Cooperative Living June 2014 - 32

STORIES FROM THE ROAD
THIS YEAR COOPERATIVE LIVING IS TAKING A
ROAD TRIP ALONG THE LENGTH OF ROUTE 11 AS
IT CROSSES VIRGINIA FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.
EACH ISSUE, CORRESPONDENT DEBORAH HUSO
WILL RELATE HER EXPERIENCES ALONG THE WAY.
Story and photos by
Deborah Huso,
Contributing Writer
Steak,Wine, and
Stress Relief
Downtown Harrisonburg has its groove back on with fine dining, new retail offerings,
and access to a wealth of Shenandoah Valley attractions that will stir the senses.
D
owntown Harrisonburg has
been on my radar for
almost four decades. When
I was a small child, my mother and
grandmother plied the dress shops
just off Courthouse Square, as I
waited impatiently for them to try
on suits, blouses, and sweaters,
thumbing through New Yorker
magazines, hopeful that if I
behaved, I might earn an ice cream
cone or a box of animal crackers at
the grocery store.
Since then, downtown has
undergone a lot of changes. The
shops my mother patronized eventually
went out of business, and for a
time, downtown was a bit of a wasteland with a lot of empty
storefronts and restaurants patronized by businesspeople only,
travelers on Route 11 flying past to points east and west, taking
very little note of what seemed like another lost Main Street.
Things have changed in recent years, however, and downDowntown
Harrisonburg has been undergoing a revival and
today is home to a variety of vibrant, diverse businesses.
Anna Pelletier is among the
local business owners making all
this happen. She opened her dress
shop, Mint, in the old Wetsel Seed
Company building on Route 11
just a block from the courthouse,
three years ago.
" I grew up in downtown
Harrisonburg, " Pelletier remarks,
" and I've always really liked this
space and the aesthetics of the
building. " After working as a
hairstylist for five years, Pelletier
decided to go out on her own.
" Downtown has always needed
more business, " she says.
Pelletier wasn't new to retail.
She worked in boutiques while in school, and she manages to
keep her shop running with as little overhead as possible by
getting help in the store from her family. She has one parttime
employee.
" The items I carry are different from anything else, " she
town Harrisonburg (perhaps a bit more slowly than some of its
sister Shenandoah Valley cities) has been experiencing a revival.
Today it is home to a number of locally owned restaurants, a
bike shop, boutiques, and even a children's museum.
And the boutiques of my mother's day are returning.
30
says, as she runs her fingers across one-of-a-kind silky dresses
and blouses. " You won't find any of these things at Old Navy
or Target. "
Pelletier says she has developed a loyal clientele base over
the last three years, consisting mostly of 18- to 35-year-old
Cooperative Living/June 2014

Cooperative Living June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living June 2014

Cooperative Living June 2014 - 1
Cooperative Living June 2014 - 2
Cooperative Living June 2014 - 3
Cooperative Living June 2014 - 4
Cooperative Living June 2014 - 5
Cooperative Living June 2014 - 6
Cooperative Living June 2014 - 7
Cooperative Living June 2014 - 8
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