April, did you have to leave so soon? I was just getting used to all the wonderful things you were showering me with. Many of you already know of the love affair I'm having with the Norfolk Arts District/Better Block (sorry, Mike you were bound to find out). April was the month that brought this relationship about, then exploded with exciting news. I met so many wonderful people through this process, my favorite being my pop-up partner, John Wharton (pictured in the background, see his website
here!). In the short 30 days we knew each other before the pop-up event we tested our sprouting friendship by building a shop via emails, texts, Facebook messages and a brief coffee meeting. We exchanged a lot of goals, ambitions, personal stories and probably way too much Ashley bossy time (sorry, sometimes I still think I'm five bossing my family members around). John and I created a little place to call our craft and plant home for a few short days and it was magical.
The allure continued with the success of the first Town Fair in Town Center, which my friend Allison and I created. The announcement that The Norfolk Planning Commission voted unanimously in the support of the ordinance that would create the Arts District was a huge sigh of relief. Kitsch's news of their planned expansion (happening right now) and the AlchemyNFK buildout underway were welcomed signs of growing culture. And Sunday's news of the Hurrah Player's purchase of the Texaco Building made me jump 10 feet into the air with joy.
We. Are. Making. A. Difference. Change is happening.
We are making Norfolk our craft/plant/art/music/locally-grown and locally-owned home and it will be magical.
