Fluvanna Health Clinic opens Fork Union location; Hensley’s expands; Sweet Art Emporium finds a new home
By Page H. Gifford
Fluvanna Health Clinic has celebrated the ribbon-cutting for its second location in Fork Union, marking a milestone for a practice that continues to grow alongside the communities it serves.
The new clinic space is in the old Truist Bank building at 4342 James Madison Highway.
Founded in 2021 by Amy Beyer, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and lifelong Fluvanna County resident, Fluvanna Health Clinic was created with a simple mission: to provide personalized care, build meaningful patient relationships, and treat every patient like family, close to home.
With access to health care in jeopardy in many rural areas, Beyer and her team play an important role in Fluvanna’s medical landscape, complementing larger providers such as UVA Health and Sentara.
What began as a solo practice has grown into a trusted community health care resource with four dedicated providers. Due to growing demand and strong community support, Beyer opened the clinic’s second location in Fork Union, allowing the practice to serve even more residents across the county.
For more information and services, visit fluvannahealthclinic.com.
Hensley’s Antiques celebrates expansion
Just one year after opening its doors, Hensley’s Antique Gifts & Thrift is expanding into the space next door. Frankie Hensley and his family have quickly built a loyal customer base with their mix of antiques, vintage finds, gifts, and thrift treasures.
The expansion follows a successful first year serving the community and creating a welcoming place for locals and visitors to explore. With so much to see throughout the shop, there is bound to be something that catches a customer’s eye. Whether shoppers are looking for themselves or searching for a personalized gift, the store offers plenty of finds for decorating, collecting, and creative inspiration.
Hensley’s also hosts a monthly outdoor sale on the first Saturday of every month from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop celebrated its expansion and first anniversary with a June 6 outdoor sale, which brought a steady stream of browsers, treasure hunters, and devoted shoppers exploring the newly expanded section of the store.
The $1 sale proved so popular that Hensley’s plans to keep it as part of the first Saturday sale.
Sweet Art Emporium moving to new location
“It’s official, I own the building, and Sweet Art Emporium is moving to 13610 James Madison Highway in Palmyra, only eight minutes from my current location,” said owner Erika Mitchell.
Mitchell said her goal of owning a building for Sweet Art Emporium, where she teaches ceramics and other pottery programs, took shape after she learned Feb. 27 that her rent would increase sharply.
“I learned that my lease was going to go up by $1,250, or 77 percent, an amount that my business cannot take on,” she said. “I asked the landlord to only raise the rent by $200 a month, the amount that I pay myself — yes, only $200 a month — which he turned down. I then looked at every rental in the county. They either cost too much, were too small, or too dilapidated.”
Mitchell said she found a potential rental space, but it was already rented to someone else after she had been promised the location.
“I nearly gave up that day,” she said. “I applied for a home loan and then a line of credit. All of that has already cost me $1,700. In other words, I did not have any savings whatsoever to purchase a building, but that is what I decided to do.”
She said she knew it would be a stretch to make the payments, but believed it could be done. The building needed mold remediation, foundation repair, carpet removal, new flooring, plumbing, and drainage work.
Mitchell is now moving the business and said she is grateful for the community’s help, donations, and overall support.
