The Valley Magazine Volume 48 Spring 2026
THE BLUE RIDGE BARD REACHES SHENANDOAH ROOTS CURIO | 30
VINTAGE CLOTHING CARAVAN FINDS ITS FANBASE CURIO | 22
ETHIOPIAN CHURCH PREACHES WITH OPEN ARMS CURIO | 56
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY | LIZZIE STONE COVER STORY | ELEANOR SHAW COVER DESIGN | JULIA TANNER
C U R I O is a magazine that calls attention
to Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the surrounding communities of the Shenandoah Valley. The magazine is produced every spring semester by students in the School of Media Arts and Design program at James Madison University. Since 1978, Curio has served the community by enabling students to discover, report on and connect with distinctive aspects of the valley. Beyond serving the community, the publication gives journalism students fast-paced, practical experience in publishing a magazine from start to finish. In the 48th edition of Curio, the team dove deep into the “curiosities” that make the community unique. This edition has brought back its vintage origins, including recrafting our original logo from 1978. We hope you enjoy “A curated cabinet of stories.” Merriam-Webster Definition
Cu·ri·o (noun)
: something (such as a decorative object) considered novel, rare or bizarre : CURIOSITY also : an unusual or bizarre person
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Photography (L) by Julia Tanner. Photography (R) by Elise Deschamps. Words by Julia Tanner.
Hello, and thank you for picking up Curio’s 2026 edition! This magazine was truly a labor of love, seen through by an incredible staff. This region has profound love and passion. Over the course of production, we uncovered the Shenandoah Valley’s hidden treasures and told the Valley’s stories. We hope you, the reader, enjoy this curio cabinet of the past, present and future. Sincerely,
Julia Tanner | Creative Director. Senior SMAD Major, Journalism.
Eleanor Shaw | Editor. Senior SMAD Major, Journalism.
Hi there! I’m so glad you’re taking the time to explore this edition of Curio! As the main creator here, I poured my heart and soul into this project and couldn’t be prouder of the results. Over the course of this semester, my team and I collaborated to make this edition the best yet! Enjoy what we found and deemed worthy to share with you! Sincerely,
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All photography courtesy of Curio Staff 2026.
Carlisle Copeland Joelle McKenzie Sofie Howard Articles Editor | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism
Articles Editor | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism
Photo Editor | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism
Senior Editor | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism
Senior Editor | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism History Major
Senior Editor | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism Geography Major
Staff Writer | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism Health Science Major
Staff Writer | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism
Staff Writer | Junior SMAD Major, Journalism
Social Media | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism
Social Media | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism Public Relations Major
Photographer | Senior SMAD Major, Journalism
Emma Currie Lizzie Stone Drew Shinkle
Brendan Smith Abby Chamot Kasey Thompson
Maddie Valunas Emma Singleton Ryan Bré
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CURIOUS WHAT’S INSIDE?
ROOTED IN ROCKINGHAM
Dive on in, welcome readers!
Glenhaven Greenhouses
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
DRIFTING FORWARD
Living landmarks
8-11
BIKE COALITION Shenandoah Valley shop
12-15
16-17
18-21
RUINING RETAIL Le Marche du Soleil
22-25
Bargain Books
46-49
JAM A TUNE Marino’s Lunch spot
50-53
Critter’s Cove
54-55
BUILDING FAITH IN THE VALLEY * 26-29
MATTHEW O’DONNELL * Irish music
44-45
BUILDING AN ETHICAL PET SHOP
STITCHED TOGETHER Patchwork Plus
Melissa Boan Pilot............
STAUNTON BOOKSTORE
WHERE THE VALLEY SLOWS DOWN Staunton waterfalls
40-43
TAKING FLIGHT
DUAL IMMERSION Integrated bilingual education
Drifter’s Cafe
36-39
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
56-61
THE VALLEY OF LOVE 30-35
A Curio love letter for you
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Harrisonburg’s historic buildings include public buildings, private residences and businesses. Some were built for their use, and others especially industrial buildings have been adapted to modern needs while keeping their historic features.
Photography & Words by Lizzie Stone.
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN Harrisonburg’s vulnerable physical history
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alking in downtown Harrisonburg doesn’t quite feel like stepping out of time, but the preserved historic buildings, covered in old advertising and elaborate details, give passersby a sense of a centuries-old past. Keeping these markers of history, however, is never guaranteed. The Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District was first added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in 2004 and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2005. The boundary was increased to add two more buildings in 2018. The NHRP is “the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation,” according to the National Park Service (NPS) website. It supports efforts to “identify, evaluate and protect” resources, but acts only as a list, and doesn’t restrict renovation or removal of historic properties. Local laws usually impose the most restrictions on historic properties. But in Harrisonburg, there aren’t any regulations on changes to buildings within the historic district. Harrisonburg’s downtown has changed ever since the district was listed. Buildings have been lost or changed by property owners, but all have also just aged in the decades since.
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Examining the Downtown Historic District
The district was established in 2005 by the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, a nonprofit established by the city in 2003 to “revive our downtown,” according to its website. Preservation experts came in to survey the district and write the nomination, which included researching local history, writing architectural descriptions of every property in the boundaries and making judgments about what in the district adds to its historical value. But time has passed since the survey work was done. JMU history professor Philip Herrington said he believes the district needs to be reexamined. “Not only has the district changed a lot, but the ways in which we would classify or evaluate a building as contributing versus noncontributing have changed,” Herrington said. “The major way that’s going to change is, of course, because of the 50-year rule.” For the NHRP, buildings generally must be at least 50 years old to become historical resources. A Harrisonburg NHRP nomination identifies contributing historic resources as those that existed during downtown’s period of significance, defined as 1779 until 50 years prior to writing, or 1955. Now, 21 years later, many additional downtown buildings would qualify. “Something that was on the fence in 2005 is no longer on the fence at all, because at this point that building [would be] over 70 years old,” Herrington said. Historical significance has recently come up in conversations about the proposed Link Apartment building, which would replace the Lindsey Funeral Homes building on South Main Street. The existing building was built in 1955 and is listed as a noncontributing
Preserved historic buildings keep unique features that add to the vibrancy of an area. From old painted signs and advertisements, to iron ballustrades and detailed brick arches, historic areas have details everywhere.
Downtown Harrisonburg has a mix of architectural styles from Gothic churches to art deco and commercial buildings all around.
resource in the historical registry. Herrington said that might change if the district was re-surveyed. Fewer landmark buildings make it more important to keep the district together so history can be understood as a whole, Herrington said. With the Lindsey Funeral Home building, Herrington said it contributes to a “coherent read” of the surrounding architecture. It is residential and the same scale as many of the other historic buildings, and seems to reflect the style of neighbors like the Elk’s Lodge building across the street, he said. “When you take that building out … you are fundamentally changing the context of the historic district,” Herrington said, “and that’s doing, in my opinion, damage that is far greater than what you lose simply in terms of historic significance by removing the funeral home from the district.”
Protecting integrity with local laws
Historic integrity is “the ability of a property to convey its historical associations or attributes,” according to the National Parks Service. In other words, properties with integrity. The NPS values used to evaluate integrity include location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. Property owners in Harrisonburg have the freedom to make any changes, even those that remove historic value. This affects the Downtown Historic District. “No restrictions have been in place to prevent changes to these buildings,” Herrington said. “So some of the buildings that were listed as contributing in 2005 may have been altered to such a state
that they may not have sufficient integrity to be contributing any longer.” Recently, the city sold the Warren-Sipe house to private owners with property-specific conditions attached to preserve historic elements. Its new owners will need approval from the city council before doing any construction on the house. However, neighboring buildings could be torn down or dramatically altered, anyway, because there is no overarching law. Although the house could physically remain the same, it would lose historic integrity surrounded by skyscrapers, for example. Other cities have specific laws to preserve context and historical value while letting the city grow. Local decision-makers work to protect the varied interests of residents, from preserving common historic resources to fostering economic development. Harrisonburg has a rich history, which has been recognized nationally and preserved beautifully across the city. As lawmakers and citizens plan for future development, they should decide what balance should be struck between keeping the old and making room for the new, and codify that.
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Photography & Words by Eleanor Shaw.
BIKE COALITION It’s so much more than simply bicycling.
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The interior of the Shendoah Valley Bike Company, where the coalition’s executive director, Kyle Lawrence, worked.
he Shenandoah Valley Bike Coalition is a Harrisonburgbased advocacy organization focused on creating more connected communities — yes, that means it tackles much more than simply bicycles. “Even though we’re called a bicycle organization, the bike is just a tool,” Executive Director Kevin Lawrence said. Though the coalition technically started in 1983, its modern form came about after the 2007 unification of two local organizations: one focused on road biking, and the other on mountain biking. With this merger, an emphasis on advocacy was added. The coalition is centered on Harrisonburg and its surrounding counties, it sustains itself using donations and grants. “We think of ourselves as more of a trail-based organization focused on really connecting people to nature and each other,” Lawrence said, adding that this involves “human-scale transportation and access.” Currently, it’s managed by a staff of volunteers and three fulltime employees (which includes Lawrence). In 2018, Lawrence came on board as the coalition’s first full-time staff member after volunteering with the organization and working at the Shenandoah Bike Company shop in Downtown Harrisonburg. The other two employees are the director for community enchantment, Amanda Presgraves, and another former Shenandoah Bike Company employee, Ben Wyse. “On a fundamental level, trails are what we do — and trails are everything from dirt paths to greenways, bike lanes and sidewalks,” Lawrence said.
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Shenandoah Valley Bike Company is one of many Harrisonburg-based bike shops connected by the coalition.
The coalition achieves its mission through advocacy work as well as building trails. For example, the coalition oversaw the creation of the Western Slope Trails in partnership with the Massanutten Resort. These are primarily used for mountain biking. “It’s a fairly dense network of trails, which is really useful because it provides lots of shorter or longer opportunities in ways that you can’t find in the National Forest,” Lawrence said. “It’s a little bit more engaging for mountain biking. That said, it’s open to hiking and trail running as well.” At the coalition’s core is the goal of increasing accessibility (which is especially valuable in car-dependent communities). This means creating trails in easily-reached places — including not only the Western Slope Trails, but also the Narrowback North trail near Mount Solon and the Mud Pond Trail near Dayton. Building trails can be difficult on public land due to red tape involved, so much of the coalition’s policy work focuses on that side of the trail-building process. This includes gaining funding and access. While the coalition takes an active role in building trails in the natural environment, it assumes a more advocacy-focused role in situations involving infrastructure and public spaces, largely due to budgetary reasons. Another means through which the coalition has furthered this goal is through its Bikes for Neighbors program. Wyse coordinates this highly selective initiative, which assists Valley residents who can’t otherwise transport themselves. The program refurbishes bikes “to a very high standard,” Lawrence said. “We’re high-quality, low-quantity, because we’re really looking for people for whom that bike could be a great tool and make sure the bike is set up in a way that will last them for a long time,” Lawrence said. Lawrence said that many communities outside the Valley may have multiple organizations that span the entirety of the coalition’s missions. While that keeps the coalition extra busy, it also means its members who join solely for biking are introduced to all the ways they can advocate for a more accessible community. “You can start to cross-pollinate these things, so people who come in through other pathways learn that there are these amazing other opportunities,” Lawrence said. “A lot of our work is connecting people to better spaces, now they make those spaces more accessible so that there are easily accessible opportunities that they can enjoy.” Though the word “bicycle” is central to both the coalition’s
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name and focus, it doesn’t limit itself to strictly bikes. “When we think of how we can help people with transportation, we don’t want to be prescriptive — that everyone needs to ride a bike — because that’s not our goal,” Lawrence said. While a bike can be a great option for someone living in a city like Harrisonburg, Lawrence said it may not be feasible for someone living in a comparatively more rural area. The coalition’s next big undertaking — adding a Shenandoah Rail Trail — is right in line with improving accessibility for those without cars. This project would take a pre-existing 50-mile-long stretch of railroad, spanning from Front Royal to Broadway, and transform it into a bikeable, walkable pathway. “There’s no other project that will impact so many people for biking and walking,” Lawrence said. “The idea that you have a flat, graded corridor that goes right through nine towns and will connect people, there’s nothing else we could do like that. No one’s building those corridors again.” When it comes to planning trails, Lawrence said it’s very much a long-game, meaning the coalition has to plan for many years in advance. Another major project on the horizon is located in Woodstock, which is a route connecting the Shenandoah National Park to the George Washington and Jefferson Natural Forests — Lawrence said this one is on the more advanced end of the spectrum. Another project is in Waynesboro, where easy-to-traverse trails will be built right in its downtown area. “When you are working on local issues — and even state-wide issues — you can see tangible changes, and that is motivating, that propels things forward, and that’s been sustaining for me,” Lawrence said. Creating trails with varying difficulty levels, Lawrence said, helps lower the barrier to entry that many people face when wanting to engage with nature. Biking can require additional equipment and fitness (particularly on extreme courses), so the coalition seeks to lower that barrier by creating easier trails. That way, people will be incentivized to enter and become part of the coalition’s vision. “Again, the bike is a tool, and it can be really easy to get lost in the bike and think that everyone should bike,” Lawrence said. “Our goal is to make it so that it can be a choice, so that it is easy and accessible. You can choose to do it, but it’s not that you have to.”
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Sticker advertising the Western Slope trail system
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Photography, Typography & Graphics by Julia Tanner.
Words by Emma Singleton.
DUAL IMMERSION Dual immersion language classes taught in public schools.
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hen thinking of an elementary school classroom, it’s easy to imagine one classroom and one language. That is not the case for students at Keister Elementary in Harrisonburg, where students learn in both English and Spanish. For substitute teachers who don’t speak Spanish, you would expect this to be difficult. For the kids, what stands out isn’t the language barrier, but how easily they have adapted. Across Harrisonburg, dual immersion language programs have become a central part of school curricula. Students learn in both languages, switching throughout the day. The impact of this goes beyond the classroom, changing how the kids support each other. “They ask each other a lot of questions if they don’t understand the material,” substitute teacher Natalie Shults said. “So they really help each other out.” This creates bonds between the students and allows new friendships to flourish. With 57 different languages spoken in Harrisonburg City schools, it can be challenging for kids to find their niche. “A lot of the population at Keister is Spanish speaking,” said Emily Eck, a former substitute now full-time staff member, “So it benefits the kids who speak Spanish at home and are learning English. And then there’s also a big population of kids who speak English at home and they’re also learning Spanish.” Despite the benefits, the program can still present challenges to both students and teachers. “There were times when I would pick up a shift and show up for the day, and I would say, ‘This is a Spanish classroom,’” Eck said. “‘I speak a little bit of Spanish, but not enough to teach the whole day in Spanish.’” For the students, it could leave them feeling overwhelmed. “A downside could be some kids feeling like they’ve fallen behind because they’re not understanding certain things,” Shults said. The kids who participate in the dual immersion language program are chosen by lottery. If a child isn’t profiting from this program, then they will return to full-time English, allowing them to get the most out of their education. Even with these challenges, the educators see a big benefit in the program. “I wish that I had it when I was in school,” Eck said. “It’s so much easier to learn when you’re that age.”
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Photograph courtesy of G. Edward Johnson, Wikipedia Commons; Shenandoah Valley Waterfall.
Photography by Julia Tanner & courtesy of Caitlin Turcina. Words by Maddie Valunas.
WHERE THE VALLEY SLOWS DOWN How waterfalls keep drawing people back in the Shenandoah Valley.
T A beautiful scene of an overlook nearing the waterfalls in Shenandoah Valley. The leaves are beginning their blossom in the warm spring weather.
he sound always comes first. Before the waterfall is visible, before the trail fully opens up, there’s a steady rush of water echoing through the trees. It’s something that pulls people forward, past slick rocks and winding paths, until the view finally breaks through. On a warm afternoon, the trail moves at a slower pace. Families step carefully down the path, with parents reminding their kids to watch their step as they navigate rocks and roots. Groups pause to let others pass. A young child crouches near the edge of the water, reaching out toward the current while a parent hovers close behind. For many, this isn’t a rare trip. It’s a familiar one. In the Shenandoah Valley, waterfalls are more than scenic destinations. They’re places people return to for a break from routine, a moment of quiet or a way to reconnect with the landscape around them. Within an hour of Harrisonburg, trails lead to waterfalls that offer entirely different experiences, from quick afternoon escapes to longer, more captivating hikes. What draws people to these places isn’t just the view at the end. It’s the experience of getting there and the feeling that stays with them after they leave. For a Virginia-based outdoor blogger, L. Merredith, who runs SoulOfASeeker, waterfalls offer something uniquely powerful compared to other hiking destinations. “Waterfalls exhibit power in the most natural and simplistic way,” she said. “The overwhelming sound … mixed with the delicate mist on your skin grounds and humbles you.” In a region where mountains frame the horizon from every direction, access to nature is part of everyday life. For students at James Madison University, as well as families and long-time residents, stepping away from town and into the forest often takes less than an hour. Waterfalls, in particular, offer something immediate, a destination that feels both close and removed at the same time. Merredith emphasizes that her connection to waterfalls is deeply personal. Having grown up in Virginia, she said the Shenandoah
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Valley’s waterfalls continue to stand out because of their variety and familiarity. “The Shenandoah Valley in particular features stunning falls and a variety of different types of waterfalls,” she said. “Because of this, the allure of the waterfalls … still excite me.” Just outside Harrisonburg, places like Hone Quarry Falls offer a different kind of experience. The trail is quieter, less structured, and often less crowded than those inside the Shenandoah National Park. The hike follows a stream through dense forest, crossing water multiple times before reaching the destination. Trips here are often less planned. For many, it’s a spontaneous decision — just a short drive, a few hours outside and a return before evening. It feels less like a destination and more like a routine — a place people return to without much thought. “Many students will spontaneously visit waterfalls and swimming holes, especially on weekends [or] after classes to relax,” said Chapel Ormond, the social chair of JMU’s Outdoor Club. At Dark Hollow Falls, the experience shifts. The trail is shorter and more accessible, drawing a wider range of visitors. During spring break, families are especially present, with children running along the trail alongside parents who pause frequently to guide them. One parent, watching her children step carefully over the rocks near the base of the falls, explained that the hike felt manageable while still offering something memorable. A way to spend time outside with her kids without needing extensive planning. For many visitors, this kind of accessibility makes waterfalls an entry point into the Valley’s landscape. They are often the first place people go, the first time they hear the water before they see it, and the first time they step off the trail and into something quieter. Farther along in the park, Jones Run Falls offers a different pace. The trail follows the sound of water almost the entire way, creating a steady rhythm that feels different from the more crowded paths nearby. Fewer people pass by, and the hike itself becomes part of the experience rather than just the destination. Here, the draw is less about the arrival and more about the time spent moving through the landscape. Ormond said the appeal is often split between the destination and the experience itself. “From the hikes I’ve been on, everyone enjoys the scenery … even people who don’t get in the water still enjoy themselves and the atmosphere.” For those willing to take a trip further north, Overall Run Falls provides an especially challenging but rewarding journey. Reaching it requires more time and effort, and the payoff reflects just that — it’s a taller, more dramatic waterfall that feels earned to see. It’s the kind of place people plan for, rather than stumble upon.
Across these locations, the experiences differ, but the pattern stays the same. People return. Officials with Shenandoah National Park say part of that draw comes from how waterfalls evolve throughout the year. “Waterfalls also offer something unique in every season,” park representatives wrote. “Spring rains and snowmelt send larger volumes of water over many of the falls… in autumn, vibrant foliage frames the cascades, and in winter, some waterfalls transform into ice formations.” For some, it’s a way to step away from school or work. For others, it’s something they share with visiting friends or family, a place that feels distinctly tied to the region. Over time, these trails become familiar, revisited not just for the waterfall itself but for what it represents. Outdoor creators and hikers, who spend time documenting the region, often point to this sense of return as part of what makes the Shenandoah Valley unique. The waterfalls are not just destinations, but they are experiences that shift depending on who is visiting, when they arrive and what they are looking for. That shared experience is part of what keeps people coming back. While every visit looks a little different, the intention often remains the same. For L. Merredith, that range of experience is part of the appeal. “Some are content to simply stand by the falls … others throw themselves in to feel alive,” she said. “But there is one commonality — everyone is there to enjoy the waterfall.” As more people discover these trails, the experience continues to evolve. Increased foot traffic brings more visibility to these spaces, but it also raises questions about preservation and care. Visitors are often reminded to stay on marked paths, respect the landscape, and leave the area as they found it. Even so, people keep coming back. At the base of Dark Hollow Falls, the movement never stops. Water continues to rush over the rocks, just as it has long before the trail was carved and long before the crowds arrived. People come and go, pausing, taking photos and guiding children along the edge before eventually turning back up the trail. But for a moment, they stay. And in that moment, the Valley slows down with them.
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Elise Deschamps, Le Marché du Soleil Owner. Photography by Elise Deschamps. Words by Kasey Thompson.
RUINING RETAIL A college side hustle turned into a communitydriven vintage business.
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hat began as a single bin of secondhand clothing in Elise Deschamps’ dorm room has since grown into a traveling pop-up shop known for its curated thrift and loyal community. Today, that sense of connection defines Le Marché du Soleil, French for “The Market of the Sun.” Deschamps now travels by van across Virginia, bringing her evolving collection to cities like her hometown Virginia Beach, as well as Williamsburg, Richmond, Newport News, Norfolk, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg. A love for thrifting has always been part of Deschamps’ story; some of her earliest memories are even of thrifting with her grandmother. That appreciation for thrifting deepened when her mother passed down staple wardrobe pieces from the ’80s and ’90s — items she now cites as major influences, noting their lasting quality. When Deschamps moved to Collegedale, Tennessee, to attend Southern Adventist University, she had to find new ways to nurture her passion in a place without a strong fashion scene. What began as a creative outlet and a way to meet people soon became Le Marché du Soleil. “I remember seeing pieces that I would source and style around campus,” Deschamps said. “Because our campus was so small, seeing the influence that Le Marché’s curation had on my immediate social community was really cool.”
Pop-ups don’t just offer the chance for a fresh wardrobe, they create space for new friendships too.
As the business grew, the pandemic shifted her workspace from her dorm room to a friend’s dining room. That sparked a new idea: coffee shop pop-ups. Deschamps’ first job was as a barista, and she spent much of her free time in coffee shops. She began leveraging those connections to host pop-ups in local cafés, marketing through Instagram and expanding both her reach and the Le Marché community. “I’m really grateful that I get to pop up because I am nothing without the coffee shops that I work with, without the people that let me in their spaces,” she said. Deschamps credits much of her success to her evolving skill of curation. She acknowledges that shopping secondhand can require more effort, but her goal is to “ruin retail” for her customers. “What I’m doing is a service to people because I’m spending my time curating a selection that allows you to find pieces that you love without supporting evil corporations,” she said. “And also, you’re supporting local [businesses] and shopping small.” In an era dominated by fast fashion, the rise of secondhand clothing feels especially relevant. Deschamps points to constantly shifting trends and their impact on consumption habits. “I like being someone’s first step into
shopping secondhand,” she said. “What I try to do with Le Marché is be a stepping stone to more sustainable consumer habits.” Deschamps keeps her customers in mind while sourcing, often building selections around individuals’ styles. “I have a couple of customers who have such distinct styles that are really inspiring to me,” she said. “When they walk in, I’m like, ‘I was thinking of you, I have 10 pieces that I think you’ll love.’” As both Deschamps and her customer base have grown, so has the brand — a
Owner Elise Deschamps’ goal with Le Marché is to “ruin retail” for her customers. “I want you to go shopping, spend more money, and then think about me because you could be getting something better for a third of the price,” she said. “The attention to detail and quality that Elise puts into her collections leaves me slack-jawed and drooling. This woman knows her stuff, and it shows,” Holmes said.
“I can’t count the number of
hour-long conversations I’ve had with people who have perused Le Marché racks, let alone the countless friends I’ve made.
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- Grace Holmes, Le Marché du Soleil employee
shift reflected in her inventory, which now includes pieces suited for internships and corporate settings because, as she said, “honey, dressing for work is expensive.” “A lot of my customers have grown up with me, so we’re all postgrads,” she said. Deschamps’ favorite pieces to thrift, however, are “the pieces that it’s like, if this ever falls apart, I might lose it,” she said, as well as items “that people would wear every single day if they didn’t have to wash it.” Despite the time and effort behind her selection process, Deschamps remains committed to keeping Le Marché du Soleil accessible. This philosophy extends to pricing. “I feel really strongly about investing in the things that you own and that you don’t need to spend a ton,” she said, recalling a conversation about her sister’s new cardigan, Deschamps was stunned by its $150 price tag and said she would sell it for $44. Over the last seven years, Deschamps’ curation and customer base have evolved, but so has the business. She has since hired an accountant, a designer and her first employee to support Le Marché’s growth, a necessary step in an increasingly popular vintage market. Virginia Beach native Grace Holmes was recently hired as Deschamps’ first official employee to assist with behind-thescenes work. The pair met in high school and later reconnected, fittingly, when Holmes was working at a Norfolk coffee shop where Deschamps was hosting pop-ups. “Around that time, Elise asked for help setting up for a pop-up, and with a few retail jobs under my belt, I obliged,” Holmes said. “We ended up staying up until 3 a.m. hanging up clothes and sorting racks. The rest is history.” While Holmes may be the first paid employee, Deschamps emphasized that the business has always relied on a wider circle of support. Deschamps often calls Le Marché du Soleil a one-woman show, but quickly clarifies that it’s anything but. “Yes, it’s just me, but it’s [also] everyone who shops,” she said. “It’s everyone who helps to set up and tear down. It’s everyone who shares the posts. It’s all of the coffee shops and all of the business owners who allow me to set up.” The connections remain the best part of the job. “My favorite part,” Deschamps said, “is getting to meet really kind people or people who tell me that I’ve inspired them to study what they want or do what they want.”
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Photography by Elise Deschamps.
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Photography & Words by Eleanor Shaw.
STITCHED TOGETHER How a quilt shop became a Dayton destination.
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t’s 2020, the COVID pandemic is just ramping up, and the owners of Dayton’s Patchwork Plus have to tackle a question all too familiar for small businesses: How do we keep ourselves afloat while everyone’s stuck at home? The quilt shop (which is Virginia’s largest, according to its website) had built itself a devoted community of primarily olderwomen customers — an especially susceptible age group to COVIDrelated complications, which the shop’s owners also fall into. So Patchwork Plus’ owners — Shirley Martin, Cynthia Hay, Mary Bré and Susan Oehler — had to get creative. Outside the entrance, a tent was used to disperse purchases from a safe distance. Employees wore masks and diligently followed precautions. The shop’s entire inventory was uploaded onto its website and shipped to buyers. And to ensure the Patchwork Plus community remained connected, its Facebook page was updated daily with videos hosted by Hay. Now, just more than six years later, the trio is celebrating its 13th anniversary with Patchwork Plus. The shop hasn’t just retained
its community, but thanks to these pandemic-era measures, it’s also become a destination for passionate quilters.
The shop’s origin story
The shop has built itself a tight-knit following within the quilting community.
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The building Patchwork Plus currently inhabits was once a Mennonite dry goods store called Clothesline. Then, in the ’90s, new owners purchased the shop and leaned into forming a quilt shop. Many of Patchwork Plus’ walls are still lined with the sewing machines from its past life (fun fact, the building is where Bré bought her first sewing machine). In 2013, Hay, Bré and Oehler decided to purchase the shop after its former owners retired. Bré and Oehler are sisters, and they knew Hay from their church. Fate aligned for the trio. Hay previously ran a quilt shop and Oehler stepped away from her career in computer software, following the 2008 recession. They became the shop’s official stewards alongside Bré and Oehler’s mother Shirley Martin in April 2013. “We all came from different backgrounds, but we wanted this place to be a community — a place where people could come and have fun,” Oehler said.
Patchwork Plus’ Owners From left to right, Cynthia Hay, Mary Bré and Susan Oehler celebrating their 13th year with the shop.
“That’s always been our emphasis. We make it a place where people want to gather and be together.” - Mary Bré, an owner of Patchwork Plus
To balance the work, the women each manage a different part of the shop. Oehler, using experience from her previous career, was tasked with managing the website, newsletter emails and other tech-related tasks. Bré is one of the shop’s two machine technicians, working alongside fellow machine tech Ronnie Rohrbaugh to make sure their customers’ machines are up to snuff and functional. As for Hay, she organizes and decorates the shop’s floor while also managing the employees. Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list of everything the owners get up to. Their staff helps maintain Patchwork Plus’ operations, and many of them were originally customers. But not all of them have quilting experience — some simply have a passion for the atmosphere and customers. In the shop’s main areas, employees can be seen checking customers out, restocking shelves and answering questions. Behind the scenes, other workers help assemble kits for sale, unload deliveries and ship online orders to their destinations.
“Welcome to Patchwork Plus!”
Upon entering the store, visitors are greeted with a landscape stocked with quilts, fabrics and multi-colored thread. Several displays are sorted by color, some by theme and others by miscellaneous commonalities — including a display of fabrics sourced from Bali. “Sometimes you’ll get sand on there because they dye it and lay it on the grass,” Oehler said of these Bali-based products. “All these are really vivid and just beautiful.” Antique furniture is used to display many of the shop’s wares, with smaller items stashed in woven baskets. Surrounding the store are quilts crafted by employees, many of which are accompanied by quilt kits to allow customers to replicate them. At the back of the store is a room full of machines, several of which boast touch screens and other high-tech features. The walls are lined with all kinds of threads, grouped by color and type. Next to this room is Bré and Rohrbaugh’s repair station. Rohrbaugh came onto the shop’s team after the previous machine tech retired — that tech had worked with the shop even before its current owners. For newcomers, Patchwork Plus staffers are available to answer questions, give recommendations or cut fabric. Shop loyalists are also eager to help and welcome hopeful quilters into their community. “They love it when a young person starts, or a newbie starts,
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because they can help them learn what they need to know,” Bré said. “You’d think they work here, they just help walk them through the store and pick out projects.” In the back of the store, there’s a classroom where the shop hosts workshops, teaching attendees during shop-sponsored lessons — all of which are advertised on the website and its email newsletters.
A community crafted around quilting
Patchwork Plus’ community is most immediately visible upon entering the store. Among its aisles, employees catch up with the shop’s regulars, swapping stories. To celebrate its 13th birthday under Hay, Bré and Oehler’s ownership, many of these customers gathered in the classroom, wearing their best Regency Era clothes for a tea party. “It’s kind of a neat retail store because this is people’s love,” Oehler said. “This is what they love to do. They’re always happy when they come in here, and we want it that way.” During the pandemic, Oehler said many Patchwork Plus loyalists purchased equipment and materials they didn’t need to keep their beloved shop afloat. While the community played a major role in keeping its doors open in 2020, the shop also guided others through the chaos courtesy of the pandemic, particularly through its Facebook presence and daily “Coffee with Cynthia” videos. Each “Coffee with Cynthia” episode starts with a review of what’s new to the shop. Hay said many of these videos can amass tens of thousands of views. Currently, the profile has just over 11,000 followers. “What we found, especially since COVID, they just want to be together,” Bré said. “[During the pandemic] so many people stopped going to church, and so many social organizations dropped away.” Now, the shop is constantly expanding both its offerings and its customer base. In 2022, it was named one of Better Homes & Gardens’ top-10 quilt shops in the United States. Quilters from all over trek to Dayton to visit the shop and peruse its offerings. The shop even has its own Bluestone Vineyard wine label, Patchwork Plus Wine. Above all, for its owners, the most rewarding part of watching over Patchwork Plus has been its loving community. “We just figured if we made it a place where quilters wanted to be, that would take care of everything else,” Bré said. “That’s always been our emphasis. We make it a place where people want to gather and be together.”
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O’Donnell Matthew O’Donnell was drawn to the concept of a bard because of their history as storytellers and informers. Now, O’Donnell uses music to connect people as well as time and space.
Photography by Lizzie Stone. Words by Eleanor Shaw.
MATTHEW O’DONNELL The Blue Ridge Bard reawakens the Valley’s traditions and history.
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efore the Earth’s continents split apart, the Appalachian Mountains and the mountains of Ireland and Scotland used to be one. That joint spirit lives on in the Shenandoah Valley’s musical heritage and Matthew O’Donnell — also known as the Blue Ridge Bard. O’Donnell’s story begins with his very musical family. His dad played trumpet in a jazz band, while his mom taught piano. Naturally, he said this meant he and his three brothers all played music. Eight-year-old O’Donnell began his musical journey playing the piano. Eager to discover more instruments, he picked up the bass guitar and guitar at 11 years old, and he was particularly drawn to those used in folk music. Shortly after, he began performing live as part of cover bands, worship services and even a ska punk group. “Everybody gets that thing that lights them up, that they just want to know everything about,” O’Donnell said. “It was all these sounds and these physical processes. I just wanted to know how they all worked, and I was just delighted to discover that mechanically.” His first exposure to folk music came in the form of ’60s folk revival artists, such as the Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem and The Dubliners. “While my family was musical, they didn’t really play Irish music, but it was just in the mix of all the things my father loved to listen to,” O’Donnell said. “He worked from home, and we played his music all day long, and there was, among that, some of this Irish music.” During his teen years, he spent time in a pub where a Scottish musician performed many of the folk classics that O’Donnell now knows by heart. “I watched this gentleman, and I said, ‘Wow, here’s just somebody standing in a corner of a room, making people happy, making people feel like they’re friends, even if they never met each other before,’” O’Donnell said. “How wonderful is that?” For a while, performing folk music was just something fun he did on the side. It wasn’t until his early 20s that O’Donnell leaned into the genre as something to try while figuring out what he wanted to do with his life. Over time, a fascination for his instruments’ history and tradition naturally embedded itself into his passion for music. Eventually, he realized his calling was carrying on the folk music tradition. “I didn’t really know a lot about it when I started, but it was really a beautiful window to something that I understand is one of the most powerful forces that connects people through time and space.”
Music During his sets, O’Donnell uses a variety of instruments, switching between songs. As a music teacher, he also teaches their use. The accordion is a real crowd-pleaser.
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Mandolin The mandolin — which is a kind of lute — is the perfect instrument to be played by a bard. Its bright sounds have made it popular in folk, bluegrass and classical music.
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O’Donnell, following in his mother’s footsteps, also teaches music, and his views on music’s connecting power inform much of that work. In many cultures, O’Donnell said, music has gotten significantly less accessible over time — including in Ireland and Scotland. Folk music was designed to be a social activity to be shared with others — similar to how he listened to the Scottish musician in a pub —, but modern life can make it difficult to achieve that ideal. “We have this idea that there’s somebody up on a stage who can do it better than you, so you shouldn’t do it at all,” O’Donnell said. With that, O’Donnell said he views music as something to connect people and carry on tradition, rather than being something to put on a pedestal. This mindset informed the title he’s assumed as a traveling musician: the Blue Ridge Bard. Historically, O’Donnell said, bards were the ones journeying around and announcing news. Since this process is instantaneous nowadays, O’Donnell focuses primarily on returning to the tradition of giving storytelling a human edge. “I became very drawn to learning songs,” O’Donnell said. “I always need to be learning constantly and especially the older folk songs. It feels important to me, it’s something that I can’t explain.” His moniker started as a band name, “The Blue Ridge Bards” — a group he formed with several of his friends. “First, I called it Matthew O’Donnell’s Blue Ridge Bards, but that was too long,” he said, chuckling. He decided to maintain the brand when performing solo rather than using his name, thus establishing himself as the Blueridge Bard. As the band played less and less together, O’Donnell shifted his focus to his solo act. “It wasn’t a very thoughtful thing I did at the time,” he said. “But then it was like, ‘Oh, I am claiming an identity for myself. I might as well live up to it.’” O’Donnell first began performing his music live while living in Richmond, but he was “very organically” drawn further and further west into the Shenandoah Valley. Next, he moved to Charlottesville and then to Stanardsville. He got his start as a Valley musician on the Elkton Brewing Company stage, when some of his musician friends told him they were looking for someone to perform for 2021’s St. Patrick’s Day. This performance came at a time of uncertainty about live performances post-COVID. “I had just never really spent much time in this area at all,” O’Donnell said. “It was like suddenly just being transported into another world, and just like there’s so much joy and excitement and togetherness.” Now, O’Donnell lives up to his “bard” title by hopping around the Valley, performing in Harrisonburg, Elkton, Weyers Cave and more. “Every time I get to be here, I feel so connected with the history of people making their way and finding a deeper tradition that brings them together,” O’Donnell said. The Valley is home to many descendants of Irish and Scottish immigrants — many of whom are in the crowd of O’Donnell’s performances. Their ancestors resettled in a place that was once a part of their mountainous homelands, millions of years ago. “That’s why it doesn’t feel incongruous at all for me to be primarily performing Celtic, Irish, Scottish folk music in this area,” O’Donnell said. “It feels just right at home.”
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Fiddle A fiddle is the same kind of instrument as a violin. The key difference? The kind of music they play. Fiddles are synonymous with folk music, whereas violins are associated with more classical genres.
Guitar In many of his performances, O’Donnell will play an acoustic guitar. Its use isn’t limited to folk music and appears in almost every music genre.
Photography by Lizzie Stone.
Accordion Accordions are played by compressing and expanding their airbag-like center while pressing adjacent keys. It offers a jaunty flavor to O’Donnell’s performances. Bodhran A bodhran is an Irish hand-held drum. The user’s hand placement controls what kind of sound the instrument makes.
Tin Whistle A timeless folk staple is the tin whistle. Its clear and crisp sound makes it a popular instrument in a variety of folk songs — including those O’Donnell performs.
Photography & Words by Taylor Moore.
ROOTED IN ROCKINGHAM
A Rockingham County plant staple.
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From April 1 to June, the greenhouse offers enough colorfulness to fill the season. Owner Arlene Reid ensures every vegetable and flower is labeled correctly.
or 40 years, tucked away in Broadway, Virginia, Glenhaven Greenhouse has attracted local gardeners. At the heart of Glenhaven Greenhouse is Arlene Reid who has been the owner and manager for 34 years, making this not just a place to buy plants, but a community. “Our mission is to offer hands-on service and quality products to the local community and beyond perfect.” The greenhouse’s most popular plants are their heirloom tomatoes, but they sell other vegetables and flowers too. Reid treats this business like a community and has a mutual trust between the local gardeners. “I think the locals respect, love and trust us to help and offer them a product that we can stand behind. We feel that our customers are not only customers, but also they are our family.” Reid said “the local community deserves a place to go where they know they’re going to get a product that is labeled correctly.” Reid said. The staff has extensive product knowledge, ensuring that customers receive necessary guidance. “We grow most of what we have ourselves, and we have very few things that we raise that we don’t know anything about,” Reid said. “Not only do we like to serve the customer by helping them search and find their plants, we like to make sure that the plants they get are what they came for and are the quality that they would expect to put in their garden and watch grow so it produces food for them in the future.” Glenhouse Greenhouses used to be open year-around, but now it operates in the spring season only starting April 1 through June. Reid realizes that customers have many options when it comes to where they can buy plants. She said how grateful she is that customers choose them despite the wide variety of options. “We really do appreciate that customers honor us with that visit, and we don’t take that lightly. We love our customers, and they are extremely loyal,” Reid said. Reid hopes that in the next generation Glenhaven Greenhouse will remain a destination where visitors always experience that “down-home” touch.
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Photography by Taylor Moore. Rows and rows of Reid’s diverse selection of plants cover the entire greenhouse.
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Photography by Sofie Howard. Words by Drew Shinkle.
DRIFTING FORWARD Exploring the origins and evolution of a growing Appalachian cafe.
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heir first customers drifted in almost four years ago. Since then, Lexy and Lukas Shifflett have grown into their roles as owners of Drifters Cafe, a locally-owned business that straddles the Shenandoah Mountains. Beginning as a food truck, the business has since expanded to three brick-and-mortar storefronts. In January, the Shiffletts acquired Cinnamon Bear Bakery and Deli in Harrisonburg, announcing its transition into a Drifters sister location. The story of Drifters began well before the Shiffletts started serving customers. Coming from Harrisonburg roots, Lukas moved to Montana after graduating from Bridgewater’s Turner Ashby High School. In 2017, while working at a McDonald’s in Bozeman, Lukas met Lexy, who was also on staff while attending her freshman year at Montana State University. After her first year at MSU, the pair moved to Florida, where they spent four years together. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they bought land to build a new home in rural Hardy County, West Virginia, about half an hour away from Lukas’s parents in Mathias. Before Drifters opened, the mobile food truck concept had yet to take hold in Hardy County. With the local population more acclimated to getting coffee from corporate chains like McDonald’s and Sheetz, Lexy and Lukas saw an opportunity to start something healthier and fresher for their community. On April 30, 2022, the Shiffletts opened the first Drifters Cafe location inside of a ’90s pop-up camper that they stripped down and rebuilt. While pivotal to their business beginnings, the trailer nearly
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The menu offerings at Drifters Cafe in Harrisonburg, including seasonal coffee specials.
Lukas Shifflett, co-founder of Drifters Cafe, splits his working hours between their Harrisonburg location and the newly-acquired Cinnamon Bear Bakery and Deli.
missed the cut during their move to West Virginia. “It was in pretty rough shape, but we just put new tires on it, and we were like, ‘Hey, we’ll probably use this eventually,’” Lexy Shifflett said. The Capon Valley Fire Department in Wardensville, a small town about 20 minutes away from their house, hosted the first Drifters customers. At the time, it was the only place in town where the Shiffletts could get permission to set up shop. After riding out the summer of 2022 in the Drifters mobile food truck, the Shiffletts realized it wasn’t feasible to keep the truck running through the winter months. However, they began to form a customer base, and they wanted to keep the momentum going. “It was just such a following at that point that it was like, ‘How are we gonna close and expect the same people that were seeing us in the summer to not have forgotten about us through the winter?’” Lexy Shifflett said. Their solution sat in brick and mortar in Wardensville, just around the bend from the site of their first sales at the fire department. In September 2022, the first stationary Drifters Cafe location opened in a renovated building that the Shiffletts had been eyeing for a while. Initially occupying a space in the back of the building, they shifted around to the front in March 2025. Lexy Shifflett has spent the majority of her working hours at the Wardensville location. During the work week, the Wardensville store mainly sees regular customers who live in the area. “We just see them walking past the window and start making their stuff,” she said. When the weekend arrives, the tides turn, and regulars are largely replaced with travelers looking for a pit stop on their journey. With the store’s rustic and mountainous surroundings, a range of recreationists pass through: hikers, skiers, glampers and more. Eager to expand and immerse the brand in a new community, the “Drifters” name crossed the mountain ridge over to Harrisonburg in August 2023. The franchise’s second brick-and-mortar location opened in Black Sheep Coffee’s former Harrisonburg space in the Ice House. The Shiffletts mulled over an expansion to equally distant Winchester instead, but Lukas’ Harrisonburg roots helped influence the final decision. Since opening the Downtown Harrisonburg Drifters location, Lukas has spent the majority of his time managing the cafe. Over the years, he’s noticed a wide range of ages represented in the customer base. “I would like to think that it’s because you can make everybody feel welcome, no matter who you are,” Lukas Shifflett said. As a small business, the Shiffletts and their employees pay close attention to the customer experience, making sure that they’re putting their best foot forward in every transaction. If a customer
Drifters Cafe’s Harrisonburg location opened in August 2023, in a retail space formerly occupied by Black Sheep Coffee.
isn’t satisfied and decides to spend money elsewhere, Lexy and Lukas feel the impact — there’s nobody above them in the corporate hierarchy. “If somebody decides not to buy a sandwich because they didn’t like the last experience, that’s our mortgage,” Lukas Shifflett said. When Black Sheep moved out and Drifters moved in, Lukas noticed a potential benefit of doing business in a previous cafe’s location: customers will come if they have an established routine. However, he notes that the transition period (before the public becomes fully aware of business differences) can have some rough patches, as some customers don’t initially realize changes in the menu and business identity, even if quality remains the same. As the years went by at the Downtown Harrisonburg location, a large portion of Lukas’s original staff members graduated and left the area in the summer of 2025, leading to a period of staff turnover. Olivia Pitts, one of the new hires and a recent JMU graduate, quickly learned the ropes, helping train newer staff members as the school year began. At this time, Lukas began thinking of a potential third location that Pitts could manage, and he ultimately set his sights on Cinnamon Bear. Between November 2025 to January 2026, the Shiffletts finalized the sale, only closing the store for a five-day renovation at the end. On Feb. 4, Cinnamon Bear officially reopened as a Drifters sister location, with the name intact. “It’s a very fine line between building a brand and then looking too corporate,” Lukas Shifflett said. As the new-look Cinnamon Bear has settled in, constructionrelated road closures and delays on University Boulevard have interrupted traffic flows, but Lukas hopes that customers will find the drive to be worth it. In the greater community, the Shiffletts make sure to give back with various measures, including fundraiser days for student organizations, giving to charity, as well as a new scholarship program for their employees. In each of the fall and spring semesters, one winner at each location receives $750 they can put towards anything they desire. “Whatever you need, to just give you that cushion while you’re in school,” Lukas Shifflett said. Four years in, Lexy and Lukas’s franchise has grown across state lines and business identities, but they still look for the same connection with customers. “We serve the people that are looking to chat; looking to walk in and we already know their order,” Lexy Shifflett said. “It’s just building that connection.”
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Photography courtesy of Melissa Boan. Words by Abby Chamot.
TAKING FLIGHT One pilot who earned her wings and taught others to fly. An inside view of the cockpit, where Melissa takes control as pilot.
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“Don’t die.” hose are the encouraging words a Blue Ridge flight instructor said to Melissa Boan as he hopped out of the plane and onto the tarmac. He reminded her that he was leaving his expensive headset with her. She was all alone for the first time, just her and the skills she had learned to keep her safe, from when she began her journey to when she was back on the ground. Her ability to stay calm and focused is what helped her accomplish the most difficult part of the flight, the landing. The first time Boan flew an airplane, disbelief set in as she had just accomplished something as impressive as that all by herself — something she had wanted to do since she was a little girl, looking up into the clouds and seeing her future soaring above her. Sixteen years ago, Boan’s life was completely different. One of seven kids, she was home-schooled with minimal career options after high school. She was accepted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. However, with no way of funding flight training after high school, she took a different
Aerial photo of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains on a cloudy day.
path. She had just married her long-term boyfriend and moved to Germany with him for his job in the military. “I was a stay-at-home mom, so I really wasn’t thinking about a career at all at that point,” Boan said. “I was like, all right, I can’t just sit at home all the time, so the pilot’s license came back to me.” She didn’t know you had to have a commercial license to fly for hire. She thought she could fly private jets with a private license, but unfortunately, she was wrong. Said she realized pretty quickly she would have to go through a lot of training to become a pilot. As soon as she started, she knew she loved it and was going to continue down this career path. Learning to fly was a whole new challenge of its own, and the hardest part was learning how to have a growth mindset again. “As adults, we kind of tend to stop trying new things, which makes not giving up difficult, especially when you are overwhelmed,” Boan said. She went through 16 months of training, continually moving up each rating, while simultaneously going through a divorce. She first received her private license at 30, and now, at 34, she is chief instructor at Blue Ridge Aviation, the same school where she learned to fly. Her continued efforts to keep showing up and stay consistent were the one thing that helped her progress. “Learning isn’t a linear process, through ups and downs, and even though it might not make sense at first, it will always click eventually,” Boan said. Reframing her mindset was the best thing she did for her learning process. She constantly asked herself how she could learn from this, instead of getting frustrated and quitting. “I think I see that in a lot of my students, too — it gets overwhelming,” Boan said. “Honestly, that was the hardest part, mindset-wise, mindset and confidence.” Her students appreciate her calming and nurturing presence in the cockpit. It takes a lot of effort for students to show up every day, considering it’s a mostly self-driven program. “She has a great coaching ability, and she makes you want to succeed to make the coach happy. She is helping you help yourself,” said Trevor Young, a former student and current flight instructor. The flight school’s attrition rate is extremely high, and there are numerous checkpoints pilots can achieve. Many who achieve private flying licenses don’t continue on to the rest of the checkpoints to become a flight instructor or have a commercial license. Boan’s next step in the industry is to become a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examiner and then, possibly, a commercial pilot for an airline. “Melissa is everyone’s biggest cheerleader — she has a reassuring presence that tells you that you can do this,” Young said.
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Almost two miles off Interstate 81, at Ex from top to bottom. As customers look a books, combating the idea that print is dy that idea into the ground by serving as offering anything any reader could think Matthew Shiflett, owner of the Staunt $4.50 and hardbacks at $5.50 — no m Each morning, Shiflett sorts books while By evening, new books are put onto the in by locals for store credit or purchased “My friend recently went and picked u in New York, close to the Canada bord 3,000 books from an estate sale,” Shifl face, “we just can’t say no to books.” This philosophy has allowed Bargain stories. In addition to books, the shelve Games and DVDs litter the store as wel books, but they also encourage new peop out of the door almost every day. Photography & Words by Emma Currie.
STAUNTON BOOKSTORE
Finding belonging in between shelves.
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lmost two miles off Interstate 81, at Exit 222, lies a building filled with stories from top to bottom. As customers look around, they see every shelf stocked with books, combating the idea that print is dying. In fact, Bargain Books hammers that idea into the ground by serving as the largest bookstore in Virginia and offering anything any reader could think of at a majorly discounted price. Matthew Shiflett, owner of the Staunton location, prices paperback books at $4.50 and hardbacks at $5.50 — no matter what genre or vintage. Each morning, Shiflett sorts books while another employee ships online purchases. By evening, new books are put onto the shelves. The books are either brought in by locals for store credit or purchased from people all over the country. “My friend recently went and picked up around 1,000 books from somewhere in New York, close to the Canada border. A few weeks ago, we also picked up 3,000 books from an estate sale,” Shiflett said as a soft smile came across his face, “we just can’t say no to books.” This philosophy has allowed Bargain Books to stock its shelves with endless stories. In addition to books, the shelves are stocked with stories of all kinds. Games and DVDs litter the store as well. These stories are not only inside these books, but they also encourage new people with their own stories to walk in and out of the door almost every day.
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xit 222, lies a building filled with stories around, they see every shelf stocked with ying. In fact, Bargain Books hammers s the largest bookstore in Virginia and k of at a majorly discounted price. ton location, prices paperback books at matter what genre or vintage. e another employee ships online purchases. e shelves. The books are either brought d from people all over the country. up around 1,000 books from somewhere der. A few weeks ago, we also picked up flett said as a soft smile came across his
n Books to stock its shelves with endless es are stocked with stories of all kinds. ll. These stories are not only inside these ple with their own stories to walk in and
Diana Davis, a Bargain Books reg of her job. “I’m a caregiver who works with the inte community, and I support people to g independently at local places,” Davis sai to that community; they’ve offered volun that I work with.” Although Davis isn’t an avid reader sections of the store — especially graphi area. She appreciates the illustrations in like “The Picture of Dorian Gray” — read.” Working as a support coordinator for ab came after stepping away from her work different. In her work helping others en she’s seen how a wide range of interests “They have something for everyone,” D have it or probably will have it soon — Through volunteer opportunities at B
gular, started going to the store because
ellectually and developmentally disabled get out into the community and engage id. “This place has been really welcoming nteer opportunities for some of the people Diana Davis, a Bargain Books regular, started going to the store because of her job. “I’m a caregiver who works with the intellectually and developmentally disabled community, and I support people to get out into the community and engage independently at local places,” Davis said. “This place has been really welcoming to that community; they’ve offered volunteer opportunities for some of the people that I work with.” Although Davis isn’t an avid reader herself, she still feels drawn to certain sections of the store — especially graphic novels, vintage books and the gaming area. She appreciates the illustrations in older texts and enjoys browsing titles like “The Picture of Dorian Gray” — a novel she described as a “worthwhile read.” Working as a support coordinator for about two years, Davis’ path to caregiving came after stepping away from her work as an artist while looking for something different. In her work helping others engage with spaces like Bargain Books, she’s seen how a wide range of interests can be met under one roof. “They have something for everyone,” Davis said. “If you can think of it, they have it or probably will have it soon — it’s a place for everyone.” Through volunteer opportunities at Bargain Books, Davis said some of the individuals she works with can earn store credit, giving them the chance to pick out books and items on their own for free — something she said adds to the store’s encouraged sense of independence. For Shiflett, Bargain Books grew from much simpler beginnings. His previous business partner, Bill, had accumulated a large collection of books over the years while staying busy with a separate store in Richmond. With unused retail space in the Staunton Mall, the idea for a bookstore came naturally. “We had the space and all these books,” Shiflett said. “Why not do a bookstore?” What started as a practical decision has since grown into something much more. Now in its third location in seven years, Bargain Books continues to expand, filling its shelves and spaces with stories for anyone who walks through the door.
herself, she still feels drawn to certain ic novels, vintage books and the gaming n older texts and enjoys browsing titles a novel she described as a “worthwhile
bout two years, Davis’ path to caregiving k as an artist while looking for something ngage with spaces like Bargain Books, _ s can be met under one roof. Davis said. “If you can think of it, they — it’s a place for everyone.” Bargain Books, Davis said some of Shelves are lined with pages for everyone, some hiding in the wrong place, but likely to find you at the right time.
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Photography courtesy of Marino’s Lunch owner Felicia Sheets.
Patrons participating in jam session at Marino’s Lunch. Words by Joelle McKenzie.
JAM A TUNE How Marino’s Lunch brings community to Staunton with its food and jam nights.
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arino’s may look quaint and small on the outside, but once you crack the shell of this gem, you will find a restaurant that blends modern with retro mid-20thcentury American diner traditions. Customers connect to Marino’s history as they order. On each menu, there is a page about its history. “Everyone knows Marino’s Lunch, but do they know its history?” The menu reads. The menu mentions that Marino’s opened originally as a grocery store, catering to African American residents in 1917, under the name “George Taylor Market.” It was owned by the Shelton family. In 1927, Italian-immigrants Domenick and Catherine Marino bought the business and building. The Marinos opened their business as a restaurant, going by a few names before deciding on Marino’s Lunch. It continued as a family business with the Marinos’ son Anthony Marino, who married Arline Marino after returning from the first World War, according to the Staunton News Leader. They ran the business together until Anthony’s death in 1963. And after his passing, Arline carried on and continued
running the business, later running it with her daughter and grandson, who both ran the business until Arline’s death. Decades before her death, in the ’60s, Arline introduced the well-known Marino’s tradition of bluegrass jam nights on Tuesdays. Marino’s Lunch has closed a few times, in its recent history. The first time it closed was in April 2017, a year before Arline’s death in 2018, which is when the business went up for sale. It was sold to former U.S. Navy SEAL and musician Victor Meyer and his wife. He bought the restaurant after finding out it was closing and wanting to buy the restaurant’s sign, Meyer told Virginia Living Magazine in 2022. The Meyers renovated the restaurant after purchasing it in 2018. Meyer closed the restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened it in April 2022. But it closed at the end of that year, and the restaurant remained closed for the whole of 2023. However, one thing’s for sure that each time it has closed down, it hasn’t stayed closed; Marino’s has found its way to continue on, through each of its changes in ownership and management. Marino’s current owners, Felicia and Christopher Sheets, only reopened the restaurant about two years ago, in 2024. Sheets recalled going to Marino’s Lunch as a young girl, around 4 years
You can get “ everything right
here in one spot and everybody knows your name.
”
- Felicia Sheets.
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Photography courtesy of Marino’s Lunch owner Felicia Sheets.
old, with her grandmother. It was her grandmother’s favorite restaurant. Sheets even continued going to the restaurant in her teen and college years at JMU and Mary Baldwin University. “There’s a lot of memories here,” Sheets said. “When it could be, I could own this place … I knew then it happened for a reason.” Sheets added that she and her husband had been looking for a restaurant to own for around seven to eight years before coming across Marino’s. Since reopening Marino’s, Sheets created a new menu, expanding its offerings to breakfast, lunch and dinner, and providing a catering service. “The owner before us had French cuisine, pastas and things like that,” she said. “I wanted to bring back the diner nostalgia because Staunton just didn’t really have that.” One day, the YouTube show America’s Best Restaurant’s Roadshow called and asked Sheets if she would like the restaurant to be featured. “I honestly thought it was a scam call at first, but it ended up being legitimate,” Sheets said. Sheets said the show travels to every state one week of the year, visiting only four to five restaurants in each. “We were lucky, [one of] the lucky ones this year that got picked,” Sheets said. The process of being on the show also involved being nominated; Sheets found out one of her old bosses had nominated her restaurant to be on the show. The roadshow did research on the restaurant, Sheets’ business history and reviews, Sheets
52 | CURIO
said. The episode aired in late April 2026 on YouTube. Marino’s Lunch general manager and head chef Jennifer Johnson, who has been working at Marino’s Lunch since the Sheetses bought it two years ago, first met Sheets working at the Waffle Inn in Verona six years ago. Waffle Inn closed during the pandemic, and the pair went their separate ways. Johnson worked at another restaurant for a year and half, and she said she wasn’t happy with her position there, so she called Sheets after hearing a rumor that she was looking for a cook at the Elk’s Lodge she was working at. Then, Sheets decided to purchase Marino’s Lunch. And they have been working together since. Johnson said as they were reopening Marino’s, she heard more and more stories of its history, and some people recounted stories of going there as kids with their grandparents. Johnson also noted that as things come and go, and they change, Marino’s still exists as a restaurant. “[It] could have ended up being a shoe store,” John said. “You never know. But it’s still a restaurant, it’s still a place where music happens and people hang out.” Locals and regulars alike may reminisce about Marino’s Lunch with fond stories of going to the restaurant and connecting with family, friends and other patrons, whether that be from attending its twice a week bluegrass jam nights, sharing meals or drinks, or being in the ambience of Marino’s itself. “You can get everything right here in one spot and everybody knows your name,” Sheets said. “We have been referred to as Staunton’s own Cheers, like the show ‘Cheers’, where everybody knows your name.
That’s kind of how Marino’s is referred to amongst locals.” For Mary-Margaret Gardiner and David Puffenberger, Marino’s Lunch is a special place; they met each other there and even had their first anniversary party last July at Marino’s. Puffenberger had been going to Marino’s since sometime around 2011 after hearing about the restaurant in the Staunton News Leader, he said. While Gardiner said she has been going since around 2022. Since the couple have many friends there and live close by, they frequent the restaurant weekly, around two to three times a week, gravitating toward the music events. “The main thing I would say is that there’s a real connection in the community and there’s something about Marino’s — it’s special,” Puffenberger said.
_
An ensemble of lively musicians jam together. Adorned with wood burnings of famous rock ‘n’ roll musicians, the bar ties into the diner tradition with a modern twist.
Owner Felicia Sheets, middle, with Marino’s Lunch frequenters MaryMargaret Gardiner, left, and her husband David Puffenberger, right.
Photography by Sofie Howard. Words by Emma Currie.
BUILDING AN ETHICAL PET SHOP Building a business from the ground up is difficult, especially within a 20-day time frame. This concept is no stranger Skylar Chumley, owner of Critter Cove — an independent pet shop in Harrisonburg.
54 | CURIO
Chumley’s passion for exotic critters began at an early age. Chumley has strictly owned exotic animals for as long as she can remember. “I got my first lizard when I was 14. I did two years of research and a PowerPoint presentation to the parents and everything,” she said. Her passion for these creatures has only grown over the last 10 years. At 16, Chumley landed her first job at PetSmart before joining a local pet shop, where she stayed for five years. Both places allowed her to express her love for animals, but as many people know, no love story is ever easy. Her passion ultimately led to a bigger realization: The system was outdated. Watching the practices in these shops became increasingly difficult for Chumley and helped open her eyes. “Working there was like baptism by fire,” said Chumley, who became the shop’s only employee at just 19 years old. With pet care standards rapidly evolving, it’s important to keep standards current. “As an owner, you must be up to date with all welfare and husbandry requirements of animals,” Chumley said.
Many practices other stores reflected standards from the ’90s and early 2000s, and while challenging, that experience became an important turning point that helped shape Chumley’s perspective. “How I took care of my lizard when I was 14 is not at all how I’d take care of my lizard now,” she said. The knowledge from Chumley’s previous experiences taking care of pets allowed her to stand firm in her decisions as a current pet shop owner. Chumley acknowledges the fact that anyone can lie, but she uses her judgment when interacting with customers. “There are specific questions I ask, and customers need to be knowledgeable and know the answers, but I obviously don’t expect people to have 100% knowledge on everything,” Chumley said as she emphasized figuring out the intent behind pet purchases. If someone does not know something, Chumley will hand them a care guide and see if that helps before she sends the
critter to their new cove. “I will figure out a way to make business work while prioritizing the animals. I need to be confident that this animal will have a good life,” she said. Loving animals has never been enough for Chumley. After two years of being a nursing student, Chumley realized she was unhappy. Her job at the local pet store helped her realize she wanted to work with animals. “I transferred out of JMU, went to an online college in Maine and got a degree in animal health and behavior,” she said. In 2024, during her final year in college, as part of her studies, Chumley completed a capstone project that allowed her to explore her love for animals on a deeper level and consider what that passion could become. “I wanted to reach people before they had to go to the vet, mostly because of bad husbandry, but I knew something could be fixed,” she said. Many people are unaware of how pets live and how involved you really need to be. For her capstone, Chumley proposed an ethical pet store. “If it’s possible for me to do it the right way, there is a way to do it properly through all the society we live in, so let me do things the correct way,” she said. Chumley wrote a 28-page report and the owner of the local pet shop where she was employed offered her their shop, but ultimately, the property owner decided to sell the property. “I thought it was the only path I could take, but in hindsight I’m glad it didn’t happen,” Chumley said. She and her coworker closed it down by themselves, only to open Critter Cove on South Carlton Street. Chumley and her business
Soft tank lights reflect off each individual aquarium as fish glide through carefully balanced ecosystems, giving the shop a calm, almost meditative feel. Each set up is designed with intention, mirroring the kind of environment customers are encouraged to create at home.
partner — and previous coworker — had to start from scratch. “After touring seven different places, we opened with blue tape still on floors behind the tanks,” Chumley said. It may have been a slow start with a small counter at the front of the store, but people were messaging Chumley to open quickly as they were running out of food for their reptiles. According to its website, Critter Cove pet shop’s goal is to “distinguish ourselves from traditional pet shops through comprehensive husbandry education, updated product lines and unique animals.” Chumley said she believes that the pet industry should have a focus on the environment. “There’s a vicious cycle not in benefit of animals or people,” Chumley said, “when people don’t have the right enclosure and set up, people take it home and the animal dies in five years because they didn’t take care of it, which perpetuates the cycle and the people will buy another animal because that’s what’s advertised.” In order to combat this cycle, Chumley emphasizes how animals are taken care of in the store by remembering that their enclosures are temporary. “People are vulnerable to certain levels of miscommunication, so make sure everything is taken care of,” Chumley said. One thing that sets Chumley apart from other pet stores is how her love for animals is reflected in the products she chooses to stock her shelves with. “I don’t sell products I don’t support or back. One example being red light bulbs and reptile carpets,” she said. “These carpets cause blindness and hold bacteria/mold, so I’m not going to sell these items because they’re wholeheartedly not good.” Critter Cove carries a wide range of animals, including freshwater and saltwater fish, reptiles, and invertebrates. All critters in the store are captive-bred reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Chumley believes that this is “better for their health and overall wellbeing.” Giving these critters care that closely mimics their natural environment is essential to Chumley. Fish present a unique challenge because not all species are available through captive breeding. In any case, Chumley works closely with trusted local breeders and carefully vets her sources to ensure ethical practices. Chumley even takes conservation into account by checking species against the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list before placing orders to avoid contributing to the decline of endangered populations. Chumley admits that some days the trickiest parts of her job aren’t the animals — it’s the people. Despite her will to educate others, she knows not everyone will listen. “You can’t instill empathy in people,” she said, acknowledging the reality that some animals will continue to be improperly cared for. However, Chumley chooses to focus on those who are willing to learn, helping build a community of responsible pet owners. The result is a business she considers both successful and ethical, which is not something every pet store can claim. Through it all, it’s her love for animals that remains at the center, pushing her to do better, even when others won’t.
_
CURIO 2026 | 55
Photography by Ryan Bré. Words by Brendan Smith.
BUILDING FAITH IN THE VALLEY An Ethiopian Orthodox congregation in Harrisonburg creates a space for worship, culture and community while supporting members far from their home.
I
t’s time of congregation, and inside Harrisonburg’s Asbury United Methodist Church, the sounds of chanting, prayer and tradition fill the room as members of a local Ethiopian Orthodox congregation gather for worship. For many, the service is more than a religious practice — it is a connection to their home. “Being a member provides me with two benefits,” said Mebratu Agde, a member of the congregation. “I benefit spiritually and also in worldly ways as well. I can better understand the community around me through the church.” The congregation, known as The Harrisonburg Throne of Light Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, was established just two years ago. It’s quickly grown into a central space for Ethiopian and Eritrean families in the surrounding Harrisonburg area. For members, the church serves not only as a place of worship but also as a foundation for connection, culture and support. “The congregation was established to bridge the gaps and share love within the Harrisonburg community and help each other out,” said Abebaye Mengesha, a member of the church. Mengesha said the church’s role centers on faith and unity. “The role of the congregation here is overall Orthodox religious instruction, developing people into the faith and then bringing people together,” she said. Harrisonburg, an official Church World Service resettlement community, has become home to many immigrant communities. Members of the congregation say they have felt welcomed by residents. “All the members of the community are very happy to be here in Harrisonburg,” Mengesha said. “They are very happy about that and always have felt welcomed by the surrounding community.” Within the church, leadership plays a key role in maintaining that sense of care and connection. Deacons, in particular, act as a bridge between members and clergy. “I scan the congregation with what troubles people may be
56 | CURIO
Inside the meeting, members come together to celebrate Easter through community and tradition.
having, good things and bad, and then report to the priest and bishop,” said Samuel Aklilu, a deacon who was ordained in October 2025. The role is both practical and spiritual — helping organize services while also ensuring members feel supported. “Deacons are a messenger for the congregation — ensuring everyone is safe, healthy and has everything that they need,” he said. As the congregation grows, word of mouth has been key in bringing members into the church — particularly within Ethiopian, Eritrean and Habesha communities in the area, ____ said. Language and education also play an important role. Services are conducted in Amharic and English, and the church offers classes for younger members to learn both languages and stay connected to their heritage. “It’s very important that ministry starts inside the church,” Aklilu said. For many families, preserving culture is just as important as practicing faith. Agde said the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s long history and traditions are central to that mission. “The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has ancient history and is one of the earliest churches,” he said. “Here we are making an effort to pass on those traditions to our children.” Religious holidays such as Fasika (Easter) and Christmas hold particular significance, offering opportunities for the community to come together and celebrate shared beliefs. Beyond spiritual life, the church provides emotional and social support — especially for immigrants adjusting to life in the United States. “This is within the purpose of the church,” Mengesha said. “We don’t really have the capacity to help out everyone, but we try to help people have a place of rest and prayer.” Members said the church’s mission is rooted in peace, compassion and service. “It’s a big point in our beliefs to help the needy and help them [out of] poverty as we pray for them,” Mengesha said. Agde described the church as more than just a place of worship. “I do view the church as my home,” he said. “Just as much as I am concerned with my personal private home, I also feel I belong at the church.” As the congregation continues establishing itself in Harrisonburg, members hope the broader community will come to better understand their presence and purpose. “We would like the city to understand that our purpose is to establish peace among the people of the city,” Mengesha said. “We are here to love and send prayers.” Agde echoed that message with an open invitation: “For someone who doesn’t know anything about us, they are welcome to come and join us and learn,” he said. “We are welcoming and want people to come and ask questions.”
_
“I scan the congregation with what troubles people may be having, good things and bad, and then report to the priest and the bishop.” - Deacon Samuel Aklilu
CURIO 2026 | 59
From the Samuel Aklilu the Congregation’s Deacon
I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’ (Psalm 121[122]:1) Come let us draw near to the Lord God, who has called all of us men (mankind) through His Son Christ Jesus. Let us partake from the fullness of His grace. ‘I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth.’ (1 Tim 3:15). The Harrisonburg Menbere Birhan Qidist Sillasie Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhido church extends her invitation to all in the name of the Lord God Most High. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 33[34]:8)
An establishing shot of Asbury United Methodist Church in downtown Harrisonburg.
CURIO 2026 | 61
As dawn brea
miles of rolling h
out from the city It’s easy to un
century have cho
what those roots
or boast. It’s a g the front porch, It’s a pace of
it. Talk to the c
—; almost none
school agricultu
But somewhe 62 | CURIO
stopped being a Typography by Julia Tanner.
aks to the east over the Blue Ridge mountains, it illuminates
hills, cow pastures and an outcrop of new suburbia stretching
y center — a valley in the midst of transformation. Words by Ryan Bré.
THE VALLEY OF LOVE derstand, from a distance, why so many families over the past Love stories in the Shenandoah Valley. Follows romantic journeys of loving couple in the area.
osen this place to set down roots. What’s harder to explain is As dawn breaks to the east over the
Blue Ridge mountains, it illuminates
miles of rolling hills, cow pastures and an
s grow into. The Shenandoah Valley doesn’’t announce itself outcrop of new suburbia stretching out
from the city center — a valley in the midst of transformation. It’s easy to understand,
gradual accumulation: friendly neighbors, a glass of wine on from a distance, why so many families over the past century have chosen this place to set
down roots. What’s harder to explain is what
and bumping into a friend on-line at the grocery store. those roots grow into. The
Shenandoah
Valley
doesn’t
announce itself or boast. It’s a gradual
life shaped as much by the land itself as the people living on accumulation: friendly neighbors, a glass of
wine on the front porch, and bumping into a friend online at the grocery store. It’s a pace
couples who’’ve built their lives here and a pattern emerges of life shaped as much by the land itself as the people living on it.
Talk to the couples who’ve built their
e of them planned it this way. A bar on Main Street. A high lives here and a pattern emerges — almost none of them planned it this way. A bar on Main Street. A high school agriculture
ure class. A concession stand and fifty cents.
class. A concession stand and fifty cents. But somewhere between first dates and the following years, the Valley stopped being a
ere between first dates and the following _ years, the Valley place they lived, and it became a place they belonged.
CURIO 2026 | 63
place they lived, and it became a place they belonged.
Not every love story begins with a grand gesture. Bill and Mary Martin’s stor
Street in 1979 — a time when disco music reverberated off the walls of after-hour
retirement life on the river off the backroads of Elkton, about as far from the coming
“We were very comfortable with each other,” Mary said. “You get to know who
It wasn’t dramatic. Bill, then bartending his way through his twenties, sent a d
him. What followed was gradual — a slow accumulation of evenings together, a mo of fact. “If we’re still together in a year,” Bill told her. “We’re going to get married.”
They did. Forty-five years, five children, and 13 grandchildren later, the Martins calls it complementary.
For Bill, the choice to spend his life in the Shenandoah Valley was deliberate. .
home
“I had a strong opportunity to go to corporate in Buffalo,” he said. “It was a g on, VA ir Elkt
Mary Bill &
at the Martin
In an era where corporate ladder climbing almost always hinges on relocation, th
“It was almost unheard of for anybody not to move. And I decided not to. It w
As fate would have it, by 2000 his company was acquired by Goodyear, and in t 64 | CURIO
all along. Some people have to leave a place to understand what it means. The Ma
ry began with a peach brandy sour that slid across a bar on Harrisonburg’s Main
rs lounges lining the downtown streets. These days, the Martins live a quiet postBill and Mary Martin [adj:goings Comfortable/Complementary] gs and of the bar scene as you can get. Photography & Words by Ryan Bré.
o you’re with and eventually it connects … realize that is love.” Not every love story begins withand a grandyou gesture. Bill and Mary Martin’s story began with a peach brandy sour that slid across a bar on Harrisonburg’s Main Street in 1979 — a time when disco music
drink across the bar. Mary, outofffor theof after-hours evening with brother, went over to thank reverberated the walls lounges liningher the downtown streets. These days, the Martins live a quiet post-retirement life on
ove to Bridgewater, and a proposal that was less a question than a quiet statement and goings of the bar scene as you can get. the river off the backroads of Elkton, about as far from the comings
“We were very comfortable with each other,” Mary said. “You get to know who you’re with and eventually it connects … and you realize that is love.” It wasn’t dramatic. Bill, then bartending his way through his twenties, sent a drink across the bar. Mary, out for the evening with her brother, went over to thank him. What followed was gradual — a slow accumulation of evenings together, a move to Bridgewater, and
a proposal that was less a question than a quiet statement of fact. s have built something that resists easy explanation. Bill calls it comfortable. Mary
.
“If we’re still together in a year,” Bill told her. “We’re going to
get married.” They did. Forty-five years, five children, and 13 grandchildren later, the Martins have built something that resists easy explanation. Bill calls it comfortable. Mary calls it complementary. For Bill, the choice to spend his life in the Shenandoah Valley was deliberate. “I had a strong opportunity to go to corporate in Buffalo,” he
“It was amoney, good promotion, money, but I didn’t good promotion, it wassaid.more butit was I more didn’t want towant raise our family there.” to raise our family there.”
In an era where corporate ladder climbing almost always hinges
he Martins opted out. on relocation, the Martins opted out.
“It was almost unheard of for anybody not to move. And I
decided not to. It wasn’t an accident,” Bill said.
fate would have it, by 2000 his company was acquired by wasn’t an accident,” BillAssaid. Goodyear, and in the transition, most corporate positions were
_ the transition, most corporate were eliminated. leave a place topositions understand what it means. The Martins never The had to. Valley had been right
artins never had to.
eliminated. The Valley had been right all along. Some people have to
CURIO 2026 | 65
While some chose the valley, others were born into it. The land passed from one g
and sitting at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Riverhills Farm is the kind Kelsie and Marcus Garber proof of what rootedness looks like, having made their [adj: home sporadic] in the same w Photography & Words by Ryan Bré.
“God knew what we needed,” Kelsey said, looking out over the property. “We bo While some chose the valley, others were born into it. The
land passed from one generation to another like a last name. Down a dusty gravel road in Port Republic and sitting at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Riverhills Farm is the kind of place that feels as if it has always existed. Kelsey and Marcus Garber are living
of what rootedness looks like, having made their home in the Life for the Garbers proof wasn’t always this settled. Kelsey and Marcus met as strang same white farmhouse that Kelsey’s father got married in and was surrounded by family.
“God knew what we needed,” Kelsey said, looking out over the program. She was the property. bookish, studious president, he was the chaplain, a self-descr “We both love nature a lot, and so being able to live in it every day is the biggest blessing ever.” Life for the Garbers wasn’t always this settled. Kelsey and Marcus met as strangers at Spotswood High School through the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program. She was the bookish, studious president, he was the chaplain, a self-described loner from Grottoes raised by his grandparents, a rebel with two black belts in karate who had cycled through enough hobbies to fill several lifetimes.
never knew what to do,”before he said. Kelsey invited him over to practi He had never even been“I basically to a friend’s house He had never even been to a friend’s house before Kelsey invited
him over to practice for a horticulture competition. He fell for her
immediately but saidcame nothing for to a year. The turningat Weyers Cave. Marc for close to a year. Thealmost turning point atclose a lawn party point came at a lawn party at Weyers Cave. Marcus let Kelsey drag him onto carnival rides until he got sick, then agreed to sit on a hill
and share ice cream, anyway, because it was her favorite food. He hill and share ice cream, anyway, because it was her favorite food. He gave her t gave her the bracelet off his own wrist that night. It was his third attempt at asking her out. “I didn’t hear no,” he said, “so I figured there was a chance.” Nearly four years of marriage and a son named Noah later, their favorite place in the Valley is the Bear fence Mountain Trail
Nearly four years ofKelsey marriage Noah took Noahand on his a firstson hike. named But the Valley they lovelater, is also their favorite place in in Shenandoah National Park, where Marcus proposed, and where one they worry about. “More and more people are selling out every year and we’re
Marcus proposed, and where Kelsey t
losing the farming culture that we have,” Kelsey says. “It’s turning into more of a city environment.”
something are closer selling to a conviction. “More and more people out_every year and we’re losing the farming For the Garbers, staying isn’t just a personal choice, it’s
66 | CURIO
For th
generation to another like a last name. Down a dusty gravel road in Port Republic of place that feels as if it has always existed. Kelsey and Marcus Garber are living
white farmhouse that Kelsey’s father got married in and was surrounded by family.
oth love nature a lot, and so being able to live in it every day is the biggest blessing
ever.”
gers at Spotswood High School through the Future Farmers of America (FFA)
ribed loner from Grottoes raised by his grandparents, a rebel with two black belts in
karate who had cycled through enough hobbies to fill several lifetimes.
“I basically never knew what to do,” he said.
ice for a horticulture competition. He fell for her almost immediately but said nothing
cus let Kelsey drag him onto carnival rides until he got sick, then agreed to sit on a
the bracelet off his own wrist that night. It was his third attempt at asking her out. Kelsie &
Marcu s
Garbe
r with
their s
on No
ah in R iverhil
ls Far
m. Po
rt Rep
“I didn’t hear no,” he said, “so I figured there was a chance.” ublic,
VA.
the Valley is the Bear fence Mountain Trail in Shenandoah National Park, where
took Noah on his first hike. But the Valley they love is also one they worry about.
culture that we have,” Kelsey says. “It’s turning into more of a city environment.” CURIO 2026 | 67
he Garbers, staying isn’t just a personal choice, it’s something closer to a conviction.
Preston Lake sits on the eastern edge of Harrisonburg — a tidy neighborhood of
It is exactly the kind of place the Valley is becoming. It is also where Meredith and dogs underfoot and a townhouse they bought because the timing ‘felt right.’
They met in 2017 at a high school concession stand. Mateo was a sophomore w
kept the conversation going as long as he could on the flimsiest of pretexts. She gave after school, neither one quite willing to admit how serious it was becoming.
“It just came so organically and so unexpectedly,” Meredith said, “I didn’t reall
Nine years later, they’re married, expecting a child and still moving fast. They b second dog and now a nursery.
“From a very early age, we had so much open communication about what we we
Meredith spent years wanting to leave the Valley, applying for jobs elsewhere, co
Mateo sees it differently –- for him, the Valley isn’t one place. It’s a series of pla eric in ateo P h&M
house with a nursery.
Lakes eston the Pr
d.
orhoo
b Neigh
it Mered
“We’re just unlocking each side of the map,” he said.
Their advice to other young couples: Say yes to the small things, keep asking eac 68 | CURIO
“It’s simple,” Mateo says. “Not easy.”
f young families and new construction, sitting on what, not long ago, was farmland.
d Mateo Peric are building their life together and expecting their first child with two Meredith and Mateo Peric [adj: spontaneous] Photography & Words by Ryan Bré.
with 50 cents in his pocket; Meredith was a senior who had no idea who he was. He Preston Lake sits on the eastern edge of Harrisonburg — a tidy
neighborhood of young families and new construction, sitting on
what, not long ago, was farmland.itIt is exactlytexting the kind of place the day, seeing each other e him a ride home that night. From there, was every
ly have to try.”
Valley is becoming. It is also where Meredith and Mateo Peric are building their life together and expecting their first child with two
dogs underfoot and a townhouse they bought because the timing ‘felt right.’ They met in 2017 at a high school concession stand. Mateo was a sophomore with 50 cents in his pocket; Meredith was a senior who had no idea who he was. He kept the conversation going as long
as he could on the flimsiest of pretexts. She gave him a ride home bought an apartment days before the wedding, a dog a month later, a townhouse, a that night. From there, it was texting every day, seeing each other after school, neither one quite willing to admit how serious it was becoming. “It just came so organically and so unexpectedly,” Meredith said, “I didn’t really have to try.”
years“Nothing later, they’re married, child andas stilla surprise.” ere both looking for,” sheNine said. ever expecting reallya came moving fast. They bought an apartment days before the wedding, a dog a month later, a townhouse, a second dog and now a nursery.
onvinced it wasn’t home. She’s notearlysure now changed, only that it did. “From a very age, we had sowhat much open communication about what we were both looking for,” she said. “Nothing ever really came as a surprise.”
aces you unlock as your lifeMeredith changes. Awanting school. neighborhood. A golf course. A spent years to leave A the Valley, applying for jobs elsewhere, convinced it wasn’t home. She’s not sure now what changed, only that it did. Mateo sees it differently –- for him, the Valley isn’t one place. It’s a series of places you unlock as your life changes. A school. A neighborhood. A golf course. A house with a nursery. “We’re just unlocking each side of the map,” he said. Their advice to other young couples: Say yes to the small things, keep asking each other simple questions and give the person you
_ love room to change. “Not easy.” ch other simple questions “It’s andsimple,” giveMateo thesays.person you love room to change.
CURIO 2026 | 69
Not everyone arrives in the Shenandoah Valley ready to stay. Selena Loving, 28
beyond after school. But she wasn’t convinced the Valley had much to offer. Then Se Seth Wilkinson and Selena Loving [adj: Trust] Photography provided by the couple & Words by Ryan Bré.
“People really care for each here,” Wilkinson said. “If you move som Not everyone arrivesother in the Shenandoah Valley ready to stay. Selena Loving, 28, grew up in Northern Virginia. She watched her friends scatter to Richmond and beyond after school. But she wasn’t convinced the Valley had much to offer. Then Seth Wilkins, 34, told her to move to Downtown Harrisonburg and give it a chance. She did. She took a walk with her headphones in. She never left. “People really care for each other here,” Wilkinson said. “If you move somewhere else, everyone’s just busy and career focused ... Here it’s a little more chill.” Wilkinson keeps himself busy: bartending, working as a custodian and recently taking on an event coordinator role at Palefire. Loving works in administration on the labor and delivery floor at RMH. They’re getting married on Sept. 26, 2026. With three jobs and a wedding on the horizon, the word they reach for to describe their relationship isn’t romantic or complicated. It’s trust. “We trust each other completely,” Wilkinson said. “Even if it hurts the other person, we have to talk about it and work through it.” Selena had walls up when they met, built from bad experiences before him. Wilkinson was patient. Eventually, she stopped ghosting his texts. The story they’d want people to know isn’t a grand one. Early in the relationship, Seth had a three-legged dog they both adored. When the time came to put her down, they went through it together. A quiet house, shared grief and the weight of losing something that had become theirs. “It took our relationship from just, ‘oh, this is fun,” Seth said, “to something real.” Eventually, they want a farmhouse with land and animals — that is further into the Valley, not out of it. The Blue Ridge Mount 45-year-long mountain Range hasn’t moved in over 10 thousand years. Neither have the Alleghenies. But the Valley between them has never been just a landscape — it’s an accumulation. Of families and farms, of downtown blocks and gravel roads, of first dates and marriages and everything in between. The mountains provide a canvas, but the stories of the people are what make it worth looking at. A drink sent across a bar. A bracelet given at a lawn party. A walk through the downtown. And 50 cents and a concession stand. These are moments in time that can’t be marked on any map or written down in any book, but they are what make the Shenandoah Valley what it is. Some places are defined by how they look. The Shenandoah Valley has always been defined by who stays in it.
Wilkinson keeps himself busy: bartending, working as a custodian and recently t
the labor and delivery floor at RMH. They’re getting married on Sept. 26, 2026.
“We trust each other completely,” Wilkinson said
Selena had walls up when they met, built from bad experie
The story they’d want people to know isn’t a grand one. Early in the relationsh
down, they went through it together. A q
“
Eventually, they want
The Blue Ridge Mount 45-year-long mountain Range hasn’t moved in over 1
never been just a landscape — it’s an accumulation. Of families and farms, of downto
The mountains provide a canvas, but the stories of the people are what make it w
_
walk through the downtown. And 50 cents and a concession stand. These are mo 70 | CURIO
they are what make the Shenandoah Valley what it is. Some places are defined by h
8, grew up in Northern Virginia. She watched her friends scatter to Richmond and
eth Wilkins, 34, told her to move to Downtown Harrisonburg and give it a chance.
She did. She took a walk with her headphones in. She never left.
mewhere else, everyone’s just busy and career focused ... Here it’s a little more chill.”
taking on an event coordinator role at Palefire. Loving works in administration on
. With three jobs and a wedding on the horizon, the word they reach for to describe
their relationship isn’t romantic or complicated. It’s trust.
d. “Even if it hurts the other person, we have to talk about it and work through it.”
ences before him. Wilkinson was patient. Eventually, she stopped ghosting his texts.
hip, Seth had a three-legged dog they both adored. When the time came to put her
quiet house, shared grief and the weight of losing something that had become theirs.
“It took our relationship from just, ‘oh, this is fun,” Seth said, “to something real.” Seth W
ilkins
on & S
elena
Lovin
g at th
eir ho
a farmhouse with land and animals — that is further into the Valley, not out of it. me in
down
town Harris o
nburg
, VA.
10 thousand years. Neither have the Alleghenies. But the Valley between them has
own blocks and gravel roads, of first dates and marriages and everything in between.
worth looking at. A drink sent across a bar. A bracelet given at a lawn party. A
oments in time that can’t be marked on any map or written down in any book, but CURIO 2026 | 71
how they look. The Shenandoah Valley has always been defined by who stays in it.