Love is in the air in the River City! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we've rounded up favorite local businesses looking to make it as easy as possible for you to show that you care any time of year. From bike excursions to a new independent bookstore to wine and cheese delivered to your doorstep, we have you covered this year.
Basket & Bike
BASKET & BIKE, a local bike excursions company founded by Anne Poarch, is offering a chance for recreation, exercise, and good times with friends. It’s also offering something much more – a new way of looking at the beauty around us. A new way of looking at the history that shaped our Commonwealth, and our nation. A new way of looking at ourselves. What better gift to give to someone you love this Valentine's Day or any day. To make it easy, Basket & Bike is offering electronic Tour Gift Cards that can be used for Quirk Richmond & Secret Garden Tours (bike tours of some of RVA’s artsy must-sees and pocket parks), Downtown Tours (classic and electric bike tours of RVA street art, nature, and history), Signature Rides at Upper Shirley, Williamsburg Winery to Jamestown Island (19-mile classic bicycle ride on the Colonial Parkway and around coastal Jamestown Island), and elevated picnic experiences.
Give the gift of a good book and a little "me" time. The Book Bar, a Black-owned, woman-owned bookstore that centers on BIPOC authors, is hosting its grand opening this Saturday at 1311 E. Main St. in downtown Richmond. The 2,100-square-foot shop was created by Dr. Krystle Dandridge, a local therapist, as a way to create an independent bookstore and uplifting community space where Black, Indigenous and people of color are reflected when you walk through the door. The Book Bar also doubles as a wine shop that will soon host wine tastings and sell wine by the bottle to take away. For Valentine’s Day, we suggest The Black Box, a subscription box by The Book Bar that features books by BIPOC authors, curated items that cultivate knowledge, and local products that encourage self-care while also promoting a variety of other Black-owned small businesses. And you can even add wine to your box! Box subscriptions are delivered quarterly and are the perfect gift for yourself or for anyone who loves to escape in a good book.
Talk about a perfect match, RVA Cheese Girl and RichWine RVA are collaborating this Valentine’s Day to offer Richmonders a special edition, heart-shaped charcuterie box paired with a handpicked bottle of red! Emmie Lewis, local owner of RVA Cheese Girl, has racked up a loyal following of late for her handcrafted seasonal boards curated to highlight RVA’s finest ingredients. For Valentine’s Day she has gone above and beyond with a themed box packed with cheese, charcuterie, chocolate covered strawberries and other various accouterments. RichWine RVA, a boutique wine retailer with a focus on clean farming practiced wines, steps up this package with a special bottle picked by owners Kristen Gardner Beal and Lance Lemon. Get your orders in by February 8, 2022 before midnight, as limited quantities are available.
RVA First Fridays is tonight, Friday, February 4th! Among the many participating galleries and local businesses in the Richmond Arts District you'll find an opening exhibit by Justice Dwight at Eden Airlines at 214 E Grace St. The new exhibit, called “promises, promises,” will also feature a brand new coloring book by the popular local artist dropping tonight!
Meet Rick Hood, this week’s guest editor! Many Richmonders know Rick as the owner of Ellwood Thompson's and as a founding member of Real Local RVA. In 1989, Rick launched City Market as the first in the area to provide access to organic produce and natural products. Several years later, the business leveled up to the intersection of Ellwood Ave. and Thompson St. where it earned its current name and has continued to grow into 20,000-square‐feet of all things healthy and local. Through it all, Rick has remained dedicated to feeding the heart and soul of our community. His store has long supported small local, organic and certified naturally-grown farms as well as recyclable packaging, composting, and water and energy conservation. Trained as an architect, Rick’s influence can be spotted throughout the store's design and re-use of building materials. When he’s not at Ellwood’s, you can spot Rick around town taking a stroll through neighborhoods in RVA with unique architecture as he looks for hidden details and new discoveries. We asked Rick to share his favorite spots to explore in the River City. Take it away, Rick …
Byrd Park Court
A year ago as I explored the east side of Byrd Park, I chanced upon this charming vest pocket grouping of 12 buildings arranged around an inner loop known as Byrd Park Court. Originally designed by well known Richmond architect, Carl Max Lindner, in 1921, the court is home to beautiful entry gates and a noteworthy center fountain. The variety of architectural styles of the day, and its residential court design, makes it truly unique in the City. In 2016, Byrd Park Court was added to the National Register of Historic Places. To explore the tiny court, head east past Byrd Park opposite Swan Lake Drive entrance, and look for the stone Beaux Arts-style gate nestled along the street.
West Avenue is always a favorite stroll any time of year. This cozy, one-way Fan street is just three blocks long and can be explored between the west campus of VCU and Stuart Circle. Among the narrow street, you'll find a solid consistency of modest building scale and a great variety of styles (especially in the westernmost block). The trees along the street form a passageway with nice shade and add to the exceptional pedestrian experience here. An interesting detail is the application of cobblestones at the pedestrian street crossings. Additionally there is a wonderfully designed corner apartment building facing Lombardy whose exterior fits perfectly within this beautiful residential area.
As a longtime fan of Carytown, I always encourage people to explore this unique retail district for an example of historic urban retail at its finest. Nine blocks of originally residential houses directly on the street have been converted over time into some of the area’s best small-scale, local food and business shops. I especially love the Art Deco block (3100 block of W. Cary) that’s anchored by Cary Court, Richmond's first strip mall, that was built in 1938 and recently restored. This block has a great architectural presence made up of several period revival styles that is always a pleasure to stroll. And make sure to support local while you’re there! Stop into unique shops adding energy and style to the 3100 block in Carytown like Can Can, Roan, The Phoenix, For the Love of Chocolate, The Broken Tulip, and so many more!
Vitals:
Carytown / Adjacent to the Museum District and Byrd Park
Real Local RVA.
Real Local RVA is a grassroots group of independent, small grocery stores, farmers, farmer’s markets, value added producers, restaurants, and supporters working to build a more collaborative local food system. If you're passionate about local food and building community, check 'em out.
Brrr, it’s cold out there but don’t let that stop you from exploring and celebrating this place we love to call home. Here’s your inspiration to bundle up and go! See you out there, let's go ...
Bake a Difference
At Tablespoons Bakery, everyone is welcome to the table. Pop in this weekend and you’ll find larger-than-life cookies, endless piles of rainbow sprinkles, warm cups of coffee and friendly smiles. But what stands out most is the bakery’s celebration of community, inclusivity, and diversity. As a vocational culinary training program through the non-profit The Next Move Program, Tablespoons Bakery provides internship experiences and employment opportunities for young adults with developmental disabilities. Launched in 2017 with the support of the Virginia Department of Education and professional baker Britt Falabella, the baking program serves 50+ young adults annually and strives to combat high rates of unemployment for people with disabilities in Virginia. Elizabeth Redford, executive director and co-founder, says the talented crew at Tablespoons bakes to make a difference, to teach students that they are capable, and to show others that differences are beautiful. Located in the former parsonage house of Westover Hills United Methodist Church, the new brick and mortar bakery and community café offers everything from baked goods, coffee, tea, an outdoor courtyard, Tot Lot playground for kids, and community space for events and workshops. When you’re finished polishing off a warm plate of cookies take a stroll through nearby James River Park System.
Do yourself a favor and explore Richmond’s first coffeeshop, craft barbecue, and Tex Mex mashup on Brookland Park Boulevard! Known as the “front porch” of Brookland Park, The Smoky Mug has a little something for everyone. We’re talking pork spare ribs that fall off the bone, mouth-watering house made smoked turkey chili chowder that’s sure to warm you up, bagel sandwiches made on locally loved Chewy's Bagels, and homemade pressed tortillas that make their Taco Night the best in all the land. And don’t forget to test drive the drink menu too, ranging from a delightfully rich and spicy Aztec Hot Cocoa with honey, chili pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla spiced whipped cream to a delicious Winter Margarita that features a trio of winter citrus—key lime, lemon and blood orange. For a day like this, we suggest asking the friendly baristas for a Hot Toddy with Wild Turkey 101, honey, and spiced tea or the Melted Snowman, a frosty fav built with melted chips of milk and white chocolate with a few buttons of peppermint.
It may be cold out there, but don’t let that stop you from wandering outside and rediscovering some of your favorite places in a different light. If you ask us, there’s nothing better than a snowy backdrop to help change your perspective. Consider a walk to Sankofa Community Orchard, where you’ll find murals by local artists and volunteers organized by Happily Natural organization, fusing together art, food justice, racial justice and climate justice initiatives. This 1-acre space in a formerly redlined neighborhood on Richmond’s southside is now home to a field of freestanding murals – that’s over 1700 square feet of art that really pops any time of year, but especially now! The garden, which includes fruit trees and fruiting shrubs, is part of efforts by City of Richmond and local nonprofits to ensure stormwater best management practices along Reedy Creek for a healthier Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
True Places is an experiential art initiative designed to inspire the exploration and celebration of our most authentic outdoor places in Richmond. To begin, the True Places crew challenged four local artists to depict their true place in a piece of art that highlights destinations not commonly found on a map or along a well-worn path. The result – the first in a series of fine art prints for sale that honor places in the great outdoors that speak to our community’s ability to push further, explore deeper, reflect, and to learn along the way.
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