Ed 338: Richmond City Water, Cat Cafe, Party City
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Hi!
Wellllll, the new year’s off to a 🤬 , huh? As of yesterday evening, the water sitch in the City of Richmond still hadn’t quite been handled. “During work on the water restoration process this afternoon, an electric panel at the facility failed. On-site engineers moved quickly to address and resolve the issue. Initially, it was thought that this malfunction would not significantly impact the restoration process. However, further analysis and investigation in consultation with regional and statewide experts revealed that the event would extend the restoration process timeline,” reported RVA.gov.
The Department of Public Utilities and other resource partners are working to get things back up to full operational capacity, but in the meantime, also as of yesterday evening, the city has listed the following locations as bottled water distribution sites:
Bellemeade Community Center (Bellemeade)
Broad Rock Library (South Richmond)
East End District Initiative (EDI) (East End)
Hickory Hill Community Center (Cherry Gardens)
Midtown Green (Scott’s Addition)
Pine Camp Arts & Community Center (Pine Camp)
Westover Hills Community Center (Forest View)
For now, we’ll work on filling your other cup(s). Please take care of yourselves!
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including a pizza spot in the works, some Richmond ins and outs, a used book sale, and more.
PODCAST
WEATHER
Wednesday: Sunny; high of 32°, low of 15°
Thursday: Sunny; high of 33°, low of 18°
Friday: Cloudy; high of 35°, low of 16°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 5 - 10 pm: 3 FOR $30 DEAL AT RIVER CITY ROLL
Thursday, 12 - 5 pm: WINTER HOURS: FREE ADMISSION AT AGECROFT HALL & GARDENS
Friday, 8 - 11 pm: BLUE ORPHEUS ORCHESTRA AT REVELER EXPERIENCES
CITY GUIDES
1. THE TRENDSPOTTER: JANUARY 2025
2. THE ULTIMATE RVA RESTAURANT GUIDE
3. HOW TO ROMANTICIZE YOUR LIFE THIS WINTER, IN & AROUND RICHMOND
Image Source: @rarerichmond
RICHMONDER TO KNOW
Rare Richmond: This growing Instagram account has all the vintage Virginia finds in culture, media, and nostalgia you never knew you needed. It recently posted about Connecticut, a sculpture that used to sit atop The Diamond (and that *may* be able to make its return to the city?). Follow along for how you can help with that effort and for other River City gems.
THE LATEST:
Image Source: @fountainbookstore
Image Source: @superstarspizza
Image Source: Metro Richmond Zoo
Image Source: Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
SOCIAL NEWS
Everybody’s got their ins and outs for 2025, and Richmond BizSense recently published something kind of in that vein: The BizSense Crystal Ball. The article covers the pub’s expected “themes and trends that may shape the local business community in 2025.” To name a few, the Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront will open this spring and bolster the Richmond music scene, the Diamond District may or may not make lots of headway with its plans for CarMax Park, and a pattern of brewery closings may continue and potentially make way for a legalized full recreational marijuana market. (Richmond BizSense)
Mark your cal for the Inaugural Day of Service. In celebration of his inauguration, Mayor Danny Avula is celebrating with an Inaugural Day of Service, encouraging Richmonders to participate in service projects across the city to support its green spaces, children and families, and facilities in need. The event starts at 9 am with the mayor’s swearing-in ceremony, featuring performances by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School cheer squad and Richmond’s poet laureate, Joanna Lee. After that, folks will head out to help out. Then, the day finishes with a ticketed event at the VMFA featuring food, drink, live music, special guests, and more. Register for the swearing-in ceremony here, sign up for a service project here, and purchase tix for the end-of-day shindig here. (Press Release, Dr. Danny Avula)
Are you kitten me?! There’s a cat cafe coming to Richmond! The Purrfect Bean has plans to officially open its doors this spring in The Fan at 214 N Lombardy St. The owner’s vision is to offer a vegan- and sober-friendly space for folks to enjoy local coffee and tea and spend time with some cats and kittens in need of a permanent home. Stay tuned for updates — we’ll def be monitoring this sitch. (Instagram)
Gimme pizza. P-I-Z-Z-A: Superstars Pizza is looking to expand his business to the Museum District. With plans to open another space at 3401 Patterson Ave, owner Taylor Antonelli hopes to convert the former dry cleaner building to serve as a hub for Superstars’s catering operation and a public-facing concept called Antonelli’s Deli, which Taylor describes as part pizzeria, part deli. Approval plans for the project were on the agenda at this week’s city Planning Commission meeting. (Richmond BizSense)
Party City in the River City: Party City filed for bankruptcy protection at the end of 2024, but it turns out, 29 franchised stores will possibly continue their operations in the new year, including two Richmond-based locations. Steve Fram owns both the 9130 W Broad St location in Richmond proper and another Midlothian location at 12741 Stone Village Way. For now, Steve plans to keep the name “Party City,” and he has plenty of inventory on hand for all your upcoming, say, Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. (Richmond BizSense)
The new pygmy hippo has a name! Metro Richmond Zoo invited the public to vote for the calf’s moniker: Poppy, Hammie Mae, Juniper, or Omi. “Poppy” took the cake with 52.8% of the vote. With her new name secured, Poppy will continue doing her baby pygmy hippo thing, working on eating solid foods more and more each day. You can see her in the indoor pool area for now, and when the weather warms up, she’ll move to the outdoor habitat for some more room to splash around. (Metro Richmond Zoo)
MORE LINKS YOU’LL WANT TO CLICK
📦Fountain Bookstore is moving to a new location. (Instagram)
🎟️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ends its run at Virginia Repertory Theatre this Sunday, January 12. (Virginia Repertory Theatre)
📚Virginia Museum of History & Culture is hosting a used book sale starting this Friday, January 10, and running through Sunday, January 19. (Facebook)
Image Source: DawnStar Video Games
Weekly Giveaway
DawnStar Video Games
Sometimes, few things hit better than unlimited rounds of Super Mario Party (we crush Hot Jump Rope, personally), so the next time you’re in the mood to get your gaming on, head to DawnStar — and let us help with some coins at checkout.
This week, we’re giving away $20 to DawnStar Video Games! *Mario voice*: Wahoo!
To enter, tell us: What’s YOUR favorite video game?
Last week: Congratulations to last edition’s winner, Paige R., for winning the Point 5 giveaway!
Image Source: GhostWolf Pepper Co.
Member Perks
GhostWolf Pepper Co.
This spot’s debut hot sauce, Elder’s Revenge, is packed with the heat of the 7 Pot Primo, Moruga Scorpion, and Bhut Jolokia (Red Ghost) peppers, along with flavors of rich elderberry, aromatic sage, ginger, garlic, lime, and sea salt. That oughta keep you warm this winter.
As a member of The Richmond Experience, with the purchase of one bottle, you get 20% off another!
New + Trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We’d like to welcome 25 new members this week: Jenna K., Man B., Kelsey B., Octavia M., Brittany M., Rachel L., Sarah F., Alaina M., Rowan C., Colt D., Atticus R., Michael P., Reagan D., Justin C., Leslie E., Meg H., Sherry H., Melissa Y., Gab R., Sophia W., Noelle P., Lia B., Brittney H., Chas H., and Hallie M., 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 338 of The Weekly Insider.
Stay safe!
- The Richmond Experience
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