University of Virginia Library

Texas Grains

The grains they use are
shipped from Texas(where the
soil is richer) and much of the
produce is sent from Maryland,
Pennsylvania, and Rhode
Island. Much of their bread
and eggs are supplied by
Innesfree Village, a farming
community for the mentally
retarded near Crozet.
Whenever possible, the Cafe
and store try to purchase from
local organic gardens and
farms.

Adjacent to the Carrot Cafe
is 'Trilogy,' a combination
leather and head shop which
opened last year. Mr. Delaura
claims his is the only store in
town that does quality custom
leather work; he also repairs
leather goods.

Mr. Delaura worked with
leather for "four or five years'
as a hobby, then last year
decided to drop out of
Catholic University Law
School and open up his own
leather shop.

The long-haired,
mustachioed craftsman gets
frustrated with customers who
are afraid to barter over
his merchandise. "I had a
barter sale and only one person
came in and tried to barter. I
gave him a $40 bag for $20 just
because I was so glad to see
someone who wouldn't
immediately pay the marked
price."

He also found that he
wasn't drawing enough
customers with just leather
work. I had to make it into a
head shop in order to survive."
Along with the leather goods
he sells candles, incense,
blouses, and underground
comics and newspapers. However,
he emphasizes that this
year he will be selling only
hard leather goods, with the
exception of a few choice soft
leather pieces, and, in his
estimation, "some of the finest
hand-crafted pipes within a
hundred miles. And that's all I
sell. Just pipes."