About Us

Claire has lived in Fort Valley on and off for nearly 20 years. She raised three children - Nicole, Michael and Christopher - in Vienna, Virginia. Her sons are now 36 years old and  32 years old, respectively. She lost her 28-year-old daughter to cancer in December 2011, which brought Claire back to The Fort for what she thought would be a few months of spiritual recovery. She is now approaching her ninth consecutive year back here in the place she loves most,  began working at the store in November 2017, and took on her management role in November 2018. Claire is also our Notary Public (registration #7806536) commissioned by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Kim has been with the store for over a year now, and it's hard to remember what it was like without her! She lives in the Fort with her husband and daughter Sarah. She also has two sons, Josh and Ben. Kim spends quite a bit of time in the family garden, got herself a passel of chickens, and tends to her bee hives in the summer months. With her keen sense of humor, incredible work ethic, and connections to our community, Kim is an asset to the store. 

Owen lives in Fort Valley with his parents. His brother and sister live away from the Fort. He was homeschooled K-12 , is in his second year at Lord Fairfax Community College, and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. He expects to finish his undergrad at LIberty University. Owen tends to much of the bread making at the store. When he's not working on his studies or at the store, Owen is likely at home practicing music, writing, auditioning for a play, or taking care of his chickens and pigs.

Peter Walters, our newest and youngest employee, lives with his dad and pets in Fort Valley. When he's not at home, he's probably with his grandparents Ernie and Linda Walters. Peter has an interest in art and theatre. A self-described "geek," he is known amongst friends and family for his collection of comic books, action figures and everything Marvel. He has also aquired a ridiculously large collection of dice! In the short time since Peter started working at the store, he has proven to have a great sense of humor, an eagerness to learn, and a Fort Valley work ethic.