Suzanne McCahill Perrine, owner of The Center Yoga Studio, and Rebekah Girvan Budnikas owner of Breath Pilates Studio have joined forces and moved to the Ice House! They like to think of themselves as roommates—they are still keeping separate businesses; however, the facility will be a partnership. According to Suzanne, “Ice House studios is like the umbrella for all these people coming together to work as a team” A little less than 2 years ago, Suzanne heard the Ice House space would be available in the future and planned to move her business there. “I thought about all these studios around and realized it would be more powerful if we worked as a team. So I called Rebekah, who hadn’t yet been in business more than a year, about the idea to bring our talents, people, and passion for what we do together,” says Perrine. more
Larkin Arts is a little oasis located in the Southwest corner of Court Square. I walked in on a rainy, windy day; the soft music and comfy chairs couldn’t have felt better. I met with Valerie Smith, the welcoming owner of Larkin Arts store. Calling Larkin Arts a store is an understatement though. Offered there are classes for the public—inexperienced and experienced alike, studios for local artists to rent, and galleries for the public to enjoy. Valerie encourages people to wander in to the cozy gallery space during First Fridays downtown. more
The community has a new primary point of interface with James Madison University at the Ice House, an innovative redevelopment project in downtown Harrisonburg. more
It was a hot and hazy September morning when Justine picked me up from the airport in Burbank. I had spent the last week attending the first annual Lockn’ Music Festival in Nelson County with friends from my days at JMU, and then visiting my little brother (a sophomore at JMU) in Harrisonburg. I remember looking at the San Gabriel Mountains as the plane descended and thinking that while they were certainly beautiful, they couldn’t quite hold a candle to the Blue Ridge Mountains I had just left. more