Hello. My name is Laura and I am from Virginia.
Let me re-phrase that: My name is Laura and I am from Northern Virginia. I know that those of you also from Northern Virginia intentionally make that distinction. However, after living in Lynchburg, aka "real Virginia", I prefer to call myself a Virginian without the geographical pre-fix.
Now, when it comes to Lynchburg, there is also a geographical distinction between "Liberty Lynchburg" and "downtown Lynchburg". I work at Liberty University which is a very new landmark for this 300+ year old town. Liberty has only been here for about 10% of the town's existence. My husband and I lived on the Liberty side of Lynchburg for the first two years of our marriage; close to Target, Walmart, Panera, and every other commercial necessity for a Northern Virginianer.
One day while parusing Craigslist, I stumbled up on a beautiful ranch style home that was built in the 1920s. Being obsessed with anything vintage and historical, I jumped on the chance and we moved in a week later. This house is only 4 miles away from our prevoius abode, yet it seemed to be a world away. We now sit about one mile from downtown Lynchburg and close to small businesses on nearly every corner. We still have the "necessities" of commercial fast food, but what a difference 4 miles can make!
Here is a snapshot of the fun one can have in downtown Lynchburg:
Saturday morning begins with the sound of windchimes and birds chirping. I wake up to see the church steeple of the West Baptist Church as it pokes through the hilly residential neighborhoods of Lynchburg. I kiss my husband goodbye as he heads off to work, then I start my own adventure of estate and antique shopping. A quick car ride to downtown Lynchburg later, I find myself in my normal parking lot that is jam packed with no vacancies. I drive one more block and use my mad parallel parking skills that were perfected on the streets of Washington DC.
I venture to my first antique store, Estate Specialists, where I snag some killer deals. I found the perfect $5 Mary Poppins hat that I plan to use for my newest Halloween costume, a $6 hand painted enamel ring, and a $3 "miscellaneous" bag with two brooches, huge earrings that I plan to use as tiebacks to my new curtains, and an old toy car for my husband. (total of $14)
My next stop was Hardwick's where I headed straight to the clearance section, one of my favorite destinations in any store. I find an adorable and very Southern pineapple candle. (The pineapple is the Southern symbol for hospitality). The woman was incrdibly helpful and brainstormed with me on what I can do for my new blue front porch and how to make it welcoming. She recommended a small table with stained glass or a large vase of flowers that can be brought inside if the wind picks up during one of Virginia's infamous summer storms. (total of $6)
I continued on my way to Scarlett's Main Street, one of my favorite antique and estate stores. The people who helped me were so excited to have a conversation about antiques, old coins, and old books. I found many great deals, including two beautiful $3 scarves (one for my mother and one for myself), a $10 stained glass scene that proclaims "California Perfume" that is reminiscent of my favorite artist Alfons Mucha, and I also bought two amazing $8 necklaces that can pass for modern and vintage in the same breath. (total of $33).
Any trip downtown must include a stop at the White Hart where I bought a delicious cup of organic coffee for $1.60.
All in all, my downtown soiree was a breath of fresh air from the commercial side of "Liberty Lynchburg". Small businesses rock.
Let me re-phrase that: My name is Laura and I am from Northern Virginia. I know that those of you also from Northern Virginia intentionally make that distinction. However, after living in Lynchburg, aka "real Virginia", I prefer to call myself a Virginian without the geographical pre-fix.
Now, when it comes to Lynchburg, there is also a geographical distinction between "Liberty Lynchburg" and "downtown Lynchburg". I work at Liberty University which is a very new landmark for this 300+ year old town. Liberty has only been here for about 10% of the town's existence. My husband and I lived on the Liberty side of Lynchburg for the first two years of our marriage; close to Target, Walmart, Panera, and every other commercial necessity for a Northern Virginianer.
One day while parusing Craigslist, I stumbled up on a beautiful ranch style home that was built in the 1920s. Being obsessed with anything vintage and historical, I jumped on the chance and we moved in a week later. This house is only 4 miles away from our prevoius abode, yet it seemed to be a world away. We now sit about one mile from downtown Lynchburg and close to small businesses on nearly every corner. We still have the "necessities" of commercial fast food, but what a difference 4 miles can make!
Here is a snapshot of the fun one can have in downtown Lynchburg:
Saturday morning begins with the sound of windchimes and birds chirping. I wake up to see the church steeple of the West Baptist Church as it pokes through the hilly residential neighborhoods of Lynchburg. I kiss my husband goodbye as he heads off to work, then I start my own adventure of estate and antique shopping. A quick car ride to downtown Lynchburg later, I find myself in my normal parking lot that is jam packed with no vacancies. I drive one more block and use my mad parallel parking skills that were perfected on the streets of Washington DC.
I venture to my first antique store, Estate Specialists, where I snag some killer deals. I found the perfect $5 Mary Poppins hat that I plan to use for my newest Halloween costume, a $6 hand painted enamel ring, and a $3 "miscellaneous" bag with two brooches, huge earrings that I plan to use as tiebacks to my new curtains, and an old toy car for my husband. (total of $14)
My next stop was Hardwick's where I headed straight to the clearance section, one of my favorite destinations in any store. I find an adorable and very Southern pineapple candle. (The pineapple is the Southern symbol for hospitality). The woman was incrdibly helpful and brainstormed with me on what I can do for my new blue front porch and how to make it welcoming. She recommended a small table with stained glass or a large vase of flowers that can be brought inside if the wind picks up during one of Virginia's infamous summer storms. (total of $6)
I continued on my way to Scarlett's Main Street, one of my favorite antique and estate stores. The people who helped me were so excited to have a conversation about antiques, old coins, and old books. I found many great deals, including two beautiful $3 scarves (one for my mother and one for myself), a $10 stained glass scene that proclaims "California Perfume" that is reminiscent of my favorite artist Alfons Mucha, and I also bought two amazing $8 necklaces that can pass for modern and vintage in the same breath. (total of $33).
Any trip downtown must include a stop at the White Hart where I bought a delicious cup of organic coffee for $1.60.
All in all, my downtown soiree was a breath of fresh air from the commercial side of "Liberty Lynchburg". Small businesses rock.
