Sperity Real Estate Ventures

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Instrumental Growth for Spacebomb

When Spacebomb, a Richmond based record label and recording studio, began to outgrow their Shockoe Bottom studio, they knew it would be a challenge to find a space that fit their needs and would allow them to grow in the direction they needed. Through a mutual friend, they had met and gotten to know Nathan over the years and knew if anyone would be up for the challenge, it was the Sperity team. Nathan and Veronica worked together to ensure the Spacebomb team wouldn’t miss a beat.

Spacebomb started looking for a new space in 2017. As a record label and recording studio, they had unique needs that they knew would take time to find. They were looking for a space that would have room to house both the creative team and the folks running the label and production company all under the same roof. Keeping these two teams together allows for communication in an efficient and fast paced way. “It’s a necessity in our industry,” says Jesse Medaries. “The ability to make decisions on the fly is super useful.” This space would need to have both an office area, and a full recording studio.

What does a recording studio require? A simplified breakdown includes the “live room” and the “control room.” The live room houses microphones where instrumentalists and vocalists perform and the control room houses equipment where the engineers and producers record the “tracks.” These are very specific needs, and not every space is able to be accommodating.

Nathan and Veronica didn’t waste Spacebomb’s time by showing them just anything that was available. They knew what their needs were, and showed spaces that they believed would truly work for them. Jesse remembered, “We looked at a few spaces that could have worked but didn’t quite meet what we needed. Eventually she showed us the space that we’re currently in.” Plans changed and a few months went by before the team decided to go back and look at the 106 S Robinson Street space.

The new space has been instrumental in their growth. “We’ve had a ton of really positive feedback on the space alone,” chimed Jesse. A lot of time, thought, and energy went into creating Spacebomb’s new headquarters. Not just the recording studio, designed by partner Trey Pollard in consultation with Adrian Olsen (of Montrose Recording), but the overall vibe and aesthetic — two things important in the music and art industries.

On top of finding a new space, Nathan and Veronica were tasked with finding a sublet for their Shockoe Bottom location. Handling both parts allowed for Spacebomb to focus on what really mattered: taking care of the artists they managed, and producing music.

 

 

 

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My TOP 5 Favorite Projects [VIDEO]

My TOP 5 Favorite Projects:

Hey RICHMOND!!!Do you love supporting LOCAL businesses and organizations?That's what I love MOST about my job. I’ve been in the commercial real estate and brokerage world for over 15 years. I get to help local businesses and organizations find a place to call home right here in Richmond. In fact, here are my TOP 5 Favorite Projects:#1) Flooring RVA.We helped find them a new showroom with more space AND we were able to help find a tenant to replace their previous lease so they could make a clean break.#2) The Summit (Scott’s Addition area).Such a great, action packed area of town where we were able to help long time friends sell two different properties at the same time.#3) Nomad Deli & Catering Company.Anthony and his family are proof that the American Dream is alive. They started this family owned business as tenants, but eventually bought their building and have continued a successful (and delicious) restaurant!#4) LUX ChurchThis is a great community minded organization that brought life back into a building that was over 130 years old and an area landmark.#5) Liberty Public HouseWhen Alexa told us about her dream concept of a restaurant inside a renovated, historical building, we knew we had just the right property for her! In fact, she moved all the way back to Richmond from the west coast to fulfill her dream of being a restaurant owner.

Posted by Sperity Real Estate Ventures on Tuesday, June 30, 2020

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Muslim Beauty Salon Lands Permanent Mark on Main Street

Permanent makeup? You may be raising an eyebrow, but that is exactly where this story starts. 4 years ago, Ashley Meggie decided to get permanent makeup eyebrows — that is, a tattoo that mimics eyebrows. With alopecia, she had been drawing on her eyebrows for several years but had only considered permanent makeup when a Youtube beauty guru recorded herself getting them done.

Tattoos are viewed negatively in the Muslim community, so prior to her appointment, Ashley visited the Islamic Center of Virginia to get permission. They officially ruled it was permissible for her (and others) to receive permanent eyebrows as a tattoo, as one is allowed to do what is necessary to achieve a level of “normalcy.”

It took Ashley a three hour drive to Maryland, a three hour procedure, and a three hour drive back to Richmond to accomplish, and that left her thinking that there had to be a way to bring this to Richmond. So she went to work researching and then studying to become a permanent makeup artist.

With a business plan developed, Ashley had been looking for a downtown location for Boastful Beauty for a few months with no success. On a visit to see a vacant building on East Grace Street she met Nathan Hughes by chance. After peering into a building curiously, Nathan stepped out to ask if she needed assistance, and their working relationship began right then, when after hearing about her vision, Nathan took her immediately to see a unit off of 5th and East Main Street.

After meeting Nathan, Ashley did some more research. “As a Muslim business, I really liked that he had a lot of ties in the religious community. He’s very involved with helping churches and community based programs find buildings.”

“East Main is definitely a major road. It’s just as synonymous as Broad Street to me. I couldn’t ask for a better location, and it’s a corner lot. You can see my business from two angles.”

Boastful Beauty is Virginia’s first and only Muslim beauty salon. There are only a few in the country, including California, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. People travel far and wide to visit, from Fredericksburg and Stafford to as far as Philadelphia.

“I didn’t realize I was doing a big thing, I went viral when I shared on Facebook. I had over 6,000 friends request in less than 24 hours. The Muslim community went crazy!”

Boastful Beauty also offers services for Muslim women like henna, hair wax/dying, press on nails instead of acrylics. But she stresses that all are welcome. Of the five on staff, two are Muslim, and the other 3 are from different backgrounds and races. “I want everyone to feel welcome here.” Everyone is represented. “When you look at our logo, you see diversity. All women are welcome to come to our salon.”

At only 25, Ashley took her vision and made it a reality. In the future she hopes to branch to Short Pump and offer more medi-spa procedures such as chemical peels, botox, and lymphatic drainage. While managing her new business, she’s also back in school and writing up a curriculum to found Boastful Academy, where she can train others to become professional permanent makeup artists.

“Anytime I called and asked for help, they had so many resources to share with me. I know they’ll represent me in the future when I’m ready to grow,” she says.

 

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Why work with a CBI?

From the IBBA’s website: “A Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) is an experienced business broker who is committed to the highest level of professional development the industry has to offer and has ethical values aligned with the IBBA standards of professionalism. A CBI has the ability to objectively guide clients through the intricacies of the entire marketing and negotiation process of a business sale, resulting in successful transactions and satisfied clients.

A CBI offers the most experienced professional representation available during the process of selling or buying a business. Along with having undergone a specialized initial program of detailed training, a CBI is required to earn continuing education credits to maintain the credential.

When you want to work with the best intermediary to buy or sell a business, look for the CBI designation.”

 

cbi certified business intermediary

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3 Commercial Real Estate Red Flags You Should Keep an Eye Out For

When a person decides to purchase or lease a new commercial property, it can be one of the most expensive investments they will make for their business. This is why it is so important to make sure that you are getting what you pay for. Unfortunately, one of the pitfalls of being a new buyer is not being able to see some of the most common red flags. The following list includes three commercial real estate red flags you should always keep an eye out for.

Problematic Areas

Most of the time, red flags within a commercial property will be in the details. These problematic areas can seem okay at a glance but can actually be at the brink of disrepair. An issue that will come up a lot is amateur repairs or additions to the property. Some businesses do not want to pay thousands of dollars in repairs and thus will attempt to cheaply repair certain areas. Although some jobs might be satisfactory, you should always ask for work permits and city inspection documents to have concrete evidence that everything is up and running correctly.

Major Damage

Although you should focus on the details, there are major areas that cannot be ignored. One of the most important ones of these includes the roof. Roof damage can do considerable damage to your business if you are planning to store products within your commercial property. An additional red flag you might run into is the seller attempting to fix the roof in order to close the deal. While roof repair can help, it can’t fix everything. Once water penetrates the building, a broken roof might be the least of your problems. Water can run down walls and destroy pipes and create dangerous mold.

Maintenance Agreement

Before you sign on the dotted line, you should always make sure to ask about who is liable for regular maintenance. If the contract places you as the responsible party to repair issues within areas such as the HVAC systems or plumbing, you might want to renegotiate your contract. This attempt to place this workload and cost on you can be seen as a red flag.

Purchasing a commercial real estate property can be quite an expensive endeavor, and thus it’s important to protect your investment. Apply the information above to help you look out for common red flags.

Looking for great business properties? Browse opportunities here!

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Coworking finds its home in Richmond @804RVA

Over the past decade coworking spaces have been popping up in big cities across the nation and with the changes in the economy, these spaces have been successful in fostering new ideas and startup businesses.

Larkin Garbee

804RVA Founder Larkin Garbee Photo by: Phil Riggan, Richmond.com

In America the median income for independent workers is about $51 thousand, according to a 2012 government report by the State of Independence government report. This coworking movement has even made its way to the Richmond market. 804RVA is the area’s first and only official co-working space, which is fueled by creativity and techie innovation.

Coworking is a concept that was originally cultivated in the late 1990s from the term “jelly” in New York City by a group of freelancers and it has now evolved into a worldwide movement. The concept is to create a shared workspace for freelancers, consultants and other people who typically work from home. The idea is to develop a space where creativity and new ideas can grow and people can exchange designs while working productively and freely.

804RVA was founded October 2011 by local small business dynamo, Larkin Garbee. “I was just looking for a creative, collaborative office space and I hadn’t understood the coworking culture yet,” Garbee said. Wolf shirt days, creativity, collaboration and jelly pretty much sum up the co-working movement at RVA. 804RVA is located on the corner of Allen and Broad streets near the VCU campus.

Garbee’s personality and experience is the model that the 804RVA coworking structure was built around. “I have a passion for technology but I also represent a lot of other things for small businesses and marketing,” she said.

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804RVA is an artistic, joint office area that is built in the showroom of Garbee’s other business, James River Tile. “I felt like it was a shame to have such a really gorgeous location that was being completely underutilized,” said Garbee. It wasn’t long before 804RVA was created.
“I think Larkin is really kind of the main reason most people are attracted to this and keep coming and that’s because she is a freaking fireball,” said Dorsey McFadden a digital marketing consultant and 804RVA coworker.

804RVA provides its members with varying levels of coworking zones including private offices, collaborative spaces, semi-private work areas and conference rooms. People come to 804RVA for a number of reasons including the value of working with others, for a sense of motivation, inspiration and unique networking opportunities. At 804RVA coworking gives people an opportunity to meet and interact with their peers in an environment that facilitates productivity and learning.

“To me and the next generation as a whole, we don’t want to just spend our time just passing out business cards. We want to learn, we want to get our hands on stuff and figure out how it works,” Garbee said. “Some coworking spaces are unique to having strictly just developers or just designers and I would say ours is truly a mix.”

Coworkers at 804RVA come from a variety of professional backgrounds such as web design, real estate, copy writing, web developing, marketing and researching.

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804RVA is known for its culture because it is different from that of a traditional workplace culture, since there are no bosses there is no tension between supervisors and workers. “The culture changes day-to-day depending on who comes in,” said Dan Kanach, 804RVA coworker and owner of One Duck Creative, a small creative media company. “It is generally like-minded, driven people who want to be around other driven people.” Most 804 coworkers agree that 804RVA provides a fun environment where individuals are free to create and collaborate. “I couldn’t see myself working with other people if I wasn’t here,” Kasach said, who described himself as a bit of an introvert.

Matt Russo is another 804RVA coworker who has been a member almost since the beginning. Russo is a freelance graphic designer and is currently working developing projects for 804RVA. He says 804 is still trying to invent its culture. Currently people are working hands-on trying to make the space a more active community rather than a place used strictly for working. “Members are trying to make 804RVA a place where people interact together, work on projects together and go out together,” Russo said. 804RVA offers classes and organizes social events to strengthen the overall coworking community.

Brian Bassett is a software development principal at IBM and a coworker at 804RVA who chooses to work from 804RVA instead of his traditional office setting because he finds the environment to be more dynamic, exciting, interesting and collaborative. “It’s collaborative even though people work on their own projects, work for different businesses and have different goals,” Basset said.

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Coworking is especially helpful to freelancers and remote workers because it provides those people with a sense of community and inspiration. “It creates a melting pot of creativity,” McFadden said, “not just design creative but techie too.” McFadden sees coworking spaces as motivational tools and she is driven by the office setting because it pushes her to be more accountable.

Coworking facilities like 804RVA operate based on memberships and provide members with better quality networking and stronger relationships. McFadden says small business people get the most out of these networking connections because it makes it easier access others and collaborate.

Coworking has helped some members break into new, cutting edge technology-based job markets. McFadden says coworking helps to hone professional skills and mold individual qualities and as a result of 804RVA she landed her first Pinterest account management job.

After talking with Garbee and Richmond’s coworkers the consensus is that people are tired of waiting on big companies to offer up jobs so they have taken matters into their own hands and created new jobs and projects through collaboration. People often turn to coworking spaces like 804RVA because of the lack of opportunities in traditional careers.

Some people agree with Dorsey McFadden and Dan Kanach and say coworking spaces serve a greater purpose as more transitional occupations. On the other hand others agree with Russo and Bassett and say these collaboration spaces have great potential to ultimately lead to better opportunities and new industries. As for Larkin Garbee, she says the future looks bright for coworking spaces in Richmond. As new ideas grow and evolve, she looks forward to playing host to more collaborative projects and classes in the future. She is currently planning on a larger scaled coworking space that will serve a larger community in the Greater Richmond Area by making things more accessible to non-members.

 

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Avalon Restaurant & Bar — SOLD!

sign for Avalon

2619 West Main Street, Richmond, VA

There are very few restaurants that have the distinction of having been successfully run for 16+ years 20 years [editor’s note: confirmed after posting that the start year was 1993!], and even more rare is the restaurant that has done so with only one set of owners. Avalon Restaurant & Bar at 2619 West Main Street, in the Fan District, has done so under the care of owner Peter Harahan since he first renovated and opened it so many years ago.

Even as a well-established restaurant, Avalon has recently gained recognition by bringing in Chef Jen Mindell to add her well-known flair to the kitchen. Chef Mindell was recently recognized by the Richmond restaurant community as a 2013 Elby Nominee for “Rising Culinary Star”.

Walied Sanie and James Baldwin just completed the purchase of Avalon Restaurant & Bar

Walied Sanie and James Baldwin just completed the purchase of Avalon Restaurant & Bar

Congratulations to the new owners, Walied Sanie and James Baldwin (pictured), who took the reins from Peter Harahan effective late yesterday afternoon. The new owners are keeping the staff in place and will do some remodeling after getting settled into ownership. I look forward to seeing how their vision of the restaurant develops and the changes you will make happen over the years to come.

This particular restaurant holds a special place in my heart because not only have I been close friends with a number of the staff here over the years, but also it is the place where I met my wife several years ago. It means a lot to me to have been involved in this deal, and I appreciate that it will remain to be Avalon under the new ownership.

**Richard Holden and Nathan Hughes, both with Bandazian & Holden, Inc., brokered the sale of the business and coordinated the new lease with the owner of the building.

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2013 Elby Award nominees have been announced!

Here at Bandazian & Holden, we are proud to be a Silver Sponsor of the 2nd Annual Richmond Magazine Elby Awards! This awards program is THE restaurant awards program for Richmond, Virginia and was a hit from the start, last year. This is a time when the stars of the Richmond restaurant scene (some of the ongoing conversation can be found under #rvadine in the Twitterverse) take time out to honor the best and brightest among them.

I have not been involved in the selection or judging processes, but I don’t envy such a difficult decision. We have a lot of great talent and passionate operators and chefs here in town, and I hope that these awards will continue to honor and encourage more talent to develop.

If you are in any way involved in the restaurant scene, I encourage you to buy tickets and attend. Come support your favorite spots!

The event is on Sunday, February 10, 2013 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the doors open at 6pm. The awards are held at 6:30pm with a reception afterwards.

2013 NOMINEES 

Fine Dining Restaurant

  • Acacia Mid-town
  • Arcadia
  • Julep’s
  • Lemaire
 New Restaurant (Opened between Nov. 1 2011 and Oct. 31, 2012)

  • Deco Ristorante
  • Heritage
  • Peter Chang China Café
  • Tio Pablo
 Excellence in Service

  • Tiffany Gellner of The Magpie
  • Paul Heitz at Amour
  • Wendy Kalif at Bistro Bobette
  • John Van Peppen at Arcadia
Upscale Casual

  • Pasture
  • The Roosevelt
  • Sapori
  • Stella’s
 Cocktail Program

  • Heritage
  • Lemaire
  • Pasture
  • The Roosevelt
 Rising Culinary Star

  • Kyle Cox of Patina
  • Carly Herring of the Dining Room at the Berkeley
  • Jen Mindell of Avalon
  • Mike Yavorsky of Belmont Food Shop
Neighborhood Restaurant

  • Africanne on Main
  • The Black Sheep
  • Kuba Kuba
  • Tastebuds American Bistro
 Restaurateur of the Year

  • Jason Alley of Comfort & Pasture
  • Kendra Feather of Garnett’s, Ipanema & The Roosevelt
  • Ren Mefford and Chris Tsui of EAT Restaurant Partners
  • Paul Keevil of Millie’s, LuLu’s and Tio Pablo
 Chef of the Year

  • Tim Bereika of Secco Wine Bar
  • Peter Chang of Peter Chang China Café
  • Lee Gregory of The Roosevelt
  • Dale Reitzer of Acacia Mid-town
Culinary Student of the Year

  • Dana Goodchild at Culinard
  • Stephanie Louise Boehles at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
  • Jean Marie Kennedy at University of Richmond’s Center for Culinary Arts 

 

Who are you hoping will win? Who isn’t mentioned on this list that you think deserved to be on there? I would love to hear what you think!

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What’s going on with all of the restaurant closings lately?!

There has been a lot of attention given to the recent closings of restaurants in the Richmond area. There have been a lot lately, no doubt — here is a list of closings this year from Richmond.com that they are keeping up-to-date as things change. Some of these have been big surprises to the community at large, but it is important to keep in mind a  few things.

Not all businesses close (or are for sale) because of poor sales. There are a variety of reasons:

  • personal issues (divorce, wanting to spend more time with children, need to take care of an elderly parent, the owner has an illness)
  • the business strategy has changed (the owners no longer want to be in a particular area of town, the owners only want to operate where they own the building)
  • the owners are absentee and have other full-time jobs that are suffering because of the demands of owning a restaurant
  • the business is on track to make a profit but the owners have run out of operating capital
  • the owner is burned out, having spent the last XX number of years in the same location
  • the owners realize that the best time to sell is when business is booming — cash out while things are good and maximize the sales price
  • poor money management — sales might be great, but if you don’t manage your money well then you won’t stay open for long
  • the landlord isn’t willing to renew the lease — maybe they have a better offer from another prospective tenant
  • the owner isn’t changing, but they are changing the concept
I have seen all of these over the 8 years that I have been brokering restaurant deals and I am absolutely certain that I haven’t seen everything. There is always something new in this business, for good and bad.

There is also the counterbalancing effect of new restaurants opening up. Karri Peifer, Editor and Food Writer at Richmond.com, has been keeping track:

Almost one year ago, we posted a story about the transitioning of ownership of one Richmond restaurant legacy, Mulligan’s Sports Grille. The past month (Tuesday, October 9, 2012, to be exact) has unfortunately brought us the end to this story — covered here by CBS6 and here by Richmond.com. The restaurant’s official statement from their website is posted here (click the photo to enlarge) –>

Another restaurant that has gotten a lot of press coverage for its closing is Cafe Diem, at the corner of Patterson Ave and N Sheppard St in the Museum District — and right beside our office at 604 N Sheppard St. Since our company is involved in the ownership and management of their building, and most of the commercial property in the area, the media turned to us for some insight.

NBC12 coverage of Cafe Diem closing (with video and a guest appearance from yours truly)

Richmond.com coverage of Cafe Diem closing

Richmond Bizsense coverage of Cafe Diem closing

I think the press has done an excellent job with the coverage on this closing. It is often a touchy subject, not only for the restaurant owner(s) but the landlord, the restaurant employees, the loyal patrons, the restaurant vendors, and even the surrounding businesses.

In short, there are lots of reasons why restaurants close. Sure, times are tough all around and lots of people are cutting back on spending, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. If anything, if you enjoy a particular restaurant, be sure to visit it plenty and enjoy it while it’s here. It is fun to always look for the next big thing, but don’t forget about the old favorites either.  — By the way, there are LOTS of new restaurants coming soon. Keep an eye out here for announcements!

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Shop Locally, Boost the Economy

Over the past few years we’ve heard people talking about the importance of shopping local. These programs have been springing up across the country, urging consumers to join the “Buy Local” movement.

So, what difference does it make when communities shop at local businesses?

Well, the truth is when consumers buy from local stores instead of big box stores, more of their money stays in the community.

“Those purchases are twice as efficient in terms of keeping the local economy alive,” says The New Economics Foundation researcher David Boyle, in this article in Time magazine.

This movement plays a big role by boosting the economy and generating more jobs in the community.

Although sometimes the costs may be slightly higher at locally owned businesses, there are many benefits, such as lower transportation costs, more eco-friendly communities and the opportunity to form growing relationships with local business owners.

Buying local also alerts the community about the gaps in the market, creating a stronger sense of entrepreneurship and pushing for new businesses to prosper in markets that hadn’t previously existed locally.

When spend your money in RVA it keeps our neighborhoods unique with prospering local businesses versus streets lined with big box retail chains.

Here in Richmond, there are a few organizations that are dedicated to encouraging consumers to buy local goods and services. The Greater Richmond Retail Merchants Association is well known for their Think. Shop. Buy. Local movement, a large scale movement that works to promote the economic benefits of buying local goods by working across Richmond and the surrounding counties.

Originally created as a project at VCU, ShopRVA is a smaller nonprofit made up of local businesses, organizations, and individuals who are joined together to promote the culture and individuality of RVA. ShopRVA was created in 2009 and works to make RVA more green, economically and environmentally. Their goal is to make Richmond businesses into a strong foundation for a thriving local economy.

 “ShopRVA is new and filled with so much potential, people should listen to what they have to offer,” said Micah West, a student who worked with ShopRVA at VCU’s 2012 Social Media Institute. “They support the great things we have in the Richmond area and they want to express the creativity and personality of Richmond.”

These organizations work to remind us what makes Richmond such a unique city and they highlight why RVA is a wonderful place to live, eat, work and shop. With local restaurants on nearly every block, small markets throughout the Fan, and unique stores and boutiques in neighborhoods like Carytown and Libbie & Grove it is easy to shop RVA.

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Richmond Broadens Its Taste Buds at Broad Appetit

Did you know that (according to the National Restaurant Association) for every $1 spent in any of Virginia’s restaurants, 97 cents of that dollar goes back to helping build revenue for the Virginia economy?

Well, this coming Sunday, June 3rd will prove to be a HUGE boost for Richmond restaurants as well as the Virginia economy with the 5th Annual Broad Appetit Festival, happening downtown in Richmond’s Arts District.

 The highly anticipated festival, which runs from 11 AM – 6 PM, will stretch from the 100 to 300 blocks of West Broad Street and give Richmond natives, visitors, families, students and foodies alike a great sampling of the diverse, eclectic Richmond restaurant scene.

There will be over 60 local chefs, live music, youth activities and of course cuisine from popular restaurants like Bistro 27, Blowtoad, Comfort, Cous Cous, Olio and Six Burner.

Food prices will range from $3.00-$5.00 a plate as well as offer a variety of combos and mixed plates.

This will be the first time in festival history that Broad Appetit will feature exclusive Virginia beers and its first ever People’s Choice Awards, where festival attendees can vote for their favorite dishes.

To give back to the Richmond community, Broad Appetit is donating a percentage of proceeds from the festival to the Central Virginia Food Bank and Meals on Wheels.  Last year, a record crowd of over 30,000 gathered for last year’s festival, making Broad Appetit Richmond’s largest dining festival in Richmond’s history.

Broad Appetit  plays host to live music and events for all ages. It is the place where food and art intersect.

So, while you’re gearing up a hefty appetite for Broad Appetit on Sunday, take a walk around Richmond and experience the flavor that this eclectic city has to offer.

Which restaurant are you looking forward to trying out most at the festival?

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Carytown Cupcakes Expands AND Crepes Come to Carytown

For all you dessert enthusiasts out there anticipating the next sweets shop to open up in Carytown, the time is almost here!  Among a bevy of bakeries, sweets and confectionery shops, Carytown will be adding to its list of sweets shops a bigger location for Carytown Cupcakes and a new dining spot for French cuisine: Carytown Creperie.

Carytown Cupakes, a Richmond tradition known for its decadent desserts, is opening its new location at 3111 West Cary Street, across from Can Can Brasserie.  A grand opening date for the new location is still up in the air, but owners Dawn & Albert Schick promise the new and improved cupcake boutique is coming soon with even better cupcake concoctions. (Meanwhile, the old location at 2820 West Cary Street is still open!)

After the big move, the former cupcake shop will be magically transformed into Carytown Creperie, a new crepe shop featuring the traditional French-inspired cuisine with a twist: fast, take-away crepes for on-the-go dining.

[Read more…]

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One Richmond bar scores big and creates a legacy

Twenty-five years ago, one business man invested heavily in the future he saw on Main Street

Just two decades ago, sports bars weren’t very common. This is a community story for locals and sports fans, about one of Richmond’s first sports bars, the changing city landscape around VCU and the retirement of one well-respected business owner.

One Richmond bar scores big and creates a legacy

While the city hosts numerous restaurants and acclaimed cuisine, we also have an often overlooked local sports bar–not a big chain–that’s worthy of a boisterous hurrah.

Mulligans Sport’s Grille first swung open its doors in 1990 to reveal about 20 televisions inside–none of them flat screens–all broadcasting sports games and commentary.

Think about that novelty. The playing field for sports bars used to be fairly empty of any competition.

Harken back to the early 90s, if you can. The daily routine was sans internet, cable television was not a household standard–and it certainly did not supply the multiple sports networks available now. There was an audible welcome from sports fans–to the extent that the dream of three men multiplied into six restaurants.

Mulligan’s first opened in Short Pump, before the area was the bustling “suburban downtown” that so many city dwellers love to hate. Now home to Capital Ale House, the space is 12,000 square feet.

The first store was so successful that by its second year, the bouncers came to work before the waitstaff.  They were needed to control the the crowds who would try to push inside when the waitresses arrived, as to stake early claim to the best seats in the house. The Wednesday concert series brought thousands to Innsbrook, and hundreds would just camp out at Mulligans, many taking in the concert from the comfort of the patio.

John Sweeney, along with the Hurley brothers, Mark and Matt, were experimental business owners. They tried off-the-wall things like “cook your own steak” night, where hot grills stood ready for the sports aficionado to meet tong to meet steak.

The investors ran with their game plan, opening a total of six locations. After the Innsbrook location came Mulligans in Mechanicsville, Sixth Street Market Place, Southside, the Fan and then Farmville.

[Read more…]

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Starting a business in Richmond? You don’t want to miss this!

Being involved in helping start-ups in Richmond, we often get invitations to attend sessions put on by the Economic Development departments of the local governments. When we get them, I’ll make sure to post them here for your reference. The ones I’ve attended in the past have been extremely helpful and great brush ups on the resources that the localities provide for small business.

Here is the email from the City of Richmond that we received regarding the upcoming event:

As part of our  ongoing efforts to provide you with valuable information & resources, the City of Richmond Department of Economic and Community Development-Business First Richmond Program is pleased to announce another in our series of free educational seminars.

The City of Richmond Department of Economic & Community Development and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will host the first in a two part series on establishing and  growing your business.   Part I in the series the” Entrepreneur Express Seminar” will address the basic concerns of establishing a business in Richmond.  The seminar will be held Wednesday, October 12, 2011 from 8:30 am to noon at the Police Training Academy, 1202 W. Graham Road, Richmond, Virginia 23220.  (See Entrepreneur Express Seminar Flyer for details)   Please share this information with your clients and colleagues.

To sign up (free!), you can either register online by clicking here, or call 804-371-0058.

Oh, and make sure to let me know if you’re going to be there! Leave a comment here or at least be sure to come up and say hello when  you see me there.

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It’s true, RVA, Mint is coming to the Fan!

There was a rumor floating around for the past few weeks that Amy Cabaniss, the owner of Julep’s in Shockoe Bottom, was purchasing the building where Davis & Main operated a long-standing restaurant for decades. There was good reason for the rumor, because it was true!

Amy closed on the deal to purchase the real estate and the equipment at 2501 West Main Street this past Friday afternoon. Richard Holden, Principal Broker at Bandazian & Holden, represented Amy in the purchase.

It has been on the market for some time. Fan of the Fan reported back in June that the restaurant had closed, and I know that it had been for sale for some time before that. We are proud that Bandazian & Holden was part of making this sale happen, and even more proud that such a fine restaurateur will be the one taking over.

The new restaurant will be Mint New Casual Cuisine. From all of the great ideas that I’ve heard from Amy and from the reactions I’ve heard so far from the neighbors, the Fan District will be very happy to have her there!

Congratulations on the purchase, Amy! I can’t wait to try out the new place!

[blackbirdpie id=”117321754979999745″]

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Guide to Social Advertising

There is a lot of information out there about social media and how to use it to promote your business. I read a lot of write-ups on that and enjoy learning about social media — as you can tell with my involvement as a Founding Board Member of Social Media Club of Richmond/SMCRVA (website Twitter Facebook page).

Since the focus of this blog is not primarily social media, I try to keep that talk to a minimum. Once in a while I come across something that I just can’t help but share. This guide* from Eloqua struck me as particularly useful and to-the-point:

[slideshare id=8838937&doc=eloquagrandeguidetosocialadvertising-110812150816-phpapp02&type=d]

Speaking of social media and SMCRVA, be sure to check out this month’s SMCRVA event where you can meet and greet Richmond’s best connected social media folks and hear our esteemed speaker, Amber Naslund:

On Thursday, August 18, SMCRVA is giving Richmonders a unique opportunity to listen and learn from Amber Naslund (@ambercadabra), world class social media pro, blogger, VP of Social Strategy for Radian6 and co-author of “The NOW Revolution”.

Be one of the first 180 to buy a ticket and receive a free copy of Amber’s new book, thanks to The Hodges Partnership and Hodges Digital Strategies.

Buy tickets here (and quickly, so that you can be sure to have a copy of Amber’s book waiting for you at check-in!)

*Funny coincidence, I first saw this guide because of a tweet from Amber’s co-author, Jay Baer. See? Everything comes full circle.

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Look good by selling your business (even for $1)

I see far too many businesses close rather than accept a price lower than the owner believes it is worth (more than ZERO is way too many).

Pride is usually the culprit in these situations. Often the argument is, “we put $x into the build-out and equipment and we need to make that back”. On the surface this sounds like it makes sense, but those are sunk costs — in other words, money that was spent in the past. That works great as a psychological barrier to selling, but it is healthier to keep the costs in mind without getting too hung up on those numbers. There are many reasons why the dollar amount you put into the operation of the business would carry less value (or no value at all, or even a negative value) to a prospective buyer — wear and tear, style, operational differences, etc.

Sometimes a little perspective is needed, and there is a recent post from Penelope Trunk that provides an argument that I hadn’t thought of before — being able to say you sold your business is a great resume builder! She goes even further to say that it doesn’t really matter how much you received as a price for the business because the terms of a transaction are expected to be confidential, or at least that it is not considered strange to not disclose the terms of the sale.

This quote from her post says it best:

To be honest, you still look pretty good, compared to the rest of the world, if you say you started a company and it failed. Because the gumption and intelligence to start a company is flattering to anyone.

But you will look really good if you say you sold the company. Even if you get someone you know to buy it for a very small amount of money.

Of course it is better to sell for more, for a lot of reasons. But there is a point where you are ready to get out of your business. Maybe you’ve gotten what you consider to be a “low ball” offer (someone giving an offer much lower than they think you will accept, just on the off chance that you will go for it). Well, maybe it’s time to consider that offer more seriously. What’s more important — “winning” the negotiation OR getting out of the business without having to say that you shut it down?

All I ask is that you consider this advice when you’re making that fateful decision whether to shut the doors or to take that offer that you feel insulted all of your hard work.

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Richmond restaurant pioneer dies at age 85

While we have many talented restaurateurs and chefs in Richmond, but only a handful can claim such a long-lasting impression on Richmond’s restaurant landscape as Stavros “Steve” Dikos can.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a wonderful article that commemorates his restaurant legacy. Read it — you will recognize the restaurant names! Dikos was the father of Katrina Dikos Giavos, whose husband Johnny Giavos is mentioned so much in the local restaurant scene because of their string of highly successful restaurant ventures (3 Monkeys, Kitchen 64, Sidewalk Cafe, etc).

Mr. Dikos passed away over the weekend of heart problems at the age of 85. My thoughts go to his family, and all of the people whose lives he touched, as they work through this loss.

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New insights on the sale of Cafe Gutenberg

As you may have noticed, we have Cafe Gutenberg for sale (see the big “Cafe Gutenberg – FOR SALE” in the menu above, or just click here). It’s a little bit of a different situation than normal, since usually these matters are highly confidential and even to find out the name and address of one of our business listings you would have to go through a screening process and commit to a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

In this case, the owners had decided to be upfront with their staff and even agreed to do an interview with Style Weekly about their decision to sell. Unfortunately, the article published didn’t accurately portray how the owners of Cafe Gutenberg feel about Shockoe Bottom or what they said about their reasons for selling the business.

Jason Guard, aka @rvafoodie, has given Chef Jen Mindell a chance to tell her side of the story as to why she and her partner are selling the business and to provide some background on how the past few years have been in Shockoe Bottom. Check out her guest post on Jason’s blog, Caramelized Opinions.

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7 key items to keep your corporation or LLC legitimate

No one likes to do paperwork. (well, almost no one — if you find that rare individual, hire them and keep them!)

In order to keep your corporation or LLC compliant, there are things that must be done consistently. These requirements are not onerous, but they are easy to overlook in the hustle of your day-to-day business.

I have seen a number of closing on business deals that are delayed because the corporate books weren’t kept up, or the annual fees weren’t paid and the corporation has to be re-instated. Be sure to set an appointment in your calendar once every 6 months to review all of these items and be sure that there is nothing that you need to catch up on.

Small Business Trends has a great post from this past week about this exact thing (here), so I won’t rehash it all over again. Here are the key points they make:

1. File your initial/annual reports (also known as a “Statement of Information”)

2. Keep up to date with your corporate minutes and resolutions

3. Record any changes for your corporation/LLC by Filing “Articles of Amendment”

4. Make sure you’re legal when conducting business out of state

5. Don’t commingle your personal and business finances

6. File DBAs for any name variations

7. Don’t forget to close an inactive business by dissolving your corporation/LLC

Read the full post for the details behind each of these pointers and consult with your accountant or your attorney, or whoever helps you with your corporate records.

If you are thinking of selling your business, this review should be on your checklist to take care of at the beginning of the selling process.

Take the little bit of time now to stay in compliance and avoid any red tape nightmares later when you find out that you didn’t!

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When should I sell my business?

Is now a good time to sell my small business?

What about all of the talk about changing the capital gains tax?

Should I sell now, or wait a couple of years?

What about the upcoming flood of retirees? Won’t all of that money coming into the market help increase prices?

Lucky for us, there is a recent article about exactly these questions in the New York Times from last Tuesday. Check out the article and the great comments by clicking here.

 

**I will delve into this topic more over the next year (and probably much longer than that, since this *is* what I do)

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How to make zoning easier to understand

Government regulations are typically so complicated that not only can the lay-person not understand what they mean, but they are written in such a way that even people that think they know what is meant are left arguing completely different interpretations.  Zoning regulations are no exception.

In fact, in NYC the zoning regulations are so convoluted that “In a recent case, a judge said the word “development,” which appears at least 2,500 times in the [zoning] resolution, did not mean what the city said.” (source: New York Times article — we’ll see more about that article in just a minute)

The Planning Commissioner for NYC, Amanda Burden, is attempting to make the zoning regulations a little more accessible to the general public by issuing a new city handbook with plain explanations and cartoon drawings that illustrate what particular zoning designations look like and what they mean.  Check out the coverage in the New York Times about what she has been doing to bridge that gap.

While this may not be the right approach for every locality, the idea is one that every local government should take to heart:  Start building tools that puts control of the government back into the hands of the people.  Sure, we elect officials to represent us and we should not be ruled by mob mentality (see: California), but the people also need to be able to understand what is being done — especially when we are expected to interpret these rules and abide by them.

I have seen far too many business and property owners try to follow the rules that have been laid out, only to find a health inspector or building inspector come in with a totally different understanding and cost the owner thousands of dollars in hard cost and lost business because the rules were not clear enough.

What do you think, Richmond? Have you had any issues with the local zoning regulations (city or county)? What would you suggest could be done to make the rules more clear?

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Redevelopment plans for Carytown get nod from Museum District

The redevelopment of the old Verizon building at 10 N. Nansemond Street has been hotly debated and contested. (see: the official site for the Carytown Place; Don’t Big Box Carytown‘s website; & this post and the accompanying comment thread on Caramelized Opinions for a good summary & feel of the debate)

The Museum District Association had originally ruled to oppose the redevelopment based on the original plans, but Friday they sent out a press release announcing the reversal of that position.  The gist of the situation can be summed up from this one paragraph in the press release:

The Board voted 13-1 in November to oppose the original SUP and subsequently provided the applicant with detailed requests for further changes to make it more amenable to the neighborhood. The applicant responded by altering the SUP to remove vehicular ingress/egress on Nansemond Street as well as reduce the number of available uses of the property to 10 uses. The applicant also agreed to limit the usable floor space of any one tenant to no more than 25,000 square feet, ensuring there would be multiple tenants in the building and ruling out a single, larger “big box” tenant.

The whole press release can be read here on the MDA’s website (right now it’s at the top, but it will shift down the page as new releases are issued).

What do you think? Are you satisfied with the MDA’s ruling, or are the changes in the plan not enough for you? In that case, what changes would be enough to get your support for the development?

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What’s a business broker, and what do they do?

Business owners often wear many hats: Manager, Worker, Bookkeeper, Janitor, etc. Many owners can do well at all these tasks because they all pertain to their business. In many small businesses, the owner has a lot of proprietary equity; the business is truly the owner’s “baby” and they understand it from every angle. So often, when the decision to sell their business has been made, they are not sure how to proceed or have unrealistic expectations; they may talk to their CPA or other advisors and some may elect to attempt to sell it themselves. Sometimes this is because they are not aware there are any other options. Sometimes it is because they feel that they can do a better job than anyone else since they know their business so intimately.

However, the decision by an owner to sell their own business may be one of the largest missteps of their career. Why? Selling a business is much more complicated, involved and typically much more important than selling a house. Yet, imagine that you wanted to sell your home yourself without using a Realtor. You may know your house better than anyone, so it may seem a logical decision. But do you know what it’s really worth in today’s market? Do you know how to market it to as many qualified potential buyers as possible? Should you get an offer, do you have the experience to negotiate on your own behalf to get the most amount of money possible? Once agreed on a price, can you assist the buyer to assure proper financing is attained and keep the deal moving forward? Finally, even if you answered yes to any of these questions, can you afford the time it would take to complete this process? How much would this time really cost in terms of your productivity? Well, just like a house, you can ask each of these questions about your business and whether taking the sale into your own hands would really be to your benefit.

Fortunately for you, there is a better and easier way to sell a business that will typically result in a higher sale price, a faster close and require much less stress and time on your part. Chances are, there is a qualified business intermediary or ‘business broker’ in your town who, like a real estate agent, can properly price, list, market and sell your business. Selling a company confidentially is a complex and intricate process. A professional business intermediary will be able to handle every aspect of the sale cycle and keep the transaction moving forward through each step.

Services that a business intermediary will perform on your behalf will start with an evaluation of the business and an appropriate, professionally determined sale price for the company. A business intermediary will base the price on several pieces of information including the financial health of the business, demand in the marketplace for businesses like yours, condition of the assets, depth & strength of management, customer diversity, growth potential, and current industry sales trends. You may have heard that it’s as simple as a multiple of profits/EBITDA, but it’s really far more complex than a simple multiple to get the most appropriate (and often most lucrative) price and best terms (contrary to what you may hear in Wall Street, very few businesses sell for all cash).

Once an acceptable sale price or range is determined, the business intermediary will create a Confidential Business Summary about your business. Depending on your industry, this may include an Executive Summary of the business, management organization chart/personnel descriptions, facility specifications, sample marketing pieces and a summarized financial statement along with tax returns and/or other financial documents to verify the numbers. When completed, this will be the primary document to introduce the business to prospective buyers after they have signed a Non-Disclosure or Confidentiality Agreement.

This brings us to another great aspect of a business intermediary: Confidentiality. This is extremely important. Every time your business intermediary locates a potential qualified buyer, before disclosing any specifics about your business (including its name), they will have the prospective buyer sign a Non-Disclosure or Confidentiality Agreement. The document will cover many points including restricting the buyer from discussing with anyone that your business is for sale, and not allowing them to speak to or solicit your employees. This document protects you and your business.

Now that the business has been evaluated, a sale price determined and a Confidential Business Review Package created, your business intermediary will begin marketing the business. Finding prospective buyers, especially qualified ones, is one of the largest challenges to selling any company. Business Intermediaries will use a variety of methods to find qualified buyers. Methods that they will use depend largely on the industry your company is in, the size of the business and the geographic area that the business is located in. Some marketing channels may include working with buyers that the intermediary already has a relationship with who are looking for a business like yours; utilizing online resources made specifically for intermediaries to advertise the company to buyers looking for a business in your industry and price range; and using direct marketing methods to target synergistic or strategic buyers or other existing businesses that your company may fit in with. These are just a few broad avenues for marketing and successful intermediaries have their own proprietary ways of successfully finding qualified buyers, all of which are conducted discreetly and confidentially.

Once a serious, qualified buyer is found, your business intermediary will be there to work with you on negotiating the final purchase price and terms. These are often put into a Letter of Intent that will serve as an outline to the final Purchase Agreement. Ideally, the intermediary can generate multiple potential buyers and create real or perceived competition for the business. This tactic can often result in improved price and terms. Business intermediaries will often assist the buyer in finding financing sources and may have your business pre-qualified with an SBA lender if appropriate. An entire article could be written on financing alone, but suffice to say that an intermediary’s relationships and ability to work with various financing sources (banks, equity firms, private lenders/investors, etc.) is among their greatest assets to you and will open many doors to buyers in need of funding to complete the transaction. Finally, the intermediary will be with you through closing and will have helped to put together a plan between you and the buyer to ensure a smooth, successful transition and continuation of the business.

So for all the expertise, time saved and top sale price and terms attained, what does it cost to sell your business through an intermediary? Typically, business intermediaries are paid a fee which is typically a percentage of the sale price. Many intermediaries will also ask for a small fee upfront. This helps partially offset their costs in business valuation, marketing and advertising while also showing your seriousness and commitment to move forward with a transaction. The upfront fee may or may not be credited to the final fee upon the sale. In most cases, the sale price that a business intermediary can negotiate for your business will be higher than what a sale-by-owner transaction would bring, even after taking their fee into account; this is due to their knowledge, expertise and by maximizing leverage in the negotiation process. [By the way, as of 12/14/10 (and the foreseeable future), we have never charged an upfront fee here at Bandazian & Holden! – NVH]

For many small business owners, the sale of their business is one of their most critical life events; that may only happen once in their lifetime. Having the assistance of a focused professional to manage and lead you through the process all the way to the closing table can make a huge difference in insuring the outcome is consistent with your goals. We hope that you will consider meeting with a business intermediary to discuss your specific company and goals. A good and reputable intermediary will never charge you to discuss your options. We hope that you have found this article helpful and informative. The Carolinas-Virginia Business Brokers Association and its members are dedicated to serving our industry with the utmost integrity, loyalty and customer service.

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This article was prepared by the CVBBA for the purpose of assisting clients and their advisors in understanding the appropriate role and benefits of utilizing a business intermediary to facilitate the successful ownership transition of a small business. The reader has permission to copy and distribute as desired. For further information please go to www.cvbba.com.

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Restaurant trends for 2011

Everyone wants to know what the future holds, and the good folks at Nation’s Restaurant News have given us a peek at the future of restaurant trends.  It is interesting to see what’s brewing on the front lines of the restaurant industry, although I bet a lot of those “hot trends” will burn out before they get anywhere — and even more won’t make their way here to Richmond at all.

(from Pushing Daisies)

Maybe Richmond will get one of these?

The one that they are most confident in is — pies.  Not only sweet pies, but savory ones, too.  From what the article says, the pie shop is the new cupcake shop.  I guess it makes for a good headline (and no denying that pies are tasty!), but there are other predictions they make that I’ve already seen happening locally:

• The new mom and pop. Self-financed restaurants built on limited budgets are growing in number. “This is an economic decision,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there who still want to open up restaurants, and it’s a good opportunity to look at real estate in a down economy.” The restaurants are typically small and the owners are extremely involved. Some examples are eVe in Berkeley, Calif., and Sons & Daughters in San Francisco.
As for this being a “new” trend, I wonder where they’ve been?  I pretty much exclusively deal with this type of operator, and from everything I’ve ever heard that’s been the same for our company for the past 36 years.  If it’s becoming more prominent lately, then that could explain why things have been so busy lately (see this post I put up from just last week for more on that).

•  One-ingredient restaurants. “Restaurateurs are taking one ingredient and building full restaurants around them,” Freeman said. Following on the several-year trend of gourmet burgers, the trend is extending to grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs and sliders. “We’re predicting perhaps a peanut butter restaurant next or a big biscuit restaurant,” he said.

Looks like City Dogs has been onto something — they’ve certainly done well, with two very busy locations now (Shockoe Slip & the Fan.  I wonder what other concepts we’ll see that will play with this one-ingredient format.

What do you think the biggest trends for restaurants in Richmond will be for 2011?  What are you hoping will be the new trends?

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Play-by-play on the Richmond restaurant discussion

Last Tuesday was “An Evening at Morton’s”, where a select group of individuals involved in Richmond’s restaurant community were brought together to discuss Richmond’s food culture.  You can see my write-up and some useful links here.

I wanted to be sure you were aware of a few more resources that are especially useful if you weren’t able to follow along that night:

  • All of the participants answered some introductory questions before the panel, and the answers can be found here.
  • The live blog and questions from participants online were recorded and can be read in their entirety here.
  • Here is the NBC12 coverage of the event, and there is a video on that same page of the coverage.  The part of the report focused on the Steak Chat starts about halfway through the video.

I would love to hear what you thought of the discussion, and any insights you may have to share that didn’t get covered that night.  There was a lot to cover, and we could have gone on for hours — so there are definitely topics that didn’t get fully discussed.

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Richmond’s Food Culture — join in on the discussion tonight!

I’ve followed the ongoing series “An Evening at Morton’s” since it started off the year with a discussion on the Young Professional Business Climate, so I know that this is an exciting group and they have spun off some great discussions already.

Rather than rehash what has been said previously, I encourage you to read what Richmond.com has to say about the format of the evening and how you can participate. (nudge: go here)

[Okay, I lied. I am going to rehash just a little bit.] The masterminds behind the evening pick a topic, get experts together around a table at Morton’s Steakhouse down in Shockoe Slip, have a moderator facilitate the discussion, live blog & live tweet it, take questions and interactions with folks following along at home, record it, and release follow up posts wrapping up what was learned from the evening.

Thus is born #steakchatrva, or the long version, An Evening at Morton’s.

The topic on the table this month is Richmond’s Food Culture, which is a topic that is very near to my heart (and wallet, considering that most of what I do as a Commercial Realtor and Business Broker has to do with restaurants).  I had heard of the topic and suggested some folks and angles on the topic to make things interesting.  It hadn’t occurred to me that I might be asked to be at the table, so I was honored and excited to get the call.

We have a great panel for tonight’s discussion (taken straight from Richmond.com’s article on the evening):

While there are lots of people that could be included in the discussion, as evidenced by the larger than normal panel this month, there is only but so much space at the table.  It is always important to note that while we are representatives of the community, we are not the end-all to the topic and need the rest of the community to step up and participate.  We don’t want to lose the other voices that are equally important in the discussion.

So here is how you can participate:

What do you think we should be talking about? Have anything you would like to share?  Feel free to leave a comment or two here, if the urge should strike you.  Just keep in mind that I won’t be checking the blog once the discussion is underway, so chime in on the other channels listed above to have your voice heard after 6:30pm tonight!

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Business is getting better, Richmond

Business is booming!  Relatively speaking, at least, the economy is buzzing along.  Things certainly aren’t where they used to be, but they are getting better.  Running a small business is tough, no doubt about it — but it’s always tough.

One of the first questions I hear is “how is business” — and the answer lately has been that business is great!  The business I’m in (commercial real estate and business brokering) is busier than it has been in the past couple of years.  I can’t speak for the entire industry, but our small piece has been rolling along quite briskly.  The period between the 4th of July and Labor Day weekend is usually dead for us, except for the residential leasing, but this year defied past trends and was the busiest we’ve had in a long time.

As I’ve said in the past, I’m a small business.  I’m not Coca-Cola or Dow Chemical.  I don’t need the whole economy to be in a bubble to be doing well.  I just need to do well with and by my clients and customers to be rewarded.  Conversely, I don’t need the whole economy to be in recession for my business to be spiraling downward, either.

It’s not just our business at Bandazian & Holden that has been on the upswing lately.  I’ve been hearing from more and more friends that their businesses are doing the same thing, and that brings me great hope for everyone.

Don’t take my word for it, though.  The news outlets are tapping into the data and things are starting to spring back (or at least stop going down) all over:

From Nation’s Restaurant News: Atlanta’s restaurants seeing better days

Operators in the city pointed to an increase in private parties and convention business, which they expect to continue as the holiday season nears. And while diners remain value-conscious, some restaurateurs reported that increased drink and appetizer orders are giving check averages a boost.
From the Wall Street Journal:  Consumers Show Signs of Stirring
U.S. retail sales rose for a third consecutive month in September, posting a stronger-than-expected increase that should fend off fears of a double-dip recession but doesn’t signal a strong recovery.
And from right here in Richmond, in Richmond BizSense: Retail Slowdown Slowing Down?
For the second quarter, area sales totaled $2.59 billion compared to $2.64 billion in the second quarter of 2009.  The decrease of 1.89 percent is the smallest quarter to quarter change since BizSense began analyzing taxable sales data at the end of 2008—a sign that the slowdown may be flattening out.
…

Restaurants and bars are also doing a little bit better, growing sales by more than 6 percent in the second quarter. That is a big change from the 1 percent to 2 percent decrease reported for previous quarters.

What has changed?  I don’t know. Maybe people are tired of being scared and sitting on the sidelines, waiting for more bad news.  What I do know is that we got ourselves into this mess, and it’s up to us to dig our way out — everyone working on their small piece of the hole.  There is plenty of money to be made in good times and bad times, trick is that the people have to earn their money in the “bad times”.  Let’s keep making this work!

What do you think?  Have you seen business improving in your corner of the world?

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Richmond’s next frontier?

Style Weekly has an interesting article this week about a part of Richmond that has been largely ignored, Northside’s Brookland Park Boulevard.  There is a lot of great information in the article, so be sure to go here and read the whole thing, but I felt like this part in particular was a great summary of the past and present of this area:

Brookland Park Boulevard was a bustling commercial corridor in the 1950s and ’60s, with popular bakeries, restaurants, a theater and a nightclub. And today, despite the many vacant buildings, several businesses still do a thriving trade.

On Saturdays, the area’s many beauty and barber shops are packed. Soul food restaurant Sam’s Kitchen is doing well, Epps says, as is his brother’s newly opened restaurant, River City Seafood. The cheerful yellow Michaela’s Bakery, which opened in 2005, sells six-layer cakes and strawberry shortcakes wholesale. Owner Michael Hatcher wishes the city would think of some way to bring more customers in — something historic, he says, or a tourist attraction. Another longtime business owner, florist Sylvia Richardson, says loiterers are the biggest deterrent to business. She says she doesn’t feel comfortable even walking to the convenience store across the street.

The one thing on which the merchants agree is that Brookland Park Boulevard has potential. Car traffic is plentiful, because the boulevard connects the city’s North Side and East End, and the area is served by two bus lines. The street has some architectural gems, such as an old theater and an ornate bank building. Richmond Community High School, a school for the gifted, moved onto the boulevard in 2009. Young people are buying up houses in nearby neighborhoods.

Brookland Park Boulevard reminds me a lot of other Richmond gems like East Grace Street near the Carpenter Center and Manchester’s Hull Street.  A rich history, a questionable present, and a lot of enthusiasm and support to make the area a thriving community.

For another great write-up on the area, take a look at this very thorough post on This Decrepit Victorian from March 2010:  The Brookland Park Historic District.

What’s next for Brookland Park, I wonder?

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Richmond wins!

Winner at the Delta County Fair, Colorado (LOC)

We're number one!

As I mentioned earlier this year in “Richmond loves its working moms“, I appreciate when the rest of the world acknowledges Richmond’s superiority in all ways. It seems there are lists for everything, and while I find it to be overkill most of the time — any list can justify itself as being relevant and highly insightful by the obvious addition of Richmond (or Virginia as a whole) to the top of its rankings.

Imagine my delight when I found a helpfully compiled list of Richmond’s awards on the Greater Richmond Partnership’s website (here) and a similar but not completely identical list on the City of Richmond’s website (here).

Browse the awards and bookmark the links for future reference.  Find a few that mean  the most to you and let everyone know how great Richmond is! (and feel free to rub it in to friends that live in cities that ranked below us…)

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Official recommendations on the privatization of ABC stores

Virginia Governor, Bob McDonnell, has been getting a lot of news coverage lately over his push to privatize ABC stores statewide:  RTD from 9/3/10, NBC12 from 8/19/10, Hburgnews.com from 8/26/10, Style Weekly from 6/29/10.

This proposal still has a ways to go and many levels of bureaucracy to push through before it becomes reality, but McDonnell ‘s senior staff members have been studying the issue to make recommendations.  Here are their official findings (the full version), which were released today.  You can find the presentations that were made through this link. (although it doesn’t look like it will stay the top story but for so long)

I pulled out a number of points from the press release that I found to be the most intriguing:

  • 1,000 retail licenses will be auctioned off to the highest bidders
  • The licenses will be broken into three categories: 600 licenses for large establishments such as grocery stores; 150 for smaller establishments such as package stores and wine and beer shops; 250 for convenience stores/retail pharmacies
  • No one company will be allowed more than 25% of licenses within each level
  • 1,000 licenses will still give Virginia 1.8 outlets per 10,000 adults, far below the private state average of 3.8 per 10,000 adults
  • Majority of new license holders will be existing stores; Virginians will primarily see new shelves in retail establishments, not new establishments.
  • 332 licenses will be guaranteed for areas currently served by an existing ABC outlet
  • The additional 668 licenses will be granted based on population density
  • The wholesale side will also be privatized, allowing the Commonwealth to completely focus on law enforcement and regulation of distilled spirits
  • There is no tax increase in the privatization proposal
  • The Commonwealth will also make an additional $33 million on the sale of the ABC warehouse in Richmond and 19 state owned outlets
  • The number of ABC enforcement agents will be increased by 25%
  • The Commonwealth, through the ABC board, will maintain health, safety, law enforcement and marketing regulatory authority over private distilled spirit sales and distribution

Also, the point that has been making the most buzz lately is the idea of a 4% tax on the gross liquor receipts for restaurant operators.  That seems to have been taken out of the recommendations (given the 9th bullet point listed above), unless it’s a matter of semantics and they’ve buried it by not calling it a tax.  I didn’t have time to go through, but I’m sure there will be lots of other people combing through the details of this proposal word for word.

Another point that is of particular interest to me is the sale of the ABC main warehouse.  I wonder who will be listing that? *ahem* Mr. Governor, I’d be happy to take a look at it for you!

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Richmond loses a great restaurant talent

There aren’t many restaurateurs that are so widely acclaimed and well-liked as Alain Lecomte.  Richmond has lost a true talent and he will be missed.  Over the years I have heard lots of high praise for both Alain and his restaurant, Chez Max.  Having never met the man personally, I can’t add much that isn’t already covered in the article in this morning’s Richmond Times-Dispatch — “Restaurateur Alain Lecomte dies at 46” (so go read it, *nudge*)

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Should I wait to sign a lease, or is this as good as it gets?

Fear is a strong motivator, but so is hope.  They’re especially strong when they come together.  It’s a special moment when we’ve made it through an especially bad economic downturn and your business starts to tick upwards for the first time.

Commercial landlords have been through that hard time right along with every other business owner, and they are ready to see that uptick themselves.  They are ready to deal to get in good steady tenants.  At the same time, businesses are seeing new contracts come in (I know we have!) and they are ready to start taking advantage of the deals on leases — are you?

empty salon space

2217-2219 W Main Street

I’m certainly not the first to point this out, and I’m taking my cue from a recent online article on National Real Estate Investor — “Office Tenants and Landlords Battle for Upper Hand”

Landlord concession packages are not likely to get any bigger… “They’re as good as they’re going to get.” The same may be true with rents, he adds. “Rents may fall in some markets a bit further, but the ship starts to turn before a lot of people know they’re on it.”

Robert Bach, senior vice president and chief economist at Grubb & Ellis, agrees. “More tenants are active now and willing to sign a long-term lease because they are more confident in their own outlook and realize now is a good time because of the concessions available.”

They’re talking about office leases in the article, but it makes just as much sense with retail and restaurant spaces, too.

Of course you never know when the economy has hit bottom until it’s too late to take advantage of the best deals.  The great part is that as long as you’re not making decisions out of fear, you can keep your eye on your own business and use cues from your business activity help you decide when is the best time to move.

So if you’re seeing cues that things are getting better in your business, perhaps it’s time we talk about finding a good deal now…?

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Help the Byrd Theatre win $250,000 from Pepsi

There is an exciting contest going on over the next few months where “Pepsi is giving away millions to fund great ideas”. (wording straight from the Pepsi Refresh Project website)

What’s even more exciting is that Richmond’s own landmark movie palace, the Byrd Theatre, is throwing their hat in the ring for one of the top prizes for $250,000 to put towards renovations throughout the building — new seats, improved bathrooms, and increased accessibility.

To kick off the project, the folks at the Byrd Theatre Foundation are reaching out to the community, asking anyone that has ever enjoyed their time at the Byrd to share their fondest memories:

The Foundation will be hosting its own competition seeking two stories to include in the Pepsi video submission. Other notable submissions will be released via YouTube throughout the month of July to encourage voting and participation. A Flickr stream will be created to allow for public participation and documentation of memories and events.

Contest submissions are due May 26th, 2010 and winners will be announced May 28, 2010. The winners will be contacted via email and filmed shortly after so the video can be ready by the submission deadline. Submissions should be sent to stories@thebtf.org. Those that wish to submit a story via YouTube should send an email that includes contact information and the YouTube URL.

[from a press release sent out yesterday morning, which can be found here]

So email your memories/story ideas to Brandon Laroussini at brandonl@thebtf.org [edit: updated email address, send to: stories@thebtf.org] and relive those memories — and at the same time, help secure the future of the Byrd Theatre!

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Restaurants in Richmond: New names & expansions

Every time you turn around in Richmond, there is a new restaurant popping up…well, pretty much everywhere! This week is no exception.

I’m not going to pretend that I’ll keep you up with ALL of the openings and closing through this blog, but I’ll keep up my tradition of sharing news when I’ve come across it and when there is a particularly active week or two I’ll compile the info and point you to where I’ve seen the news.

Speaking of which:

1) The old Fuddruckers at the intersection of West Broad Street and North Parham Road has been sold to Buz Grossberg to expand his Buz & Ned’s Barbeque concept to a second location from its original home on Boulevard. That was announced a few weeks ago or so. The reason why I think it’s noteworthy today is because of Buz’s interview with Al Harris of RichmondBizSense that was posted this morning. Lots of great info on his plans for the building, and how the deal worked when his last attempt at a new store didn’t.

2) Secco Wine Bar opened this week in Carytown (Style Weekly article from last week), after at least a couple of months of public preparation (and who knows how long this was in the works before it was made public).

3) Dos Amigos Burrito opened a couple of weeks ago on MacArthur Avenue in Northside, to replace a short-lived ice cream shop (posting from North Richmond News). From what I’ve heard, it’s related to Northside Grille around the corner on Bellevue.

4) Empress is opening with a “Grand Soiree” this Wednesday, 4/28, at 2403 West Broad Street (former location of Enoteca Sogno, and Ma Musu’s West African Cuisine before that). Check out this article on RVANews for more details on the restaurant and the Grand Soiree.

AND, there are plenty more on the immediate horizon! I can think of at least 5 others new restaurants that are coming soon, but they are all at a stage that I can’t spill the beans. Believe me, that you’ll be excited when you hear (and I’ll let you know as soon as they let me!).

If there are any others that I’ve missed, please share. We have a great restaurant scene here in Richmond, and it’s only getting better as we celebrate it!

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Tips on leasing commercial space

If you’re looking for commercial space for your business, or think that you might ever be looking — read this article from Entrepreneur Magazine, “How to Negotiate a Lease“. It has lots of great information on what to expect and how the process works for finding a commercial space to lease. [please ignore all of the obnoxious advertising that Entrepreneur Magazine is so horrible about, the article is worth suffering through the ads]

Be educated about the process and do your homework, but don’t let your ego get in the way and think that you can do this on your own. As the article mentions, be sure to use a commercial broker to find and negotiate the space with you, and use an attorney to review the lease documents.

There are things that you won’t know that you’re missing, no matter how savvy of a tenant you are — and those things that you missed will become painfully obvious the moment you reference your lease regarding a contentious issue 2 years from now, or the moment you hear about the space that wasn’t officially “on the market” but was half the price and better positioned than the space you chose.

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More info about The Devil’s Triangle!

This is an article that you don’t want to miss about The Devil’s Triangle by Alix Bryan

I said my bit in a post yesterday, after seeing Alix’s videos — but there is SO much more that can be said, and she has a quite a few of the stories I have heard over the years about the rough days here in the Triangle. Be sure to read all about it!

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How do you keep a restaurant going?

The short answer is:  “hard work”!

Long hours and a passion for the business are all key to the success of a restaurant.  I always tell prospective buyers that are new to the business that it is not just a career, it’s a lifestyle. If you can’t throw yourself entirely into the job, you might want to consider another job.

Take a look at this recent article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about a day in the life of a restaurant owner, “Hard work keeps fledgling pizzeria going in Henrico“.

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