INSIDE THE ISLE NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2024

ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS!

SAVE THE DATE! - 2024 BUSINESS APPRECIATION EVENT! Friday, April 26th @ Isle of Wight County Fairgrounds

Custom Engraved Gifts Made at American Laser Arts

American Laser Arts provides custom laser engraving on wood, glass, acrylic, leather, slate, brick, etc. (At this time, we do not engrave on metal.) American Laser Arts also provides trophies, awards and perennial plaques, engraved drinkware and other unique, personalized gifts. Customers are welcome to bring in their own items, and they will be evaluated to see if they are engravable.

Popular gifts are charcuterie boards with a handwritten recipe engraved in the original handwriting and engraved photographs. American Laser Arts also provides dye sublimated gifts, awards and drinkware in color.

American Laser Arts is owned and operated by Mark Crow and his wife, Faye. They do all the engraving in-house at their storefront located in the heart of the Smithfield Historic District at 207 Main Street, Suite B. This is a high traffic location near the Smithfield Farmer’s Market.

Mark is a retired Nuclear Engineer from Newport News Shipbuilding. Faye had an established business, Faye’s Fabric Crafts, LLC, before starting American Laser Arts, LLC. Faye designed unique quilting templates and has online sales worldwide and needed to laser cut the templates for distribution. This grew into the engraving business they operate today. In the near future American Laser Arts will be providing CNC routed signs and unique art items.

Business hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The business is closed on Sundays. For more information call (757) 542-3684.

County Staff Attends Retail Supply Chain Conference

Economic Development staff was part of the Virginia delegation attending the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Supply Chain Conference in Dallas, Texas. Other attendees included representatives of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Port of Virginia, Hampton Roads Alliance, Virginia Gateway Region, and New Kent County.

New Business Licenses - February

New Business Highlights

• Jones Curb Appeal
• Carrollton Blvd. Tobacco & Gift (new ownership)
• The Academy Salon & Suites LLC (formerly known as Virginia Hair & Nail Design)
• The Rusted Root (coming soon to Windsor)

See the full list of new January business licenses:

PDF Format (.pdf) or Excel Format (.xlsx)

We extend a warm welcome to all of our new businesses.

Thank you for putting down roots to grow in Isle of Wight County!

FEATURED AVAILABLE PROPERTY

COMMERCIAL LAND FOR SALE

Town Center at Benns Grant (Smithfield)

53-acre commercial site on Route 10/Benns Church Boulevard in Smithfield is fully entitled and approved for 650,000+ square feet of commercial space. The master site plan includes a retail shopping center with anchor and inline spaces, freestanding shops, and up to nine retail or office out parcels. The site is at the entrance to Benns Grant, a residential subdivision with 776 single-family, townhome and multi-family units. It is also adjacent to the future home of Riverside Smithfield Hospital, which is under construction and projected to open in early 2026. The site is cleared and level with utility and stormwater infrastructure in place. The owner is willing to subdivide.

For more information, contact Chris Zarpas, S. L. Nusbaum, 757-237-7500 or czarpas@slnusbaum.com.

Search the County's available properties database for more commercial or industrial properties.

If you own or represent a commercial property in Isle of Wight County that is available for sale or lease, please CONTACT US, and we will add it to our database.

Windsor Farmers Market Opens March 24th!

The Windsor Farmers Market season will begin Sunday, March 24th. The market is located at 70 East Windsor Boulevard and will be open Sundays 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except for holidays. From fresh produce to artisanal treats, handmade soaps to heavenly candies, the market will be bursting with local talent and flavors! Shop local and support the participating vendors.

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT www.InsideTheIsle.com

757-356-1962