The building set to become Good Ship Brewing Co. in Hopewell (Photo courtesy Donnie Barber)
The Hopewell area may soon be home to two new breweries.
Good Ship Brewing Co., a brewery and restaurant owned and operated by Hopewell native Donnie Barber, is set to open this fall. “It’s actually three buildings in one, so it’s a two-story building and two one-story buildings with a big parking lot,” Barber says. “Our objective is to turn the 6,000-square-foot parking lot into an outdoor beer garden and outdoor eatery space and friendly gaming area.”
In addition to the brewery and beer garden, Good Ship will also serve as a wood-fired pizzeria, combining classic on-tap brews with an exciting variety of exotic eats.
A second brewery is also in the works. Holy Mackerel Small Batch Brewing Co., based in Wilton Manors, Florida, announced plans in 2019 for an operation in Hopewell. The company purchased a 3,000-square-foot building that previously housed the Dockside Restaurant, a riverfront bistro in Prince George County on Jordan Point Road. It also has acquired the brewing hardware and the head brewer of the closed Shiplock Brewing, which was located in Shockoe Bottom, according to a Richmond BizSense report. —Brandon Shillingford
Photo courtesy Eclectica
Good as Gold
An art gallery has set up shop in an enclosed gazebo in Midlothian’s Sycamore Square shopping center. The 800-square-foot gallery, called Eclectica!, was opened by artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold in October. The space also serves as her studio. Schimmel Gold describes herself as a green fine artist, as she’s known for taking junk mail and incorporating it into portraits, landscapes and abstracts.
Work by other artists also will be featured, and art, craft and gift items will be available. A portion of the proceeds during exhibition opening events will be donated to local nonprofits.
“Most of the work is very colorful and whimsical,” she says in an email. “It’s a very happy and cheerful place, very inspiring.”
The gallery is open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, and by appointment. For more information, visit eclecticaartgallery.com or contact Gold at eclecticaartgallery@gmail.com. —Tharon Giddens
Leadership Changes in Powhatan
Ted Vorhees, Powhatan County’s top administrator, has resigned at the request of the Powhatan Board of Supervisors. In a Jan. 6 press release, the board stated that the request for Vorhees’ resignation stemmed from a clear signal from the people of Powhatan that they were ready for a new direction. “In the November election, the citizens of Powhatan made it clear they wanted a change of leadership for the county,” read a news release by the county. The board has three new members.
Bret Schardein, the assistant county administrator of Powhatan County, will serve as interim county administrator until a replacement is hired.
Vorhees assumed the position of county administrator in the spring of 2017, replacing former Powhatan county administrator Pat Weiler. Before his time in Powhatan, Vorhees served as city manager in Wilmington, Durham, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, and as an administrative aide in Fairfax.
Vorhees’ tenure was marked by several controversies. In March 2019, board members were perturbed after he changed the budget to include a fire and rescue proposal that would increase county costs. In 2018, Vorhees sent an email to the chairman of the Powhatan board of supervisors, David Williams, threatening to resign after Williams aggressively confronted a county staff member during a meeting. Vorhees’ contract provides six months of pay, retirement payments and nine months of insurance coverage. —BS
Festive Thoughts
A vacant plot along the Appomattox River in Petersburg may become the site for city gatherings and festivals.
The 10-acre grassy parcel along Joseph Jenkins Roberts Street has been placed under contract by Waukeshaw Development, the Petersburg developer behind city projects such as Mayton Transfer Lofts and Demolition Coffee. It’s been known as the Harbor Site, but it’s more of a collection of city-owned parcels in the river floodway. “It’s always just kind of been sitting there,” says Dave McCormack, president of Waukeshaw.
The parcel was acquired after a vote in October by the Petersburg City Council, and it came with a $100,000 price tag, according to a Richmond BizSense report.
McCormack says that as of early February, Waukeshaw was performing its due diligence with the site and working out details with the city. It’s envisioned as a festival grounds, and the developer hopes to have it ready for that function by the fall, possibly playing host to the Festival of Grapes and Hops, the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce’s annual event in September.
“Our hope is that when we get this up and running, we can enhance the festival scene around here,” McCormack says. —TG
