Business
For the Love of Books
The history of local independent bookstores in the United States has been an essential part of our literary and political education. Thomas Paine used bookstores to circulate “Common Sense,” which made the case for independence from Great Britain and seeded the idea of revolution. Later, literature about the suffragists and civil rights was disseminated via bookstores, which historically provided a safe haven for community gatherings and discussions. Then, between 2010 and 2018 an amazing thing happened: Independent bookstores made a...
read moreThe Character-Driven World of Illustrator & Designer Stephen BaileyThe Character-Driven World of Illustrator & Designer
How to Remain an Artist Once We Grow Up By Sheri Webber Seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” requires a trip to the Louvre. Works by Pablo Picasso can be viewed in Spain or at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and visiting Michelangelo’s “Moses” involves a plane ticket to Rome, Italy. Bringing home a masterpiece—Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” for example—might save on plane tickets and museum admissions but could cost up to a cool $450 million. Not too many art collectors can swing that kind of cash, but what if it was...
read moreNatalie McCray-Krauz on Creating the Arbus 30th Anniversary Cover
By Madeleine Peck Wagner a whisper gathers more attention than a shout Sometimes, and always when least expected, my phone buzzes and in comes an image of wit and inventiveness that makes my day. That this image will often inflame my own imagination is, I think a testament to artist, art director, and designer Natalie McCray-Krauz’s extraordinary ability to transform the most mundane of objects into objects of desire and veneration. The whole she creates is always more than the sum of its parts. Recent...
read moreHistory + Art + Innovation = Dennis + Ives
By Sheri Leonard Webber In the shadow of I-95’s Arch Bridge, beyond the historic Myrtle Avenue tunnel, and amid the grumble of passing trains, you will discover the up-and-coming Rail Yard District, one of Jacksonville’s most unique historic communities. A relic of the Jacksonville Terminal Company has now become a hotbed for start-ups, adaptive reuse, and inventive development. At the gateway of the Rail Yard District, stands an ode to renovation and design: Dennis + Ives. The former cold storage warehouse has been reimagined as a...
read moreSHOP LOCAL GIFT GUIDE
Shopping for gifts during this holiday season will likely feel more normal this year as retail is back in full swing. It remains crucial to our beloved, independent, local businesses that we give them support as they continue to rebound from the pandemic. In thinking of things to make your dearest people smile, let’s try to shop our values and make our community smile, too. Each year, Arbus Magazine presents our Shop Local Gift Guide so that you can see what locally owned businesses are offering and be inspired to enjoy gift shopping. Many...
read moreFrom the River Into Riverside—The Post Street Boat Dock
Jacksonville residents have long clamored for more river access points and for more ways to travel among our different riverfront neighborhoods by way of the St. Johns. An important Riverside access point is set to transform access to multiple landmarks, including the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, the Garden Club of Jacksonville, River & Post restaurant, Riverside and Memorial Parks, and historic Five Points. A floating dock with four boat slips and water taxi access will be built in the coming months at the foot of Post Street, between the Cummer and the Garden Club.
read moreSouthern Grounds Avondale—Gathering Together
Southern Grounds is purposefully airy and bright, no dark corners here. “We wanted the whole place to be energetic and full of life and convey that sense of hospitality as well,” says Janasik. “We are very grateful to Group 4 Design in San Marco. Leigh Gunn and her team have done an amazing job with aesthetics, color, artwork, and tile selection. Everything that makes us who we are, they enhance by the architectural design.”
read moreAn Affinity for Oysters
Oysters have played an important role in human civilization for thousands of years, even here in Northeast Florida. When the first Europeans arrived along the First Coast in the 1500s, oysters were already a substantial part of the diet enjoyed by local Timucua. Evidence is clearly visible in the remarkable number of oyster middens (large mounds of discarded oyster shells) that dot the coastline.
read moreLasting Legacy: Celebrating 100 Years of Theatre Jacksonville
Happy 100th birthday to Theatre Jacksonville! With its Art Deco-inspired historic playhouse an anchor of San Marco Square, the centenarian institution is the oldest continuously-running community theatre in the state of Florida – and one of the oldest in the entire United States.
read moreWelcome to the African Forest
You’ve seen the Land of the Tiger; you’ve traversed Wild Florida; you’ve visited Stingray Bay, but now the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens invites you out of Jacksonville and into Africa.
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