Flint Hill: Fresh ideas, new vision. How residents see the next chapter

Over the last decade, Flint Hill has experienced an influx of residents bringing fresh ideas and new energy to the quiet community. Is renewal on the horizon for the village’s long and cherished history? Can residents overcome obstacles like pedestrian safety, speeding traffic and limited infrastructure?

Jean Lillard, whose family goes back several generations, has seen a big change since she grew up in Flint Hill. “I used to know everybody in every house,” she said. “Now a lot of new people have moved here. I think it is good to get a variety of residents with cultural differences, but the village is a much different place from my childhood.”

John Quido, a farrier who moved to the village 23 years ago, also has noticed changes. “I’d say adhere to country living, so we can stay like we are.”

Settle’s Grocery and Garage on the north end of the village has been a fixture in Flint Hill since Richard and Esther Settle started the business in 1972. Previously the store and garage had housed the Russell Brothers Chrysler dealership, which operated for 42 years.

“Thirty years ago, I knew 90% of the people who came in the store,” said Richard “Bubby” Settle, who took over the grocery and garage from his parents and started the used car and truck operation in the 1980s. “Today, I probably know about 10%. Still, we have a lot of loyal customers and great neighbors and we are grateful for that.”

Settle’s daughter, Kendra Hahn, now the general manager, remembers visitors sitting on the outside benches or inside around the wood stove. “A lot of that changed because of COVID,” she said. “We remodeled in 2020 and removed our gathering spaces so fewer people congregate in the store. Our breakfast business is still very brisk and a lot of the old regulars come in for that.”

Michael Dennis observes that the south end of the village, near Fodderstack Road, has several new residents who are renovating homes. Dennis, who lives in a bungalow-style home set back from the main road, said, “With new arrivals, you get the sense the village is moving into a new phase of its long and cherished history.”

Dennis, who moved to the village in 2010 with his spouse, Paul Smith, completed substantial remodeling of their home and constructed an art studio on the property. Two years ago, they purchased the adjoining “Rose Cliff” parcel, and are renovating the main house and its outbuildings.

Across the street, Mark and Elena Kazmier purchased “Althea Terrace,” the origins of which date back to the 1740s. They are renovating the interior of the home, and Elena has opened a small art gallery, “The Florence Room,” in a building that has served many purposes, including a Red Cross center during World War I.

“We’ve been here three years and just love this place,” said Mark. “The quiet, stunning, rural environment is a great place to raise our children, but we are also excited about the enormous potential for it to become a more vibrant community for businesses, residents and visitors.”

The old post office where Richard Brady’s mother would pick up her mail-order chicks is now a private residence recently purchased by Kristin Perper and Jeff Stiles. The home, once known as Rickett’s tavern and saddlery, sits next to the stone foundations of what was the Rickett’s Hotel. Built around 1860, the building fell into disrepair and burned down in the early 1960s.

“We were looking for a unique place to live and found this tiny house in Flint Hill,” said Perper, who worked at the Freedom Museum in Manassas. “I love this community and the people who live here. It has a real ‘hometown’ feel.”

Perper is excavating the hotel’s foundation and wants to “showcase” its  history. “People jokingly call us the Flint Hill archaeologists,” she said. “The old hotel is a lost treasure. We are finding lots of interesting artifacts and hope to incorporate them into an outdoor display recounting the hotel’s important history.

“I believe Flint Hill’s future is bright and shiny. There are a lot of new and creative folks here who want to make this more than a town people drive through to go somewhere else,” she said.

Sidewalks and speeding

Milda Vaivada opened her store, HOME – Honoring Our Mother Earth – in 2022 in the old Bradford’s store building. The shop sells gifts and other items with nature-oriented themes.

“I have really great, loyal customers, but it isn’t always easy to get customers in the door,” she said. Vaivada blames the lack of sidewalks and vehicles often exceeding the 25-mph speed limit.

“It’s not safe to walk around the village. Cars and trucks speed through here at 50 or 60 mph. Motorists who might want to pull over are fearful. To make matters worse, the village doesn’t have a system of sidewalks, or crosswalks, and that creates serious safety issues for pedestrians,” she said.

Board of Supervisors chair Debbie Donehey, the former owner of Griffin Tavern, now the Dark Horse Irish Pub, represents Flint Hill. “Our problem as a village is that U.S. 522 runs right through it and the road is a major thoroughfare,” she said. “A lot of people speed through Flint Hill and don’t see what is available in the village.

“There have been studies about improving sidewalks and creating crosswalks but coordinating projects like that with VDOT always takes a lot of time. There is not much right-of-way to construct new sidewalks, so residents might be concerned about losing some of their front yards. In the meantime, we are looking to have illuminated speeding signs installed, hopefully soon,” she said.

New possibilities 

Kazmier, who operates the Florence Room gallery, envisions a burgeoning art scene with multiple galleries in the village connected by walkways.

“Since moving here, I’ve thought of coordinating monthly gatherings where people could gather at my gallery and visit Michael Dennis’ and Jason Goldman’s galleries, perhaps stop at one of our fine restaurants, and end up at the Mullany gallery on the north end of town,” she said.

“But for that to become a reality the village has to become safely walkable. With a unified 

vision, we could create a walking circuit that spans the village. Imagine a trail meandering on the west side of the village that connects with sidewalks toward the east.”

On the north end of the village, Kerrie Mullany, and her husband Tom, opened their art studio and gallery in 2012 in the former apple packing shed built in the mid-1940s by orchardists Charles and Brue Wood.

“Flint Hill is different from Sperryville,” Kerrie said. “Sperryville has a main street off a major by-pass and is on the way to the park, so it is an attractive place for businesses, tourists and locals. Right now, Flint Hill is more of a drive-through village than a place to stop and poke around. Besides our restaurants and Settle’s, we could do with a few more businesses here to change that dynamic.”

Ark Woodworking, also located in the packing shed, specializes in building custom cabinets. Owner Ben Clemmer is thinking of expanding his business to include specialty benches that could be sold on the premises. “There is a lot of traffic coming through the village and I think this could be a prime spot to sell those items,” he said. “We are also looking at renting out space for folks interested in woodworking, learning the craft and using our tools.”

The packing shed also houses RappCats and several other small businesses. It was purchased in 2023 by Doug Vierling. “The building was in my family for about 60 years and I decided to buy them out,” he said.

Vierling, a lighting designer who lives in New York City, grew up on the farm behind the shed. He hopes to renovate part of the building and make it a venue for weddings, parties and other group events. “It’s a wonderful old structure and I want to incorporate its history in the renovation,” he said.

After moving to Flint Hill during the COVID pandemic, David Mendez opened the Flint Hill Latin Market in 2022 at Flint Hill Square. “I wanted to differentiate myself from the other small stores in the area,” he said. “We offer one-stop shopping for locally sourced produce, meats, and products, as well as Latin and European products,” he said. “Working with the local farms and the business community has been great.”

Mendez is working too, to create opportunities to increase foot traffic in the village. Recently, he set up a farmer’s market on Sundays outside his store, which hosts Sunnyside Farm’s produce. This year, he hopes to add more vendors at the market. He also envisions a “Flint Hill Festival” that would showcase products, crafts and artworks from local residents and businesses. “I feel the village has a lot of potential to grow,’ he said.

Others are not as optimistic.

Al Henry, a real estate appraiser and member of the Planning Commission, purchased the former Truist Bank branch after it closed in March 2023. “I had hoped it might be converted into an independent drugstore, but we didn’t get any takers, so I have put it back on the market”, he said. [On Tuesday, Oak View National Bank, on whose board Henry sits, released a survey asking residents if they should open a branch in Flint Hill.]

Given the village’s lack of water and sewer infrastructure, limited commercial zoning, and small lots, Henry sees few changes in the future. “I think Flint Hill is going to remain the sleepy village that it is for a long time. Perhaps there will be some additional residential development around the village if some of the two and five-acre lots are sold, but I can’t see much else.”

Greg Foster has a different take. “I see Flint Hill slowly evolving into a community with people who have the means to live away from the hustle and bustle of urban areas. Hopefully, with their resources and energy they can help maintain the history and rural beauty of the place, create new economic opportunities, and bring along some youth,” he said.

Time will tell.

Flint Hill Voices

“From what I’ve seen, I’m optimistic the new folks moving into the area will contribute to the village the way locals have in the past.” 

— Ben Clemmer, owner of Ark Woodworking

“This place just resonated with me. The quiet, the vistas and the surrounding countryside are spectacular. A key driver for moving here was Rappahannock’s commitment to protecting its rural environment. We make it a point to support the local businesses in the village.” 

— Tim Barrett, new homeowner

“We took a huge leap of faith in 2018 opening the Blue Door. Business is going well, thanks to our loyal customers, and recently we purchased a home in the village. I can’t think of a more welcoming community to plant our roots for this phase of our lives. That being said, we need some sidewalks so residents and business patrons feel safe walking around the village.”

— Reem Arbid, owner, Blue Door Kitchen

“I remember Flint Hill as a busier place with more stores and services. Today I think it’s harder to get a business going there. One way to get more growth would be to put in some adequate sidewalks, slow down traffic and build some moderate-income housing around the village as envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan.” 

— Steph Ridder lives on North Poes Road

“Without sidewalks, walking can be a little challenging, but overall, I don’t see a big need for any changes. Why fix something that’s not broken.”

— Kendra Hahn, manager of Settle’s Grocery and Garage

“This is a beautiful community with fantastic neighbors. I bought the ‘Maison Latouraudois’ home a few years ago with the idea of turning it into a coffee shop. It would have been a perfect spot, but COVID hit and I shelved the plans. I still own the old post office and bank building next door, which I hope to renovate and market as a tourist home.” 

— Nancy Poe, lives in The Plains

“I was driving through the area a while back and the beautiful village reminded me of home back in Ireland. I ended up buying the Griffin Tavern one year ago. We have been working hard to get things up and running to serve our customers every day of the week. Our business has grown, but a few more stores and shops in the village would help draw more visitors to the pub.” 

— Mark Kirwan, owner, Dark Horse Irish Pub

“I grew up here and still have a handful of old friends around, but most of the older generation have either moved or passed on. There are a lot of new faces around. The village is a beautiful, quiet place, but I think in the coming years more change will come.” 

— Jean Chambers, clerk, Flint Hill post office

“I came up hard. We used to go to Bradford’s store on Saturdays but couldn’t afford to buy toys when they had Toyland during Christmas. Growing up I got to know everybody in the town. The people here respected each other. Now, everything has changed hands.”

— Howard Jones, lives off Fodderstack Road

“This area has changed so much. Many of my customers who fox-hunted or rode horses have left. They were replaced by weekenders who are not horse people. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute operating my store, but it was no longer sustainable.” 

— Sheila Whaley, former owner, Horse N Hound Saddlery, which closed in October 2023.

— By Bob Hurley for Foothills Forum

Read Part 1 of this series:

Foothills Forum is an independent, community-supported nonprofit tackling the need for in-depth research and reporting on Rappahannock County issues.

The group has an agreement with Rappahannock Media, owner of the Rappahannock News, to present this series and other award-winning reporting projects. More at foothillsforum.org.