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Photo courtesy Virginia State Parks
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Travis Hamilton and Yvonne Fallon Photo by Jay Paul
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Photo by Justin Vaughan
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Photo by Justin Vaughan
Powhatan welcomes Virginia's newest state park Powhatan County is home to Virginia's newest state park, which opened in July. The 1,500-acre park, just a 35-minute drive from downtown Richmond, was built to fill the need for camping and recreation in the Central Virginia area. Powhatan State Park boasts about 2.5 miles of riverfront property along the scenic James River. The waterfront includes amenities essential to enjoying everything the river has to offer, including fishing, canoeing, 5 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, picnic shelters and a playground. In 2003, the property, which previously belonged to the Department of Juvenile Justice, was transferred to the Department of Conservation and Recreation with the intention to develop a new park. So far, the first phase of the park project is almost complete, creating hiking, biking and horseback riding trails, as well as campgrounds. Since the land was not used by the Department of Juvenile Justice, it has been untouched for many years, and that, says park manager Matthew O'Quinn, is what makes Powhatan State Park very special. "This isolation allowed for the development of an ecosystem that supports a varying number of bird, mammals and aquatic species," says O'Quinn, "not to mention the plants and flowers that have been untouched for so long." Other park amenities are currently under development. When the next phase is completed, there will be a campground, rustic camping cabins, a multi-use field, and even more trails. Looking ahead, RV camping and cabins, which include a kitchen, bathroom, simple furniture and refrigerator will be available in the next few years. Next time you get the nature itch, check out Powhatan Sate Park. —Samantha Morgan Powhatan State Park is located at 4616 Powhatan State Park Road in Powhatan. For more information, call 598-7148 or visit dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/pow.shtml . U-Fab opens new location near Chesterfield Towne Center In July, U-Fab expanded south of the James, opening a new store adjacent to Chesterfield Towne Center to meet the needs of its growing business. The location serves as the fabric store's clearance outlet, with more than 1,000 bolts of fabric that are all less than $8 per yard. "We are going back to the original idea of selling high-quality fabric at a low price," says owner Travis Hamilton. The fabric store carries designer fabrics from the likes of Ralph Lauren, Waverly and Robert Allen. The 4,000-square-foot space is U-Fab's third location, following its first, which opened five years ago at 106 S. Robinson St. in the Fan with only five employees, and its second, in Charlottesville. With more than 20 employees for the three locations, the fabric store offers a wide range of services including re-upholstery, sewing services, custom furniture and an e-commerce website. Chesterfield store manager Yvonne Fallon says they have received great feedback from customers about their new location. "We have a lot of people coming from places like Powhatan, and from downtown," says Fallon. "They love that we have plenty of parking." She also notes that the Chesterfield location is the only store that carries the marked-down fabric. The new store is located at 11382 Mall Court and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Thursday. For more information, visit u-fab.com or call 571-1151. —SM Embrace the holidays with Legend Brewing's Winter White If you are looking to embrace the River City's fare this holiday season, the journey is not complete until you experience Legend Brewing Company's Winter White Belgian Ale. Released mid-October, the beer is expected to be on tap and in local stores through January. With a year-round lineup of seven staple beers and six seasonal brews, Legend has become a treasure for craft beer connoisseurs, as well as locals who just want to enjoy a good brew and view of the city skyline from the Manchester District. The Winter White is categorized as a Belgian white ale (witbier, as they say in Belgium), but don't mistake it for the mass-produced Belgian whites, such as Blue Moon or Shock Top. Dave Gott, vice president of operations, says the brewery's version of a Belgian white has got something special, in addition to its mix of spicy hops, malt and wheat. "The flavors in the yeast are so pronounced, and they are so different. You get the banana- clove flavor," he says. "And with the Belgian white, as opposed to a hefeweizen, you've got the spices like coriander, and a little bit of orange peel." Gott says those spices and flavor notes that come out in the Winter White make it the perfect beer for winter time. The Winter White is an integral part of the team of four seasonal brews that each come out for a limited time during the year. Along with the Winter White, you can catch the maybach, the hefeweizen and the oktoberfest brews throughout the rest of the year. —SM Epoch and Muse.Me make Forest Hill a home-décor destination Two brand-new home décor stores have recently popped up in the city's South Side, right across the street from one another on Forest Hill Avenue, near Westover Hills Boulevard. Epoch Furnishings and Muse.Me both offer a little something special. Epoch Furnishings, which opened in June, is quickly becoming a go-to for unique home furniture and décor. Owners Colena Hammond and Jacob Moore sell furniture across a multitude of design eras, including Midcentury Modern, Art Deco and antiques. They also create custom pieces. Hammond and Moore scour Virginia, attending auctions and estate sales for pieces to fill their store. Moore crafts farm tables from reclaimed pine or poplar, and is available to create other custom pieces as well. "The name Epoch represents the beginning of a new era," says Hammond, "and we represent all the eras of furniture design. We do all of it." Hammond is very optimistic about Epoch, and is looking forward to growing the business and helping Forest Hill to become more of a shopping destination with the help of its neighbor Muse.Me. A gold mine for both new and vintage home furnishings, Muse.Me opened late August and also has eclectic art and décor. Muse.Me has everything from vintage pottery in vibrant greens and blues to embroidered bohemian women's dresses. There is even an antique barber's chair, in case you're on the hunt for something out of the ordinary. Muse.Me is owned by Anne Purser with the help of her longtime friend Lisa Smith. Purser says she is ecstatic to be a part of a growing business community, and she has felt nothing but positive feedback from shoppers, as well as the other businesses in the area. "Each of us has our own little energy and our own little identity that's different from the other," says Purser, "so we really complement each other instead of compete." —SM Epoch is located at 4813 Forest Hill Ave. For more information, call 677-4026 or visit epochfurnishings.com . Muse.Me is located at 4806 Forest Hill Ave. For more information, call 888-1897 or find them on Facebook.
