Staunton Patio now open and offers food trucks, stores and gathering space

STAUNTON - Cathy Ballew can open her office door to a large patio area in downtown Staunton. There's sometimes a food truck parked out there with several tables and chairs. It's tucked in between two buildings with large gates that can be opened into the courtyard.

"People love bringing their lunch down here," she said.

Ballew and her business partner Lisa Belcher rent an office space for their Keller Williams Virginia Valley Team at a new food and business court that has opened in downtown Staunton called Staunton Patio. 

"When we came up to the gate to look in here we were just blown away," she said. "It's so inviting and beautiful."

It took more than four years to come to fruition, according to owners Yvana Griffith and Joe Hernando. The two purchased the property almost six years ago. The two wouldn't divulge how much they've spent on renovations, but they said it was in the six figure range. 

What used to be one large building was in complete disarray. The roof had collapsed, the foundation was crumbling and Griffith and Hernando were left with a lot of work. 

They decided to remove a portion of the roof to create a courtyard patio area, hence the name Staunton Patio. 

Now, the spot is partially open and houses a few businesses and rotating food trucks. 

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Located on the corner of Baldwin and Lewis streets, there is over 5,000 square feet of space currently developed. Griffith and Hernando still have about 4,000 square feet of space to renovate, with the potential of having that section renovated into two stories. 

But the two have decided to let the finished portion be open for a bit before tackling another renovation project. 

"We thought this would be a nice patio area," Griffith said. "It's a place to be outside downtown with family."

The spot houses some food trucks, including a boutique bakery truck Magdalena, Ballew's realty office, RefillRenew's refillable store and a new smoothie place called Taste of the Tropic Smoothies that is set to open soon. 

"It's a good way for those who want to start a business," Griffith said. 

Alba Wright, who owns Magdalena, opened her bakery goods food truck a month ago. The Staunton Patio allowed her to be open on Thursdays and Fridays — when it's not at the Staunton Farmers Market — and establish a larger customer base. 

"Magdalena is the name my mom had," she said. "She passed away when I was two years old. I only know the history of her and her history was that she was amazing at cooking."

Wright, who is originally from Uruguay, sells baked goods and daily lunch specials. Her mother had a pastry shop in Uruguay, which later in life inspired Wright to attend cooking school and pursue her dream of baking. 

She said she's able to do custom baked good orders and can also drive up to events and serve on-site.

At Staunton Patio, she's able to have her truck hooked up to water, electricity and sewer. — a feature Griffith intentionally installed. There's two hook-up stations on the patio for food trucks.

Wright also set up tables for her customers that she brings food out to. It's exactly what the owners of Staunton Patio envisioned — a place to gather, eat, talk and have fun. 

"Being here allows her to have a place for customers to pick-up orders and to take more custom orders," Wright's husband Will Wright said. 

Griffith said she hopes the Staunton Patio will serve as a place to hold events like weddings or music. But they are looking for someone to manage the place — Griffith still lives and works in New Jersey and her husband is now retired. The two have been buying up property in Virginia and flipping homes and have a home in McGaheysville.

But it was Griffith's nephew that brought them to Staunton. He owns the Firehouse Properties building across the street that has a few storefronts on the first floor and apartments above. 

"We really like Staunton," Griffith said. "It's a nice cozy bubble."

"When we started here it wasn't growing a lot," Hernando added. "But now ... I guess we made the right choice."

Amanda Drumheller, who co-owns RefillRenew with Cassy Maxton-Whitacre, had to expand their business to a storefront, and the Staunton Patio offered a great place to start. Their store had outgrown its space at The Store just down the street in just a month of being open. 

RefillRenew offers refillable house and personal cleaning products. You bring in a refillable bottle — or buy one or grab one that has been donated — and they fill it with things like laundry detergent, hand soap, shampoo and more. 

"We like being so close to downtown," Drumheller said. "We get a lot of people walking in. We're excited to be part of something new."

Staunton Patio is located at 110 Baldwin St. in Staunton. For more information visit Staunton Patio and Staunton Patio Market on Facebook. 

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You can reach reporter Laura Peters at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura.