Local Business Profile (Better Block Edition): Kitsch

This week, Norfolk Live! has been recognizing some of the local businesses that will be featured during this week’s Better Block in the proposed Norfolk Arts District.  Today, we feature Kitsch, owned by Vicki Baur, Kristen Runberg, Ashley Pickin, and Marie Snyder.

What is Kitsch?

VB: Kitsch is a quirky little retail shop in Ghent that sells only handcrafted goods made in Virginia. We also offer classes and workshops.

How did you get into this business?

VB: We started this business a little over a year ago because we had a passion for crafting and handmade goods, and we all (there are four of us that own the shop) had our own individual dreams of starting a place like Kitsch "someday."  When the right opportunity presented itself, we jumped right in. We believe in living locally and so it was important to us to make sure we were supporting other Virginia crafters and making sure the money spent in our shop would be staying in our region. We wanted Kitsch to reflect our own personal values of caring for our community and living a creative life.

What do you specialize in?

VB: Everything we sell has been handmade by Virginia artists and crafters. We feature the work of about 140 crafters from around the state, with a lot of those concentrated in Hampton Roads. At Kitsch, you'll find jewelry, soap, body products, candles, kid's toys and clothing, accessories for men and women, pillows, housewares, photography, art, t-shirts, and more!  We also offer classes and workshops, including sewing, crochet, knitting, terrarium building, glass etching, stamp making, etc. We even have a painting class for kids ages 2-5 and a weekly sing-a-long on Friday mornings.

Where is your store and how can customers follow you? 

VB: Our store is located at 807 Shirley Ave. in Ghent. It's right off Colley Ave., around the corner from Red Dog.  We can be reached at (757)961-9855 and our email address is kitschva@gmail.com. Folks can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (search kitschva).

What are you looking to get out of Better Block?

VB: We're really excited to see the community coming together for such a great event. There are so many passionate, creative people in Norfolk doing some really great things, and it's going to be awesome to see so much of it in one place. We'll be doing some free make & take crafts on Saturday morning. We just love giving people an opportunity to be creative or try something new and crafty!

What would you like to see out of an arts district?

VB: We really hope to see it bring some life to a neglected part of Granby St. There's a lot of potential for that area to become more of a vibrant thoroughfare between Ghent and Downtown. New local businesses and public art are both good things for this city, not only for the broader economic impact and beautification they provide, but for the direct benefit they can bring to local artists in a real and substantial way.

Kitsch will share a pop-up space this Friday and Saturday during Better Block.  They'll post up with other businesses in the Texaco Building, located at the intersection of Granby St. and W. Olney Rd.  For more information on Better Block, click here.