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Mark Victoria Cave

Owners Mark and Victoria Cave founded Verity Blue [true blue] and Milano Espresso & Gelato both as a business and as a lifestyle.

As former teachers, Mark and Victoria not only share an interest in community building but also have a family history of creative business ventures. Mark learned Italian at Wake Forest's Casa Artom in Venice, Italy only to be married to Victoria in the same house 15 years later. That experience, along with Victoria's year at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria, fueled our passion for European landscape and culture. Our passion became somewhat of an obsession, leading us to set up an import company and retail store based on European table products.

The tuscanesque landscape of the Shenandoah Valley combined with the historic town center of New Market, Virginia drove us to purchase the New Market Cafe as a first store location. Although most recently a restaurant, our building was once a ceramics store -- a fitting site for Verity blue.

In our work and travel throughout Europe, we were often struck by the importance of "the meal." In Italy, the children eat with the family but then casually play in the piazza; in France, the outdoor cafe are a gathering place for friends; in Spain, the meal is nourishment but also late night entertainment for the family. We concluded that for most Europeans the meal is an event and a lifestyle but most importantly a value.

After our son Sebastian was born, we became dedicated to the concept of eating together. At the same time we didn't want to sacrifice fine dining for family dining. We tried to fight the idea that the good china was to be stored in the cupboard, reserved only for special guests and grand occasions. Every meal - even if it was just a bowl of oatmeal - was to be a colorful, artful, creative experience. And, as in many traditions, we wanted to retain the concept of the family table as a place for daily sharing, storytelling, dramatic announcements and memory-making.

Verity blue focuses on a line of products that are hand-made, colorful and artistic with a rugged, rustic practicality. In addition to china and linens, we offer furniture and garden products to help you create this simple but elegant beauty for your home.

In June of 2004, Verity blue moved its New Market store to a new location in Charlottesville, VA. We will have "the art of the table" as a unifying principle.

Whether you visit us in Charlottesville or at Verity Blue online, we at Verity blue want our products to be a part of your most precious family moments.

All the best.

Mark and Victoria Cave

Category: People