Meet the Bookers
Nine Things to Know About Elisa and Armistead
Hi! We are the Bookers, a couple of lovebirds enjoying a grand life together in Brooklyn with our adventurous little man, Benjamin Page. Elisa is an event planner, personal chef, professional organizer, and preschool teacher. Armistead is a graphic designer, museum educator, visual storyteller, and freelance artist. We cook, garden, and entertain in our home, backyard, and neighborhood every day.
Here are nine things to know about us…
1 Virginia is for lovers. Armistead grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, just down the road from the homes of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Meanwhile, Elisa grew up in Deptford, New Jersey but at the age of ten moved with her parents to become missionaries on the island of Guam, broadcasting radio programs throughout Eastern Asia.
2 Epic summer nights. We host a backyard movie series every summer, complete with a homemade trailer reel, twinkly lights, and buttery popcorn.
3 A storied past. Armistead studied geology and art history in college, both sharing a deep tradition of storytelling: one explaining the dynamic earth beneath our feet, the other exploring the meaning within a work of art and its maker. Elisa studied theater, song, and dance in college, performing everything from Shakespeare to Sondheim.
4 Rip em, ride em. We help run an annual surf contest in Florida that has raised over $100k for student scholarships and a local food bank over the past 15 years.
5 Generational fanfare. The Booker family traces its roots back to Colonial Virginia, where my ancestors helped establish the capital city of Williamsburg, fought in the Revolutionary War, served as state governor and congressman, and protected the Star Spangled Banner in the War of 1812. During the 1600s, Elisa’s family, the Fullers, helped colonize New England when the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock. Today the family includes a proud history of merchant sailors and nurses.
6 What’s in a name? The surname Armistead comes from the Old English, meaning “solitary fortress.” Young master Benjamin’s name means “son of the right hand,” which comes from the Old Testament: the youngest of Jacob’s twelve sons who founded one of the southern tribes.
7 Pre-Facebook startup. When Armistead was a sophomore at William and Mary, he launched the first online student election system on a college campus, garnering national attention and successfully introducing a set of online tools still in use by the student body today.
8 Brooklyn artisanal fare. We are purveyors of homemade vanilla extract that was popular enough as our wedding favor that we turned it into a small business.
9 Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Armistead plays piano and has a background in french horn, trumpet, handbells, and organ. Elisa sings and tap-dances. Benjamin loves to bang on his toy piano and drum gleefully every chance he can get.
And one more for good measure…
After college, our heroes followed their feet and pursued a dream… to the bright lights of Broadway and the majestic halls of the American Museum of Natural History. They learned the subway, explored the city, and nestled into a community of young artists. With a lot of help from friends and an adorable two-year-old named Charlie (who Elisa was nannying at the time), Elisa and Armistead gradually fell in love as they strolled through the Museum, played games and studied the Word with their friends, and travelled together from Florida to Colorado and back again. The story continues!
