Ed 144: New Calendar, Exotic Snacks, Drive-In Movies
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Image Source: @lookuprichmond
Hey there! Alicia here 👋
In case you missed our announcement on Instagram Reels last Thursday, we’ve got a brand spankin’ new calendar on The Richmond Experience just for you!
We worked with a rad startup in Charlottesville called SceneThink to revamp our hand-curated event collection process so that:
(a) It’s more intuitive than ever for our members (that’s you!) to find the coolest things happening around Richmond at any given moment or to snag your tickets to events coming soon, and…
(b) Organizations and businesses around Richmond can submit events for consideration, for free, super easily whenever they’d like!
We hope you love it as much as we do! Take a look around to see how you can check out upcoming events, take a peek at our top picks, search by event category, or browse our event collections.
Now, on to this week’s social news — including a seasonal subscription box for Richmond-lovers dropping next week, where Richmond’s new drive-in movie theater is expected to open next month, a Jackson Ward spot self-proclaimed to be “Virginia's 1st Exotic Snack & Drink Shop” with products you’ll have to see to believe, and more.
THE LATEST:
Image: @devinwilliams1044
Image: @rivercityselections
Image: @gosquirrels
Image: @pbrinthefan
SOCIAL NEWS
We love it when RVA makes national news! Thrillest recently named Richmond as “a creative capital embracing small businesses and change” in their article, Underappreciated American Cities You Should Totally Move To.
Journalist Patrice Williams noted that “areas like Church Hill and Jackson Ward maintain their historic charms while still attracting James Beard-nominated eateries” and specifically mentioned the Brookland Park neighborhood, “where a slew of new businesses—among them the city’s first Black-owned handcrafted ice cream shop, Ruby Scoops, and ready-to-eat meal specialist Brookland Park Market—seem destined for national lists.”
Williams concluded, “There's an excitement to this city with a rich, sometimes painful past, where East coast flair coexists with a slower pace of life only found below the Mason-Dixon line.”
Be sure to send the article to those friends and family members you’re trying to convince to move here!
A seasonal subscription box for Richmond-lovers. River City Selections just launched in winter 2020, offering a seasonal subscription box filled with a unique mix of items from businesses all over Richmond — and specifically, highlighting Black-, women-, POC-, and LGBTQ-owned businesses in every box!
River City Selections itself is also a Black woman-owned business, and boxes curated by owner and VCU alum, Taylor feature a mix of classic and exclusive artwork, home goods, coffee, candles, jewelry, beauty products, and everything in between.
Spring 2021 boxes will ship out on March 8, and you can either choose from the RCS Mini Box (ft. 5 items at $39.99), the RCS Large Box (ft. 10 items at $59.99), or the RCS 2021 Subscription (access to all four seasonal RCS boxes plus one additional subscribers-only box for $199.99).
You had me at “snacks.” Richmond Magazine’s Eileen Mellon just spilled the tea on One Way Market, which proclaims itself to be “Virginia's 1st Exotic Snack & Drink Shop.” The Jackson Ward convenience store’s owner, Ervin Johnson, takes pride in stocking out-of-the-ordinary snacks and drinks that are tough to find elsewhere in Richmond — items like Giant Skittles, Mountain Dew-Flavored Doritos, Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal, and way more. If you find yourself craving some obscure, nostalgic treat from your childhood anytime soon, chances are this is the place where you can find it!
Good news for movie buffs. While we have been anxiously awaiting the start of the 2021 season at the Goochland Drive-In so we can catch an outdoor movie and scarf down a mac-and-cheese-covered hot dog or two, did you know that a drive-in experience a bit closer to home is expected to open this spring? Mike Platania at Richmond BizSense reported that it’s coming to the parking lot Movieland Square, opening as soon as next month!
Bow Tie Cinemas hopes to run this new drive-in movie experience from their parking lot in Scott’s Addition from March through November, with room for approximately 80 cars. The plan is for customers to reserve spots and pre-order food ahead of showings — and the goal is for showings to take place daily. Can’t you almost smell the popcorn already?
See ya at the Squirrelly Gates. Major League Baseball announced the full 2021 Minor League Baseball schedule last week, including the 120-game slate for the Richmond Flying Squirrels! Our Squirrels will begin their eleventh season against the Hartford Yard Goats on Tuesday, May 4 — the first of 60 home games at The Diamond this season. You can find the full schedule here.
Of course, this schedule is subject to change due to any COVID-19 federal and state restrictions for the health and safety of players, club employees, and fans. But tentatively speaking, we’re excited to get back to cheering on our home team!
Did someone say PBR? Probably, because everyone’s talking about Pizza & Beer of Richmond opening a second location in Hanover! You can expect the same specialty brick oven pizza (from a Marra Forni artisanal brick pizza oven) and craft brews (48 draft lines of ‘em) with some new patio views from the Rutland Shopping Center, near Kroger, in late March or early April. Their social media presence is now split between @pbrhanover and @pbrinthefan to keep things straight as they expand.
And the winner is… Diversity Richmond will celebrate its fifth annual Black and Bold Awards to honor Black LGBTQ+ leadership throughout the Greater Richmond community this Sunday, February 28 at 6 pm. The event will be held virtually in partnership with Radio One, and you’ll be able to watch it happening live from the Diversity Richmond Facebook page. (An additional important side note: Diversity Richmond and Virginia Pride are now merging! Full details here from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.)
HAPPENINGS
Opportunities to shop local vendors and makers this weekend:
The Safe Space Market - Friday from 4 - 7 pm at the Lakeside Farmers’ Market
Grand Reopening at The Boho Basement - Saturday from 10 am - 6 pm at their new Willow Lawn location
GreenVibesRVA Plant Pop-Up - Saturday from 11 am - 2 pm at BOHO Fit Studio on Brookland Park Blvd
Artisan Market - Sunday from 1 - 4 pm at Main Line Brewery
Weekly Giveaway
Sun & Selene
For anyone who might not already be as obsessed as we are, Sun & Selene creates a collection of handcrafted jewelry and adornment for the modern goddess.
Every single piece of Sun & Selene jewelry is designed and hand fabricated in their studio here in Richmond. Owner Brittany DeRaffele carefully hammers, polishes, and finishes each piece in small batches using recycled metals and natural gemstones.
The Sun & Selene atelier is a full production studio with a small retail showroom for private appointments and select shopping hours — but you can also shop online here.
This week, we’re giving away a $25 “Hello, Goddess” gift certificate to use toward a purchase at Sun & Selene.
To enter to win: Tell me the last place you shopped local! For me, it was mod&soul — and I used our Member Perks for 20% off my purchase. Cha-ching.
Last week: Congratulations to Grace F. for winning our Grateful Heart Shop giveaway!
Member Perks
RVA TukTuk
You’ve probably seen an RVA TukTuk or two around town and wondered, “What IS that cute little thing? And how do I ride one?” so let us answer your questions in order:
(1) These TukTuks are basically 3-wheeled, 100% electric, open-air limos complete with a driver (who wears a mask at all times, follows social distancing requirements, and thoroughly disinfects the TukTuk between tours, in case you were worried).
(2) You ride one by booking a tour! As you might have guessed, there are a few tour options, which you can find here (including City Lights Tours, Bar Hops, Scavenger Hunts, Civil War, Slavery & Emancipation Tours, and more).
Members of The Richmond Experience can use code RVAX for 10% off when booking a City Lights Tour. Visit rvatuktuk.com now to book yours!
new + trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
We’re working on embedding our new calendar right into the Weekly Insider for future editions. For now, you can click the blue button below to find out what’s going on this week and beyond!
👋
Hey new members!
We'd like to welcome 38 new members this week: Megan H., Annah J., Darby D., Tiffanie S., A R., Allison R., Anne Marie H., Erin R., Roohi G., Rebecca M., Angilee D., Torie B., Kate M., Landon W., Lisa L., Hannah D., Julia W., Lauren S., Soleille E., Megan A., Lindsey R., Candace R., Catherine J., Erin P., Samantha M., Ryan N., Edye P., Emily F., Neal F., Josh H., Shelly D., Sharon F., Zander A., Taila S., Cody N., Maribeth C., Kaycee E., and Juliann L., we're so glad you're here!
It takes a village, so let us know if you have any questions, thoughts, feedback, tips, or recs! Thanks for reading edition 144 of the Weekly Insider.
Stay well friends,
Alicia @ The Richmond Experience
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