Meet this week's guest editor, Shannon Siriano Greenwood, founder of Rebelle! Shannon is here to deliver her recommendations for this week in the River City. Founder, leader, and community builder, Shannon is most passionate about sharing the stories of exceptional people. Eternally curious, Shannon has interviewed thousands of women from celebrities to founders, authors, physicians, creatives, and every day women to understand their perspectives and share their experiences with audiences big and small. She lives in Richmond with her husband, two boys, and a village of friends and family who make life worth living.
Take it away, Shannon ...
Creative Mornings:
Acceptance
One of my favorite monthly events is hosted by Creative Mornings Richmond. A group of volunteers led by my dear friend Michelle Mercurio produces a free speaker breakfast and this month’s theme is Acceptance. The speaker this month is Roscoe Burnems who is the first poet laureate of Richmond, among many other identities.
Bonus: at this month’s event I am giving away copies of the Spring/Summer issue of Rebelle Magazine.
Vitals:
Creative Mornings / Visual Arts Center: 1812 W Main St. / Friday, May 19th at 8:30 am
Buna Kurs
Ethiopian Cafe
A hidden gem of a coffee shop, Buna Kurs, is one of my favorite places to bump into creatives and innovators. If you have never tried Ethiopian breakfast food you are in for a treat. I suggest the Breakfast Combo which includes egg silsi, kinche, firfir served with injera or bread. If you have questions, just ask! The owner, Lilly as well as many of the regular patrons are happy to tell you about their favorites on the menu.
It’s with a heavy heart that I am sharing the store closing of one of my favorite downtown shops, Someday, located on Broad Street. For the last five years, this vintage housewares boutique has been a staple for thoughtful gifts, unique finds and house plants. While I’m sad to see them go, I know how challenging it is to run a small business, and am so proud of Audie and her team for creating such a supportive small business community in her shop. I’ll be stopping by to celebrate their success. Everything is 30% off until Sunday.
Rebelle brings together women who are craving deep connections in formats including an annual conference, panel conversations, influencer interviews, hands-on workshops, and meetups with mentors.
We offer:
A boutique conference experience (Rebelle Con)
A year-long program for professional women to connect (SWELL by Rebelle)
A quarterly magazine addressing lifestyle and career (Rebelle Magazine)
I want every woman to have a Wolf Pack, as defined by Abby Wambach, “a crew of brave and honest women to support you.”
Meet this week's guest editor, Suzanne Burns, owner of Humble Haven Yoga! Suzanne is here to deliver her recommendations for celebrating community in the River City. In addition to being a mom of three (or four if you count her adorable pup), Suzanne founded Humble Haven Yoga in 2013 and opened its first brick and mortar location in Shockoe Bottom in January 2016. Suzanne lives her purpose through creating equitable opportunities in education, employment, wellness, and beyond for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Take it away, Suzanne ...
A Tablespoonfull
of Sugar
I’ve been working with the special needs and diverse ability community since I was in high school. Fast forward to the present and I’m lucky to be a mom to my four-year-old daughter, June, who has Down syndrome. I’m a strong believer in building and supporting local businesses and organizations that prioritize equitable employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.
One of my favorite weekend activities is to visit Tablespoons Bakery with my family. You can grab some cookies, muffins, and coffee and sit on their patio or venture into their enclosed playground. If you’re a cookie dough fan, try their cookie dough cone!
I’m a strong believer that movement and community are two very important ingredients to the recipe for feeling well and joyful in your day-to-day life. One of my favorite places to visit outside of Humble Haven is The Well Collective located at 13 S 13th Street in the heart of Shockoe Bottom.
The Well Collective is a space for conscious community that offers intergenerational wellness, equitable healing modalities, educational workshops and an apothecary. Check out Heated Power Yoga with Charles on 5/11, Asana Pranayama and Meditation, or Heated Move + Breathe on 5/13. Can’t make one of those? Check out their schedule and hours for another time to visit.
Vitals:
Heated Power Yoga with Charles / The Well Collective / 13 S. 13th Street / Thursday, May 11 at 6:15 pm
RVA
Big Market
My family and I live in the Northside of the city and venture often to the RVA Big Market at Bryan Park on Saturdays. If you’re traveling in from other parts of Richmond, Bryan Park offers lots of parking within the park or even in the surrounding neighborhoods where you can take a short walk in.
Two of our favorite vendors to visit are Ryba’s Pierogis and JAMs Cakery. You won’t be disappointed with anything you order, but when visiting our friends at Rybas, try the pastrami and swiss pierogis and one of their made-to-order breakfast sandwiches. When visiting JAMs, the chocolate chip cookies are our go-to faves.
Vitals:
RVA Big Market / Bryan Park - 4308 Hermitage Road, Richmond / Saturdays, 8 am - 12 pm
More About Humble Haven Yoga
Humble Haven aims to bring together diverse groups of people to experience something outside of routine life — offering flexibility and expression as a way of living through versatile daily classes and community events. Located just west of the city in the Reynolds Crossing shopping center (corner of Glenside Dr. and Forest Ave.), Humble Haven offers a combination of yoga and strength-based classes that compliment one another in style of movement and strive to meet each individual where they are on any given day and at any phase or stage of life.
Next month, Humble Haven is expanding to add an additional room where they'll hold daily Bootcamp classes to build strength, weekly Yin classes to slow it down, and they'll be launching a program specifically for children and young adults with special needs - the first of its kind in Richmond. Class offerings for individuals with developmental disabilities will range from one-on-one instruction to small group. These offerings will be available late summer and early fall. Visit the studio and follow along on their social accounts (@humblehavenyoga) for the latest!
Meet this week's guest editor, Myles Brown, owner of MYLO Video Productions! Myles is ready to serve up his recommendations for exploring and celebrating the River City. A musical artist and filmmaker from Richmond, Myles focuses on how self-expression, music, vulnerability, honest conversations, and escapism through nature can lead to a stronger and healthier community. You'll find him anywhere and everywhere supporting and contributing to Richmond's creative ecosystem.
Take it away, Myles ...
Locals Only Night -
The Park RVA
This Thursday, local bike club the Broad Street Bullies are hosting an after-ride party and fundraiser at The Park RVA at 7:00 pm. There will be a raffle of items donated by local businesses with all proceeds going to Ignite Richmond Public Schools. Also, I will premiere a new music video and hold a Q&A session for my song “CARTOONS” in the auditorium at The Park beginning at 9:30 pm. This event is open to the public and admission to The Park is free. No tickets are required to view “CARTOONS” in the auditorium. The project will officially release on all streaming platforms on Sunday, May 14th.
Vitals:
Locals Only Night / The Park RVA / 1407 Cummings Dr, Richmond / Thursday, May 4 at 7:00 pm
Soccer Match
Richmond Kickers vs. Union Omaha
On Friday you can find me with the Red Army cheering on our Richmond Kickers! Kickers games are arguably my favorite summer event in the city. There’s nothing like gathering up a group of my friends and walking through Carytown to City Stadium. I grew up playing academy soccer for the Richmond Strikers and eventually played D1 soccer for Notre Dame and UNC Charlotte, so this sport is a huge part of my identity. It’s amazing how passionate Richmond is about the Kickers organization and I’m excited to attend each home game this season.
More than 300 artists from around the country will gather in Byrd Park for the 52nd Annual Arts in the Park to display fine art paintings, metal crafts, jewelry and much more. This nationally-rated juried art show is free and open to the public. Proceeds from the event will support community programs, local parks, the public library, and the school system. I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but I may bring my camera and my drone to document what I observe. That’s typically what I do at Richmond events, so I’m excited to see what I can put together!
Vitals:
Arts in the Park / Byrd Park – 1301 Blanton Avenue, Richmond / Saturday, May 6, 11 am – 6 pm & Sunday, May 7, 11 am – 5 pm
More About Myles
In addition to being a local creative, filmmaker, and musician, Myles' production company works on a range of highly visible projects. His work has been featured on the “Own Your Shine” Juneteenth Artist Spotlight series by the Oprah Winfrey Network as well as Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Chamber RVA, Sports Backers, Maymont, BLK RVA, and more.
Myles' unique filmmaking style formulated after pursuing a degree in Psychology. At UNC Charlotte, he joined a research team that focused on perceived discrimination against African-American college students, as well as the coping mechanisms used to manage these chronic stressors to achieve psychological wellness. Myles infuses similar coping strategies into his work to illuminate experiences that are universally understood. He hopes that telling vulnerable and authentic narratives will promote empathy and interconnectedness in the Richmond community.
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