Three Outstanding Women Named Girl Scouts’ 2017 Women of Distinction
Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital has named three women from the Eastern Panhandle as the 2017 “Women of Distinction.” They will be recognized at the 13th annual Women of Distinction luncheon this fall on Wednesday, October 11, at the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg. The women, nominated by community members, were selected by their peers for outstanding volunteerism in the community, contribution to their professions, and being exemplary role models for young women. They epitomize the qualities of Girl Scouts’ G.I.R.L. campaign: Go-Getters, Innovators, Risk-Takers, and Leaders™. Vicki Jenkins, Peggy Smith, and Becky Stotler will join the distinguished rank of women who have received the Women of Distinction honor over the past 12 years – and this year all three honorees are former Girl Scouts themselves! Vicki Jenkins has been a dedicated educator for over 35 years, retiring from James Rumsey Technical Institute in 2013, after serving nine years as Director/Principal. She graduated from Shepherd College, earned a Master’s Degree from West Virginia University, and has completed all course work toward a doctorate. She is certified in Public Health Administration and has been named Morgan County Teacher of the Year and West Virginia Home Economics Teacher of the Year. She was inducted into the Career and Technical “Hall of Fame” in 2013, and was selected West Virginia’s Outstanding Career and Technical (CTE) Administrator. Most recently she was named the 2017 Hedgesville High School Outstanding Alumni. Vicki is an active member of Hedgesville Presbyterian Church and the Rotary Club of Martinsburg where she served as Co-Chair for Vocational Service Month. Since 2003 she has been a member of Panhandle Home Health’s Board of Directors, serving as Vice Chair for 12 years. She is a former WV Association Career and Technical Education state president, also serving as president of the Home Economics Division. She has been on the Board of Directors for the Martinsburg/ Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the WV State LPN Board. She has been president of Delta Kappa Gamma, a society for outstanding women educators and also serves as a mentor for new career and technical education administrators. Peggy Smith is a lifelong resident of Jefferson County where she most recently served as the Mayor of Charles Town from 2005-2017. She attended Shepherd College and retired from City National Bank where she specialized in residential and commercial development; she continues as Chairperson of City National Bank’s Regional Advisory Board. She is a past Chairperson of the Jefferson County United Way and received their Van Ryzin Award in 1998 for her outstanding contributions. She also served as project manager for five years at Shenandoah Women’s Center in...
A Business Brews Up In The Heart Of Winchester
Article By: Paul Long Photos By: Josh Triggs John Hovermale was in the process of bringing a new craft brewery to Winchester when he met Art Major. Hovermale’s efforts ultimately fell through, but when one door closes, another door usually opens, and he ended up opening a different brewery with Major as the owner and Hovermale as the head brewer. And that, in a nutshell, is how the Escutcheon Brewing Company was born. The brewery opened its doors June 10, 2015, at 142 W. Commercial St. in Winchester, just a few blocks north of the Old Town walking mall. Major and Hovermale chose the North End, at least in part, to help that part of town get off the ground and make it more of a destination. Now, just two short years later, Escutcheon has at least 10 different beers on tap at any given time, and its brews are available in stores and restaurants throughout Winchester and beyond. The tap room, meanwhile, is typically busy on weekends. Lori Hovermale, John’s wife and the brewery’s tap room and social media manager, said Escutcheon is primarily a production brewery that cranks out cans and bottles of its beer for bars and breweries. Its products can be found in area Target stores and convenience stores, and, she said, in the majority of restaurants in the Winchester area. Through the efforts of two dedicated sales representatives, Escutcheon has expanded its reach throughout northern Virginia into Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. “Our sales guys are hardly ever here,” Lori said. “They’re always out there. That’s a constant thing.” Art Major served for a while in the Merchant Marines and brought his love for the sea along on his latest business venture. The tap room and beer names have nautical themes, and the brewery’s name is based on a nautical term. An escutcheon is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the part of a ship’s stern on which the name is displayed.” John Hovermale is a master brewer who started out at the prestigious Siebel Institute in Illinois more than 15 years ago. He worked at breweries in Vermont, Maryland and Mississippi before coming to Winchester and working for a short time at Winchester Ciderworks. He and assistant brewer Trevor McCabe make all of Escutcheon’s beers on the premises. Major, meanwhile, focuses on the branding and financial aspects of the business. The brewery employs four part-time bartenders in addition to the sales reps. Together, they form a small, tightly knit crew. “Everyone gets along well,” Lori said. “We’re very relaxed.” Lori Hovermale came to Escutcheon in January of this year and married John in May....
A Style That Fits You
Article By: Bonnie Williamson Photos By: Josh Triggs These days you can find all sorts of opinions and designs on T-shirts. This simple piece of clothing is a unisex shirt named after the T shape of the body and sleeves, according to Wikipedia. It is normally associated with short sleeves, a round neckline with no collar. T-shirts are generally made of a light, inexpensive fabric, and are easy to clean. Well, T-shirts aren’t the only way to show your opinion, pride or support for a cause or a team. Items from shot glasses to baseballs can all have their own individual logos. Creativity knows no bounds. With that thought in mind, a Martinsburg, WV, couple has started their own business from what began as a hobby. It could blossom into a full-time effort for the couple whose “day” jobs are quite different from their Skahill Designs operation. Anthony “AJ” and Keshia Skahill started Skahill Designs in 2015. The business is run from their home in Bunker Hill. AJ says he hopes one day to have an actual brick and mortar establishment for the business. “We hope to continue growing,” AJ says. Currently, customers can make appointments to come to the Skahill home to place orders or go online at skahilldesigns.com or Facebook. What the Skahills do is offer heat transfer printing, screen printing, embroidery, window and static-cling decals, and glitter and rhinestones to customize a variety of items, including apparel, hats, drinkware, sports equipment, and accessories like phone cases, keychains, and license plates. “Customers can look at samples of designs we have or create their own,” AJ says. “You can come in with a design you’ve drawn on a napkin, and we can put that design on anything you want.” Keshia says they produce high quality products for local businesses, schools, sports teams, charitable organizations, and families. “We help with fundraising efforts,” Keshia says. “We give parents an opportunity to show their students how proud they are by creating spirit wear, hoodies, T-shirts and other items for them that they can wear to events. “One example of a sports T-shirt for a proud parent reads: I’m a sports mom. I could be quiet but it is highly unlikely. “We love to make people’s visions come to life,” Keshia says. “We’ll create something that’s unique to them. You want glitter and rhinestones on a shirt, you’ll get glitter and rhinestones. And there are no minimums. If you want only one T-shirt, we’ll make only one.” Some of the options for T-shirt designs include the Show Your Pride category, where citizens of the Mountain State can show off their heritage. The...
Siblings cook up success with restaurant empire
Article By: Samantha Cronk Photos By: Josh Triggs Proclaiming themselves to be Martinsburg’s best-kept secret, Kitzies Restaurant & Lounge will soon be a household name. With two restaurants already under the brand name and a third currently under renovation, restaurant manager Christi Cottle said the word is getting out on the restaurants’ quality food and atmosphere. Two years ago, Larry Cottle, Christi’s older brother, purchased the Martinsburg restaurant, bringing Christi in as his business partner and general manager. The building that they purchased was a restaurant already named Kitzies and, in honor of the original owner, the name remained after the purchase. “We wanted to continue that legacy of (Kitzies). A lot of people call me Ms. Kitzie because think I’m Kitzie, but I just go with it,” Christi said with a laugh. In taking over the restaurant, Christi and her brother wanted to keep the spirit of the original establishment, but enhance certain elements to make it more “warm” and family-friendly. Since becoming the owners, the community and employees have really supported the new Kitzies, Christi said. “I feel we’ve really been embraced by the community. We built a lot of our clientele, but we did have existing customers that remained loyal after, it was about 50/50. A lot of people who had never been here are now regulars because it’s not that rough bar feel,” Christi said. “We say we’re Martinsburg’s best-kept secret. That’s our motto.” The secret to being Martinsburg’s best-kept secret is their menu, she said. In revamping the restaurant, the Cottle’s decided to expand what was offered and focus on becoming known for quality steak and seafood. While the crab cakes are definitely one their best sellers, the menu offers a wide range of choices from hamburgers to sandwiches, seafood dishes, salad, wraps and daily specials. In addition to an expanded kitchen, the restaurant also offers a variety of services, including catering and hosting parties and receptions. The changes are not only limited to the kitchen. Christi and her brother have also taken opportunities to become more involved in the community. “We’ve really been embraced by the community, and we want to make sure that we’re giving back. We’re very big about giving back to the community and to anybody or any organization that needs donations. We’re willing to give,” she said. These changes aren’t exclusive to just the Martinsburg location. After opening the restaurant in Martinsburg about two years ago, the business was popular enough to allow the siblings to open a second location in Spring Mills. About one year ago, Christi and Larry purchased The 19th Hole and renovated into a second...
Bring Your Creative Spirit
Article By: Paul Long Photos By: Josh Triggs You don’t have to be artistically inclined to complete a project at the Polka Dot Pot in Old Town Winchester. All you need is a creative spirit, an enthusiastic attitude and a willingness to try new things. The Polka Dot Pot, which bills itself as a “create your own art studio,” has been a popular destination for the past several years for people looking for unique holiday gift ideas as well as those interested in learning a new skill or two. “People want to come in and relax and not do anything that’s too complicated,” studio owner Emily Rhodes said recently. The studio recently moved into a new location at 157 N. Loudoun St., next to the Snow White Grill. Rhodes says the new store is actually about 600 square feet smaller than the previous one, but it features more table space, more tables and a party room that is more private.Rhodes, a former special education teacher, was a stay-at-home mom when she launched her new venture in 2002 with a friend who was also a stay-at-home mom. They worked out of a small space in Berryville for about two years before the business moved to Winchester and set up shop in Creekside Station. Rhodes moved to Old Town about five years ago. Until recently, she operated out of a storefront just down the walking mall from her current location. Then, with her lease about to expire, she learned that the storefront at 157 N. Loudoun was about to become available. She acted quickly and was able to relocate in June.Making a gift at the Polka Dot Pot is a process that requires some advance planning. For example, a project involving clay usually requires about three weeks to complete. But if Rhodes can help speed things along to help her customers, she usually will. “Basically, I always push the deadline as close as I can for Father’s Day and Mother’s Day and Christmas,” said Rhodes. “I can run some rush loads through. I need at least three or four days when it’s really busy and crazy before a holiday. But most everything, like the pottery, takes a week to get back.” Often, Rhodes said, a customer will come into the store knowing they want to paint something for a holiday gift, but they may not have a specific idea in mind. That’s when Rhodes can help with a suggestion or some colors to work with. “If they’ve seen something online, we can help them with that,” she said. “Or we have tracing paper we can use. We can help them with...
Landscaper goes FRESH with farmers market
Article By: Samantha Cronk Photos By: Josh Triggs Since he was 16, Jason Shade has been working in the landscaping industry with a desire to open his own business. However, upon achieving his goal, he never expected landscaping to bring a new opportunity for him: opening his own farmers market. A well-established name locally for quality landscaping through his company Made in the Shade Landscaping, Shade, a Martinsburg native, recently decided to expand his brand by opening a farmers market in Martinsburg. Made in the Shade Local Market has been open for about two months. “I had an idea to start this to bring something to Martinsburg that just wasn’t here,” he said. “I’ve always said that I can make money working with my hands. The store is something entirely new for me, so it’s working through trial and error. But, it’s exciting. I think the market is a great addition. “Through the market, Shade wanted to provide a vehicle for local and regional farmers to be able to sell their products, from meat to produce, jams, honey, soaps, flowers, handmade duck calls and more. He sources the market’s items from local farms including Kilmer’s Farm Market, Sunny Meadows Nursery, Blonde Farm, Heritage Farm and individual farmers and crafters, with a focus on quality, in-season products. “We’ve only been selling for two months, so it’s too early to tell what’s going to be the niche here. We’re trying to find it so we can offer it to the community. We really revolve around the local people though. People want local businesses, but it takes the support of the people to have a local business,” he said. Shade plans to keep the farmers market open year-round, offering staples and seasonal items, like pumpkins and mums in the fall and wreaths and trees in the winter. While anticipating a slow start to the market while word on the new store spreads to the community, Shade said he is looking forward to the market’s addition to the area and the ability to provide fresh items. As with any business, Shade is learning the challenges, as well as the triumphs that goes with operating a farmers market. “Produce is a hard market to really push, because it’s a perishable item. It has a shelf life before it goes bad. That’s been one of the hardest things for us to figure out, having never done this before. What I would like to find out is what I can do with the stuff that is going bad. Right now, what I’m doing is providing bad produce materials to a local farmer to feed his hogs,”...
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