The first time Carl and Mary Matice made chocolate they spent 20 hours hand grinding the cacao beans. In search of a hobby they could enjoy together, the couple had been married for five years at the time, they even purchased a granite mortar and pestle—a large Mexican molcajete. Though they only had a pound of raw cacao beans, after…

The first time Carl and Mary Matice made chocolate they spent 20 hours hand grinding the cacao beans. In search of a hobby they could enjoy together, the couple had been married for five years at the time, they even purchased a granite mortar and pestle—a large Mexican molcajete. Though they only had a pound of raw cacao beans, after…

Robert Moses is a Premier Goldsmith and Master Jeweler, but he refers to himself simply as “the man in the window.” That’s because if you visit Bowen Jewelry Company at 829 Main Street, you’ll see Robert through the glass, creating custom jewelry pieces destined to become treasured family heirlooms. “I sit down with the customer and find out exactly what they…

When Petra Hackman first arrived in Lynchburg, she was disappointed at the lack of good bread; it was nowhere to be found. “I never made bread in Germany because there were bakers  everywhere,” Petra says. “So, when I came here [in 1985], I trained myself to do it!” Petra’s newfound skills may have been enjoyed only by her husband and five…

Justin Rice had no interest in pottery until he took a class during his final semester of art school. He connected with the medium and didn’t look back. “I caught the bug,” he says. When he eventually found himself freezing in his garage one winter, boiling water just to continue working, he knew he needed to pursue his passion professionally….

Jeff Gray remembers skateboarding in a downtown parking garage in the 1990s. In his teenage opinion, the relatively deserted area seemed as good a place as any to skate and hang out with friends. When someone broke a skateboard, they could just throw it in a heap on one of the fire escapes. Eventually, dozens of boards piled up there.

Lynchburg has plenty of shopping options, but for those in the market for something unique and skillfully crafted, Downtown Lynchburg is the place to go. Only along Main Street will you find a local jeweler who has forged wedding bands and family heirlooms for more than 80 years. Only at the Lynchburg Community Market will you find a family working in the early morning hours to turn out fresh bread and pastries for their loyal customers.