By Lani Gering We always love it when we are introduced to new businesses that we wouldn’t ordinarily seek out either because the location isn’t along a beaten path or doesn’t sell a ware that we normally seek out. Nepenthe Gallery is just such a place. Located off of Fort Hunt Road in the Hollin Hall area of Alexandria, Nepenthe sits behind the popular Hollin Hall Pastry Shop adjacent to where the iconic Variety Store is located. The way we ended up at Nepenthe was literally kismet. A former co-worker of mine from almost 40 years ago and I reconnected last fall and have kept in touch since. Her husband is an artist whose work was being featured at Nepenthe last month and he invited us to his reception. Unknowingly, a member of the Nepenthe staff had contacted us about possible advertising as well. When we arrived at the Gallery for the reception, all of the dots connected. After meeting proprietors Carrie and Jim Garland and members of their staff at said reception, we decided we needed to let our readership know about this amazing place. They opened their doors in March of last year and have been evolving ever since. Carrie was quick to tell me that their success is a result of the people they have surrounded themselves with. In addition to Carrie and Jim, Nepenthe currently has four very capable women with talents in varied areas that contribute to the day-to-day operation of the gallery. The Gallery is also very proud to house the home studio for renowned photographer Renee C. Gage. I met Renee while visiting the gallery to interview Carrie. She is, indeed, an amazing photographer but also a fun person to talk to. While Nepenthe has much in common with most art galleries –…
By Rebecca Murphy Our community depends heavily on Responders, and we have very high expectations of them. But did you know Responders represent a special population disproportionately vulnerable to acute injuries and chronic illnesses – like cancer and depression – the price for keeping us safe? They spend their careers serving the public with few options for taking care of their own. In 2017, Congress designated October 28th as National First Responders Day. On this day we honor law enforcement officers, firefighters, dispatchers, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and paramedics who answer our calls for help, doing so often at great risk to their own life and safety. This day pays tribute to Responders, honors Responder lives lost in the line of duty, and serves as a nationwide call-for-action to support Responders. With Responders being active members of our community, perhaps we should ask ourselves what role can we play to ensure the quality responses we demand? How can we respond as a community to aid our Responders? The story of Responder Care™ exemplifies a local Northern Virginia response to a silent call-for-action! It all started in November of 2022 when local Alexandria Responder was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Despite having comprehensive health insurance, workers compensation, and all the traditional services available to Responders, gaps in medical coverage were quickly identified. Despite being an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) trailblazer for pubic facing Mobile Integrated Healthcare – Community Paramedicine (MIH-CP), where non-traditional care is brought to the bedside, not a single MIH-CP option emerged for this Responder. Despite being surrounded by a cadre of EMT and paramedic colleagues, all fully capable of providing volunteer EMS & MIH-CP care to their fellow Responder, not even one could do so. We all experience gaps in medicine and care, but few are so daring to…
By Lani Gering Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a carpet/rug cleaning business that is willing to give you the time of day about having a set of stairs and two 5 x 7 rugs professionally cleaned? I won’t name any names but I called a big name company and three small local carpet cleaning places only to be told it would be a minimum of $150-$200 to show up and then they would assess the caliber of cleaning that would be needed. Good Grief! They advertise $300 for an entire home full of carpet so what’s up with that? After consulting a couple of local small business Facebook pages, a member of one of them recommended Payton Services, LLC. I can’t tell you all how happy I was to find someone who was interested in taking on my project. I connected with the owner/operator, Marcel Payton, and we made a plan. I about fell off of my office stool when he quoted $60 for the stairs (includes vacuuming, stain removal and cleaning) and $15 each for the rugs. I thought I was on Candid Camera (for you old folks) or Punk’d (for you youngsters) when he tossed out those numbers. I live in the heart of Old Town Alexandria where a martini costs $15 and you pretty much can’t go have lunch for $60. We set up a date and time and the rest is history. Marcel was at my door right on time and didn’t waste a minute getting everything squared away – he is one detail oriented man. He took the rugs outside, placed them on a new tarp and went to work on them. While they dried he started on the stairs. Just vacuuming them is a chore in itself but…
By Lani Gering Who doesn’t love a very cool pair of shades? No one that I know of. I’ve always thought that you can tell a lot about a person by the style of glasses they choose. Brainy people tend to lean toward the Harry Potter look while the sporty peeps – pun intended – lean toward frames that are more function than form. The creatives in my circle like whatever designer is the most outrageous. Maybe not quite Elton John outrageous but you know what I mean. Eyewear is an extension of your personality as far as I’m concerned and it doesn’t end with your prescription lenses. In fact, I’m thinking that I lean toward the conservative – think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – while many of my friends lean toward what’s new NOW. All this being said, Specs of New York covers all of the bases. Many of you might remember that Old Town had a Specs location in the 200 block of King Street a few years ago. Unfortunately, the location didn’t really pan out and the store was closed. However, their location in The District (the shopping district) in the MGM Grand in National Harbor has proven to be a successful endeavor. It has been nominated by Community Votes Alexandria 2023 as a candidate in the retail store category. When I asked the proprietor, Oren Goldberg, how the nomination came about since they are no longer in the city, he said he had no idea but is very flattered. Winners were announced on July 30th. In any case, the MGM location is very inviting and the inventory is very impressive. They are very proud to handle the latest upscale Dita line. This brand is in good company with Prada, Cartier, Gucci, Tom Ford and…
By Lani Gering / Photo Credit: Lee Moody It is good to have a tall ship back in our midst after so many years. She is following in some big foot steps as the Schooner Alexandria – a 125 foot cargo carrying three masted Baltic Trader built in Sweden in 1929 – graced our waterfront for several years in the 1980’s and 90’s. She was acquired by the Alexandria Seaport Foundation in 1984 and served as a museum and ambassador for the city until they were unable to garner enough support for her repairs. The Alexandria was sold to a lawyer from Iowa in 1996. She met an unfortunate demise in December of that year when she foundered and sank off of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. Tall Ship Providence is finally in her home port for good at the newly opened Senator John Warner Maritime Heritage Center at the foot of Waterfront Park in Old Town Alexandria after spending the bulk of her time in the last year at port at the Wharf in DC. The official opening of the center took place on June 22nd. It was a star studded affair with several members of the late Senators family, friends and dignitaries in attendance. In August of 2017, the Tall Ship Providence Foundation (TSPF) purchased the ship with the mission to create a floating museum to educate visitors on the role Providence and the Continental Navy played in the American Revolution. Providence was the first ship authorized by the Continental Congress for the Continental Navy, the first ship to bring Marines to foreign soil and the first American command of legendary Captain John Paul Jones. In addition, the Providence appeared in two of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Waterside construction and preparation kicked off in April of this year and included land side work ranging…
By Bob Tagert It is always nice when you run into a former Alexandrian and friend who has also started a successful business in the area. This time our friend Dean Goldsmith took his organizational and IT skills to Washington, D.C. and opened what we think is one of the best ways to tour the Nation’s Capital. Many of you can attest to the fact that the best way to tour any city is to have a local show you around. That is just what Goldsmith brings to the table with See DC Today. I understand this philosophy. I grew up here and I love showing the sights but also telling the stories about each of them and about the District of Columbia in general. This is what Dean and his team are experts at. Dean started his business in 2017, got his feet wet and made adjustments. Then Covid hit and, like many businesses, he suffered but made it through the pandemic a better company. See DC Today operates on the premise that the quality of the tour is what matters most. While they have the capability to provide a “bus” tour, they prefer to cater to families and small groups. Their vans can accommodate up to eleven individuals who want a more personalized and exclusive experience. See DC Today also has two luxury SUV’s for those who prefer a more upscale mode of transportation and a more intimate tour of our city. This option is popular with couples who are looking for a special experience the likes of marriage proposals, anniversaries and such. Private day and mid-day tours last approximately four hours and the night tours last about three hours. In my opinion, the night time is a great time to tour the city. It is beautiful at…
By Lani Gering Since May is the month that we give Mom some extra attention, we thought it only fitting to profile a local “Mom” who has been bringing joy to the lives of new mothers and fathers in the surrounding DMV with her amazing photos for the last 6 years. Sarah tells me that she spent the major portion of her career – twenty years – in the graphic design arena and still maintains one client, the bulk of her time is spent behind a camera. Her keen interest in photography started when she had her boys – who are both in college – when she began chronicling their paths in life with photos. It appears that they were pretty good subject matter. Sarah decided that taking photos of expectant mothers, babies and young families might help keep her memories of being a young mother alive. This is why she specializes in maternity, new born and family photos. When I asked her what the key to her success with photographing newborns is, she told me, without hesitation, “the baby runs the show”. When you look at the images on her website and Instagram and Facebook pages you will see what I mean. She opened a brick and mortar studio on the first floor of 113 South Asaph Street here in Old Town in January 2022. This 1800 circa building interior lends itself to some great backdrops and the large western facing windows make it easy to use natural light for many of her shoots. While she encourages moms to take care of their own makeup and hair and bring their own attire for the photo shoot, she has several styles of dresses available for them to choose from as well as a recommendation for a local salon that can…
By Bob Tagert When I started the Old Town Crier in January of 1988, John Crouch Tobacconist was an established business in the 100 block of King Street. Over the years, as Old Town grew, the need for more space became more urgent. In the early 90’s the shop moved to their current location at 215 King Street. On February 1, 2022, the team of Tom Readmond, Dennis Polio and John Pann took over ownership of the iconic Old Town landmark and it remains the oldest continuous operating smoke shop in Alexandria. Recently the trio rolled up their shirt sleeves and gave the interior and humidor a complete makeover. Although the layout is much the same, the organization of the whole store has improved and their product is better displayed. In addition to updating the interior, they have also changed the logo, pictured here, and will soon implement it on all future marketing endeavors. The humidor has new lighting so the selection of cigars are more easily observed, making your selection easier. Pann continues to seek out new lines of cigars that his customers may be looking for or that he might recommend. With over 200 brands and 10,000 cigars, the current selection is pretty good to begin with. If you really don’t know which cigar might suit you best, ask John, Tom or Dennis for a recommendation. I let John pick out some each month so I can try something new, however, I also ask for my favorites as well. The service and knowledge of the folks at John Crouch is unmatched. With the first phase of changes made, the trio of owners will continue to improve elsewhere. They have recently started offering offsite cigar themed events where they supply the cigars and help educate attendees. “Let us know…
By Lani Gering I have lived in Alexandria since the spring of 1992 and in that time I have obviously learned much about the deep history that our fair city is steeped in but until a couple of months ago I didn’t truly realize what a major part Alexandria played during the times of slavery. I am sure that the Crier’s History column author, Sarah Becker, has written a column about it sometime in these last 35 years but guess I wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t until I attended a Chamber of Commerce event where Audrey Davis, the Director of the Alexandria Black History Museum, was the guest speaker that I became aware of the Freedom House Museum. It had gone through quite a renovation and was ready for visitors and she was getting the word out. I finally made a visit to this amazing place on Duke Street the last week of January. It was a real eye-opener to say the least. It was an eerie feeling knowing that I was standing in a place that harbored such horrific events. I loved the Civil War period of my American History classes while in school and have always been appalled that slavery was even a “thing” but knowing the details of just how much a part Alexandria played has me bugged, however, history is just that…history. We can’t change it. All we can do is go forward and do better and that is what I believe we are trying to do. I have listed the exhibits on each floor below and I encourage you to take a few extra moments on the 3rd floor in one of the Quiet Reflection spaces. There are nice chairs and sofas with amazing art on the walls in each space. I spent a few…
By Lani Gering Scott Shirley started his restaurant career right out of college in the mid 1990’s when he landed a job at the then popular Bruscato’s Italian restaurant located on North Fairfax Street in Old Town Alexandria. He learned the ins and outs of the business working at this family owned and operated enterprise before moving on to managing corporate restaurants in D.C. for the next 25 years. He was the General Manager of P.J. Clarkes on K Street when the pandemic hit and all of the restaurants closed down. After a few months of trying to sort out how he was going to support his wife and three kids, he hit upon the idea of getting back into a venue similar to where he started those many years ago. The stars aligned when he and his wife paid a visit to Slaters Market in the north end of Alexandria commonly known as Potomac Greens. They met the then owner and put together a deal that was mutually beneficial during the trials and tribulations of the pandemic in 2020 and the rest is history. While the word “market” connotates a small grocery store, Slaters is much more than that. The Market does handle a fair amount of dairy and grocery staples and all sorts of gourmet products but it is also a gourmet sandwich shop that also sells homemade soup, made-to-order salads, ice cream, craft beer and wine. Shirley prides himself on stocking some very eclectic wines from wineries that have top ratings but are very reasonably priced at $20 and under. As you can see by the photos accompanying this piece, Slaters is very well stocked and featured on the large chalkboard are the many food offerings. This place has something for every palate. You will note that…
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