Ed 202: The April Trendspotter, Goat Cheese Ice Cream, James River Must-Dos
Hey, hi, hello! 👋
Folks, we simply cannot with your "reasons to buy flowers" in the Comments section on Ed 201 of the Insider. Delani F. and Emily C. won the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden giveaway (🎉) that prompted the ~bloom~ of responses, but literally all of them had us smiling and feeling very warm and spring-y.
Speaking of giveaways, we’ve got two for you this week, and we’re going to start with one riiiiiight… NOW:
Jurassic Quest is “the largest exhibition of lifesize, moving, museum-quality dinosaurs” and features rides, fossil-uncovering, dinosaur shows, and more. It’s coming to the Greater Richmond Convention Center next week, and we’re teaming up with the Jurassic Quest crew to give away a family four-pack of tickets, valid for any day and time of the RVA event. To enter to win: Tell us your favorite Ross Geller storyline in Friends.
I mean, can you even focus now? Two giveaways this week, we said! Move those digits to see more about that and everything else we’ve got on the brain this week.
WEATHER
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy; high of 85°, low of 66°
Thursday: Afternoon thunderstorms; high of 82°, low of 52°
Friday: Partly cloudy; high of 73°, low of 53°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 5 - 9 pm: Luminous Hour
Thursday, 6 - 8 pm: Drag Bingo with Michelle Livigne
Friday, 3 - 6 pm: Na Nin x Olivia Wilson
CITY GUIDES
1. FLOWER POWER! TOP SPOTS TO CATCH RICHMOND IN BLOOM
RICHMONDER(S) TO KNOW
Kate Fletcher: She’s the local English teacher who recently ran the 105-mile stretch from Louisa County to Washington, DC, to raise money for scholarships for hard-working seniors at her school.
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including the vintage shop coming to Jackson Ward, a Carytown Easter egg hunt, where to go for ear acupuncture, and more.
THE LATEST:
SWEET UPDATES
A legendairy update: Blue Cow Ice Cream Co — a Roanoke-based, artisan, small-batch ice cream company — is coming to the West End this June. “Among Blue Cow’s flavors are a goat cheese ice cream with a blueberry swirl and a carrot cake variety. The company also serves non-dairy ice cream.” We’re feeling anything but blue about this news. (Richmond BizSense)
Rabbit, rabbit: If you’re looking for a new place to snag some old (see: vintage) pieces, you’re in luck. Two Rabbits Vintage is opening a storefront in Jackson Ward. The shop operates through its Instagram DMs for purchases now, but we can’t wait to do a stroll-by instead of scroll-by when they bring their 1970s, brushed gold and hot pink, chinoiserie stools and things of the like downtown. (Instagram)
Get another whiff of this: We were salivating in Ed 196 over the news of Claudia’s Bake Shop opening in Carytown, and now we’ve got a little more info to share. Shop owner Claudia Strobbing and her right-hand baker, Hannah Davis, plan to regularly whip up challah loaves, croissants, danishes, babka, rugelach, cookies, cinnamon buns, cheesecake, tarts, and — if you can even believe it — more. (Richmond magazine)
Sip, sip, hooray!: If you consider to-go cocktails and alcohol delivery a silver lining of the pandemic, you’ll want to raise a glass: Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin recently signed two bills to extend the booze-friendly policies put in place during COVID-19. “This revenue-generating measure has provided much-needed support for local hospitality businesses and increased convenience for Virginia’s consumers.” Cheers to that. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
SELF-CARE, SHOPPING & SUNSHINE NEWS
Getting some Skin in the game: The founder of Holy Chic + Co has plans to open Skin, a modern spa, social club, and wellness space in the Fan. According to a recent press release, the new space, set to open this summer, will “offer the modern-day chill-seekers — across all ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds — access to a variety of esthetic and body treatments inspired by wellness traditions from around the world [and] house Lolo’s Bar — an intimate cafe named in honor of the founder’s late father — where Skin clientele can indulge in seasonal cafe drinks, snacks, smoothies, wine, and beer.” (Holy Chic + Co)
Tiny Points at Tiny Space: Starting in May, Tiny Space and Onward Acupuncture are teaming up to offer ear acupuncture once a month on a sliding scale — starting at $22 plus a donation to a local charity. The duo has chosen Side by Side for its first cause, and you can either sign yourself up here or DM Tiny Space on Instagram to gift a session to someone else. (Instagram)
On the (Easter egg) hunt: The Carytown Merchants Association is hosting an Easter egg hunt this Saturday, April 16. Easter eggs hidden throughout participating businesses in Carytown “will have special treats and discounts to local stores inside.” Bring the kids and enjoy this kickoff to a happy Easter weekend. (Carytown Merchants Association)
We’re swimming in James River must-dos: The James River was recently named the best urban kayaking spot, and the more it heats up outside, the more we’re daydreaming about spring and summer fun on the water. Here are a few things we’ve got on our warm-weather radar: Carefree Boat Club, Kingfish Boat Rentals, and an RVA extension of Potomac Paddle Club.
MORE LINKS YOU’LL WANT TO CLICK
🏊The Smoky Mug is collecting new or gently used swimsuits. (Instagram)
💎Emily Warden Designs dropped their spring collection in store and online. (Instagram)
Weekly Giveaway
Less Than
Earth Day is next Friday, April 22, and one company that really knows how to celebrate Mother Nature is Less Than. The organization is “a zero waste and refill shop offering sustainable alternatives to everyday goods that are healthy for you and for our planet.”
This week, we’re teaming up with Less Than and giving away a three-pack of their solid shampoo and conditioner sample set bars.
To enter to win, in the Comments section on this edition, tell us your favorite iconic hairstyle of all time. (By the way, when you enter, please write your name in this format: Kelsey H. And make sure you check back to see if you won! We’ll let you know in the Comments section, too.)
Last week: Congratulations to last week’s winners, Delani F. and Emily C., for winning our Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden giveaway!
Member Perks
Market on Meadow
If, like us, you’ve been going hard on Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs recently, you’re craving something *fresh* and tasty instead. Enter: Market on Meadow — a collaboration between two local RVA market vendors, Auntie Ning's and Polpetti, serving up delicious Filipino food and Italian food.
Members of The Richmond Experience receive 10% off online orders when you use code RVAMoM to place your order here. (And pssst, this perk applies to online orders only.)
New + Trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 16 new members this week: Dan L., Virginia M., Mike M., Caroline C., Whitney B., Allison L., Michael S., Jennifer W., Briana M., Molly M., Stephanie M., Laura D., Elizabeth B., Allie W., Mary B., and Ashley E., 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 202 of The Weekly Insider.
Have a great week!
- The Richmond Experience
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