Pre-quarantine, I was in Charlottesville on a part-time basis. It’s only a couple of hours away from D.C., and one of my favorite places in the entire world. From the stunning Blue Ridge Mountain views to all of the delicious Virginia wine, I fell in love with the city upon my first visit.
We’ve chosen to stay at our residence in Charlottesville during the quarantine, and it’s been an absolute treat. Even though our budgets are a bit limited, we’re trying to support the local small businesses here in Charlottesville as much as possible. Bigger brands are likely to make it out of this social distancing period unscathed, however, the small businesses are the ones that really need our support at the moment!
I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of these small business owners over the last three years, and they’re all incredible people that employ very talented people. Let’s help them stay open through COVID-19 and beyond. Here are some Charlottesville small businesses that I think should be on your radar during this social distancing period!
Charlottesville Small Businesses
Retail:
- Darling Boutique: One of the most carefully curated consignment shops in town. They’re offering no-contact curbside pick up, free local delivery in a 10-mile radius of their shop, and free shipping on orders over $100. A portion of their profits from their newly launched Positivity Packages will be donated to the Charlottesville Restaurant Community Fund.
(P.S. — I’m consigning some spring clothes there this week, so if you’ve ever wanted to purchase some of my clothes, now is your chance!)
- Poppypointe: A charming local needlepoint shop. Curbside pickup, local delivery, online ordering available. FaceTime/Zoom needlepoint lessons also available (if you want to pick up a new hobby during quarantine!) They’re also donating 10% of gross sales to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation’s Community Relief Fund.
- Rock Paper Scissors: An adorable stationery shop located on the Downtown Mall. The retail location is closed, however, they are still offering custom appointments over the phone, via FaceTime, or with private in-person meetings. Email to place retail orders.
Restaurants & Food Trucks:
There are so many amazing restaurants in the area that are offering takeout and delivery options during COVID-19. You can view a more comprehensive list on Charlottesville 29, but here are some of my favorite restaurants in the area, and some other female-owned businesses that could use your support right now.
- Ace Biscuit & Barbecue: Takeout options available from 8 am-3 pm. Call ahead to place orders.
- Beer Run: Curbside pickup and delivery of food, beer, wine, and family-style meals. Order online.
- Bodo’s Bagels: All locations open for pickup. Drive-thru options available at Preston and Emmet, and outside pickup available at University. Credit cards only.
- Bowerbird Bakeshop: Saturday at-home delivery — online ordering available through their website (Sunday 5 pm to Wednesday midnight). Offering macarons at Marie Bette on Rose Hill. Offering frozen cinnamon rolls and cookie dough only at the Local Food Hub Drive Through Markets: Wednesdays 3:00-4:30 pm (pre-orders only.) Also offering pickup options at the City Market Drive Through: Saturdays 9:00-12:00, starting April 25th.
- Common House: Curbside pickup and no-contact delivery of food, beer, wine, and cider. Free delivery with a $20+ order. Order here.
- Farmacy Food Truck and Catering: Family size meals available in neighborhood group deliveries. Gather your neighbors separately, order separately, eat separately, and support a local business together—order online for a Thursday delivery.
- Fleurie: Takeout only Tuesday-Saturday. New three-course menus are available daily. Pickup between 3:30-6:30 pm. Order by phone or email in advance.
- IRON – Paffles and Coffee: Offering takeout (order ahead via their website) and delivery via Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash.
- Lampo: Curbside pickup only. Order online in advance. They do tend to sell out during dinner time, so make sure to place your orders early on in the day!
- Maya: Curbside pickup and delivery available from 12-8 pm. Heavily discounted beer and wine also available. Call to order in advance.
- Petit Pois: Patio pickup available. $29 three-course meals. Friday-Saturday, 12-6 pm.
- Tavola: Local wine delivery available. Order online.
- The Bebedero: Takeout and delivery available. Family meals are also available. Order online.
Fitness:
- barre.[d] studio cville: I’ve been taking classes at barre. [d] for a little over a year now, and it’s my go-to barre studio in the area. The staff is incredible, the classes are challenging (in a good way!), and I love how they stick closer to traditional ballet technique.
During this social distancing period, barre. [d] is offering live online classes through Zoom, as well as on-demand classes via their private Facebook group. Health care workers can email the studio to get free access to all of our on-demand classes, and new clients get their first class for free. Sign up for classes here!
- FlyDog Yoga: FlyDog is offering several yoga classes daily via LiveStream, for both beginners and those who are experienced in yoga. Also, they’re hosting an impressive amount of budget-friendly, virtual workshops and events during COVID-19 as well.
- tru PILATES: tru PILATES has live-streaming classes during COVID-19, and they’re offering “pay what you can” classes. 5% of the proceeds from their classes will go to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Wineries/Breweries/Cideries:
These are just my personal favorites in the area, but if you fancy a particular winery, brewery or cidery in the area, they will likely have both pickup and delivery options!
- Afton Mountain Vineyard: Curbside pickup and shipping available. We’ve been wine club members here for a little over a year now — definitely one of our favorites in the area! I’m a fan of nearly all of the varietals they offer, but I’m especially loving their 2017 Merlot at the moment.
- Albemarle Ciderworks: Curbside pickup and shipping available. Albemarle Ciderworks offers artisan cider made with Vintage Virginia Apples. They also have some virtual events coming up as well!
- Early Mountain Vineyard: Curbside pickup and shipping available (free shipping on orders of 3+ bottles.) I love Early Mountain in particular because they do a fantastic job of fostering community in the Virginia Wine realm. Some must-try vintages from Early Mountain are their 2019 Rosé and their 2016 Vow.
- Gabriele Rausse Winery: Pickup available, delivery options to Virginia, and select states. One of our favorite wineries in the area, you really can’t go wrong with any of their varietals.
- Stinson Vineyard: Curbside pickups, local delivery, and shipping to select states available. Local delivery and shipping are free for orders of 4+ bottles. Best rosé wine in the entire state IMO, but make sure to give a few of their varietals a try!
- Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen & Brewery: Curbside pickup and delivery available for food, beer, and wine. Be on the lookout for some of their new limited release cans!
Misc:
- Charlottesville Spanish: If you have a restless child at home, now is an excellent time for them to learn a new language! Charlottesville Spanish is offering online Spanish classes via Zoom. There are options for both beginners and experienced Spanish speakers as well.
- Counting Shells, LLC: Counting Shells is offering bookkeeping, budget Analysis to find ways to cut costs and preparation of financial documents virtually during COVID-19. The owner is also happy to email SBA and CARES Act options for small business owners, free of charge.
- The Way Thru: Free 30 minute processing session for the following purposes:
- Planning – Talk through a short term strategy for your business or figuring out new home routines
- Anxiety Processing – Work through anxiety around COVID, and come up with processes for mindfulness and grounding
- Technology/Admin – for those shifting to online offerings
What Charlottesville small businesses are you supporting right now? Let me know in a comment below!
Photos by Tom McGovern
