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POP-UP SHOPS In the fallout of the Great Recession, retail vacancies have risen, and some savvy merchants have seized the opportunity. They’re holding sales in empty locales. Two people who’ve been at it longer than most are Angie Ferbie and Kimberly Dawson, creators of Curtain Call, an annual two-week home décor consignment boutique held at the Shops at Willow Lawn. Janet Brown Interiors has held sales at the old Richmond Piano building in Carytown. Meanwhile, antique dealers Patti Loughridge, Sara Garza, Susan Sprinkle and Annette Bashensky get together a few times a year to create a roving antiques market they call Perfect Nest Antiques. For dates and special-sale locations check tlwylie.com/curtaincall/index. html, theperfectnest.com, and janetbrowninteriors.com. —CCD
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME A marriage between Fountainhead Development and Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts has resulted in two programs designed to amp up the art scene in Richmond. The Fountainhead Fellowship will expand from one fellowship spot to four this school year. The students chosen will receive studio space and an apartment, both at Manchester Flats. They will teach at VCU, receive a stipend, and their work will be exhibited at the end of the year. In addition, VCU and Fountainhead are teaming up to start the Incubator this fall. Also at Manchester Flats, it consists of 20 studio spaces costing a third less than market price, as well as access to a shared fabrication shop and digital lab. —BF
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11 LIVING ON GROVE Martee Johnson’s new shop LiVing on Grove, at 5714 Grove Ave., features an eclectic mix of handmade items. She’s channeled the years she lived in New Orleans, Connecticut, New York, Paris, and Virginia — as well her experience designing for McMillen — into a shop full of limited-edition and one-of-a-kind objects. The store’s stock always changes, and she tries to include custom-designed items. “My goal is to expose as many artists and artisans as possible,” Johnson says. “And I love the challenge of finding things just not available at market.” This summer, the shop will offer Richmonder Meg Turner’s woodand-slate planters, cotton baby wraps dubbed “Noonies,” placemats handpainted with crabs, and bespoke end tables that double as dog kennels. —CCD
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