Oceanfront Arts District

[vboceanfront]

There is a bit of an upswing in development along 17th Street and I thought it might warrant it's own thread. I'm not sure who is calling it the "Arts District" exactly (whether it's from the city or just what the people building along there are calling it. Anyway, here's what I know that is going on along there:

 

Studio 17

Art space featuring a couple of different artists including a sign painter and painted surfboards/skateboards. They have openings and a food truck there every once in a while.

 

Three Ships Coffee

A coffee roastery is building out a space on 17th and Mediterranean. 

 

Hearth & Peel

A wood-fired pizza place is going into the old Thumbs space. They've been doing some pretty major renovations.

 

Beach Vodka

A distillery and tasting room is going into the old Hotline Surfboards space on 17th and Baltic.

 

Chartreuse

A boutique furniture and home furnishings place on Baltic. They did a big renovation a year or so ago.

 

There is also a big building, I think it used to be a motorcycle showroom, on Baltic that is getting a down to the bare walls makeover. Not sure what is going in there. 17th is a total dump, but hopefully between this new momentum and the arena, the street will see some real turnaround.

[lil-bear]

Funny..... I do not recall there being an "Arts District" for VB until after one in Norfolk started.

[vboceanfront]

Article about officially recognizing the area and providing tax credits to qualified businesses in the Pilot today:

 

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/04/creative-way-build-community

[vdogg]

Funny..... I do not recall there being an "Arts District" for VB until after one in Norfolk started.

It does seem a bit me tooish but even if it is that's not a bad thing. One of the things this area is sorely lacking, which is mostly due to our transient military, is a real sense of culture. The creative arts don't get a lot of play in this area and that's sad. There could be an arts district in all 7 cities and we still wouldn't scratch the surface of what is needed for a region this size.