How Michele Fredericks Shapes Space with Purpose

By: Robyn Forbes / Photos Courtesy: Studio Møre Designs

When Michele Fredericks moved back to Lynchburg in 2018, she employed her architectural and design expertise on a small team in town. Just two short years later she would open her very own studio, Studio Møre Designs. As owner and principal designer, Fredericks provides residential and interior design services and consults on commercial projects. Studio Møre Designs has received a Lynchburg Best of Business Award from Lynchburg Business magazine and a Readers’ Favorites award from Central Virginia HOME magazine. After connecting with Fredericks for an in-depth conversation about her stylistic journey, her motivation for making, and her governing approach to handling clients and their concerns, I quickly understood her natural acquisition of the people’s favor.

I pulled into Fredericks’s driveway on a rainy afternoon in the spring and immediately recognized a familiar structure across the lawn—a treehouse, neat and painted a powdery blue. I had seen the treehouse on her website.

Later, I learned that the historic split-level home where Studio Møre Designs was born, continues to be one of Fredericks’s most intimate and challenging projects.
“One of my favorite design projects so far has been my own home,” she shared.

Frederick’s living room was featured on the cover of Lynchburg Living September/October 2021. Photo by Daryl Calfee

The space is open and generous, and there is so much light. It spills in from overhead by way of a modern skylight and through countless windows. I wanted to venture beyond her artsy home office and just lounge. It felt like a place to linger.

Fredericks believes anyone can have a home that feels so. It doesn’t take much.

“Natural light and well-placed windows have a huge impact, not just on the look of a space, but on your mood, your health, and overall sense of well-being,” she told me.

She credits her travels with affording her experiences which have deeply influenced her personal design approach. She has lived in Hawaii, Argentina, Tennessee.

It was time spent in Europe, however, that most poured into her palette.

She found the practicality and intention signature to the European style to be irresistibly magnetic. A self-proclaimed DIYer, Fredericks encourages those looking to revamp their space to do their research about what’s safe and effective, and to consider function as the primary element in their approach. Aesthetics are secondary.

“For me, the European influence is less about aesthetics and more about the simplicity and intention behind how people live,” she explained. “When spaces are designed with function as the priority, beauty often follows naturally. One of the key takeaways I carry with me is the deliberate use of color—or, sometimes, the intentional choice to hold back. I love bold, vibrant hues and am never afraid to use them, but placement and purpose are everything. It’s all about balance and creating impact through thoughtful design.”

For all of its globally sourced influences, Studio Møre is a deeply local voice in Lynchburg’s design scene. Honoring local architectural heritage is just as integral to Fredericks’ process as thinking outside of the box.

“To be a truly Virginia-based design studio,” Fredericks said, “I believe you have to understand the region’s unique architectural character. For example,
we build with brick because it literally comes from our soil. Many homes have basements due to the terrain, and screened porches are a must because of the bugs. Especially here in Central Virginia, quality matters. New construction has to measure up to the historic fabric of the area—think grand old homes, commercial buildings with soaring 14-foot ceilings and massive windows. That level of quality sets the bar high, and it’s a standard I truly enjoy designing toward.”

Fredericks’ website describes her work as “designing spaces where people want to be.” Doing so well starts with connecting with people and finding out what matters to them most.

“I’ve always been a people person, so getting into residential design just made sense,” she said.

“I really enjoy getting to know my clients and helping them create spaces that feel like them, the kind of place they’re actually excited to come home to.”

Consulting on commercial projects has also allowed Fredericks to be a part of shaping the city she calls home.

She’s currently contributing to two mixed-use spaces in the Lynchburg and Danville areas that will each provide much needed residential and commercial real estate.

“As a designer, you get all kinds of projects. Some are all about creativity and big ideas, and others are more focused on problem-solving and client care,” she explained. “I treat them all with the same level of attention. No matter what the project looks like, whether it is a tight budget, very specific taste, or a unique type of space, I am always aiming to make it the best it can be.”

Five years from now Fredericks wants to be doing exactly what she’s doing now: creating inviting spaces that make people’s lives better right here in Lynchburg. I asked about her dream commercial project and expected to hear about a high-rise corporate space or perhaps a new boutique hotel. Instead?
A park—of sorts.

“This might sound a little unexpected, but I would love the opportunity to design a cemetery or mausoleum,” Fredericks shared. “I’ve always been fascinated by how cemetery design is so deeply connected to the landscape. In fact, both my undergraduate and graduate theses focused on cemetery projects.

I’d love to reimagine these spaces as vibrant, peaceful environments, with walking paths and thoughtful design elements that invite the living to spend time there and connect with the surroundings in a meaningful way.”

Studio Møre Designs is accepting new clientele with a three- to six-month wait time. If you’re itching to get your hands on one of Fredericks’ designs, check out Hideaway Modern, a curated collection of small home and cabin floor plans available online. The collection was crafted alongside longtime friend of Fredericks’ and fellow designer Bryn Wears-Fitipaldi. The two attended architecture school together and Bryn now operates her own studio in California.

Lynchburg’s creative energy and artistic network has been a pillar of Fredericks’ experience in business.

With great successes behind her and more on the horizon, she thanks her hometown for being the place she gets to make it all happen.

“The truth is, I’m able to do what I love, and do it well, because of this amazing, supportive design community,” she said. “I truly couldn’t do it without them!”

How Firebrick Pottery is Shaping Lynchburg’s Creative Community

By: Jeremy Angione / Photos By: Ashlee Glen

Whether you’re a seasoned potter, or have only experienced pottery from Patrick Swayze’s hands in Ghost, Firebrick Pottery in downtown Lynchburg aims to give everyone the ability to connect with their own creativity.

Firebrick Pottery opened on Main Street on April 26, 2025, with the help of a $20,000 dollar grant from Downtown Lynchburg Association’s Launch LYH program. Owner Alexandra Milhous was among the five 2024 recipients of the grant, which helped kickstart her business.

“I feel very lucky,” Milhous said.

She credits much of her early success to guidance from the Lynchburg region’s Small Business Development Center.

“I feel like I got a full college course. They did such a good job of helping me flesh out the business plan,” Milhous said.

Although running a business was a new and challenging experience for Milhous, her passion for pottery and experience in design helped her create a space for all creative levels.

Milhous admits that her “initial idea for the business was just pottery supply and the kiln services.”

Richmond was the closest source of pottery supplies, and even with adequate supplies, many home potters did not have regular access to a kiln to finish their projects. According to Milhous, simply filling those two needs has granted Firebrick Pottery a measure of success early on thanks to support from the Lynchburg arts community.

“I knew that the pottery community had grown a lot and that there was a need for this, but I’ve been very surprised at how people have responded right away. The potter community is even bigger than I thought it was. I’ve also had a ton of potters come out of the woodwork that I didn’t even know were here,” Milhous said.

Fortunately for Milhous, many of the experienced potters in the area have been willing to round out her teaching staff to offer workshops to guests still learning the craft.

Firebrick offers a variety of workshops that aim to teach specific pottery skills rather than aiming to make each participant an expert.

“It’s a lot of trial and error. You’re gonna get muddy, you’re gonna get dirty, you’re gonna have things crumble, and the clay will collapse. Even if you don’t have an end product, working on the wheel with clay is one of the most therapeutic things,” Milhous explained.

The process of manifesting your imagination through your hands takes guests through building shapes with the clay, working it on the wheel, firing it in the kiln, glazing it, and re-firing it.

“The workshops that we offer, they’ll be able to go through that entire process. I think experiencing that process from start to finish is one of the most magical things,” Milhous said.

While creating something beautiful is rewarding, Milhous is more concerned that her guests find new ways to engage with their artistic capabilities.

“There’s no judgement here on what your final product looks like. We’re just feeding our creativity. Pottery is basically trying to get the four elements—air, water, earth, and fire—to all cooperate with each other to make art,” Milhous said.

Firebrick Pottery is a bright and open space that is functionally segmented into several distinct sections. As you walk in, the dark green walls are contrasted by all the brightly colored ceramics that make for a dedicated artisanal shop with products from several local potters.

In the central portion of the shop, Firebrick offers several key pottery supplies that are often difficult or expensive to acquire. In the back of the shop is the main workspace and kiln. There are several stations with pottery wheels, tools, sinks, and shelves for projects in progress. One of Firebrick Pottery’s more unique features is the 24-hour studio access it offers to members.

“There’s always someone in and out working on projects,” Milhous said.

She discovered her love for pottery in an elective course she took at Virginia Tech, where she studied interior and industrial design. Much of Firebrick Pottery’s operational philosophy was born from her own experiences and needs as a potter. She admits that in her college days she’d utilize the school’s 24-hour studio access to work on her pottery projects late into the night.

“I want to find more ways to help people interact with clay and unleash their creativity in ways that are more accessible to people,” Milhous said.

A core value of Firebrick Pottery is connection. It’s about connecting the community to the artists in it, while also connecting individuals to their own sense of creativity, according to Milhous.

“One of the big goals is to build up Lynchburg’s creative community.

If someone is wanting to get into pottery for the first time, my workshops are good to get a taste of it,” Milhous said.

Currently, Firebrick Pottery offers two to three workshops a month, and a basic studio membership is $95 a month.

Milhous says that although Firebrick Pottery is a great resource to kickstart someone’s interest in pottery and equip them with basic skills, it isn’t intended to make the average person an expert. Milhous attributes much of her continued education in pottery after college to the Parks and Recreation Art Studio at Jackson Heights.

According to Milhous, she enjoys the symbiotic relationship she shares with other public art studios. Where she creates and nurtures initial interest and skill building, the other studios send her more experienced artists that value her space to display their art and use of the shop’s kiln.

“There are so many talented potters in Lynchburg, I just wanted to give the community access to them,” Milhous said.

Earning a Best of Lynchburg award should be celebrated, and earning this recognition year after year earns a business a spot in the Hall of Fame.

To place in our Best of Lynchburg Hall of Fame, a business, person, or place needs to have won a gold level award in a particular category for the majority of the years since VistaGraphics first launched the contest in 2014.

Flip through to see who is the best of the best in the region!

(Voting for the 2026 Best Of Lynchburg Awards begins July 25 on LynchburgLiving.com. Look for those winners in the January/February issue of Lynchburg Living!)

Klaire Maranto Turns Love for Food into a Thriving Lynchburg Business

By: Olivia Carter | Photos By: Ashlee Glen

Klaire Maranto never imagined she’d run a thriving meal prep business here in Lynchburg. But a tablespoon of love for food, a few teaspoons of passion for helping others, and a large cup of faith led her to launch Klaire’s Kitchen in 2021.

Since then, her small idea has become a weekly staple for many of her clients in the area.

“I have always been a lover of health, fitness, and food and I come from a really big Italian family, so we always were in the kitchen,” Maranto said. “It was always just a way that you showed love or you brought a meal to someone when someone was in need. You’re always making food.”

Her connection to cooking, paired with a keen understanding of nutrition, became the foundation for what is now Klaire’s Kitchen.

But she says the journey to launching a business was far from straightforward.

Like many others, she found herself at a crossroads during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2020 graduate of Liberty University, she returned home to Buffalo, New York, only to be met with a bleak job market.

“Nobody was hiring. And I was like, ‘You know what? This is maybe my time to get all the nutrition certifications that I want,’” she said.

While she initially intended to use her expertise in a traditional job setting, something unexpected happened. Maranto started coaching family and friends on healthy eating habits, helping them with meal planning and giving them guidance on nutrition. Without realizing it, she was laying the groundwork for her future business.

When she and her husband moved back to Lynchburg for his law school studies, she took a job at a gym and noticed a consistent pattern.

“People would come in and be like, ‘What are you eating? It smells so good.’ And I’d be like, ‘Oh, you know, I just meal prepped,’” she said.

That curiosity quickly turned into meal prep requests.

“I actually love doing this,” she said. “These people are so happy when they get their food. It’s making their life so much easier.”

After a brief stint working at a local weight loss clinic, Maranto felt compelled to make a change and decided to meal-prep for others full-time. It was a bold move, especially since she and her husband were both young and in the midst of building their future.

“He was like, ‘You just went to school for four years to do something completely different,’” she laughed. “But I really feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Initially, she assumed that her primary clientele would be fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and college students looking for convenient, healthy meals. But to her surprise, her customer base expanded far beyond that.

“It’s actually been completely the opposite,” she said. “It’s been pregnant and postpartum moms, working parents, a lot of professionals, a lot of teachers, doctors, lawyers, other small business owners that are like, ‘I don’t even have time to go do anything. I can’t cook my own food.’”

Through trial and error, Maranto has her finger on the pulse of what Central Virginian’s palates are craving.

“Everybody loves Mexican food. So the beef burrito bowls, the chicken burrito bowls, we have a beef enchilada skillet,” she said. “Everyone loves the side salads as well as this one meal that has sweet potatoes, ground turkey, kale, bell peppers and goat cheese,” she said.

She said people can still eat what they want, such as pasta, but enjoy it in the correct portion size.

“You’re getting a cup of pasta instead of the two and a half [cups] fixing it at home,” she informed.

One group of customers in particular has touched Klaire’s heart: the elderly.

“Those people have such a special place in my heart at the kitchen, because they’re talkers,” she said fondly.

“I love being around people and they’ll come in and tell me all about their week and what’s going on.”

What started as a small-scale operation has grown significantly, with customers coming to rely on Klaire’s Kitchen not only for nutritious meals but also for the personal touch she provides.

“It’s not just about the food,” she said.

“It’s about connection and making people’s lives easier.”

Klaire’s Kitchen operates with accessibility in mind.

There are no subscriptions, no commitments, and no minimum orders.

“It’s literally, like, if you want to try one meal, you just order and try,” she said.

Each week, customers place orders and meals are ready for pick-up on Mondays at her new location at the corner of Old Forest and Wiggington roads. This system allows flexibility for busy individuals and families who might not want the pressure of a meal plan but still need healthy options available.

Although meal prep businesses are common in larger cities, Maranto had noticed that Lynchburg lacked similar offerings.

“I actually met with someone, a meal prep business owner [in New York], and that was super insightful,” she said. “But here, there was really no one doing this.”
She started with modest expectations.

“I really went into it like, ‘Hey, as long as I can pay my bills and as long as I’m happy doing something that fuels me, I’m good,’” she said.
But demand quickly grew.

“I had people just calling me saying, ‘Hey, I hear you cook for so and so, would you do it for me?’”

When Klaire first moved back to Lynchburg, she and her husband expected their stay to be temporary.

“We had this idea that we were going to be here for three years and then move somewhere else,” she said. But as Klaire’s Kitchen grew, so did their sense of belonging.

“We can’t walk away from this now,” she said. “The business has grown so much, and I’ve built this incredible community here.”

She credits much of her success to Lynchburg’s strong network of small business owners and supportive residents.

“People here really want to support local businesses and that’s something special,” she said.

She said her business isn’t just about selling meals, but about helping and serving people.

“If you’re passionate about something, you have to go for it,” she said. “I’m so glad I took that leap, because now I get to wake up every day and do something I love.”

Elevated Mexican Fare at Uno Mas

By: Anna Eileen White | Photos By: Ashlee Glen

Neon signage and greenery floating overhead usher visitors into 5th Street’s latest culinary spot. It’s almost as bright inside as outside. Walls of windows illuminate cactus-green subway tiles and conversation buzzes beneath the electric pulse of a well-curated playlist.

This is Uno Mas, and if the experience lives up to its name, visitors will be tempted to stick around for “one more.”

Upon entering, a mustard-yellow bus with a rust-speckled fender doubles as a hostess stand —this is chef and owner Alan Gutierrez’s favorite design element. He said they cut the bus in half allowing servers to walk and stand behind the dashboard. License plates and road signs reading “Uno Mas,” “Tacos BLVD,” and “Tequila Way” are affixed around the antique VW badge.

Where to sit is the first choice: pick a table or booth in the main dining room and admire colorful homages to Mexico’s Day of the Dead, find a seat at the bar, slip into the secluded side room and dine under a blue haze away from the crowd, or feast al fresco on the patio. Any location will more than complement the extensive menu of Lynchburg’s self-proclaimed “home of street tacos.”

“Everybody loves tacos,” said Gutierrez, who has been cooking for most of his life.

His menu features 10+ tacos served on house-made corn or flour tortillas with endless customizations. Choices include two styles applied to any taco—Gringo and Street. Choose Gringo and receive a taco topped with lettuce, tomatoes, crema, and cheese. Choose Street and enjoy the bright addition of cilantro, onions, and lime. Among protein choices like melt-in-your-mouth lengua (tongue) for the adventurous and tender carne asada, visitors can find a standard favorite and stick with it, or never eat the same taco twice by swapping salsa verde for a creamy avocado salsa and vice versa.

Everything at Uno Mas is made in-house, the result of skills Gutierrez has built over his 29 years.

“Since I was little, I would always cook for my brothers, my mom, my dad, and I wanted to be a chef,” he said. Born and raised in Mexico, he grew up watching his mom navigate the food industry there. He said she rarely measures, and her culinary methods are subconscious and natural, “I definitely got that from her.”

When his parents opened El Camino on Lakeside Drive, it was another opportunity for Gutierrez to explore the food industry and eventually become part-owner.
“Little by little, I started liking the restaurant business,” he explained.

Though busy splitting his time between construction in the mornings and El Camino in the afternoons and evenings, Gutierrez didn’t have any doubts when
512 5th Street came available. His dad first saw the listing.

“He showed me a picture, and as soon as he told me, I called the number,” he said. After multiple unanswered calls, Gutierrez’s persistence paid off.

“[The agent] showed me the place, that same day or the day after, and I told him I wanted it, and then we jumped on it the day after that.”

Now the location is Gutierrez’s canvas, and his preferred mediums are the sights, sounds, and flavors of the big city. He says the details are inspired by his travels, where he pays close attention to “the colors, the decorations, the food, how they present things, the drinks.” He’s taken “a little bit of everything” from favorite locations including Acapulco, Guadalajara, Jalisco, California, and Puerto Rico. “Everywhere I would go, either Mexico or bigger cities, I would look at things and get ideas,” he explained.

Despite the main dining room’s joyful allure, the patio is irresistible on a 75-degree spring evening. Sheltered on two sides by buildings, but open to 5th Street, traffic hums and occasionally roars by—an organic addition to Gutierrez’s big-city bent. Several of 5th Street’s iconic cherry trees mark a chiffony margin between the roadway and patio. On one side, life as usual; on the other, good food, good drinks, good atmosphere, and good music, according to Gutierrez.

“[People] always have a good time,” he explained. “They kind of just come and hang out, and they bring their friends, and those friends bring more friends. It’s kind of just like a cool hang-out place.”

Open since February 3rd, Gutierrez says they never truly announced they were open and didn’t do any paid advertising. Instead, they used social media and let news spread word-of-mouth.

“We just turned the lights on and opened the doors and people just started coming in,” he shared. “We’ve been getting really good feedback. I knew it was going to be successful.

I just didn’t think it was going to be this quick.”

Top-ordered food items so far include tacos, Burrito Cocino, and Maria Bonita. Gutierrez says the top-ordered drinks are margaritas and palomas. He is already envisioning a second location in the near future. “If you want to try new Mexican food that’s not at any other restaurants around,” he explained, “this is the perfect place.”

Gutierrez says it’s not just the food—he’s worked hard to create an atmosphere that visitors won’t find elsewhere. The way diners stick around, soaking up the many sensory delights, confirms that he’s concocted something magnetic.

A toddler finds his groove dancing atop the patio’s flagstone pavers and his parents join the fun in between polishing off a few more bites. Conversation keeps pace with the playlist even as daylight dwindles. “I think people just love to be here,” said Gutierrez.

Whether looking to enjoy one more drink or one more round of steak nachos, Uno Mas is meant for lingering, and visitors will surely leave with one more colorful moment in time under their belts than they began with.

A Candle Shop That Lights Up Community and Connection

By: Emeri Glen | Photos by: Ashlee Glen

Wick and Pour, a new candle bar in downtown Lynchburg, is adorned not by flashy pops of color, or distracting murals on the walls, but by the joy and warmth that grows from conversation around a simple table. The owner, Chantel West-White, well knows the value of intergenerational community and the beauty of forged relationships.

A middle school nurse during the weekdays, West-White began dabbling in candle-making as something to do during the Covid-19 pandemic. As she grew in her hobby, more and more women joined her around her home craft table.

“It just became a place for everyone to talk, to laugh, or to cry,” she said. And thus, was planted the seed for Wick and Pour.

West-White wanted to create a more dedicated space for her newfound passion, but on a larger scale. While the location that she found on Ninth Street in downtown Lynchburg was a tad smaller than what she had originally envisioned, it turned out to be the perfect space for the type of conversations that West-White was seeking to cultivate.

“There are people from all races, all ages, [and] all backgrounds who come together at the table and they make candles. You will see a seventy-year-old woman talking to a twenty-year-old woman, talking about raising a family” she said.

Wick and Pour contains a communal crafting table, similar to the one that she started with. The shop’s lack of separate worktables is meant to encourage community building and story swapping, with the express goal of de-othering neighbors.

Of this, West-White said, “The table is doing exactly what I wanted it to: showing people we are more alike than we are different.”

The shop, which is currently open Fridays through Sundays, utilizes only eco-friendly materials.

The fragrances are diverse—West-White associates colors with these, further adding to the allure of her shop—and she picks up inspiration for them (some of which include “Library” and “Coffee Shop”) on her travels across the country. They are clean-burning, without cancer-causing ingredients, and glitter is an option.

West-White’s business now also boasts a fragrance bar, where patrons can create their own signature perfumes. In addition, the venue hosts special events
for holidays such as “Galentines,” “Friendsgiving”, and Mardis Gras, as well as fun pop culture events like “Taylor Swift sing-a-along.”

West-White found support and community during the uncertainty of the pandemic in the experience and voices of those women who created with her. She continues to find support through the help of her loved ones.

“I know I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my family,” she said.

Ultimately, apart from creating a space that nurtures and tends relational growth, West-White says that, “When they (patrons) walk away, I hope they find a little bit of peace in a world of chaos.”

To book a session at Wick and Pour or to learn more about what the shop offers, visit wickpourcandlebar.com.

New Year’s Resolutions from Local Leaders

As Lynchburg enters a new year, the community stands at a pivotal moment—one shaped by both its rich history and the exciting potential of the future. Local leaders are looking ahead with a clear focus on progress, collaboration, and sustainable growth.
Their resolutions reflect a shared commitment to nurturing the city’s diverse strengths while addressing the challenges that lie ahead.

This collection of resolutions provides a glimpse into the aspirations that will guide Lynchburg through 2025 and beyond. These leaders are resolute in their vision for a thriving, forward-thinking community. Together, they offer a collective roadmap that balances ambition with a dedication to the enduring values that make Lynchburg unique.

The Impact of Lynchburg’s Amplify Music Program

By: Jeremy Angione | Photos By: Ashlee GlenTurning Beats Into Futures

Downtown Lynchburg has become a haven for artists of all types. It’s not just a home for the established artist, but a connecting point to educate and empower future artists as well.

On Jefferson Street, Music Is Forever, a nondescript music production studio, is revolutionizing youth music education with their emerging program, Amplify Your Lives (or Amplify, for short). Amplify is a 10-week program “designed to empower aspiring musicians and producers in Lynchburg, Virginia,” according to Amplify’s syllabus.

The program began to take shape years ago when co-founder and lead instructor Keith Thomas taught a similar course at Pellissippi State Community College.

“What if we distilled that down and made it suitable for young people in the community,” Thomas had ideated.

Two years ago, Thomas returned to Lynchburg to experience what he described as a “string of shootings and untimely deaths with young people,”
in his hometown.

“You just heard community members saying, ‘We have to do something. We have got to create more opportunities,’” Thomas said.

Despite the bleak catalyst that started the mission of Amplify, Thomas and his Music Is Forever partner and founder, Jordan Preston, started the program relatively quickly.

Thomas returned to Lynchburg in 2022, and with the help of IRON Lives, an established youth outreach nonprofit with the resources and expertise that Thomas and Preston needed, Amplify’s pilot program was launched just a year later in November 2023.

“I understand these days the importance of collaboration as well as the necessity of building community,” Preston said.

Thanks to pivotal partnerships with the Academy Center of the Arts, IRON Lives, and local churches, Amplify received much of the technology and financial support that would help get the program into motion.

“The community has rallied in support in a major way behind Amplify. We’ve received support in attendance, financial, and positive feedback that positively encourages and pushes us,” Preston added.

A brief look at the Amplify syllabus would clue you in to its collegiate roots. While the program is comprehensive, Amplify’s staff ensure that each lesson is fun and applicable to students’ everyday lives.

“As a musician who struggled with this lack of understanding or support from my communities growing up, I can’t express how life changing this experience and these resources—even just the simple exposure to the studio—could be for a young person who genuinely needs creative expression and music in their life to thrive,” instructor Shana Munson said.

Now in its third cohort, Amplify guides its 10 students through an introduction to several production programs and technologies, music theory, vocal production, and recording, culminating in a student-produced album release party.

Thomas recalls that for the first class of every cohort, students are mostly unengaged and distracted by their phones. But he claims that without fail, students are much more engaged in the second class as they learn to actually produce a musical piece.

“At the end of the class they all have a song, or something that is musical. They’re all hyped. Immediately, we’ve got ’em, from that point on,” Thomas said.

For many of the in-risk, at-risk, and underserved students, Amplify and its lessons become a lifeline to many out of reach resources such as technology, the arts, financial literacy, and even a hot meal.

“Amplify provides a space where they can explore their potential, develop new skills, and gain confidence in their abilities. The program has strengthened community ties by showing these youth that their voices and talents matter,” instructor Phinees Robert said.

The creative outlet for students cannot be understated. All of Amplify’s instructors agree that the transformation of their students’ abilities and confidence from week one to week 10 is nothing short of remarkable.

“What becomes interesting is when the young people’s real lives begin to manifest in the space. When their real challenges become exposed and they might want to write about it. Things can get heavy,” Thomas said.

Thomas and the entire Amplify team trained IRON Lives staff to learn how to better serve the emotional and mental needs that may be troubling some of their students. Despite the students’ level of musical knowledge, or the challenges they face in life, the Amplify team makes use of it all to shepherd them to tangible, creative results.

As Thomas searched for the right words to convey how Amplify teaches students intuitively, he rushed over to a piano across the room and sat on the bench. He began pressing keys to convey what most of us would understand as the cues for tension, joy, sadness, and other emotions.

“We use the language of feeling, as opposed to the traditional music theory. You’re actually teaching the application of passion,” Thomas said. “It’s a step-by-step process, where we are teaching the fundamentals of programs, the technology, the artistry of making a song, and the performance of it. All the while we’re interjecting how this applies to real life.”

According to both Thomas and Preston one of the main challenges that Amplify faces is its relative obscurity in the community.
“I don’t know if people realize what’s actually happening in this space. I think if more people knew what was happening, then we could get more community support,” Thomas said.

At the end of the 10-week cohort students hold an album release party where they perform their self-produced music live for friends and family.

Aside from the technical skills they learn, Amplify offers its graduating class financial compensation for the music they’ve produced. Their music can be found on Spotify by searching “Amplify Cohort #1” or “Amplify Cohort #2”.

Currently, Amplify is building out its partnerships in order to implement an apprenticeship program for students to find placements for their newly acquired skills.

“My hope for Amplify is that it continues to expand and eventually becomes a year-round after-school program in Lynchburg City Schools. I would love to see the program reach even more young people in the community and offer advanced opportunities, such as paid internships or partnerships with local businesses, to give them real-world experience,” Robert said.

New Bar & Music Hall

By: Christian Shields | Photos by: Ashlee Glen

Less than a year after opening Trading Post by Traber Ranch in downtown Lynchburg, the Traber family has expanded the business through several new additions.

Located at 1222 Main St., the Trading Post provides locals with a selection of coffees, convenience store items, and specialty meats. This past summer, the Trabers opened the Trading Post Speakeasy below the Trading Post.

This 6,000-square-foot space includes a full bar and offers a variety of shareable plates and appetizers.

It also features five large screen televisions for sporting events as well as multiple pool tables and darts lanes.

Melanie Traber, who owns the business along with her husband Peter, noted that the location’s open space sets it apart from other bars in the area and provides customers with much more space for activities outside of solely grabbing a drink and a bite to eat. In addition, the speakeasy offers a much more casual feel than is typically found at restaurants.

“There isn’t a lot to do downtown as far as activities, so it’s nice to have a place where you can come and hang out with your friends, play pool or play a game of darts, and not just go to a restaurant,” Melanie said. “If you go to a restaurant, you sit down, and the bills come and they’re pushing you out. So, it’s a good place to hang out and relax.”

In an effort to cater to college students and other patrons who may not drink alcohol, the site offers a wide selection of “mocktails,” kombucha, mushroom-based elixirs and teas, and Olipop sodas.

“We really want our space to be a laid-back, enjoyable place for everyone, so we want to make sure that we encourage kids and adults who don’t want to drink alcohol to have plenty of options too,” Melanie Traber said.

This past October, Traber Ranch Music Hall also opened with an additional 6,000-square-foot space behind the Trading Post for live music and private events. This area boasts an extensive dinner menu, live music on a state-of-the-art stage with a tour-grade audio and lighting system, and weekly events such as karaoke and line dancing.

During the day, this space will be available for students to study, with Wi-Fi and charging outlets onsite to help them complete their assignments. As an added incentive to draw in the college crowd, the Traber family is currently running a promotion where for every $5 a student spends onsite, that student will be entered into a raffle, with three students receiving $500 scholarships at the end of the semester.

Because the Trading Post, Speakeasy, and Music Hall share one building and serve as complements to each other, guests are welcome to move freely throughout each spot. This allows customers to enjoy the best offerings of each without feeling confined to a specific space.

In addition to the main Trading Post entrance on Main St., customers can access the Speakeasy at 113 13th St. and the upstairs Music Hall through the patio entrance at 1222 Main Street.

GhostStop & Lynchburg Ghost Tours Search for the Paranormal

By: Jeremy Angione  |  Photos By: Ashlee Glen

Lynchburg, as you might expect of a city founded in the late eighteenth century, has its share of rich and unique history. While the Lynchburg Museum and other historical preservation societies tend to focus on stories related to its founding, one business in particular is more interested in the weird and macabre history of the Hill City.

Originally founded in 2006, in Florida, by Shawn Porter, GhostStop specializes in manufacturing and selling ghost hunting equipment to paranormal enthusiasts. Although Porter claims he could have never seen himself opening a store like GhostStop, many of his life experiences prepared him for it.

“My background is theme park marketing,” Porter said. 

After working as the marketing director for Universal Studios Orlando for 14 years, Porter joined The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), made famous by their Travel Channel television show, Ghost Hunters (now streamable on Netflix). Porter says that possible paranormal experiences as a child spurred on his curiosity for the paranormal.

Porter always had an interest in technology. He’d built websites “before they were even called websites,” and worked a few positions at Universal Studios Orlando that required and enhanced his technical knowledge. His technical prowess made him an asset for the TAPS team and other paranormal teams that needed equipment to capture ghostly phenomena. 

“There was really no equipment for ghost hunting,” Porter said.

After his inventions gained traction in the niche field, Porter decided to open up his store. Although the store makes for an interesting spectacle for passersby, much of GhostStop’s operations are dedicated to the in-house manufacture of nearly all ghost hunting equipment.

“We actually make all the equipment that you see on those shows,” Porter said.

In 2023, Porter, along with most of his staff, decided to move the business to Lynchburg for lower cost of living and doing business, appealing scenery, and to be closer to family. Despite the niche nature of ghost hunting, GhostStop has had enough success over the years for Porter to purchase all of 918 Commerce Street where the business now resides, each floor serving a different function.

Porter says that he believes he may have experienced paranormal phenomena in the building on a few of his late-night work sessions.

“I’m a big skeptic myself. I’ve never had an experience that I considered evil or scary. For me it’s just more of a curiosity,” Porter said. 

Although he and the GhostStop staff all employ a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to their work, they revel in the fun of all the different possibilities that might cause phenomena in a particular location.

The shop space itself comprises mostly ghost hunting equipment for the avid paranormal investigator, and fun ghostly merchandise for more casual fans of all things spooky. Porter’s theme park marketing experience is on full display at GhostStop, as the shop looks as if it were a gift shop at any amusement park.

The store acts as the first stop on the Ghost Tours, which commenced last Halloween.

Operations Manager Megan Paxton handles much of the logistics of arranging the Ghost Tours. Despite the name, Paxton and Porter try to differentiate the experience they bring to their tours from other similar services.

“It’s definitely more history driven. Our goal is not necessarily to scare, it’s more to intrigue,” Paxton said.

Currently, the walking tours are about one mile in length and explore the history of popular locales on Commerce Street.

“I want to look at the history in a very in depth and respectable manner. Then intertwine some of the stories we get here and try to see how they connect to the weird history of this town,” Porter said.

One locale that illustrates the weird history that Porter mentions is the old C.B. Fleet building across from GhostStop. Although there have not yet been any confirmed sightings of Fleet’s ghost, the tour guides often share that his claim to fame was his invention of ChapStick and the enema.

Both Porter and Paxton agree that the shop has become a beacon for so many people—local, national, and even international—to come in and share their interests in the paranormal.
Porter says that many locals come into the shop to share stories of paranormal experiences they’ve had at specific locales.

Paxton says that GhostStop uses those stories to cross reference with the established history of those locales to uncover more unique stories for the tours.

In that way, Porter says that no two tours are the same and that many of the stories shared are essentially “crowdsourced.”

“The overall history remains the same. It’s just the stories that are told might be different,” Paxton said.

According to Paxton the tours have been popular and typically see a wide range of demographics, from out of state visitors, to friend groups looking for a unique evening activity.

“It’s very family friendly too,” Porter said.

Currently, the tours take place roughly twice a month, a number Porter hopes to increase if the demand is there. Tickets for a tour are $25. Although the tour is a fairly short walk, a major priority for GhostStop was to make the tours as accessible as possible,

“We make sure everything is ADA accessible. That’s very important for us,” Porter said.

The GhostStop team is in the process of building out new routes for more variety in the tours. There is even a plan to start conducting paranormal investigations at certain locations that community members can assist with.

To book or find more information on the Lynchburg Ghost Tours you can visit lynchburgghosttours.com. Information on GhostStop can be found at ghoststop.com.