Meet Kristy Cotter, this week's guest editor of our special Valentine's issue (with perks)! Kristy is the owner and founder of DEAR NEIGHBOR, a specialty women’s boutique in Church Hill. After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, Kristy moved to the River City to pursue a Master's degree in art education at VCU. While teaching, she started a jewelry company that reignited her interest in the fashion industry, leading to the creation of DEAR NEIGHBOR! Over the years, her shop has evolved and today it's focused on apparel, lingerie, and fine jewelry among other exciting goods! You can usually find Kristy playing dress up in the shop or hanging out with her four-year-old son Rune. But today, she's putting on the editor hat for Here Weekly to deliver three tips for your Valentine's weekend ahead!
Take it away, Kristy ...
Homme Pop Up
Let's start with the boys at Homme Essentials – because they're hosting a Valentine's Day pop up and cocktails TODAY from 5 pm to 8 pm! Homme specializes in menswear staples and it's where I buy ALL of my husband's clothes. The dudes are cool and have some of the best men's brands (period), making it a go-to spot to shop in Richmond for sure. They’re right next to Stella’s and Stella’s Market on Lafayette St., so it's also a destination where you can order yourself a stiff drink after doing a little retail therapy! We're joining Homme Essentials for their pop up tonight, so swing by to say hello. Not only can you knock out your shopping, but there will be drinks from Richmond based Cirrus Vodka and delicious Filipino dishes by ATO Sisig & Grill. A million reasons to come out tonight!
Ready for the ultimate local Valentine's giveaway?! Of course you are! Well, that’s good because we’ve teamed up with some AMAZING local shops, restaurants, and businesses to offer OVER $1600 in prizes for one lucky Richmonder! Prizes include $200.00 gift cards to Elsie Frieda, Roan, Palette Home, Na Nin, Lolita's, Montante Aesthetics, and Dear Neighbor. Also, included is one month of unlimited classes at The Bar Method RVA. Do yourself a favor and take a moment to meet each of these local businesses that are soon to become a favorite destination regardless of who wins this ultimate giveaway. We plan to announce the big winner on February 14th via our Instagram stories and DM so head over to @shopdearneighbor for a crack at this sweet giveaway. Here Weekly readers can also find details about our giveaway at each of the participating businesses.
OBVI. This is a VDAY FEATURE, I’d be crazy not to highlight DEAR NEIGHBOR. We’re a sweet little shop in Church Hill, created in my backyard in 2016. We’re right next to Sub Rosa Bakery, across the street from North End Juice Co. (Church Hill) and up the block from Union Market. To say the least, we’re not the only reason to visit Church Hill, but we think so! We specialize in gifts for yourself and your sweetie for Valentine's Day. As a local boutique, we focus on anything that makes a woman feel good. We carry everything from lingerie to activewear, and pretty much everything in between. Swing by this weekend to introduce yourself and drop in at the last minute on Monday for your Valentine's Day needs!
You didn't think we'd end this Valentine's Day issue without flowers, did you? Check out Old Time Feeling by Kelsey Sykes, a local botanic artist and gardener. Her modernist foraged style translates the natural world into momentary works of art. Poet Pamela Johnson Parker perhaps said it best, “An intersection of the pastoral and high art, Sykes’ work is thoughtfully unstudied.” Pre-order your Valentine’s flowers for pick-up at Dear Neighbor on Sunday, February 13th, or at Rosewood Clothing Company's new location at Spacebomb Studios on Monday, February, 14th.
Love is in the air in the River City! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we've rounded up favorite local businesses looking to make it as easy as possible for you to show that you care any time of year. From bike excursions to a new independent bookstore to wine and cheese delivered to your doorstep, we have you covered this year.
Basket & Bike
BASKET & BIKE, a local bike excursions company founded by Anne Poarch, is offering a chance for recreation, exercise, and good times with friends. It’s also offering something much more – a new way of looking at the beauty around us. A new way of looking at the history that shaped our Commonwealth, and our nation. A new way of looking at ourselves. What better gift to give to someone you love this Valentine's Day or any day. To make it easy, Basket & Bike is offering electronic Tour Gift Cards that can be used for Quirk Richmond & Secret Garden Tours (bike tours of some of RVA’s artsy must-sees and pocket parks), Downtown Tours (classic and electric bike tours of RVA street art, nature, and history), Signature Rides at Upper Shirley, Williamsburg Winery to Jamestown Island (19-mile classic bicycle ride on the Colonial Parkway and around coastal Jamestown Island), and elevated picnic experiences.
Give the gift of a good book and a little "me" time. The Book Bar, a Black-owned, woman-owned bookstore that centers on BIPOC authors, is hosting its grand opening this Saturday at 1311 E. Main St. in downtown Richmond. The 2,100-square-foot shop was created by Dr. Krystle Dandridge, a local therapist, as a way to create an independent bookstore and uplifting community space where Black, Indigenous and people of color are reflected when you walk through the door. The Book Bar also doubles as a wine shop that will soon host wine tastings and sell wine by the bottle to take away. For Valentine’s Day, we suggest The Black Box, a subscription box by The Book Bar that features books by BIPOC authors, curated items that cultivate knowledge, and local products that encourage self-care while also promoting a variety of other Black-owned small businesses. And you can even add wine to your box! Box subscriptions are delivered quarterly and are the perfect gift for yourself or for anyone who loves to escape in a good book.
Talk about a perfect match, RVA Cheese Girl and RichWine RVA are collaborating this Valentine’s Day to offer Richmonders a special edition, heart-shaped charcuterie box paired with a handpicked bottle of red! Emmie Lewis, local owner of RVA Cheese Girl, has racked up a loyal following of late for her handcrafted seasonal boards curated to highlight RVA’s finest ingredients. For Valentine’s Day she has gone above and beyond with a themed box packed with cheese, charcuterie, chocolate covered strawberries and other various accouterments. RichWine RVA, a boutique wine retailer with a focus on clean farming practiced wines, steps up this package with a special bottle picked by owners Kristen Gardner Beal and Lance Lemon. Get your orders in by February 8, 2022 before midnight, as limited quantities are available.
RVA First Fridays is tonight, Friday, February 4th! Among the many participating galleries and local businesses in the Richmond Arts District you'll find an opening exhibit by Justice Dwight at Eden Airlines at 214 E Grace St. The new exhibit, called “promises, promises,” will also feature a brand new coloring book by the popular local artist dropping tonight!
Brrr, it’s cold out there but don’t let that stop you from exploring and celebrating this place we love to call home. Here’s your inspiration to bundle up and go! See you out there, let's go ...
Bake a Difference
At Tablespoons Bakery, everyone is welcome to the table. Pop in this weekend and you’ll find larger-than-life cookies, endless piles of rainbow sprinkles, warm cups of coffee and friendly smiles. But what stands out most is the bakery’s celebration of community, inclusivity, and diversity. As a vocational culinary training program through the non-profit The Next Move Program, Tablespoons Bakery provides internship experiences and employment opportunities for young adults with developmental disabilities. Launched in 2017 with the support of the Virginia Department of Education and professional baker Britt Falabella, the baking program serves 50+ young adults annually and strives to combat high rates of unemployment for people with disabilities in Virginia. Elizabeth Redford, executive director and co-founder, says the talented crew at Tablespoons bakes to make a difference, to teach students that they are capable, and to show others that differences are beautiful. Located in the former parsonage house of Westover Hills United Methodist Church, the new brick and mortar bakery and community café offers everything from baked goods, coffee, tea, an outdoor courtyard, Tot Lot playground for kids, and community space for events and workshops. When you’re finished polishing off a warm plate of cookies take a stroll through nearby James River Park System.
Do yourself a favor and explore Richmond’s first coffeeshop, craft barbecue, and Tex Mex mashup on Brookland Park Boulevard! Known as the “front porch” of Brookland Park, The Smoky Mug has a little something for everyone. We’re talking pork spare ribs that fall off the bone, mouth-watering house made smoked turkey chili chowder that’s sure to warm you up, bagel sandwiches made on locally loved Chewy's Bagels, and homemade pressed tortillas that make their Taco Night the best in all the land. And don’t forget to test drive the drink menu too, ranging from a delightfully rich and spicy Aztec Hot Cocoa with honey, chili pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla spiced whipped cream to a delicious Winter Margarita that features a trio of winter citrus—key lime, lemon and blood orange. For a day like this, we suggest asking the friendly baristas for a Hot Toddy with Wild Turkey 101, honey, and spiced tea or the Melted Snowman, a frosty fav built with melted chips of milk and white chocolate with a few buttons of peppermint.
It may be cold out there, but don’t let that stop you from wandering outside and rediscovering some of your favorite places in a different light. If you ask us, there’s nothing better than a snowy backdrop to help change your perspective. Consider a walk to Sankofa Community Orchard, where you’ll find murals by local artists and volunteers organized by Happily Natural organization, fusing together art, food justice, racial justice and climate justice initiatives. This 1-acre space in a formerly redlined neighborhood on Richmond’s southside is now home to a field of freestanding murals – that’s over 1700 square feet of art that really pops any time of year, but especially now! The garden, which includes fruit trees and fruiting shrubs, is part of efforts by City of Richmond and local nonprofits to ensure stormwater best management practices along Reedy Creek for a healthier Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
True Places is an experiential art initiative designed to inspire the exploration and celebration of our most authentic outdoor places in Richmond. To begin, the True Places crew challenged four local artists to depict their true place in a piece of art that highlights destinations not commonly found on a map or along a well-worn path. The result – the first in a series of fine art prints for sale that honor places in the great outdoors that speak to our community’s ability to push further, explore deeper, reflect, and to learn along the way.
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