Style + Beauty

European Charm in Leesburg

Mon Chouchou Baby & Child blends luxury children’s fashion with a boutique experience worth savoring. Article by Beth Rasin Nestled above Goosecup Coffee on Leesburg’s vibrant King Street, Mon Chouchou Baby & Child Boutique is more than an upscale children’s clothing store; it’s a love letter to childhood, community, and thoughtful design. Opened in January by Beth Bullard and Scott Rottmann, who bring backgrounds in healthcare and finance, the store has quickly become a bright spot in...

Education

Teaching With Love

Simpson Middle School's Washington Post Teacher of the Year says building relationships is the key Photography by Mary Lanaghan/MJL Studios Several decades before she was a Washington Post 2025 Teacher of the Year, J. Lupton Simpson educator Kimberly Poole was a marketing major with dreams of a corporate career. But even then, she felt tugged toward a different calling. “I was always teaching,” said Poole, a Simpson alumna herself. “I taught Sunday school, I taught swim lessons, I coached...

Life + Culture

A Pawfect Match

Canines & Kitties Rescue in Chantilly helps families find the right pet—and the right start Article and Photography by When Crystal Wood and Kim Larimer co-founded Canines & Kitties Rescue in 2022, between them they had already spent decades volunteering with other organizations. But they saw a need and an opportunity to do more.  Today, the all-volunteer nonprofit they established in Chantilly places adoptable dogs and cats with carefully matched individuals and families. One key to their...

Life + Culture

Mobile Hope Opens Doors for At-Risk Youth

Helping kids on their journey from homelessness to self-sufficiency Article by Beth Rasin | Photography by Courtesy of Mobile Hope At first glance, the new Graffiti & Silk thrift store on Mobile Hope’s Leesburg campus looks like something out of a design magazine: a chandelier made of paintbrushes, a moped staged as a beauty bar, and clothing racks created from vintage doors. But each of these pieces, designed and produced by the unhoused teens Mobile Hope serves, tells a deeper story of hope...