Technology Meets Craftsmanship
By Jeff Kelley “We’ve got a lot going on these days,” a grinning Jeff Rock says as we stand in a bright, 2,000-square-foot single-room warehouse off North Hamilton Street. It’s here where Rock, co-founder of the city’s most prominent software development company, along with his father and colleagues at Mobelux, are trying their hands […]
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 […]
Shop and Sip Roaring Pines
Drew Dayberry is an advertising man gone rogue. He is the owner and operator of Roaring Pines, a general store and soda shop in Union Hill. Walking through the front door of Roaring Pines is like walking through time. The walls are made mostly of frosty gray-green pegboard decorated with American-manufactured goods: brooms, galvanized buckets, […]
This is Major
Communities are built through stories. When we tell stories that inspire and engage us, we inevitably build stronger communities. But it also takes dedicated people to share narratives that have the power to change. At the intersection of powerful stories and community engagement live two men: Mike Kemetic and Marshall “Major” Taylor. A Powerful Story […]
Gears in the Garden: Bike Gardens In Bloom At The Center of the Universe
A green bike with a yellow seat and an American flag sits in front of Cross Bros. Grocery with a country cured ham hanging from the handle bars. Nearby, two bikes – one baby blue and the other hot pink – sit atop the Ashland Theater marquee covered in lights. Decorated bikes sit in front […]
Exhibits, Helmets, and Community
With its knack for connecting the past with the future, The Valentine has launched “In Gear: Richmond Cycles,” a rich collection of photographs, bikes, and historical objects that span several centuries of cycling. Curated by David Voelkel, the exhibit celebrates all things cycling – from 19th century high wheel bikes to the local stories of […]
How We Roll: Richmond’s Inner-City Youth Cycling Program
By Craig Dodson What does cycling have to do with low-income kids from public housing? Nothing and everything. When I started Richmond Cycling Corps (RCC) in 2010, it was merely a project: a “let’s see what would happen if …” kind of thing. Well, in our first year, a group of four kids from Fairfield […]