When Sandy and David made the decision to open the popular Poolesville restaurant known as Locals Farm Market and establish the burgeoning Riverworks Art Center, they said it was their daughter— both during and after her life— who guided them toward historic buildings.
Sydney’ s inspiration to create community initially led the family to help launch the Watershed Café in 2017. Its goals and fare were similar to Locals: a farm-to-table restaurant and gift area that served and celebrated local food and crafts. Located outside Poolesville’ s historic district in a nondescript modern storefront, however, Watershed struggled for three years and then closed for good during the Pandemic.
“ It was just awful,” said Sandy.“ We could never get a sense of identity for the place with a location in a strip mall. But it inspired us. From there, we said,‘ If you’ re going to start a restaurant, you’ ve got to own the building. And it’ s got to be an old building.’ There’ s a soul in these older buildings, in this older culture, that you’ re never going to fake.”
Posting a photo of the 1840
David, Cathy Pincar and Sandy in front of new Riverworks outdoor stage.
Viers-Stevens house on Facebook to the type of building that we prior to the makeover that would were trying to turn into a restaurant and market,” said David. become Local’ s, David publicly shared his passion for the project. Floors were considered too His daughter was gone, but she feeble. Windows were not airtight. Spaces between floorboards would never be forgotten.
“ Building out of Covid and the and bricks, the ones that give the worst loss of my life,” he wrote.“ I Viers-Stevens house its old-world can guarantee I am fully invested charm, were seen as fire hazards. and I can guarantee I am fully committed.”
ments, which I respect, but you
“ You have permitting require-
David and Sandy needed every also need give-and-take with the ounce of that determination. regulators,” said David.“ The architect took a pressure test on the
“ Truthfully, I have not yet met an architect that would steer you floor, and it was like 90 pounds per
Poolesville 1915
Sites of today’ s Locals Farm Market and the historic Poolesville church, the future home of Riverworks Art Center.
16 plenty I summer growing 2025