Shop Local

Hand to Hand

Ceramicist Heather Lezla laughs when asked if her popular spice spoons can be used for measuring ingredients.

“I actually use my hands to make the scoop part of the spoon, so they’re all different sizes. Nothing is standard about them,” says the Arlington-based artist. “I’ve had people request measuring spoons done like that, but…trying to make them all the same just doesn’t work. They’re like mini sculptures.”

Lezla, who sells handmade home and garden items ($10-$80) on Etsy as Persimmon Street Ceramics (etsy. com/shop/persimmonstreet), says that each piece she makes “has a different personality and resonates with different people for different reasons.”

She draws inspiration from nature, organic forms and the primitive objects she collects, as well as the view from her window in different seasons. “Sometimes I go a little bit more pastel during the summers,” she says, whereas this fall prompted a dark green, blue and brown neutral palette. “In the winter, I’ll probably do something kind of stark, more like black and white.”

Lezla also taps into her interests— particularly gardening—when coming up with new ideas. She collaborated with Botanologica co-owner Julie Liu to create an updated version of a flower frog ($35-$42) that fits atop glass jar and is sold exclusively at the shop in Falls Church. (You’ll also find her pieces at The Urban Farmhouse in Arlington.)

Spice spoons from Persimmon Street Ceramics

“I’m a big fan of traditional craftsmanship, but I try to take those traditions and update them a little bit and make them more modern,” she says.

Art has always been a part of Lezla’s life—her mother is a painter—but it wasn’t until college that she considered turning it into more than a hobby. While she mainly gravitates toward making functional objects like espresso cups, deviled egg plates and vases, she recently began veering into decorative ceramics, partly inspired by visits to fiber shop int in Falls Church.

“I’m starting to get into adding fiber to the ceramic pieces that I make,” she says. “I’d like to get into sort of knotting and making it more sculptural, rather than just concentrating on having something to use. I’m going more decorative, more aesthetic, and embellishing the ceramics with the soft yarns.”

–Rina Rapuano

Cannabis products by Beyond/Hello

Herbal Remedy

The grass will soon be greener and more plentiful in Arlington. Jushi Holdings, a Florida-based company that cultivates, processes and dispenses cannabis products under the retail name Beyond/ Hello (beyond-hello.com), is bringing Arlington’s first medical marijuan dispensary to Clarendon. The storefront at 2701 Wilson Blvd. is expected to open sometime in 2022. Authorized patients with a medical marijuana card will have the option of ordering products (including flowe brands such as The Bank and Sèche) online for home delivery or for pickup at the dispensary. Last April, Virginia became the first Southern state t legalize weed for medical use.

–Eliza Tebo Berkon

Jewelry by Charles Agel of the Captured Muse

Take a Spin

Anyone with school-age kids likely knows all about fidget spinners. Bu grown-ups can also benefit from th soothing effects of handheld gadgets that feel or sound satisfying—usually with a click or a pop emulating the sensations made by things like light switches, buttons or bubble wrap. The trend (and, perhaps, the fraught times we live in) might be why Falls Church jewelry artist Charles Agel has seen an uptick in sales of his spinner rings.

“Most times when you have a piece of jewelry, when you have a necklace around your neck, you don’t play with it—or, at least, maybe you shouldn’t play with it,” says Agel, who sells jewelry at pop-ups and online under the name The Captured Muse (thecaptured muse.com). “But the spinner rings encourage you to play with it. That’s why they’re made.”

A former professional photographer, Agel has taught art classes, including jewelry making, at Justice High School (previously J.E.B. Stuart High) for 19 years. He says students love watching raw materials transformed into something wearable. “It’s kind of amazing when you can take a piece of metal, whether it’s a wire, sheet or tube...and manipulate it into whatever it is you’re making,” he says. “It’s exciting to watch it go from raw material to something that’s shiny and beautiful.”

Agel worked with enamels for years, making a line of fish ea rings ($40) that were popular with art show customers, but his current obsession is silver rings. Stackable rings run from $60 to $78, depending on the complexity of the piece or if there are any stones.

As for the spinner rings, which go for $95, Agel especially loves the interactive aspect and the tinkly, metallic sound they make when they move. According to one customer, they also have a practical use that the artist never intended; she says her ring (and how aggressively she is spinning it) provides a warning gauge for her husband when she’s having a tough day. “All guys could use a ring like that,” Agel says. “It would make relationships so much easier.”

–Rina Rapuano