Rebecca’s Favorite Local Virginia Makers

At Rebecca’s, we pride ourselves on curating a selection of the finest, most innovative products on the market. In addition to stocking many mainstays that we’ve loved for years, we attend expos annually to find the best of what’s next. As much as we cast a wide (yet selective) net, we also aim to scour local and regional offerings, of which we have aplenty! As members of the Charlottesville and Piedmont community, we’re incredibly lucky to live in an area with so many incredible local makers, farmers, and creators. We’ve written before about the benefits of shopping from local businesses. These extend from helping to keep your local economy robust to creating a greater sense of community and belonging. As such, we think it’s time to revisit a selection of our favorite local artists!

Beyond having a large selection of local makers, we’re grateful that Charlottesville is home to so many who are innovators in their fields. Many have been in business for years, such as household name Polyface Farms. But, a new generation of farmers and entrepreneurs is also making waves. When you shop from a local business, your decision trickles down almost immediately into a community members’ life, versus into the hands of a corporate CEO with whom your interests are unlikely to be shared. 

Keep reading for our list of local Charlottesville brands and makers to discover, shop, and grow to love. 

Local Bone Broths ~ We’ve written before about the magic of bone broth. We keep bone broths by Tiffanie in store. 

Local Card Artists ~ Shopping for a gift or simply want to send someone a handwritten, thoughtful note? We carry beautiful cards from a number of local artists, including Lauren Stangil, Lola Bella, Flame Bilyue, and New Wing Designs by Jennifer Knight.  

Highlight: We love Lauren Stangil’s colorful designs! A graduate of VCU’s esteemed art program, she also creates personal pet portraits when contacted directly!

Local Soaps ~ Soaps are a daily staple and make excellent gifts! Plus, all of our local makers adhere to clean beauty standards and are much better options than any drugstore brands. We currently carry locally made soaps by Mieka, Loaded Goat, Virginia’s 1st Tea Farm (for bar/liquid soaps, but they also have shampoos/conditioners, and body washes), and Dr. Eva for bar and liquid soaps (She also has facial care items and CBD (!!!) lubes).  

Highlight: Virginia’s 1st Tea Farm harnesses the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of green tea in their beauty products. 

Local Massage Products ~ Carol Quiqless’s 3 products for lymphatic drainage get rave reviews. Check out her Lymphatic Drainage Massage Oil, cream or body spray formulated locally with her special blend of essential oils.

Local Herbal Supplements ~ Formulated with children in mind, Dr. Rydland’s herbal tinctures are actually great for all ages and safe for infants 5 lbs. and up.  On Dr. Rydland’s Kidswellness website, his products are described as follows, “They have been developed by a pediatric board-certified medical doctor with over 34 years experience in treating tens of thousands of children with natural remedies. The herbs are combined in exactly the proper ratios to have the greatest effect on the condition for which it is recommended. All herbs are completely natural, either organic or wildcrafted.”

Local Meats ~ There is simply no fresher way to consume meat than when it’s local. We carry high quality, ethically raised meats from Polyface Farms, River Oak, and Wolf Creek. 

Highlight: We’ve written before about Polyface Farms’ advanced biomimicry methods, check the post out here. 

Local Eggs ~ Shop fresh local eggs from The Funny Farm and Innisfree.

Highlight ~ Innisfree is an incredible program that helps those with special needs work, create, and find a sense of belonging. 

Local Breads ~ We love our local breads from The Bread Basket and Breadworks. We also have Breadworks sandwiches.

Highlight ~ Did you know that Breadworks is owned and operated by a company that provides job training and employment to people with disabilities? Yet another local business with an incredible mission.

Local Chocolates ~ We carry delicious local candies and chocolates from several favorites, including Clean Conscience and C’ville Candy. 

Highlight ~ Clean Conscience chocolates will truly keep your conscience squeaky clean: they’re all VEGAN, Paleo-friendly, Dairy / Gluten / Soy-free, and made with no refined sugar, preservatives, or stabilizers. Yes, it sounds too good to be true. But they are real and deliciously healthy!

Local Kombucha ~ Stop by to try local kombucha from Blue Ridge Bucha, which we have on tap for optimum freshness. 

Locally Roasted Coffee ~ Forget Starbucks. We carry Trager Brothers locally roasted coffee as well as Silver Moon coffee.  

We carry a few other local makers not included here, come see us at Rebecca’s to learn more! We’re always happy to point you towards local products.  If you are a local maker of natural products please feel free to contact us about setting up a meeting to look at and potentially carry your products at Rebecca’s.  We often learn about the best local products through word of mouth!