Walking and Wining at the Old Town Art Walk
Wine Gallery 108 Sign
The evening sun graced King Street, lighting up the “Support your local wine shop!” sign outside Wine Gallery 108. This was our first stop among the colorful and historic storefronts participating in the July 2022 Old Town Art Walk. Artist Tara Barr set up her paintings by the bay window amid the beautiful displays of wine, crackers, chocolate, dried fruits, pasta, and other locally made and gourmet goods. But tonight, Tara’s painted yellow cassettes, blue cars, and spinning carousels stole the show.
Alexandria’s small businesses launched the Old Town Art Walk this year to showcase local artists and give them a space to share their craft, so the community can learn about their work and engage the artists, business owners, and fellow art walkers. Why would local businesses put on a community event like this? To support each other and be part of the community. You have to pass multiple shops on your way to the next Art Walk stop, which creates more business for other local favorites as you stroll and sip your way from Galactic Panther to Boxwood.
Our local businesses create spaces for us to have a collective and meaningful experience. That attention and care is why events put on by our small businesses are essential to vibrant and thriving communities.
Moreover, local businesses care about you, like Lisa, the owner of Wine Gallery 108. While snapping photos of Tara and her art, Lisa recognized me and paused her conversation with Lana, her newest employee, to say hello.
“Daphne!” she said. “I’m glad you stopped in.”
“And I brought my gaggle of friends with me like I promised,” I said, waving at them. “How are you doing? I love that you’re participating in this.”
“We’re doing really good,” she said, beaming. Glowing, really. Like everything was well in the world. “I’ll be more excited when we have more space for our artists and events.”
I should have remembered that from the Instagram post. “Oh yeah! Where will you be?”
“Just five blocks that way,” Lisa said, gesturing in the general direction of the waterfront. “The space is so much bigger, and we’ll be able to have more events and wine tastings.” She told me they were planning an opening in September to October, depending on licensing and such. “Speaking of tastings, Patrick is back there with a few of our wines. You should try them out.”
Patrick at Wine Gallery 108
Patrick helped me find the perfect white wine for my risotto on my last visit, and so I was delighted to introduce him to my partner and my friends as he graciously put up with our questions while pouring us samples of a Portuguese white wine, a Greek rose, and a red from Washington State. Before we left, my partner picked up one of Tara’s prints and I led us to our next stop.
Shop Made in Virginia became an instant favorite of mine the moment it opened because it features products made only by Virginians. They carry some of my favorite coffees, soaps, and candles, and of course, they are home to many local artists. We were curious to see who they were hosting, and maybe a bit curious about their Virginia wine tasting.
Inside, the bright lights reflected off local names I’d become quite familiar with over the last year: Aperture Coffee Roasters, Best Life Organics, White Lily Shoppe, ISO Candles, Crescent Simples, Aslin Beer Co., and so many more! Paired with the local art hanging on the walls, it was the perfect spot for resident artists to share their work and shop local themselves.
A new table in front displayed the featured work of the evening’s artists. I started snapping photos, but a woman quickly rushed over. Had I made a mistake? Were photos not allowed? She pointed to the business card on the table: Ellen Mansfield. Oh!
“You’re the artist?” I asked.
She nodded and smiled but looked like she had something else to say.
“I promise I’ll credit you,” I said, holding up her card and placing it in my bag. “Is it okay if I take your photo with your art?”
She started writing quickly on some scrap paper, and I realized as she held it out to me that she was deaf. It read: I don’t read lips well. She handed the paper back to me with a pencil so I could write back.
Ellen Mansfield Artwork
From a young age, I’ve learned the importance of crediting artists, and this encounter certainly underlined that rule. When it was harder to communicate, how much harder was it to get the credit you deserved? I understood Ellen’s concern, and we worked out that I would credit her and she agreed to pose for a photo with her tile art!
With a wave goodbye, my friends and I stepped out into the Alexandria heat and crossed the street to our final stop.
ESP Tea & Coffee is what they call a “vibe.” Funky and eclectic art adorns every surface. The lights are down low. Lego flowers decorate the tables. A variety of local made goods from pastries to pottery lined the shelves. And they have a dedicated Kava Night. When we ducked inside, the local artist Zen Xaria was rearranging painted records on the wall. While my partner beelined straight for her, our friends and I greeted the manager, who offered us free samples of pu-erh tea.
Painted Records at ESP Tea & Coffee
“This is the artist who did the mural in the back,” my partner whispered when we joined them.
“No way!” I said. “I love that mural. I’ve taken so many pictures of it.”
“Yeah, it’s special to me,” Zen said. “It’s my first one in Alexandria, but I’ve painted murals in several other countries. I live in Maryland, but I like it here and at Galactic Panther.”
“That’s one of the art galleries participating in the Art Walk,” I said. “I’ve been meaning to get over there.”
“It has an energy to it like ESP,” she said, and pointed to a painting of a panther with a third eye. “I actually painted that for their first event.”
Zen Xaria Artwork
“Okay, this is going to sound so cheesy, but I don’t know how else to say it,” I said. “That painting speaks to me every time I come in here.”
“Thank you so much,” she said. “That really means a lot to me.”
I asked for her business card and photo, and then waved my friends through the back to show them the mural on the back of the building. My partner took the photos you see here, being taller than I and better able to get some nice angles. We were all feeling the local love and agreed we needed to come back to visit the other participating businesses in September when we could all go together again.
Local businesses do more for our communities than bring in money for the owner. They created an experience for my friends, my partner, and me. For the artists, for themselves. It was about connecting and feeling a sense of belonging to a place - from Lisa remembering me to bonding with my friends over a mutual love of Shop Made in Virginia to finding that special energy Zen mentioned. In Alexandria, it’s not hard to find people who love to support each other. Our small businesses are vital, and those employed there often come together to create events that support all the surrounding businesses all while strengthening connections to their community.
