In Old Towne Petersburg, antiques dealers walk to work with coffee from Java Mio in hand.

Local artwork hangs on restaurant walls. And the Friday night informal bar crawl, starting at The Brickhouse Run and ending at Dixie Diner, has become legendary.

"It's like a little New York in a strange way," said Mark Pehanich, a local teacher and artist.

Residents, some of them transplants to Virginia, say this historic area about 30 minutes south of Richmond is undergoing a renaissance. They say it has become a mecca for artists and creative people searching for a slower pace of life, good eats and bargains.

"It's known for being a cordial city," said Kimberly Ann Calos, one of Petersburg's newcomers.

Calos, 48, moved to Old Towne from Hopewell about two years ago. She opened an antiques and collectibles shop on North Sycamore Street, a few blocks from her home, and is now called the unofficial mayor of Sycamore Street.

"We have some of the most beautiful architecture in the whole country," she said, adding that many Old Towne residents enjoy living and working in the same area.

PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA

SLIDESHOW

MORE SLIDESHOWS
Check our photos for a walking tour of Old Towne Petersburg.
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Check our photos for a walking tour of historic High Street.
Take photo tours of Petersburg National Battlefield Park.
Take photo & video tours of Blandford Church & Cemetery.
Take photo & video tours of the Petersburg Siege Musuem.
Find more information about Centre Hill Mansion.

"I don't even know where my car is," said Calos, who walks to work.

Yholanda Mills, 38, was raised in Petersburg. She said she's proud of her home.

"Everything is very warm here," Mills said as she perused the merchandise at Kimberly Ann's antiques and consignment boutique.

"It's like you are right back in a different time. It's very nostalgic."

In Petersburg, the past easily melds with the present. Originally called Peter's Point, Petersburg became the third incorporated city in the state in 1850. (Richmond was incorporated in 1842, Norfolk in 1845.)

Historically, the port of Petersburg was a commercial center for processing and transporting cotton, tobacco and metal goods. The area later became an important railroad center, according to the town Web site.

Petersburg has ties to the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, when the siege of Petersburg precipitated Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The Siege Museum, housed in the circa-1839 Exchange Building on West Bank Street, interprets civilian life in Petersburg during and after the Civil War.

Over the years, the town has suffered its share of devastation. In 1815, a fire roared through downtown Petersburg, destroying most the buildings. In August 1993, a tornado ripped through and devastated historic Old Towne, causing at least $10 million in damage.

Still, B. David Canada, city manager of Petersburg, said there are plenty of delightful surprises in Old Towne.

"People are just not aware," he said.

. . .

These days, Old Towne is filled with sidewalk-lined streets, beautifully restored historic homes and eclectic stores. Shelves are stocked with items ranging from handmade dolls to ornate chandeliers to a 1982 Citroen Deux Cheveaux to an antique desk with ties to Watergate.

The desk and the Deux Cheveaux, a car, are for sale at Rivers' Edge.

"We go to estate sales and auctions in hopes of finding that special piece," said owner Beverly Rivers, who also is editor of Better Homes and Gardens' "100 Decorating Ideas under $100." "We get up in the middle of the night and wait for treasures."

Rivers and her husband, Jeff Abugel, moved to Old Towne for the historic homes and to be closer to family.

"It is a community here," Rivers said, adding that everywhere she goes people recognize her and wave. "When you walk down the streets, you feel like you are in parade."

There are other antiques shops in Old Towne, including The Oak Antiques Mall, where dealers rent space to sell their goods.

Paula Mims makes a living making dolls and repairing them at At The Globe, her shop on North Sycamore Street. It's an antiques minimall stocked full of collectibles, including an impressive display of black-history memorabilia.

Mims, who looks like a doll herself, said "I didn't have a large doll collection growing up."

"I had brothers," she said. "When you have brothers, you don't have a lot of dolls left."

. . .

Among the surprises are The Retreat Salon & Spa and the Sycamore Rouge arts venue. And there's a handful of good places to eat.

Locals says the wine tastes sweeter when sipped at the hand-carved bar in Longstreet's and the souvlakia is even yummier at Alexander's.

There's also Andrade's, a local favorite Mexican and pan-Hispanic restaurant, and Wabi-Sabi, which serves sushi. Two other local favorites are The Brickhouse Run, a British pub and restaurant, and Dixie Diner, which specializes in home cooking. Soon-to-open is Maria's Restaurant, an Italian spot.

One of the area's biggest draws, aside from the food, is Petersburg's Friday for the Arts, celebrated the second Friday of each month from 6 to 10 p.m., and the Petersburg Regional Art Center. Most businesses in Old Towne join in the fun with art exhibits and music.

For years, people have talked about what Petersburg could be. These days, the conversation leans more to what is happening -- from Friday for the Arts to Sycamore Rouge to the nearby Fort Lee expansion, which will bring an additional 3,500 troops and Defense Department civilians and contractors to nearby Fort Lee, along with more than 6,100 family members.

"I've seen a lot of change," said Dulaney Ward, a longtime resident and unofficial historian of Petersburg.

"We are not just on the cusp. We are just past the cusp."