By Sarah Golden, Staff Writer
This summer, The Reston Letter is highlighting some of the vendors that participate in the craft market at Lake Anne. This month, we’re featuring two women-owned Reston businesses that are bringing their unique products to Restonians.
Barbara Lopez - Black Star Jewelry
Barbara Lopez, Black Star Jewelry’s owner and designer, may have earned the award for most traveled market vendor. The Pittsburgh resident frequently brings her hundreds of hand-designed, gemstone laden rings, pendants, bracelets and earrings to the Lake Anne Market.
Asked what keeps her making the three-and-a-half hour drive each month, she said it’s in her DNA. Lopez has been a “road warrior” since the late 1990s, when she would travel with her late husband, a silversmith, to gem exhibitions on the West Coast. These events could be grueling – 10-hour days spent selling pieces to convention attendees as well as identifying and buying the best gems possible for their flourishing business.
When her husband passed away in 2012, Lopez lost the desire to trek across the country to large conventions. Instead, she wanted to take her pieces to where her clientele was, which at the time was largely the Northern Virginia area. She stumbled upon the Lake Anne Market, and found more than customers who adored her pieces; she found a community of widowed women who could relate to what she was going through. Lopez spent that spring and summer crying, reminiscing, making life-long friends and, of course, selling beautiful jewelry. Lopez said decorative raw iron inspires her in crafting her jewelry designs. She loves the swirls featured in ironwork typically associated with New Orleans or Georgia architecture. Her designs are uniquely her own, and she sources the gemstones directly, individually, and often in person, from India. Having traveled to India 30 times, she calls it her second home.
The time and care Lopez puts into her craft is evident in the pieces. I can attest to their quality. Almost three years ago, I bought a lapis ring from her that looks as stunning as the day I bought it. She specializes in rings, but her selection runs the gamut. The most popular gemstone she sells is White Rainbow Moonstone, which is characterized by chatoyancy, a gemology term for an effect that occurs when a bright light is shone onto the gem’s surface and causes light to be reflected back in a narrow line.
While her items are sold in stores in Boston and Sedona, the best way to see her pieces is to subscribe to her email list at tactile57@gmail.com. She’ll share when she’s headed to Lake Anne, and also notify you about Zoom sessions where she’ll show off new items for the holiday season.
Rosanna Farrell - Nana Rosanna Collection
If you’ve found yourself saying, “oh my gosh, that’s so cute” at Lake Anne Market, there’s a good chance you’ve just spotted a Nana Rosanna original. Rosanna Farrell, the owner and seamstress behind Nana Rosanna Collections, is a relative newcomer to the Lake Anne scene.
About a year ago, Farrell rediscovered her love of sewing and spent all winter creating baby rompers. She thought they were so cute that he just kept creating more. By March, she was selling her items in the Very VA storefront in Leesburg, and by May, she was at Lake Anne. Despite her quick success, Farrell isn’t in this for the money and she’s not looking to expand to new markets. She enjoys the creative outlet sewing provides, getting into the zone and blocking out the rest of the world while focusing on the task in front of her. She also loves the Lake Anne Market, which she said, is in large part due to the locals that come each weekend and her lovely co-vendors who are always there to help and encourage each other.
Farrell always sets her sights on new patterns, designs, and products. She currently works with five baby romper designs. She likes to keep the style traditional, a little retro, but always comfortable for babies. Recently, she expanded to selling pickleball towels, complete with adorable pickle patterns, and aprons made from canvas.
Farrell’s website is in development, so the best way to find out when she’ll be at the market is to email rosannfa@gmail.com.
When we feature businesses in The Reston Letter, we are not endorsing them as a company or speaking to their credibility. We are telling their stories according to them. We want to give exposure to a lot of businesses, but that does not necessarily mean that we have firsthand experience with them as clients. Hopefully you will always have great experiences with them, but our job stops once we've told their story. We cannot vouch for them beyond that.
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