Sylvia’s Boutique helps customers find beauty and confidence

An activity sometimes dreaded by women in Lynchburg and across the nation is the act of shopping. No matter their shape or size, shopping can at times create a chore for women who are otherwise seeking a painless shopping experience. 

Located at 1111 Church Street in Downtown Lynchburg, Sylvia’s Boutique is, as owner Sylvia Kee says, “your one-stop trendy shop for dresses, shoes, and all things fashion.” 

From accessories to shoes to statement coats and beyond, Kee offers a variety of casual to formal attire, handbags, jewelry, shoes, and gifts for special occasions. While selling all of these items, Kee not only keeps her high-quality products in stock within the walls of the boutique, but she also does it with something unique: the mission to ensure that every person who enters walks out feeling just as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside.

Kee dreamt from a young age of being the owner of a business. But the one Kee dreamt up wasn’t just any business, it was a women’s boutique that strove to aid all customers in feeling beauty in the purest form, through confidence in themselves. 

The dream of Sylvia’s Boutique was achieved with its opening in July of 2022. Not only does the boutique offer clothing, shoes, and accessories, but it also presents customers with the opportunity to book their own personal styling appointments. 

“We have something for everyone,” Kee noted, and she means it!

These consultation appointments help women who aren’t quite sure where to begin with their wardrobe, giving them a helping hand to finding the perfect, custom stylings for each person. Sylvia’s Boutique gives these women a tailored experience in the fitting room from the early phases of their fashion journey, all the way until they are walking out of the store with a brand-new look. 

Kee and her team consider the customer’s size, their fashion preferences, and even their desired color palette. As her website states, Kee wants her customers to feel “confident and beautiful in their own skin.” She continued, “Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, inside and out!”

At her shop, you can find an unlimited number of beautiful and elegant formal attire, as well as multiple options for day-to-day casual dress. Be it a dazzling coat made of genuine rabbit fur, a cranberry-colored wool trench, a new pair of earrings, or new boots, Sylvia’s Boutique offers only the best products, experiences, and prices for all the customers that walk into the shop on a daily basis. 

When it comes to being a small business owner in Downtown Lynchburg, Kee appreciates many aspects of the surrounding Lynchburg community, including her fellow small businesses and business owners. 

“When you purchase at locally owned businesses rather than nationally owned, more money is kept in the community because locally owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, service providers, and companies,” she said. “Purchasing locally helps grow other businesses as well as the local tax base.”

Sometimes, you don’t even need to go into the shop to get fashion advice from Syliva’s Boutique!
On her social media, Kee will take to her page to address her followers with a number of helpful fashion tips and tricks for women of all backgrounds. Kicking off in October of last year, Kee began sharing the boutique’s “TOP 10” tips for preparing her customers’ wardrobes for the fall and winter months. Her number one tip? “Find neutral boots!” 

Tips and words of wisdom are not the only things one can find on Sylvia’s Boutique’s social media accounts. From keeping up with her business pages, followers are notified of special sales and discounts that the boutique will be offering on a weekly basis. At any given time of day, Kee will post to advertise her upcoming clearance items and significant sales. These include student discounts, senior discounts, holiday deals, and more.

As a woman of color and small business owner, Kee and her boutique can remind us all to chase after the dreams we have, even if we make them at a young age. She urges us to strive to make them a reality, reminding each customer of the importance of community, creativity, and, most of all, confidence and the hidden power that gives women the ability to love themselves inside and out.   

The Lynchburg Living Best Of Awards are the result of an online nomination and voting process at lynchburgliving.com, held in July-September 2022.

Winners were first nominated in their categories; these nominees were then moved forward to the voting round. Readers could vote in as many or as few categories that they preferred and could only vote one time per email address.

The winners inside this section are the ones that received the most votes.

What makes a great lawyer? While impeccable communication skills and high intelligence are a part of the equation, truly great lawyers also earn a respect that follows them out of the courtroom and into the community.

Top Lawyers of Greater Lynchburg is the result of a comprehensive peer-to-peer survey, facilitated by DataJoe Research Company.

Read on to see who lawyers themselves recommend in 23 specialties.

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Summary.  To create the list, Lynchburg Living contracted DataJoe Research to facilitate an online peer-voting process and Internet research process.  DataJoe Research is a software and research company specializing in data collection and verification, and conducts various nominations across the United States on behalf of publishers.  To create the list, DataJoe Research facilitated an online peer-voting process. We paired this with an Internet research process to identify success characteristics. DataJoe checked and confirmed that each published winner had, at time of review, a current, active license status with the appropriate state regulatory board. If we were not able to find evidence of a lawyer’s current, active registration with the state regulatory board, that lawyer was excluded from the list.  In addition, we checked available public sources to identify lawyers disciplined for an infraction by the state regulatory board. These entities were excluded from the list.  Finally, DataJoe presented the tallied result to Lynchburg Living for its final review and adjustments.  

Final note.  We recognize that there are many good lawyers who are not shown in this representative list. This is only a sampling of the huge array of talented professionals within the region. Inclusion in the list is based on the opinions of responding lawyers in the region. We take time and energy to ensure fair voting, although we understand that the results of this survey nomination and Internet research campaign are not an objective metric. We certainly do not discount the fact that many, many good and effective lawyers may not appear on the list.

Disclaimers. DataJoe uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list.  DataJoe does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. DataJoe does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions
result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All rights reserved.
No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without
written permission from DataJoe.

Questions?  For research/methodology questions, contact the research team at surveys@datajoe.com.

How Kathleen Olinger and Anthony Andrews are increasing early childhood education in the Hill City

Two new early child care centers are on the horizon in Lynchburg. One opened this past fall and another will open its doors this August, and both have unique ideas for filling the childcare needs for the city.

Earlier this fall, Kathleen Olinger, along with three other Montessorians, started Hill City Montessori School located  at 1301 Rivermont Ave. at the terrace level of Gospel  Community Church.

Olinger said the school offers mutual respect and collaboration between students and adults through guidance, empathy, and preparation of the environment. 

“Four of us who had worked in Montessori communities for 10 years came together to build a local school that we believed in,” she said. “So, we’ve taken all the lovely things that we’ve learned, and we’re putting it into the heart and soul of this whole city.”

Montessori education prepares students for a life of purpose from birth to adulthood. The mission of the school is to cultivate a diverse, inclusive, Montessori community through family partnerships and the preparation of the whole child. They believe in responsive education that supports not only students, but their families as well. 

“As Dr. Montessori has said, ‘establishing lasting peace is the work of education,’” Olinger said. “Through high-quality, comprehensive, and science-based education, we are able to offer appropriate and effective early childhood education—and beyond—that we believe can truly solve so many issues in our local community, and society as a whole.”

Olinger said the further she went to school for education, the more she realized traditional education was not what she wanted to pursue with teaching.

After enrolling her child in a Montessori school, she said she started to fall in love with its style and mission.

Olinger eventually became the head of school and executive director of a Montessori school and has training in Montessori leadership. 

Montessori schools focus on a child-led, comprehensive, whole education for students, Olinger said.

“It’s all about preparing for life beyond school. It’s all about preparing the human—the whole child,” she said. 

Montessori education goes beyond just academics. It’s about providing emotional, social, and basic, everyday life skills. Students don’t sit at desks, do lots of worksheets, or use much plastic. Olinger said the classrooms are cozy and students learn to use everyday items, preparing them for independence.

 “I have an extreme desire to make Montessori accessible to the average family and not just elitist,” she said. “I want to make it a program that actually gives back to the community.”

Olinger is also a certified Positive Discipline Educator and offers courses at a sliding scale for families and adults to also gain the tools and community needed to become equipped to interact in a way that offers mutual respect and collaboration and fosters healthy relationships. 

“Such skills will have a positive impact on not only the children they may have in their households or in their classrooms, but also with adults they meet as well,” she said.

Hill City Montessori School offers additional education opportunities and book clubs that are open to the greater community, often at no cost, that are specific to potty training, independence, inclusivity, and more. 

“We believe in equipping our students, adults, and fellow humans of Lynchburg, so that we can learn from one another, collaborate, and work together to create a more beautiful, healthy, and responsive community,” she said.

Olinger said there has been research to prove that students who attend Montessori schools for early childhood education do significantly better with their social and emotional skills later in life.

“So that foundation is irreplaceable,” she said.

The school offers spots for kids from birth to sixth grade.

With less than 30 subsidy providers in Lynchburg, Olinger said school leaders are also part of the community that believes in offering high-quality education in a way that is accessible and inclusive. 

The child care subsidy program through the state of Virginia subsidizes the cost of child care for qualifying families and allows them to choose education that feels right to them without the cost eliminating their opportunity.

Olinger said the biggest focus is responsive education.

“We want to be evolving and checking in with ourselves and being aware of who we are and making sure that we’re making mission-focused decisions,” she said. “We’re going to put ourselves in the heart of Lynchburg and serve the families as best as we possibly can.”

Later this year, Anthony Andrews will be opening a new preschool near Lynchburg General Hospital at 1915 Thomson Dr. called Teachable Moments Preschool.

The new school will make room for about 70 new students from six weeks to five years old.

Andrews said he has been holding onto this dream for a while—since 2006 in fact.

Andrews said Sackett Wood, president of Moore & Giles, has been an instrumental person who believed in Andrews from the beginning when he decided he had a dream of opening a preschool one day.

“Sackett asked me what my passion was and what I wanted to do with my life, and I told him that I wanted to start a preschool,” Andrews said. “He was the very first person not only to give me advice on the business side of things, but he financially invested in me as a person.”

It all started about 16 years ago with a three-month-old baby girl who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and Andrews, a firefighter with the Lynchburg Fire Department, responded to the call. The baby was at a daycare center held at someone’s home.

When he and his wife Stephanie had their daughter, Alaya, they decided to learn more about child care and how they could prevent such a tragic situation from happening to their own baby.

“One thing led to another and we looked for quality child care, and we couldn’t find any that we really enjoyed,” Andrews explained. “It wasn’t until two years later that we found Centra’s child care center and my love for child care started blossoming from there. Everything that my daughter was learning at school, I wanted to add to or supplement that at home.”

From there, Andrews started getting more involved in child care, learning about brain development, and learning how children learn and grow.

Andrews now serves on the Lynchburg School Board, was a teacher for six years at Elizabeth’s Early Learning Center, and was the assistant director of Peakland Preschool for two years.

His upcoming Teachable Moments Preschool will begin taking potential students for a waitlist, and enrollment will begin late spring of 2023. He said onboarding for teachers will also begin around the same time.

“They don’t really tend to get enough credit,” Andrews said of preschool teachers. “We’re still in that whole mindset of ‘we’re babysitting service,’ but we’re not. We’re definitely a validated profession that’s taking care of kids and just trying to help them transition to elementary school.”

Once the 6,400-square-foot preschool opens in August, Andrews said it will meet the needs of parents who are essential workers as well as filling in a crucial hole of the child care desert in that area of the city.

“The other need is the need to fulfill an underprivileged demographic that sometimes gets swept under the rug,” he said. “If a kid comes from Diamond Hill or College Hill, sometimes there’s a stigma that they don’t deserve high quality child care, and that is false.”

He said he wants to fulfill a need of having a true, diverse student population made up of all types of students from different backgrounds.

Unique approaches to meeting needs in the community include being located on a public bus line, matching two percent of student’s tuition each year to go toward a 529 college plan, and wellness checks at the clinic, which allow kids to get ahead of RSV, common colds and seasonal allergies. 

 “We want to help identify some things that may be on the horizon when it comes down to illnesses and injuries for children and for staff but also give parents an opportunity to prevent those things from happening,” Andrews said.

Even though the preschool is private, Andrews hopes to create a nonprofit arm of the organization to tap into funding to help enrich the curriculum, books, and materials, and allow for field trips.

“I’m super excited about all the things that we have to offer now in our little world,” he said. “I’m so excited for what we have to offer Lynchburg.”  

Photos by Ashlee Glen

An online skin care shop helps women uncover their true skin

Wash, moisturize, repeat. Skin care routines can be monotonous and ineffective. After using the entire skin care store that is on your bathroom counter, your skin is often still left dry, rough, and stripped of its natural oils. The process then repeats itself. But Myscha Gaines is breaking that cycle.

In 2014, Gaines took a trip to Disney World, where she discovered the wide world of sugar scrubs. She realized they were so expensive, and the price didn’t match the quality of ingredients. So, she returned to Lynchburg with an idea—to create an affordable body scrub that was good for the skin.

“I literally just came home and said, ‘Let me see if I can recreate what I had experienced.’ I came up with a couple of different formulations solely based on the things that I already had in my house,” Gaines explained.

Her business, EmGe Naturals, began as an oil-based sugar scrub in a glass jar. It was her mother-in-law’s idea to decorate the jars, and they began to hand out Gaines’ homemade sugar scrub to family and friends.

Gaines and her husband then saw how these homemade sugar scrubs could be used for good. Profits made from the scrubs went to their nonprofit that provided first night backpacks to children entering foster care. From there, Gaines began to attend vendor events and distribute her products in local stores.

EmGe Naturals was growing, but it paused in 2015 when Gaines’ grandchildren came to live with her. Four years later, Gaines knew she needed to start making scrubs again.

“I was like, ‘Okay, what can I do to help around here? To help our household?’ We relaunched EmGe in the latter part of 2019 as an online business,” she said.

Since then, EmGe Naturals has gained a steady online clientele. For Gaines, the business is still a one-woman show. She makes local deliveries with the help of her son and mails orders as far as Alaska and Canada. Her business and products have evolved throughout the entire process.

“The product itself has been an evolution,” Gaines detailed. “The product is now more shea butter–based than oil-based. The skin benefits are phenomenal when using shea butter.”

Shea butter is full of antioxidants, such as vitamin E and A. It protects the skin from damage and improves its natural barrier. This ingredient, along with other all-natural ingredients, makes EmGe products different from other skin care products on the market.

Body scrubs are not the only products EmGe offers. Body wash, butters, lotions, and salts are also available on the online store. Gaines perfected the production of the body butters and lotions after receiving a diploma in skin care formulation in August. To achieve the best result, a routine is required, but it is a simple one.

“Anytime you’re using a scrub, you want to protect this new skin that you have revealed. A body butter or body lotion is the way to do that. Because you have exfoliated, it improves the effectiveness of your lotion. The dead skin that was there would be blocking the moisturizer from being able to impact your skin,” Gaines pointed out.

She added, “The most important thing is consistency.”

With a simple line up of a scrub followed by a butter or lotion, consistency is much easier to achieve when compared to other multi-step beauty regimens out there.

“We focus a lot on our face. We tend to neglect the rest of our body. Especially if you’re a busy mom running around, you get your face straight but forget the rest,” Gaines added.

Having an entire body skin care routine is important because having soft skin feels good on the outside, but it can feel even better on the inside. One of EmGe Naturals main goals is for the customer to “love the skin they’re in at any age.”

“If we can alleviate your dry skin for you, then that helps with your confidence. It helps you feel more carefree,” Gaines assured. “The fact is, we all feel better and carry ourselves differently when we’re feeling good and looking good.”

Select EmGe Naturals products are now available exclusively at Something Else Boutique in River Ridge Mall, or you can shop online at emgenaturals.com.

Foster Fuels

​​How has your business recently impacted the community?
One of the initiatives that we participated in recently was with FuelFit. Foster partnered with KidFit to co-host an event called FuelFit. KidFit is a local organization that provides mentorship and opportunities to kids of all backgrounds through skilled athletic training and coaching. Together, we hosted FuelFit providing fitness activities for youth in Campbell County. Creating healthy habits starts early, so our team was proud to work with this great organization to promote active, healthy lifestyles for youth in our community.

Why does your business prioritize giving back?
As a family-owned and operated company, we focus not only on providing excellent service to each of our customers, but also on family and community impact. Through the FosterGives campaign, employees and their families have the unique opportunity to participate in, donate to and give back to the community around us.

Community service and involvement are close to the Foster family’s heart. One of Watt R. Foster, Jr.’s favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Foster Fuels has been in this community for over a century, and their goal is to give back and grow the community that has given them so much.

Information provided by Olivia Beavon, Propane Marketer

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Legacy Wealth Management

How has your business recently impacted the community?
We recently hosted a fundraising event for a local girl fighting an awful illness. $3,000 was raised to assist the family in fighting back against this disease. Each year we host a free Christmas lights drive thru and hand out hot chocolate and donuts to everyone. We simply ask that they bring a canned good or non-perishable item for the local food bank. Last Christmas, more than 1600 vehicles came through for community night.

Why does your business prioritize giving back?
Life is hard and life is short. We believe that helping organizations that are trying to find solutions to community issues brings meaning to what we do. There are so many organizations that are trying to help their fellow man, that we have found that when we partner with existing organizations who are focused on a problem, we can multiply the community impact.

Information provided by Joshua Stamm, President of Legacy Wealth Management

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Lynchburg Dental Center

How has your business recently impacted the community?
Each year we participate in selected charitable events.
New to us this past year was participating in the “Give Kids a Smile” event. We regularly donate to the Oral Cancer Foundation and provide funding, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss to our local veterans, schools, and those less fortunate in our community. Our doctors regularly volunteer at the free clinic to provide services such as root canals, fillings, and emergency services.

Why does your business prioritize giving back?
Our team at Lynchburg Dental Center loves what we do. We take care of people and have done so for close to 50 years. As needs in our community arise, we determine if our strengths and resources can help. Ensuring confident, healthy smiles is more than our motto, it is the way we run our practice. Smiles come from our work, but they are also a result of our service and giving back.

Information provided by Kristie Coffer, Office Manager

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Successful Innovations

How has your business recently impacted the community?
We take pride in supporting our community. We have been a supporter of the Lynchburg Education Foundation for over a decade. We sponsor classroom grants for teachers so that they can have funding to implement innovative programs for students and resources to support learning. We recently supported the Kiwanis Club of Lynchburg to help with funding towards the first fully accessible children’s playground in Virginia. In addition to this, we have sponsored Lynchburg City Schools’ Boys Basketball Program at Heritage High School to support with funding for resources for the team. In an effort to promote the professional learning and growth of educators within the community, we have provided scholarships to local educators to attend our annual National Family Engagement Summit.

Why does your business prioritize giving back?
Our company prioritizes giving back because we truly believe and live our company’s mission of making a difference in the lives of others. True success in life is not measured by the accumulation of riches, but rather the significance of the impact that we make in our communities…one individual at a time. We want to pay the blessings forward that we have been grateful to receive. We rise by lifting others.

Information provided by Darla Edwards, President and CEO

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Central Technology Solutions

How has your business recently impacted the community?
Team CTS has recently impacted the community by becoming a mentor to local high school cyber security clubs, creating a hub of free educational videos for our customers and community, sponsoring non-profits, local sports, the VA 10 Miler, and more. We also launched a podcast that spotlights community leaders to normalize the conversation around technology and business.

Why does your business prioritize giving back?
We prioritize giving back to the community by breaking the scaremongering stigma that the IT industry has created for years. This approach discourages curious behaviors and history shows how curiosity has always led to great achievements throughout humankind. We hope our efforts encourage tech users of all levels to remain curious and learn about the world of IT/technology.

Information provided by Sherri Arthur, Marketing Director

How The Listening is making changes for the future

The Listening, a creative non-profit based in Lynchburg, has been connecting writers, artists, students, and the creatively curious for a little over 10 years. Now, they are looking to the future and how they can adapt and grow over the next 10 years and beyond.

“I’ve made a habit of saying that The Listening is for artists, but over the years, it’s become much more,” explained Nicholas Steven George, Founding Executive Director. “Our mission is to engage, change, and save lives with the performing arts, and we hope to provide a safe and brave space for our community to discuss issues like mental wellness, social action, and education through art forms like spoken word, theater, dance, and songwriting.”

With summer reading programs, peer support groups, after-school workshops, open mic sessions, performance showcases, and routine creative conferences, The Listening keeps their reach and approach broad on purpose.

“It doesn’t just impact artists and creatives, but people of all backgrounds,” said Keaira Reese, Co-Executive Director of Programming and Development. “The programs it provides allow for people to have a space to show authenticity with no judgment. For example, having the Open Mic nights allows vulnerability and it helps bring a sense of community to everyone that sits in the room. Moreover, we provide opportunities for our youth to learn how to read, write, and even express their emotions through being artistic.”

The Listening has had growing success with their various programs over the past 10 years under the leadership of George. Now, that leadership model is shifting. As of August 31 of this year, George has stepped down as acting Executive Director and will be passing the metaphorical baton to Reese and Angelina Randolph, Co-Executive Director of Operations and Outreach.

Under this new shared leadership structure, Reese and Randolph will share the overarching leadership and vision casting for the non-profit organization, but will each take on different roles that support its ongoing growth.

“Keaira and I do have titles that help others, as well as ourselves, know what we are leading,” explained Randolph. “For example, I am over the operations and outreach, therefore I oversee the recruiting of leadership council, volunteers, establishing the connection between our community and organization, almost anything that falls within those areas. Keaira oversees the programming and development of the organization, which would essentially be the open mics, the youth programming—as in our Yearly Freedom School—and more. However, though we are the lead in those activities and departments, it does not mean that we will not assist one another. This style offers diversity of ideas, perspectives from outside of ourselves, and essentially the overall manifestation of true teamwork.”

With two individuals now at the helm, alongside the support of a Creative Citizen Leadership Council, Reese and Randolph believe this shared management structure will allow for more outreach, more in-depth events, and the continuation of the legacy that George worked tirelessly to establish.

“Research shows how important it is that organizations continue to grow and evolve and how its leadership should evolve as well,” detailed George, whose departure from a leadership role with The Listening has given him time to focus on his family and pursue his own personal creative projects. “With nearly 10 years of building and leading this organization, I am acutely aware of how much The Listening has changed since 2013. At the same time, I also see the opportunity for new leadership to take this organization beyond my abilities.”

Reese and Randolph have developed a plan to further and iterate on the vision George created for The Listening, and will work to create an environment where the arts are empowering, powerful, and eclectic.

“We are planning to build off of the foundation [Nicholas] created to make it a place for everyone to be heard,” said Reese. “Not only our small little town, but any small town that has an underserved population. Our vision is to sync to what he wanted to create.”

Randolph expanded, “What I want is for those who experience The Listening, for them to walk away thinking about how they can do more, what else they can do to further themselves as artists, where they can make a positive impact, and be present.”

The future of The Listening will continue to evolve, just as art is always fluid. For now, community events like the open mic nights and signature sessions—where artists are invited to share their craft and the community is also invited to hear and even share—will continue, as well as their youth programming. The community who knows and loves The Listening shouldn’t expect any changes to the level of support and connection they receive from the organization.

Reese and Randolph look forward to having more people alongside them to work and further the mission of The Listening. They will continue to show diversity and use that to commune with and understand one another, and they will continue to give back to their community through advocating and bringing awareness to the importance of education, social justice, and wellness.

“If you look at major events in history that have majorly impacted people and society—music and art was produced from that,” said Randolph. “Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come spoke directly about the Civil Rights Movement and the effect he and his community felt. Lil Baby, with The Bigger Picture, mentions George Floyd, protests, and the perceptions that we have of one another. Many people listen or have listened to these two different artists, but one thing they have in common is the fact that they are making art that reflects their lives, their now, their community, and how the community feels.”

Similarly, The Listening will continue to encourage artists to do the same—to expose their hearts, dissect social bias, and find connections with one another that can only sometimes be done through art. And they will continue to be there to listen.

Be Kind Gallery 101 Cultivates a Caring and Inclusive Community for Creatives

Viewed from different lenses, a single work of art can tell innumerable stories.

Art possesses a singular ability to speak to different people in different ways, and that is part of its power. That being said, there is also great power in an artist’s intent, in the often deeply personal message they seek to share. At Be Kind Gallery 101, both interpretation and intent are given space, thus creating an atmosphere where creativity, conversations, and connections thrive.

Be Kind Gallery 101 was founded by Stability X, an artist and veteran who sustained traumatic brain injuries after jumping out of airplanes during her service in the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina. When she decided to leave the military so she could better care for her daughter, X was met with little support.

“I sustained multiple traumatic brain injuries doing those jumps and decided, as a single mother, that I needed to stop so that I could have some cognitive abilities to take care of my daughter,” X said.

“She is, overall, top mission. I needed to do what was best at that time for my health and for my daughter’s safety. I did not get a positive reaction from my leadership when I made that decision. I could no longer perform human resources work, which had been my job for nine years, to the best of my abilities because traumatic brain injuries affect your executive functioning skills. I ended up getting disability compensation, but it wasn’t enough to take care of my daughter and me.”

X started a stationery notebook company to bring in some more income but discovered that the burnout resulting from being an entrepreneur with brain trauma made the situation untenable.

In addition to dealing with financial struggles due to lack of support, X was also dealing with isolation.

“When you’re in the military, you’re part of a team of soldiers,” she remarked.

“You are rarely isolated. When you’re a veteran out in the community, if you’re not with a company that has six or seven other employees in your immediate vicinity, you can feel immediately isolated… What I want people to understand about veterans, especially those recovering from injuries, is that it’s important
to reach out. Talk to them, ask them about their journeys, and see how you can help introduce them to different resources and organizations.”

These experiences, paired with X’s long-standing love of and talent for art, led her to open Be Kind Gallery 101 in March. She currently invests her disability compensation into the gallery, and her ultimate goal is to attain 501(c)(3) status.

“I wanted people to know that I was trying,” she said of her decision to open the gallery. “I wanted to say, ‘This is how I’m trying. Come in and ask me questions, and let’s talk about it.

See how I’m still working.’ Veterans who are injured don’t get enough compensation nine times out of ten, and they still have to work. This is how I choose to work.”

X and her partner, John Rose, are both artists with unique styles. Rose likes to incorporate found objects that are often perceived as trash, such as empty beer cans, into his art, thus giving them new life. “I feel like I’m still discovering myself as an artist, and I feel like you always need to be open to evolving as an artist,” he noted. “It’s an ongoing process.”

X is a mixed-media artist. “Including pictures that are already made can give more of a story to a piece and inspire more conversation about a piece,” she said. “I enjoy doing the ‘unordinary’ when it comes to art. Often when you go into galleries—to this day—you’re just seeing paintings. I want the mixed-media niche to expand.”

In addition to showcasing a wide array of styles and mediums, Be Kind Gallery 101 invites artists of all skill levels to share and sell their work as space allows. “I want to bring awareness that this is a space that’s not going to say, ‘We’ll consider your work when we do another exhibition,’” X noted. “Bring in your work, and as long as we have the wall space, we will hang it up.”

Providing a safe and welcoming space for artists to share their stories through their work and for visitors to browse, talk, and shop is the gallery’s primary mission. Rose says that he “would like to help people find confidence in who they are as artists and as people,” and X hopes that coming to the gallery will provide people with a sense of refuge.

“Coming into this space is a break from what’s going on out there,” she remarked. “There is so much consumption and consumerism. You don’t have to buy anything when you come in here. You can just look and explore. I think we need more spaces like this where you don’t feel pressured. Giving that refuge is so rewarding to me, as is having people ask questions about the art.”

X can personally attest to the triple-fold power of creating, sharing, and talking to others about one’s own art. One of her pieces took 18 hours to create. “Every hour that I spent making it, I knew that it was helping me to get it all out and not keep it bottled up,” she said. “I want my art to get me in good trouble.”
With its intentional and inclusive approach, Be Kind Gallery 101 is undoubtedly fostering invaluable connection and bringing much-needed awareness to talented local artists.

“I want people to know more artists the way that we know Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber,” said X. “We need to know painters and sculptors. Our experiences need to be shared and spoken about.”

Whether you choose to enter the gallery as a storyteller or an interpreter, you will likely empower others to share their stories. Together, our stories paint a beautiful picture—or perhaps, more accurately, create a dynamic and powerful mixed-media piece.

Carefully crafted pottery and vibrant stained-glass line the shelves and windows of the Jackson Heights Art Studio, a creative haven for many of Lynchburg’s passionate artists.

Opening officially as the Jackson Heights Art Studio in 2013, this unique neighborhood studio exists to carry out the legacy associated with the building’s long-standing history of devout education and community.

“It’s a really special thing to show up somewhere for the first time and know you are a part of something greater,” Sara Billings, a pottery instructor at the studio, said. “That is the reality we try to create and remind people of every time they walk through the doors.”

Formerly known as the Jackson Town Elementary School, the building was purchased from the Lynch family in 1826 by free African Americans. One hundred years later, in the midst of segregation, the men of the neighborhood built the two-room schoolhouse so the children in the community could attend school, according to Doug Washington, a museum volunteer who presented the “Jackson Town Tour.”

Although the school no longer educates and guides elementary grade students, it cultivates the same spirit of education through creativity for all ages and walks of life.

Currently, the art studio is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday at varying times for pottery classes, and on Thursday evenings for stained glass classes. With 10 potter’s wheels, an array of clay and glazes for creating hand-built wheel projects, and vibrant colored glass sheets for stained glass, the space naturally opens a new door of creative expression for many.

The art space sustains the legacy of shaping an intentional space to educate, learn, and grow by striving to make classes hands-on and supportive, no matter your experience level. Located at 720 Winston Ridge Road, the art space is now a part of the City of Lynchburg’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“We truly are a small part of a bigger picture with such support from the Parks and Recreation Department,” Brittany Helm, the Community Recreation Programmer for the studio, said. “We are striving to teach people a new craft. Whether they’ve been doing pottery and stained glass for years and years, there is still always something to be discovered.”

Helm was placed in the Community Recreation Programmer role as the studio grew to require more attention. The art space is now professionally managed with full financial support from the City of Lynchburg’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“It is so unique that the Lynchburg Parks and Rec. department funds this art studio,” Helm said. “It’s not often you see a department with so much responsibility tending to the community the way the City of Lynchburg does.”

In July, the studio closed its doors to participants for an entire month for the installation of entirely new floors. After its final facelift, there will be a grand re-opening on September 3 for the public.

“The renovations are important because we are always improving and expanding and seeking out ways we can improve the space for the sake of our students,” Billings said.

In addition to the aesthetic updates, the studio seeks to ensure that there is a place for everyone by providing participants with a financial assistance program.

“We really try to make our classes accessible. We don’t want finances to be something that holds anyone back from attending a class,” Billings said. “The financial program is how I was able to continue my journey with pottery; it was this very program that helped me start taking classes again while I was in college.”

Billings, one of the two highly skilled pottery instructors at the studio, juggles three businesses while also instructing at the art studio on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For Billings, the pottery prevails as her “labor of love” and creating a piece is a “long and patient process,” she explained.

“Ideally, I get my students throwing, centering, and creating at least one piece in their first class with me,” Billings said. “The next week you come in, the clay will be in the ‘leather hard’ stage, where we are able to trim it. From there, it goes in for its first firing, then you glaze it, and fire it for a final time.”

Pottery and stained glass alike require patience and focus. Several students unanimously described the classes as “a form of therapy” and “their favorite form of self-expression.”

“Even if you get one piece out of an entire session, there is something so special about being able to engage with what’s in front of you and turn everything else off around you,” Helm said.

Pottery and stained glass, like any experience, has the ability to teach a lesson through simply trying and experimenting.

“Failing at pottery is a practice in and of itself,” Billings said.

“You learn to forgive yourself and realize at the end of the day, it’s really just mud. We want students to leave and realize, ‘I can do this again next week and do it even better.’”

To learn more about the Jackson Heights Art Studio and to sign up for an art class, visit the Parks and Rec website, www.lynchburgparksandrec.com. To keep up with upcoming events, programs, and activities, you can follow along on their Instagram, @jacksonheightsartstudio.

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