includes appetizers like tequila lime wings, chorizo mac ’n’ cheese and carne asada cheese fries, as well as salads and burritos. Kay’s wife, Claudia, was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and grew up in the restaurant business. She lived in the Shenandoah Valley for some time before moving away for a decade. She and her husband moved back to Harrisonburg about five years ago. They decided to name their first restaurant after their daughter. Jalisco also happens to be the birthplace of tequila. Most of the tequilas at Magnolia’s are from the Jalisco region. While Magnolia’s bar is supplied with beer, wine and other liquors, the tequila is the biggest selection.
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OUR VALLEY
Harrisonburg, Va.
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Friday, May 26, 2017
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It’s something that’s a little different from everything else that’s around right now. We strive to use the freshest ingredients and making stuff fresh daily, whether that’s the tacos or the margaritas. ■ Chris Kay, owner, Magnolia’s
Customers can opt for flights if they’re unsure of what to order, which includes a Silver, a Reposado and an Añejo. Chris Kay said traffic at Magnolia’s has been busier than expected. “We’ve stayed busy, and it’s been an awesome experience so far,” he said. The staff at Magnolia’s takes pride in its use of fresh ingredients and the fact that the restaurant’s tacos and tequila concept is a novelty for the downtown food scene. “It’s something that’s a little different from everything else that’s around right now,” Kay said. “We strive to use the freshest ingredients and making stuff fresh daily, whether that’s the tacos or the margaritas.”
An order of tacos at Magnolia’s Tacos & Tequila Bar waits to be served to diners. Daniel Lin / DN-R
Magnolia’s recently opened its rooftop patio for the warm weather, which Kay said customers have really taken to. “It’s a unique space, and there’s no other views like that in the downtown
area,” he said. “People love it.” Moving forward, Magnolia’s hopes to host more events in the future, such as live music and wine tastings. “We can’t thank the community enough for the response they’ve shown
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us and we look forward to continuing to serve them well in the future,” Kay said. Contact Shelby Mertens at 574-6274, @DNR_smertens or smertens@dnronline.com
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Friday, May 26, 2017
Harrisonburg, Va.
From Shabby To Chic By PETE DeLEA
looking at the pieces.”
Daily News-Record
Painting The Day Away HARRISONBURG — When customers walk into Hair We R on South Main Street in Broadway, they immediately see a stash of shampoo, conditioner and other hair products. Upon closer look, clients will see a decades-old, long cream-colored dresser that’s been refurbished into a brand-new piece. The dresser — like all the furniture in the salon — came from Shabby Elegance, a Rockingham County-based home business. “It’s classy … it makes a statement,” said the salon’s owner, Patty Mongold. “There’s not one person that doesn’t enjoy coming in here. They love
On most days, Penny Whitmer can be found tucked away in her workshop hard at work giving outdated furniture a makeover. Whitmer, who owns Shabby Elegance, started her business when she couldn’t find a desk for her then 4-year-old daughter, Jessica. “She needed a desk and I couldn’t find what I was looking for so I painted her a desk,” said Whitmer, 47. At the time, the Page County native was working as a part-time receptionist for an orthodontist. In 2013, she left the job to spend more time with the family. She started refurbishing
Rockingham County-Based Home Business Refurbishes Furniture
old furniture as a hobby out of her home, but the leisure activity quickly grew into a business as word of her skills spread. Her father was a home builder and her mother was a decorator, so turning used furniture into someone’s treasure came naturally. “I’ve always loved to paint around the house,” she said. “I just love to paint.” She eventually had a workshop built next to her home on Skyview Lane, just north of the city. From there, Whitmer searches for used furniture, mostly from local auctions. She prefers auctions over yard sales because she doesn’t have to go around collecting one item at time.
Daniel Lin / DN-R
See CHIC, Page 33 Penny Whitmer, owner of Shabby Elegance in Rockingham County, paints a dresser outside her shop.
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33
‘I Can Kind Of Visualize What It Could Be’ Chic
FROM PAGE 32
At auctions, she can rack up buying multiple pieces at once. “It can be anywhere from five to 12 items at one time,” she said. But that comes with competition because others could be bidding for the same item. Whitmer has to quickly calculate what she can do with the piece, how much time and cost it will take to refurbish and what she can sell it for once completed. Typically, she eyes up dressers and anything with a unique look. She can usually spot something she can make into a treasured piece. “I can kind of visualize it,” Whitmer said. “Even if it looks ugly, I can visualize what it could be.” After acquiring a piece,
she takes it back to her shop and gets to work, creating artwork out of dressers, hutches, side tables and desks. “I want it to look like its been handed down from generation to generation,” she said.
A Niche Market She began selling finished items on Facebook “for sale” pages but eventually created a page for the business, which now has nearly 9,000 followers. She has little interest in a storefront. Whitmer has the local market mostly to herself, with only a handful of people who refurbish pieces here and there. For a couple of years, there was Shabby Love on Water Street in Harrisonburg that sold refinished furniture. But the Harri-
sonburg shop, which opened in early 2014, closed about two years later, although it still operates in Roanoke. Whitmer doesn’t think opening a shop in Harrisonburg would work. Doing so, she said, would mean she’d have to increase her prices to cover the cost of rent and utilities. The increase, she said, would put her pieces beyond the cost of what Shenandoah Valley residents would be willing to pay. Selling on Facebook and having customers pick up items at her workshop has been successful. Whitmer said she’s lost count of how many pieces she’s sold but there have been hundreds of pieces that have gone home with happy customers. About a dozen have gone to Mongold.
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James Cubbage, father of Shabby Elegance owner Penny Whitmer, puts new trim on a dresser at the Rockingham County shop. Daniel Lin / DN-R
“I just love everything she does,” Mongold said. “I love the old feel of items, but redone.” She purchased the first item for the salon about 3½ years ago and the first piece last summer for her home. “I’m running out of space,” Mongold said. “I’m trying to find spots for it.” About half Whitmer’s
customers come from the Shenandoah Valley, but she sells to anyone. “I’ve had a girl come from Tennessee twice to pick up things,” she said. Whitmer estimates the other half of her sales are to residents of the Washington, D.C., suburbs. She said price point is key, adding that she tries
to keep prices between $200 and $400. Some items, she said, would sell for at least double that farther north “Because Northern Virginia is so expensive, they’re willing to drive here because it’s less expensive,” Whitmer said. Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6267 or pdelea@dnronline.com
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Friday, May 26, 2017
More Than A Needle And Thread
Harrisonburg, Va.
v
Valley Women Use Fabric As Medium For Art By KELLY CLARK Daily News-Record
WOODSTOCK — Two Valley women have turned the adage, “A stitch in time saves nine,” into an art form. Whether it’s a floor rug of
ladybugs or a recreated Civil War-era purse, Melissa Nelson of Fox Ridge Fibers in Strasburg and Beth Lindamood of The Carpetbagger in Woodstock leverage their passions into turning scraps and blank fabric into works
Open For Summer Starting June 3rd
of art. Nelson, 58, was born in Washington, D.C., and worked for AT&T in Key West, Fla., for 18 years. Encouragement from a friend and an early retirement package from her former employer led her to launch her first business, Key West Fibers, in 1998. “When AT&T started doing corporate buyouts, they included $15,000 to start a
Beth Lindamood, owner of The Carpetbagger in Woodstock, sews various bags in modern and vintage styles. Nikki Fox / DN-R
small business,” she said. “I had a friend who was a weaver and suggested that this was something I could do.” Nelson ran the business
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piece of graph paper,” Nelson said, noting her love for how working with fabrics requires creativity as well as logic. “You need to figure out how many warp strings you have and where the stitches go and how many you need. I like the puzzle part of it.” Nelson traveled across the country showing and selling her wares in art shows during the mid2000s, but stopped when “the economy got squishy” in 2008, she said. She has attended fairs and shows up and down the East Coast, including in Quogue, N.Y. She also is a See THREAD, Page 35
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part time until 2004, when she left Florida for Strasburg, where she had owned property on Fox Ridge Drive since 1996. There she launched a full-time business named after the street. She makes rugs, table runners and bags. Her rugs feature many designs, including ladybugs, ants and bumblebees as part of her “Bugs on Rugs” collection, and geometric blocks and mazes. Her interest in fiber art started early at age 5. She began with knitting and needlework before graduating to weaving as she got older. “I start with a doodle and transform it onto a
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‘I Like Making Something From Scratch’ Thread
FROM PAGE 34
member of the O Shenandoah County Artisan Trail and has been a featured craftsman at the Bowman-Shannon Cultural Arts Center in Mount Jackson. Nelson’s custom-made rug loom and nearly all her supplies come from Harrisville Designs in Harrisville, N.H. “I get as much from this country as possible,” she said. “A lot of weaving supplies are made in Japan or Italy.” Nelson occasionally gives lessons in weaving, mainly with women who find or inherit a relative’s loom and want to know how it works. She has a question, though, for anyone who wants to dive into what she does.
“How do you feel about math?” she said.
The Carpetbagger Beth Lindamood is a cobbler by trade, but also specializes in the crafting of another kind of accessory. Lindamood, 54, bought The Carpetbagger from Middletown engineer Bob Porter in 2004. She has owned L.B.’s Shoe Repair on Court Square in Woodstock for 34 years. She bought Porter’s business after he suffered a stroke and decided he could no longer maintain the business, Lindamood said. “I like making something from scratch,” she said. “I saw [the business], I liked it, but I wondered, ‘Can I do this?’” To help her maintain both enterprises, Phil Hock-
man, whom Lindamood calls “my elf,” mans the shoe shop when she conducts Carpetbagger business. There, she makes bags that range in price from $25 string bags to $230 Civil War-era carpetbags. In addition to the more modern purses and knitting bag, her 19th century pieces include doctors’ bags, haversacks and garment bags. Lindamood’s authenticity has attracted the attention of Hollywood and Broadway. She said her bags appeared in the 2013 film “The Lone Ranger,” the television series “Hell on Wheels” and most recently the Broadway show “Hello, Dolly!” “Bette Midler, who is one of my favorite actresses, carries one of my bags,” See THREAD, Page 39
Friday, May 26, 2017
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Friday, May 26, 2017
Harrisonburg, Va.
Elkton Man Makes Original Copper Creations By NOLAN STOUT Daily News-Record
ELKTON — Elkton residents might remember the building at the corner of West Spotswood Avenue and Warren Street as a convenience store. Or they might recall its time as a tattoo parlor, diner or pool hall. Whatever they remember, it’s now home to The Copper Patina. Come in any day of the week and you’ll find Bob Swartz, 59, tinkering with copper or beating it into shape. “Copper is a cool medium to work with,” he said. “It’s forgiving, but it’s not forgiving.” Swartz is a native of Somerset, Pa., a town of about 6,000 southeast of Pittsburgh, He first opened up shop at Village of The Valley near Massanutten Resort in 2015 before moving into the space at 196 W. Spotswood Ave. in October.
“I wish I had moved art, tea light stands. It starts down here the whole with a sheet of copper, which time,” he said. “The town’s he cuts out once a customer a great little town.” places an order. His foray into copper He doesn’t waste any started when he was mak- time with sketches or preing furniture while living liminary work. in Northern Virginia in the “I’m very horrible at late 1980s. He would in- drawing,” he said. “It comes corporate it into out of my head in the furniture as “[My work is] my hands.” a “signature” and The job is not replicated made easier by his work with it anywhere. It’s the details cusexpanded. “From there, tomers give. all original. it grew into this,” Swartz doesn’t If I’ve seen it he said looking take a photo of somewhere, I around his Elkother copper won’t make it.” works — he only ton shop. Swartz said the creates original — BOB SWARTZ building’s owner pieces. OWNER OF THE “tore it down to “It’s not repliCOPPER PATINA the bricks” before cated anywhere,” he moved in. The he said. “It’s all building now has two apart- original. If I’ve seen it somements upstairs and an emp- where, I won’t make it.” ty space behind The Copper Creating a rapport with Patina, where he hopes to customers is behind much expand and open a furniture of what he does. Swartz shop. tells a story of a man who Only Swartz understands brought in a table made by the process to build his cre- the customer’s father. The ations, napkin-holders, wine customer wanted a copper
top to the table and trusted Swartz to get the job done. It took nearly a day of beating a sheet of copper with a meat tenderizer to get the right texture before
the job was finished. “They’re looking for something different and it’s what I give them,” Swartz said. “And a lot of times, they just trust me with the
process.” Another satisfied customer, Judy Fike of Clifton, has been friends with See COPPER, Page 37
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Bob Swartz restores a vintage copper piece in his Elkton shop, the Copper Patina. “Copper is a cool medium to work with,” he said. “It’s forgiving, but it’s not forgiving.”
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‘His Work Is ... Unique And So Lovely’ Copper
FROM PAGE 36
Swartz for several years and owns several of his pieces, including a birdhouse, wine holders and wind chimes. “I don’t have a houseful, but I’ve got very unique pieces,” she said. Swartz introduced her to the world of copper. “It would not have been ... my metal of choice,” Fike said. “But his work is so unique and so lovely.” Fike said he’s her “goto guy” for anything copper. She’s recommended his work to friends and occasionally comes down to the Elkton store. “He gets by with kind of that word-of-mouth,” she said. Swartz also uses various tools to create colors. With leaves, which adorn much of his artwork, he applies heat to the copper RA LEB TI
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Artist Enclave Swartz has planted his roots since coming to Elkton. “I’m done moving around,” he said. “I want to root things here and help the town grow and attract more artisans.” Since the start of the year, Swartz is part of a group of residents banding together to replace the Elkton Progressive
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to get red or blue hues. For one of his more intriguing techniques, Swartz uses Miracle-Gro and vinegar for a bluegreen, rustic hue. “I’ve experimented with all kind of things,” he said. Fike was excited about Swartz’s ability to create new ideas. “He’s just expanding, expanding, expanding and coming up with more ideas,” she said.
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Improvement Committee. EPIC, which formed in 1987, sponsored several efforts to spruce up the town and hosted several annual events, including Elkton’s Autumn Days Festival. Its members announced in December they were disbanding and a new group of residents came together to continue their work. The new group, which is retaining the EPIC name, wants to save the festival because of the artists it attracts to downtown. Swartz said his work with EPIC is part of a larger goal to make Elkton a hub for artisans. “The town has a great vibe,” he said. “I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania ... but it’s got
Daniel Lin / DN-R
Bob Swartz, owner of Copper Patina in Elkton, hand etches leaves from copper sheet. a lot of quaint buildings like this. You’ve got your Broadway and your Luray and all these towns
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Friday, May 26, 2017
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Harrisonburg, Va.
‘Color Of Spirit’ Art Gallery Owner Creates With Steel, Wood By REBECCA ARMSTRONG Byrd Newspapers
LURAY — On a rear brick wall in the Warehouse Art Gallery in Luray hangs a simple painting — an abstract interpretation of a dream catcher. Centered on a large white canvas, periwinkle gray merges with royal blue, dripping toward the edges. Canary yellow and a softer shade of blue converge in the middle. It’s perhaps an apt representation of both the downtown gallery and the man who made it. Like the dream catcher depicted in the painting, the 10,000-squarefoot warehouse is a place where dreams convene for more than 100 artists — most local — and the more than 1,000 creative works on display. On a recent afternoon, gallery owner Jim Mayes could be seen pausing at the painting he created — one of just two he has up in the warehouse — then walks to a back room without a word. Mayes is a man of few words, quick to listen and slow to speak. Often he can be found at gallery functions and gatherings standing silently amid the commotion, taking it all in. “I’m kind of an example of someone who just goes with the flow,” said Mayes in his soft, baritone voice,
Courtesy Photo
Jim Mayes stands in the Warehouse Art Gallery. Mayes sometimes paints but prefers welding steel sculptures. crossing his legs in a cushioned chair and looking out in the distance as though he’s far away. The professionally trained artist doesn’t paint often — his creative talents are better piqued by welded steel sculptures. The 69-year-old didn’t begin unleashing his own talents until later in life, as he approached retirement from a “business-minded” career. “Growing up out in the country, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up,” said Mayes, a Rileyville native. “I would say that I had a pretty idyllic childhood — always out and about on the mountain, on the river, in the caves. I just took things as they came because I didn’t know what else to do. I was always good at math, so that’s why I did that first.” After graduating from Luray High School in 1965,
Mayes studied math at Ferrum College in southwest Virginia. He enrolled in his first art class at the then two-year junior college. It was “fun,” he says simply of his foray into art, but he continued his math pursuit, eventually enrolling at Old Dominion University in Norfolk to further study the subject. After one semester, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. “I was paying for my own school, so I figured I’d go into the service and get the GI bill,” says Mayes. After basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois and electronic school in Memphis, Tenn., Mayes spent 20 months in the Philippines as a radio controller, working with drones and boats, and 19 months in California working with aviation electronics. See SPIRIT, Page 39
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Owns Art Studio In Luray Spirit
FROM PAGE 38
“In August of ’72 I turned 25, got out of the service and got married, so my car insurance dropped in half,” Mayes said with a chuckle. “I decided to go back to school for art instead of math.” After another year at ODU and a six-month stint working for the U.S. Postal Service in Luray, Mayes transferred to Madison College (now James Madison University) in Harrisonburg, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in art in 1975. But, Mayes said, a rocky economy limited an artist’s opportunities at the time, and he shifted his focus, earning a Master of Business Administration two years later, then taking a job with a Fortune 200 electronics company. The job in quality engineering and management took him from Weyers Cave to Harrisonburg to Pennsylvania and back to Harrisonburg. When the plant closed in 2002, Mayes went on to work for EMCO Enterprises, now the Anderson Corp., in Luray.
It was that year that Mayes launched the Warehouse Art Gallery, looking for a new endeavor as he approached retirement. “I’d started listening to motivational tapes at the time, and one of them concentrated on asking yourself what you want to do with your life,” Mayes recalled. “I wanted to be a part of the art world again. I really didn’t have the technical skills that other artists had, but I could do the business part. The gallery was a way for me to still be around the art — and the people.” Perhaps as much as art itself, he’s drawn to the artists who create it. “Artists are typically different from the norm, and I’ve always liked that,” Mayes said. “It goes back to my love of [author John] Steinbeck and his characters. I wanted to be associated with strong characters.” Before retiring, Mayes began to ease back into his artistic roots, beginning with small sculptures and moving on to chain saw art. Around 2009, he purchased an old auction build-
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ing off U.S. 211 in Luray to serve constructed with sweeping as his 2,200-square-foot studio lines and unexpected turns, the — the space required for him to sculptures, like the artist, go pursue welded-steel sculpting. with the flow. “My biggest influencer is “I don’t have a lot of emotion David Smith,” Mayes said, ref- in my work; for me it’s very vierencing the abstract sculptor’s sual,” Mayes said. “I like the metal creations. “I remember fluidity, the flexibility. It kind of seeing this picture of him in one goes back to my childhood, when of my textbooks — a photo taken I had complete freedom to roam. from above looking down on him “Welding is sort of freedom in in his welding gear, art, whereas painting his tools all around on is pretty structured. the floor. I’ve always “I don’t have a I don’t paint very ofheld that picture in lot of emotion ten because of that. my mind.” in my work; for When I do paint, it’s Mayes has since generally something me, it’s very created about 200 pretty wild that I’ve visual.” sculptures, some as had an idea about.” tall as 19 feet, others On this spring af— JIM MAYES small enough to serve ternoon, Mayes walks GALLERY OWNER as a centerpiece on a through the waredining room table. house, quick to point The media he uses range out the work of other artists and from steel to bark to driftwood. slow to shine the spotlight on his It wouldn’t be unusual to find own. Pausing at his rendering of Mayes hauling branches from a dream catcher, he looks up at the river or lugging fallen logs swirling blues and yellow and from the forest to incorporate in periwinkle gray. his visions. “It’s called ‘Color of Spirit,’” He describes his work much the abstract artist says simply like another might describe his without elaborating or offering disposition: “Simple, flowing further insight. Then, the man and graceful. Serene.” of few words but big vision walks Sometimes consisting of de- further into the 10,000-squareliberately abrupt angles and foot gallery, where the visions of geometric shapes, other times hundreds of artists convene.
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FROM PAGE 35
she said. By her estimate, it takes about six hours to make a bag in a process that includes cutting pieces of the necessary size and shape, sewing them together and installing handles and buttons. Lindamood uses cotton-polyester fabrics in prints of flowers, curlicues and geometric designs. She buys fabrics from a salesman and at the twice-annual Showtime Market hosted by the International Textile Alliance in High Point, N.C. Like Nelson, Lindamood tries to buy cotton-polyester fabrics that are made in the United States. “Most of it is made overseas now,” she said. “The [bag] handles are made locally.” Even more than seeing her creations onscreen and onstage, Lindamood most enjoys seeing the joy on her clients’ faces when they see a finished product. “If I’m at a show or if someone ordered something and they say, ‘Wow, it’s even better than I expected,’ that’s the part I like the best,” she said. Contact Kelly Clark at 574-6290 or kclark@dnronline.com
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