Onancock VA is one of those places you hope to find but don’t believe really exists. The fishing village on the Bay is genuinely charming with its personality coming from old buildings respectfully and lovingly maintained, locally owned businesses that serve the community and people who enjoy their town and their neighbors.

It’s a great mix of folks who trace their local lineage back for generations and ex-pats from the Western Shore looking for a better quality of life.

One of them is Joani Donohoe, owner of GardenArt on King St. A former DC resident, she discovered Onancock on a weekend getaway. Not long afterward, she crossed the Bay Bridge heading east.

Despite worries from friends that she was perhaps losing a grip on reality, she purchased the brick building that had once been the town’s century -old, steam-generated power plant. Boarded up and falling down, it had been abandoned for over 50 years. Joani spent the next three months pulling down the vines and digging up trees that enveloped the bricks, and hauling away rusted boilers, oil drums, derelict cars, and a collapsing garage. Then she added heat, plumbing, and electricity.

The result is a great space where the century old beams are used for arbors and the former junkyard is an outdoor garden oasis. The exposed brick creates a great rustic, homey ambiance. It’s filled with an eclectic inventory of garden & home décor, ‘lightweight’ garden tools (small trowels vs. weed whackers), and accent pieces by local artisans (including my book “Art Drives on Delmarva.”) It’s all ‘happy’ stuff – things that make you smile and feel good just looking at it all. The courtyard is filled with homeowner-friendly plants and garden needs, presided over by Lulu, the resident Portuguese Water Spaniel.

This Friday is Onancock’s monthly “Second Friday,” when galleries and shops stay open late and restaurants offer specials. GardenART on King Street is a regular stop for the strollers. Joani always has wine and nibbles (which Lulu will try to beg from you.) You can browse her place virtually at www.gardenartonking.com.