From the Editor: Crozet’s Economy is Ready to Boom

0
2223

Crozet’s Economy is Ready to Boom

The Crozet business scene is in an unusual churn that suggests an expansion that recognizes the number of new residents in town.

Part of the excitement is the anticipated grand opening Dec 10 of Drew and Michelle Holzwarth’s Piedmont Place in downtown. Crozetians are impressed by the building itself and the standard it sets for future downtown development. We like it!

For an earlier peek inside, go to the Downtown Crozet Initiative’s Dec. 8 “Design and Dine” presentation of a plan for the downtown civic area. It will be the new heart of town. The open house runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature free bites from new businesses Smoke BBQ and Morsel Compass, as well as Starr Hill beer.

Opening this month in the new building are:

• Smoked Kitchen & Tap – Justin van der Linde and Kelley Tripp –Anchored with barbeque with salads and a menu vegans will appreciate.

• The Rooftop – van der Linde and Tripp  will offer a completely different vibe and menu from Smoked – Cheffed up flatbreads, tapas, and local beer with a spectacular mountain view.

• Morsel Compass – Keely Hass and Jennifer Blanchard – Terrific food – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – from two ladies who are looking to add bricks and mortar to their food truck biz.

• Blue Ridge Bottle Shop – Shawn and Colleen Miller – Beer and wine sold from great people who know a lot about both.

• Santosha Yoga – Chloe Watkins and Ashley Holland – Two pros who are well loved locally.

• Over the Moon Bookstore – Anne DeVault – Anne is moving her terrific independent bookstore to Piedmont Place.

• Crozet Creamery – Michael Comer – Crozet’s homemade ice cream shop. Fresh out of Ice Cream School, Michael will be making 100 percent of his ice cream right in his shop using only the finest ingredients.

• Smojo – Beth Harley – Smoothies, fresh squeezed juice, and a cup of coffee.

One last space in the market is for lease. A bakery and an organic butcher are possibilities. We’ll see.

One block away, on The Square, Louise and Cor Carelsen opened the Crozet Bicycle Shop on Black Friday, with a grand opening event set for Saturday, Dec. 3. The shop is in the former home of the Barnes Lumber office, and marks the first business to open there since the lumberyard closed in June 2012.

This month we have also seen The Crozet Great Valu change hands with Raphael Strumlauf, owner of the Market Street Market in downtown Charlottesville, promising to rejuvenate Crozet’s beloved hometown grocery with new services and even more variety. Downtown needs a great independent grocery store and the CGV is looking to fill the bill.

Also an exciting prospect, Crozetian Paul Perrone’s robotics company is hoping to relocate in January to the former millwork building on the Barnes Lumber property as a first step to a permanent home on the site. The company, which participated in a DARPA competition for driverless cars in 2007 (see the Crozet Gazette’s article in the September issue) has earned new capital investment and is about to expand its workforce. It’s just the sort of employer that we hoped for in setting the terms of the downtown zoning district. County leaders are showing an appropriate and unusual haste in clearing away zoning obstacles related to former uses that will allow the move. This effort has the gratitude of the Gazette and all who are working to realize the vision of a vibrant, walkable town center.

On a sad note, Restoration restaurant has lost its lease at the Old Trail golf course and is looking for a new home in Crozet. The popular restaurant will close Dec. 18. We wish them good luck and hope they will be able to reopen soon in another location. The food is great and the owners are too.

You would be up on this news if you joined the Crozet Board of Trade for their every-other-month meetings at Pro Re Nata Brewery. The CBT is an open membership civic organization that is trying to build relationships among Crozet’s business owners—or anyone interested in promoting Crozet’s prosperity—and leverage those into a effective civic action. It’s not a chamber of commerce, but a community charitable organization that raises funds for the Fourth of July Fireworks, the Crozet Historic District and other projects that build community solidarity.

The CBT will meet again Monday, January 23. These are some of the folks who make things happen. Check it out and be active in our town’s future.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here