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Betty's Business Directory

Be green by using your green in a better, Betty way.

Betty is here to help you make those myriad of buying decisions even the softest carbon footprint out there is bound to make. We're humans. We live, breathe and play, but the reality is we consume. What's a Betty to do, anyway? Betty recommends you BUY LOCAL, BUY LESS, and BE SELECTIVE. This list, containing businesses who have made a commitment to the environment (big or small), will help you do that. Some are "greener" than others. Betty believes that you've got to start somewhere! And just like everything in life, this is a work-in-progress."Do-ask/ do-tell " if we've forgotten a local business that you believe goes the extra green mile in helping to protect our planet or, Betty forbid, is not doing their part. contact us

Service Categories: A-C | D-E | F-G | H-L | M-R | S-Z

A-C

Alterations :

Got those post-pregnancy pants still hanging in the closet? Can't part with the pants you shrunk in the wash? Give them new life with an alteration. Most shops will lower the hem, fix the zipper, or do minor repairs for around ten dollars.

  • Superb Alterations : (434) 245-5051, 1804 Hydraulic Rd.
  • E Tailor Alterations : (434) 923-8500, 112 Main St. ( York Place , downtown mall)
  • Heidi's Perfect Fit : (434) 295-8777, 1311 Wertland St. Suite C (near the corner parking garage)

Appliances

The important thing to look for when purchasing appliances is energy efficiency. Find out from consumer reports or www.energystar.gov

Auto parts/repair:

  • AutoZone : (434) 963-2655, 910 River Rd., Mon-Sat 8-10pm, Sun 9-6pm. AutoZone store accepts used car batteries for recycling (most stores accept used motor oil and other used fluids as well). Last year, AutoZone recycled more than 6.5 million batteries and 20 million quarts of oil.
  • Advance Auto Parts : (434) 974-6165, Mon-Sat 7:30-10pm, Sun 9-9pm, 1452 Seminole Tr. Advance accepts your used motor oil and used car batteries. They offer incentives for bringing in your old car battery, replacing it with a new one from their store.

Bakeries:

  • Albemarle Baking Company
    (434)293-6456, 418 West Main Street
    Mon-Sat 7am-5pm, Thur-Fri 7-6pm Gerry Newman's baking skills are sublime. And who can forget the beautiful bread he baked for our "Bread for a Better World" event?
    info@albemarlebakingco.com
  • Breadworks(434)-296-4663, 923 Preston Avenue
  • Chandlers(434) 975-2253, 202 Albemarle Sq
  • From Scratch Bakery (434) for you north side folks, this is a great local bakery (with amazing pastries)

Barter Networks:

What is a barter network? It's a collection of people who have decided to exchange their time, skills, talents, expertise with other like-minded peeps and instead of exchanging money, you exchange "scrips" or, like Charlottesville's network, RBN hours:

Bikes:

  • Community Bike Shop: (434) 882-1516, just off West Main St, behind the Hampton Inn. Fri and Sat 2-5pm. You may find a recycled bike here or repair your own.
  • Performance Bike Shop: (434) 963-9161, 234 Zan Rd (Alb Sq shopping cntr) Mon-Fri 10-9pm, Sat 10-8pm, Sun 10-6pm. The front door sticker touts this is the first outdoor retailer to use 100% renewable wind energy to run its stores. The staff is helpful and friendly.

Biodiesel:

  • Cville Biodiesel: Call Woodfin at 1-800-430-FUEL, available at 1156 River Rd.

Books :

Betty is a bibliophile, no doubt, but what about all that dead tree?? With all the great used book stores in Charlottesville , the library collection, and online used bookstores and book swaps, there's no need to buy new paperbacks.

  • Avocado Pit (434) 817-0010, 310 E. Market St., 9-5pm
  • Blue Whale Books: (434) 296-2194, 115 W Main St., (downtown mall)
  • Daedalus Bookshop: (434) 293-7595, 123 4th St. NE (downtown mall), Open every day, 10-6pm
  • Heartwood Books (434) 295-7083, Mon 10-7:30, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5, 5 Elliewood Ave near the Corner district
  • Jane's Book Store (434) , Downtown Mall, Mon-Fri 9-4pm. This volunteer-run shop sells used book and artwork, with all proceeds benefiting Virginia neurocare, a non-profit that helps research, education and services for people who experience brain injury. They gladly accept book donations. Don't miss this bookshop with an important mission.
  • Jefferson-Madison Regional Library(434) 296-5544, Central, Grove, Northside, and Crozet are all wonderful. see www.jmrl.org
  • McIntire Recycling Center free book exchange bin here
  • Read It Again Sam: (434) 295-9844, Mon-Sat , Sun 12-5, 214 Main St. E (downtown mall).
  • Quest Bookshop: (434) 295-3377, 619 Main St W, Mon-Sat 10-5:30pm, Sun 1-5pm. Great bookshop for the mindful reader - I loved the informative community bulletin board at the back!
  • BookSwim is something a friend of mine just emailed to me. It's the Netflix for readers. Great concept! You rent books for as long as you want (no late fees) and send them back when you're ready for more. See www. bookswim.com .
  • www.paperbackswap.com: mail your book to the person and you'll receive a credit to chose your own book
  • www.titletrader.com

Car Wash :

If you must keep your gas guzzler clean, then, please, use recycled water (BTW: commercial car washers use less water than home jobs).

  • Clean Machine Car Wash : (434) 971-9274, Pantops, recycles over 50% of the water.
  • Express Car Wash : (434) 978-1088, Rt 29, recycles 50% of their H20.

Cleaning Service :

  • Naturally Clean, Sarah Polk
  • One Clean World Cleaning with a conscience. One Clean World is a subsidiary of Martin Horn. For residential, call Lucille Weakley: 434.220.7777 For commercial, call Betsy Dance: 434.981.2596 is an environmentally-friendly cleaning service for houses, offices . . . anything. Our crews clean beautifully using products that are safe for all of us -- and our planet. When we say we want to make a world of difference, we mean it.

Clocks:

Time Marches On : (434) 984-2569, M, Tu, Th 10-6pm, Sat 8-12 and by appointment. They buy, sell, and restore old clocks.

Clothing:

Instead of running to the mall for your latest dose of retail therapy, hit the consignment shops! Charlottesville has a great selection of new and gently used clothing at several locations. The thrill is in the unique find - an embroidered belt for 10 bucks or a red-checkered 50's top, Betty style!

  • Antics : (434) 293-9082, 103 5 th Street Open 7 days a week noon-6pm, open LATE on Fridays (sometimes closed on Wed). Sena Floyd and Tyler McGill are the owners of this great vintage clothing shop conveniently located on the downtown mall. Stylish 20th century and bric-a-brac.
  • Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, (434) 977-4400, 1125 N Emmett Street (Barracks Rd Shopping), Mon-Wed 10-8pm, Th-Fr 10-9pm, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5:30. Jeff Smith has owned this store in Cville 35 years and consistently supports many great environmental programs in and around the area. "Whether it’s on the trail, the water, or the rock, Blue Ridge helps people get outside and play. Consequently, protecting the places we play is integral to our business. We strive to link recreation with conservation by supporting grassroots organizations dedicated to protecting these places like The Access Fund, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and Appalachian Voices." See www.brms.com
  • Duo:(434) 979-1212, 101 Elliewood Ave., Mon-Fri 10-6pm, Sat 11-5pm. Greer Johnson recently opened this second-hand boutique on the corner. She estimates 60% of her merchandise is "recycled." Green divas, she has plenty of designer labels. (She will pay cash for your gently/new clothing) see www.shopatduo.com
  • Goodwill Industries : (434) 295-3967, 1242 Richmond Rd, Pantops, M-F 8am-9pm, Sat 12-6pm. Rt 29 location (434) 872-0171.
  • Glad Rags : (434) 979-1816, 1923 Commonwealth Drive (in the little shopping center off Hydraulic Rd ), Tue-Fri 10-6pm, Sat/Sun 10-5pm. Owner, Tamar Pozzi, has a great selection of contemporary and vintage clothing. Funky shoes. I've shopped here for all seasons and the occasional costume party!
  • Finn & Thatcher Children's Emporium: (434) 293.3004,
    4405 Ivy Commons/Rt 250 W, In Ivy Next to Duner's M-F 10-6, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5, Lindsay offers a large collection of organic cotton clothing for babies & kids, along with natural toys and handmade gifts. Fair trade (when possible), mostly American made and European, along with local wares. see www.finnandthatcher.com
  • Focus Flea: (434) 293-5458, Located in the Kmart Shopping Center on Hydraulic, Thurs 10am-5pm, Sat 10-6. The Flea generates funds to support the services of FOCUS Women's Resource Center by recycling clothing and other household goods and "treasures" and selling them at bargain prices.
  • Green Olive Tree Thrift (434) 823-4523, Crozet main street
  • Natalie Dressed: (434) 296-6886, 2114 Angus Road (across from Best Buy), Mon-Sat 10-4pm (consign Mon-Fri 10-3pm) Owner, Laura M. Easter, has designer clothing on consignment. Love the selection and the prices here.
  • Nature's Child: (434) 973-6930,
    3440 Seminole Trail, Suite 105, Tues-Sat 10-6, Sun 12-6, Kristin has a nice selection of organic clothing and wooden toys. Also, north 29ers, take advantage of talks, teas, and readings on a variety of great and sometimes very green topics. see www.thenatureschild.com
  • Salvation Army: (434) 973-1398, 1820 Airport Rd. and (434) 979-5230, 604 Cherry Ave. Hours M-F 9-6:30, Sat 9-6.
  • Schoolhouse Thrift Shop: (434) 973-2271, 1147 E Rio Rd, T-F 10-4, Sat 10-1pm. Kid's clothing is here and toys, too.
  • The (new) SPCA Rummage Shop: T-Sat 10-6. Nicely organized, big space, and a great cause. Check it out!
  • Twice is Nice: (434) 293-8319, 923 Preston Ave. Tues-Sat 10-4:30. Sells and buys men's, women's and children's clothes, shoes, belts and purses. Shirley Ehrhardt has been working here for years and hand-picks the clothes. And they recycle everything (the price tickets are made from shoe boxes!), all proceeds go to the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA).
  • Online: Ebay.com This worldwide flea market definitely reuses and recycles, but be wise: remember that your green is going somewhere else and don't forget to consider the carbon cost, depending from whence it comes.
  • Freecycle.org is an excellent way to give stuff and get stuff locally!

 

 

C-E

Coffee:

  • Cville Coffee:(434) 817-2633,1031 Harris St, Mon-Fri 7:30am-9pm, Sat 8:30am-9pm, Sun 9:30-8pm. Owner Toan Nguyen. This place is an institution in the lives of new moms! Kid-friendly, healthy, and the informative archway is full of local info. Toan keeps customers' trash to a minimum by using dishes and not disposables.
  • Java Java (434) 245-0020, downtown mall, also (434) 220-0534, 2214 Ivy Rd, specializing in fair-trade, shade-grown, organic coffee, they also offer free wi-fi.
  • Mudhouse (434) 984-mudd. 213 W. Main St. It doesn't get much more local than this. They began pushing a coffee cart in '93 up and down the downtown mall. Their coffee beans come from the Lexington Coffee Roasting Company.

Consignment Shops:

Clothing:

  • Glad Rags : (434) 979-1816, 1923 Commonwealth Drive (in the little shopping center off Hydraulic Rd ), Tue-Fri 10-6pm, Sat/Sun 10-5pm. Owner, Tamar Pozzi, has a great selection of contemporary and vintage clothing.Funky shoes. I've shopped here for all seasons and the occasional costume party!
  • Lollipop Shop currently the status is unknown on whether the ever-popular kids' consignment "Lollipop Shop" will return in the spring
  • Natalie Dressed: (434) 296-6886, 2114 Angus Road (across from Best Buy), Mon-Sat 10-4pm (consign Mon-Fri 10-3pm) Owner, Laura M. Easter, has quality stuff. Try to get here before the regulars :-) I've found some great pieces here.
  • Ebay: try the world's biggest yardsale here at www.ebay.com
  • Household, Furniture and Antiques:

  • The Consignment House: (434) 977-5527, downtown mall (across from Christian's) , Mon-Thurs 10-8:30pm, Fri/Sat 10-9pm, Sun 11-8:30pm
  • Cottage Consignments:(434) 293-6100, 617 W Main Street, Mon-Sat 10-5:30pm
  • Eternal Attic (434) 977-2667, 2125 Ivy Rd, Mon-F 9:30-5:30pm, Sat 10-4pm. Heavy on the crystal, china and flatware, you can still find interesting pieces (I found a beautiful trunk here)
  • Lemons: (434) 977-1900, 1829 Seminole Trail (behind Three Amigos) , Margaret has a nice selection of lamps, furniture and jewelry. see www.lemonsconsignments.com
  • Ebay www.ebay.com

Decluttering :

Ring out the old and bring in the new, SPACE. Trust me, you don't need all that STUFF! When we moved, our family gave our home a full-betty makeover by donating used items, reinventing a new home for old items, and keeping in mind that LESS is more.

  • Clear spaces consulting , (434) 977-0837, 944 Cismont Ridge Rd, Keswick. Owner Susan Scott will help you rise above the clutter and keep things simpler. She has been in business since 2005. Member NAPO www.clearspacesconsulting.com
  • Be Simply Organized , (434) 409-8588, P.O. Box 6868. Peggy Woodall, owner, offers free consultations. Member NAPO. www.besimplyorganized.com

Dining:

  • Coming Soon! (Complexities abound- suggestions welcome)

Document Shredding :

  • Document Destruction of Virginia : (434) 985-2296, recycles all shredded paper, see www.documentdestructionva.com .
  • KMX Shredding : (434) 296-3434, P.O.Box 5512 , Charlottesville , VA 29905 . Get rid of your sensitive bank statements, old bills, etc securely AND guilt-free with this locally-owned shredding company. Owner Kevin Martin recycles every thing down to the paperclips! See www.kmxshredding.com

Dry Cleaner :

It wasn't until I began extensive research that Betty found out that dry cleaners are responsible for releasing 90,000 tons of toxic compounds into the air each year. Needless to say I started buying the wrinkle-free, washing-machine friendly dress shirts! But for those of you whose dress code at work still necessitates a trip to the cleaner, spend the extra couple bucks on EverGREEN cleaners or the new EcoDry Cleaners.

  • EverGREEN cleaners: (434) 295-2948, Pantops next to Giant, M-F 7am-7pm, Sat 8-4pm, with a free delivery service.
  • EverGREEN cleaners: (434) 978-3699 This location is near ACAC at Albemarle Square. They use an environmentally-safe non-toxic alternative to regular dry cleaning with naturally occurring CO2. They also reuse hangers (more locations in Ruckersville and Gordonsville!)
  • EcoDry Cleaners: (434) 244-3791, 801 West Main Street, #104, Charlottesville The CO2 cleaning process uses carbon dioxide as a non-flammable, non-toxic solvent as an excellent alternative to regular drycleaning which uses Perc (which pollutes). Read more at www.ecodrycleaners.net

Electricity:

  • Virginia Dominion Power : Listen, the list of "green energy" terms on one website goes on for four pages, enough to make any Betty swoon! Betty is on the job researching green energy availability in Virginia for you! Dominion is currently more the problem, not the solution.

Energy Audits (see Home section)

Environmental/Conservation Organizations :

There are Bettys and Baldwins in and around the Charlottesville area doing incredible things for the environment! If you find you are too busy to get involved, they would love your financial help. If I had to pick only one, it would be the Piedmont Environmental Council, but check out the list.

  • Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population : (434) 974-6390, 3570 Brinnington Rd. , Charlottesville , VA 22901 . Their mission is to increase knowledge and awareness about the effects of population growth on our natural environment and quality of life, and to encourage policies that allow our region to maintain a sustainable population size. see www.asapnow.org
  • Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation: (434) 295-6654, this network of citizens and groups promotes "balanced transportation options, sustainable land-use and transit-oriented communities through education and leadership in the Charlottesville area." see www.transportationchoice.org
  • Charlottesville Tomorrow.org : With its user-friendly community updates via email, this is a great way to keep abreast of the double D size development that is trying to be implanted here in town. See www.charlottesvilletomorrow.org
  • Ivy Creek Foundation: (434) 973-7772, Their mission is simple, yet important: "To preserve and manage the Ivy Creek and Ragged Mountain Natural Areas for education and appreciation."
  • The Nature Conservancy : (434) 295-6106, 490 Westfield Rd, Charlottesville, 22901 This is an international organization with an office here in town whose goal is to preserve plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. They use an approach called " Conservation by design, which helps [them] identify the highest-priority places- landscapes and seascapes that, if conserved, promise to ensure biodiversity over the long term." Membership $25 includes a publication. See www.nature.org .
  • Piedmont Environmental Council : (434) 977-2033, 410 E. Water St. Suite 700 , Charlottesville , VA 22901 . The Piedmont Environmental Council is a 34-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the Piedmont 's rural economy, natural resources, history and beauty. If you live here, you really owe it to yourself to become a part of this organization. $25 membership (actually ANY dollar amount is welcomed!) see www.pecva.org
  • Rivanna Conservation Society : (434) 977-4837, P.O. Box 1501 Charlottesville , VA see www.rivannariver.org
  • Rivanna Trails Foundation : (434) 923-9022, P.O. Box 1786, Charlottesville , VA 22902 RTF is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 by local citizens with a dream to create a trail system throughout the greenbelt of the Rivanna River and its tributaries. The goal is to establish a footpath encircling Charlottesville . see www.rivannatrails.org
  • Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club: P.O. Box 5531. Their mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environments; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives. see www.virginia.sierraclub.org/piedmont
  • Southern Environmental Law Center, regional headquarters: (434) 977-4090, Using " the full power of the law" SELC conserves clean water, healthy air, wild lands, and livable communities throughout the Southeast. see www.southernenvironment.org
  • Wild Virginia : (434) 971-1553, P.O. Box 1065 Charlottesville , VA 22902 is a private non-profit agency whose focus is any issue(s) related to the national forest, its protection and preservation. They host a hike every month to encourage your enjoyment of our nearby national forests: George Washington National Forest and Thomas Jefferson National Forest . Membership cost $25. see www.wildvirginia.org

Eyeglasses :

  • Lenscrafters : (434) 973-7766, Fashion Square Mall, bring your old glasses in and they will donate them to a pair of needy eyes.
  • Dr. Clark, Covert and Mueller : (434) 973-5361, excellent local optometrists, Dr. Clark was one of the first optometrist from the area to travel to devastated areas struck by hurricane Katrina. They will give your old glasses to the Lions Club for donating to the needy.