The Vintage Market

Formerly a gathering place for Confederate soldiers and later as barracks for Union troops, the 17th Street Farmers’ Market has always been a place for people to get together. The Vintage Market, held every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at one of the oldest markets in America, brings locals together to sell homemade antiques, collectibles and jewelry.

Seashells and Beads
“There’s always something to be made, always a moment for business,” said Margie Chism, owner of Seashells and Beads.
Chism, a retired homemaker for 20 years, started her home business of jewelry-making over two years ago. Her husband works full time and wanted Chism to have a job. Not wanting a boss, Chism decided to make her own jewelry.
In starting her business, there were many factors Chism had to take account of such as orders, expenses and taxes. She also had to put in travel time.
“A home business takes all the time,” Chism said. “There’s no clock to clock out.”
For the first two years, Seashells and Beads had a majority of losses. Chism said it’s because it takes money to start a business.
Last year, Chism would work up to 14 hours a day. This year she works about 10 hours a day. She says it’s because of better planning. Now that she sells more, she makes more.

Books for Children
Khadijah Mahdi, a teacher of English and science for a home school co-op, has been a vendor of children’s books at the market for over three years. Mahdi realized there was nothing for kids when parents took them to the market.
“The kids didn’t want to stay,” said Mahdi.
Mahdi started to bring books for the children. It started out with preschool and kindergarten books. It then grew from there.
“Now the parents can shop in peace,” said Mahdi.
In selecting her books, Mahdi follows the accelerated reading list and also
chooses books kids like to read. She sees what sells the most and pulls out the less popular books.
Teachers come to Mahdi to bring books to their students. She also helps teachers start a library for their classroom.
Mahdi has found that stories from the past like Nancy Drew books are becoming popular again and that parents prefer soft-back books instead of hard-backs. She thinks this may be because it has more of an old-fashioned look.
Mahdi says that every book has a character that kids can relate to. She encourages reading and believes books help kids go back to the basics.
Mahdi believes going back to the basics can be especially beneficial for parents that aren’t computer literate. Children are able to sit down and read with their parents.
“It gets them to think outside of the box,” said Mahdi.

Sticcellar
For two years, Mike Preusser has been carving wood for a living. A self-proclaimed tree-hugger and owner of Sticcellar, Preusser uses no live trees. He said there are so many things you can use that are already on the ground.
“I think it’s ridiculous [to use live trees] when wood is everywhere,” said Preusser. “There is no need to kill nature.”
Preusser carves many items out of wood from furniture to art pieces. He said pipes sell a lot. He also has a few funny pieces such as a wood paddle with the words “big ass paddle” carved on it.
“I’ve always found beauty in wood, so carving just came naturally,” Preusser said
on his Web site. “I get inspired by the pieces I find along the banks of the river.”

Soo Yeon Hong

Crab soccer, push-ups and running along the James River at 5:45 a.m. is a regular morning for Soo Yeon Hong. Hong, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, is also a member of Seal Team Physical Training. Seal Team PT, taught by a former Navy Seal instructor, provides group training work outs.
“I’ve never worked out in my life,” Hong said. “This has given me a lot of confidence. I can kick some butt.”
Before coming to VCU, Hong taught at Syracuse University, where she also received her master’s degree in magazine journalism in 2000.
“I loved it so much,” said Hong. “I really liked graphics.”
Professors encouraged Hong to go into that field of work. Focused on graphic design, Hong worked at Time magazine in New York for six months.
“It was interesting working there because they had chauffeurs take you home every night,” said Hong. “You work crazy hours. I learned a lot of discipline.”
Hong worked full time, but was not considered a full employee at Time. Hong got hired at its sister publication, Health, a women’s magazine with more than two million subscribers. She worked there for two years as a designer in Birmingham, Ala.
“I met a lot of great people there. It was very different coming from New York City,” said Hong. “I was very lucky to work there.”
When the editor at Health asked Hong what she really wanted to do, she said she likes writing but also likes visuals. Hong’s editor suggested that she should try film making.
Hong went back to Syracuse and got her second master’s degree in television, film and radio in 2005.
“I hated it,” Hong said. “I hated making documentary and short films. I thought, ‘what am I going to do.’ At that time I was teaching a graphics design course as a master’s student and I really enjoyed teaching.”
Hong asked her professor what to do and was told to get her Ph.D.
When Hong was accepted to the program, one of the interviewers told Hong to promise to leave after getting her Ph.D.
“They joked that I should be receiving tenure since I had been at Syracuse for so long,” said Hong.
In 2008, Hong received her Ph.D. in mass communications at Syracuse. Hong didn’t know anything about Richmond until she came for an interview. Her mentors in Syracuse are friends with Judy Turk, director of VCU School of Mass Communications, and said that Turk is great and Hong will love working with her. Hong’s friend graduated from VCU and told her great things about Richmond.
“I had a favorable perception,” said Hong. “On my way back to Syracuse I told myself that if I get an offer, I will go here. And I got the offer. No regrets. One of the things I really like about VCU is the energy of the students, so diverse. And the faculty is very young.”
Yan Jin, a professor at VCU, has known Hong since 2006.
“It is very pleasant and rewarding to work with Soo,” said Jin. “We are currently working together on a joint research project on crisis communication and organizational identification.”
Hong said teaching is great because it has a beginning, middle and end. She meets new students and sees past students making progress and eventually graduate.
“It’s a very fulfilling and rewarding job,” said Hong.
Anuj Singh, one of Hong’s past students, said he would recommend Hong as an instructor.
“I never thought I was creatively inclined,” said Singh. “But Professor Hong helped bring that out.”
When asked why multimedia skills are important, Hong said if you don’t know the medium the target audience prefers to get the message, how are you going to reach them?
“It has more to do with not the content creator but with the content receiver,” said Hong. “I think that’s why multimedia moving to different platforms is important. Reach the people you want to reach. The more you know, the better. You don’t have to be an expert on everything, I don’t think you can. You should be able to not be intimidated. It’s really a great place to have conversation with your target audience. You can directly have a relationship with them. And provide something they want and they will come to you. Try to show you care and know what they want.”
Hong said we have more tools to reach our publics and a greater opportunity to have direct conversations.
“In last 15 years, public relations is more than media relations. It’s leading more to relationship management,” said Hong. “Graphic design is a skill to take advantage of because the younger and older generations are visually driven.”
Other than graphic design, Hong’s interests include writing short stories. She has always loved writing. Hong also takes online writing classes. She likes cooking too, especially Korean food.
“Before I came to Richmond, one of my professors in Syracuse said to be happy. Because happy professors will teach well and make students happy,” said Hong. “I wanted to not only spend my time teaching and doing research. I also wanted to have a life. I wanted to be a good model and not get stressed out.”
Being a member of Seal Team PT has helped give Hong the balance in her life.
On a recent morning, Hong ran 5 miles.
“It’s so pretty to see the sunrise. You can see the city waking,” said Hong. “It’s a very different lifestyle than what I did in Syracuse, when I would just stay in the office, work for 14 and 15 hours. But here I get to enjoy.”

Don't Blame the Breed

When people see a pit bull, fear and aggressive are words that can come to mind.
“I’ve had people move their kids out of the way when I was walking my pit,” said Virginia Commonwealth University student Ryan Ridge, 22. “Someone has also run across the street just to get away from my dog. It’s frustrating because my dog has never shown aggression to anyone.”
According to the Dog Breed Info Center®, pit bulls are highly affectionate and loyal, as well as courageous and protective.
“Many pit bulls are used for the wrong reasons and raised poorly,” said Ridge.
Ridge and his family grew up in Chesterfield with a female pit bull.
“We got Katie when I was a freshman in high school,” said Ridge. “She was rescued by the SPCA when she was found in a dumpster as a puppy.”
Famous people who have owned or own a pit bull include: former President Theodore Roosevelt, chef and talk show host Rachael Ray, actor Brad Pitt and Cesar Millan, a dog behavior specialist.
"My kids are around pit bulls every day,” said Millan on his Web site. “In the '70s they blamed Dobermans, in the '80s they blamed German shepherds, in the '90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the pit bull.”
Pit bulls are believed to have been originally bred from bull dogs and terriers.
“The terrier group was originally intended to kill pests and rodents, and the wrong people exploited that killer instinct with pit bulls,” said Ridge.
Michael Vick can be blamed for escalating the pit bull’s negative reputation. Vick, football player for the Philadelphia Eagles, was charged in July 2007 by a federal grand jury in Richmond with conspiring to engage in competitive dog-fighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines.
Videos on the Internet, such as pit bull attacks on YouTube, also give the breed a negative reputation.
“The media should get involved in showing how loving pit bulls can be when treated correctly,” said Ridge.
Ridge’s neighbor, who has worked as a veterinary technician, told a story of how her pit bull saved her from bleeding to death. While bringing her dog out, she had fallen down a flight of stairs and hit her head on the railing. She immediately started to lose consciousness. Her leg also started to bleed.
“My neighbor told me how her dog kept her awake,” said Ridge. “Her dog kept licking her face and started pulling on her pants because her dog knew she was bleeding. Without her dog being there, she could have blacked out completely and bled to death.”
The breed can prove to be a loyal companion. Millan’s pit bull, Daddy, has been by his side for over 14 years. Daddy also helps Millan rehabilitate aggressive dogs.
"I have never had a dog like Daddy," Millan said in the inaugural issue of his magazine, "Cesar's Way." "I've been astounded by his intuition, consoled by his affection, and awed by his silent empathy."

The Flood Wall

Located in Shockoe Bottom, the Richmond Flood Wall is a concrete barrier that looks over the James River. After crossing a bridge, where 14th St. becomes Hull Street, an entrance to the wall can be found.
Black pavement leads up to stairs where a trail along the flood wall begins. Gravel lines the path on the wall. The trail is long and follows the curves of the wall.
While on top of the wall, the James River is clearly seen. Rapids run down slopes, looking like mini waterfalls. Sounds of ducks can be heard as they float along. Sometimes the bright colors of kayaks can be seen in the distance. The bridge leading to Belle Isle can also be seen.
The tall buildings of Richmond can be seen across the river. The wall separates the busy life of the city and the river where sounds of flowing water and nature are heard. It is like two separate worlds.
Eventually the trail leads off the wall and onto another trail under a bridge. The legs of the bridge connect forming an upside-down U. It is like being under an open tunnel with pillars leading the way.
The trail becomes more surrounded by grass and trees. There is an offbeat path where rappelling walls are located. The trail eventually leads next to a bank onto a sidewalk leading back, ending the nature hike.