Long before David Therriault and Sandy Wright, the proprietors of Locals and Riverworks, set in motion their ambitious plans to open two of Poolesville’s most highly anticipated ventures, a teenaged David was forming the cornerstone of these endeavors by spending hours steeped in stillness, abstractly studying his surroundings.
While still in high school David worked at a garden center near his family’s Potomac home. There, he was paired with a Japanese landscape architect. Communication between the two was challenging since David spoke English and the architect only spoke Japanese. Mentor and apprentice would spend hours just sitting in clients’ yards, causing the confused teen to wonder aloud “what are we doing here.” As time passed, the future artistic designer realized that those contemplative moments sparked his imagination and developed his vision for using stone and wood to create beautiful outdoor spaces.
But first, the young man had to meet the yin to his yang. David met Sandy Wright at the University of New Hampshire while he was pursuing his interest in Landscape Design, and she was seeking a degree in Political Science and Economics. They shared a favorite campus pub named Riverworks. Their relationship was slow to develop; they dated each other’s best friends (hers was eventually her bridesmaid!) before finally realizing they belonged together. 
After graduation, they flipped homes for a few years, even turning a condemned property into livable space. In 1989, they moved to the country to explore their growing creative interests. Alden Farms Garden Center in Beallsville was the perfect place for them to work and play for the next 25 years. The couple established this specialty center, with its 3,000 sq ft greenhouse space and artisan crafts, as a meeting place for community and conversation. Sandy sharpened her financial analytical skills working in international trade law. David discovered that his love of creating sculptures was a marketable trade. Over the years, clients as far away as Nova Scotia commissioned his creations. All the while, they continued to plan and prepare for their growing family’s needs. 
A few years ago, David and Sandy felt the time was right to bring their vision of community to Poolesville. While scouting perspective project locations, David landed squarely on the old 1844 Viers-Stevens House, a property which, incidentally, was not for sale. It took a bit of convincing for the owner to sell the historic home, which sits adjacent to the Town’s hallmark John Poole House, but in the end, an unrelenting David won the owner over.
Locals, the resulting enterprise, is rooted in the same principle of small-town charm, neighbors meeting neighbors, and the fostering of stronger community connections. Early on, the weekend outdoor market and cafe became a wildly popular meeting place. Long lines formed for specialty coffees, a myriad of baked goods and fresh picked produce, courtesy of the growers at Madison Fields. But the partners were only getting started. 
The outdoor market & cafe has already moved to the newly renovated indoor space and expanded hours from 7am to 3pm Wednesday through Sunday. Building upon the good bones of the historic 1840s building, the partners have added some shiny modern touches to turn it into a multi-room, multi-level dining and meeting space for the community. The locally sourced restaurant featuring American comfort-based cuisine will phase in the expanded menu at the end of the month, beginning with breakfast and lunch offerings.
David and Sandy are both driven by their love of humanity, community, and the arts. Concurrent with the restaurant their plans are progressing for Riverworks Arts Center, partially named for the richness of art available around the river, their favorite college pub, and their daughter’s dog, River. This artist space emphasizing the healing capacity of the arts is comprised of the Alden Farms satellite campus for classes and workshops along with a gallery at Locals. 
Inspired by the spirit and artistic creativity of their late daughter, Sydney, the Riverworks gallery space at Locals, will open to the public on Sunday May 1 from 7am to 3pm with a memorial Celebration of Sydney, where her artwork will be on full display. Guests will want to take particular note of a vividly colored flower exhibit which David and Sandy had extracted from the wall of Sydney’s former home in Savannah. Each month Locals will feature a different artist in the Riverworks “Artist in the House” gallery space.
Details are available on Facebook, Instagram, and the website riverworksartcenter.org. This past weekend’s Spring Countryside Artisan Tour offered a preview of the center. The walls of the barn at Alden Farms, Riverworks’ satellite location, are adorned with David’s work and those of Malinda Pierce, Taina Litwak, Jennifer Hamilton, and Robert Pierce.
A diverse group of local leaders with backgrounds in the arts, nonprofit work, and inclusivity have been given a seat at the Riverworks’ Board of Directors table. Anxious to light the spark of creativity, David and Sandy have already set up classes at the Alden Farms satellite campus and secured Pam Heemskerk as the Executive Director. Prospective students ready to try their hand at watercolors, bookmaking, or journaling about nature can find these and other offerings on the website.
Given Sandy’s alliance with Black Rock Center for the Arts, not to mention the couple’s connections with artists and artisans, plans are already in the works for an expansion. Hopes for a sculpture walk through town, a performing arts center, and a sister art cooperative with visiting artists loaning their works for display loom large.
Area art enthusiasts excitedly wait to see what this enterprising couple has in store for us next.