Beyond TEDxRVA
By Marc Cheatham and Paul Spicer When it comes to Richmond, the future isn’t coming; the future is here. All that’s left is how Richmond will define its identity moving forward. Events like TEDxRVA: ARTFUL, which was held this spring, are helping define Richmond for years to come. TEDxRVA, an independently organized TED event, […]
The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia Opens in the Leigh Street Armory
By Paul Spicer On the corner of St. Peter and Leigh Streets in Jackson Ward sits a place for dialogue. The castle-like building, originally constructed in 1895, once served as the base for the First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Infantry, Richmond’s first African American regiments. This spring the building, known as the Leigh Street Armory, became […]
Burning Bright
By Elizabeth Sobka The Eastern Land Collective, a Broad Street-based co-working space, has two important switches. The first is the “on” switch to the studio’s Technivorm Moccamaster coffee brewer. Without it, creativity lags, conversation dwindles, and caffeine-withdrawal headaches slow production to a halt. The second is the life force of Alan Long’s business: the power […]
Creative Sprint RVA: Richmond Schools, Businesses, and Entrepreneurs Get Creative
By Noah Scalin and Mica Scalin When you think of creativity, what comes to mind? Is it an artist painting a picture or an author writing a book? Is it yourself? As siblings from a family of artists, we never questioned that we were creative, but when we started teaching creativity to the business […]
Zoozil Offers Choice-Driven Historical Fiction
By Caitlin Kearney and Sean Banks Almost every startup today has lofty aspirations, whether to change the world or to disrupt an industry. But Joe Heinzen and his band of Zoozilists are thinking even bigger: They’re looking to change history. As the driving force behind Zoozil, Heinzen and his team are creating a digital platform […]
A Reason to Party
Good times can be hard work. Nobody understands that better than Nate Marcus. With an enterprising spirit and a commitment to local businesses, Marcus launched PartyRVA in 2015 – soon to be rebranded as OccasionGenius. His goal was to unite idea-strapped party planners with the host of entertainment options Greater Richmond has to offer. “You […]
Wholesome Food in a Jar
Sometimes opportunity strikes when you least expect it. A business can germinate from a simple act of kindness. Fresh and local food, packed in a mason jar and shared with friends, has become a recipe for success. This is a unique business idea, so using marketing and PR strategies from companies such as https://www.ceres-pr.co.uk/, can […]
Eastern Land Collective: The Intersection of Shared Studio and Small Agency
By Elizabeth Sobka During the summer of 2014, Jordan and Kim Childs moved back to Richmond after an extended stay in the world of big brands and international advertising agencies. As Jordan describes it, “I worked for some great companies but found I spent most of my time talking about what we were going […]
Intentionally Unconventional: Third Wave Coffee Company Expands
An unmarked, steel garage door in historic Manchester rolls open to reveal a warehouse filled with neatly stacked rows of kegs. Standing next to a walk-in refrigerator, childhood friends Terry Darcy and Mike Woitach take inventory of their oaked cold brew. They look confident, like two guys just waiting to shake up an industry. Darcy […]
From Bean to Bar
By Luis Davila As with many good ideas, the decision to launch a small-batch chocolate company started over a cup of coffee. Alexander Burlingame, a philosophy student at VCU, was working at Lamplighter Roasting Company and was intrigued by the coffee-making process. In particular, he was drawn to the uniqueness in each roast and the […]