While many Oregon Hill residents sympathize with the recent protests, many are also saddened by damages experienced by local businesses during them. The Tech Exchange on W. Cary was broken into and several thousands of dollars in merchandise broken or taken. Some businesses in VCU area experienced broken glass and significant damages. The closest bicycle shop to Oregon Hill, Balance, on Broad Street, was destroyed.
Photo and comment by neighbor Charles Pool.
Clouds reflected in the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) building across Belvidere Street from Oregon Hill. The VHDA has applied for exceptions to the zoning code to build a large parking deck adjacent to the Va. War Memorials new deck. Since there is a shortage of parking to visit Belle Isle, will the VHDA allow the public to park in the deck on the weekends?
RVA Magazine has a story about Pine Street punk rock record store Vinyl Conflict.
Here’s an excerpt:
When the coronavirus outbreak hit, Vinyl Conflict owners Bobby Egger and Melissa Mazula were out of the country. They’d had a buying trip to the UK scheduled for March 4 through 18, and as they traveled, things began to escalate.
“When the travel ban went into effect, we were watching the news very carefully each day, trying to make a decision about how we would be returning,” said Egger. “We were quite far away from our return flight date, and on the other side of the country.”
From another country, they had to make important decisions about what would happen with Vinyl Conflict’s retail store in Oregon Hill, which specializes in new and used punk, hardcore, and metal albums — on vinyl, of course — as well as related merchandise. And when they returned, they voluntarily put themselves into quarantine.
“Me and Melissa went on self quarantine for two full weeks, and my employees continued to up our online presence in social media,” Egger said. The shop switched to a curbside-pickup model, at first allowing browsing by appointment only and then ending even that out of concerns for the safety of customers and employees. And they immediately focused on online sales, working hard to ensure that their entire inventory was accessible on the store’s website and the record-sales site Discogs.com.
There were many residents of Oregon Hill who worked at the Tredegar Iron Works. Beside the canal, the Tredegar company store, built just after the Civil War, survives where many Oregon Hill residents doubtless shopped for many of their household needs. Some of the shelves that held the goods are still visible inside the building. According to the interpretive plaque, Tredegar did not provide script like some companies, instead workers who shopped at the store had the bill deducted from their wages.
A recent announcement from a neighbor:
Hey Yall! I’m Haleh, upholsterer and textile artist on Pine Street. I, like many others, am concerned about how I’m going to make money in the current situation while my fabric vendors are shutting their doors and my clients as well.
I make flags, in fact, I made the banner that St Andrews hangs to advertise the OHNA meetings. I have a cool flag up in my window right now and it is available through a raffle, if you want a chance of winning it for $10!
the link is 800dollarstore.bigcartel.com and there are three options for purchase. It is high quality and durable, like all of my work, and available to be seen in my window until the auction ends on March 26 2020. Thanks for your time, please share if you think you have people who would like a chance to own this, and stay safe and healthy. Love to you and your people.
The newest addition to the Salvation Tattoo Gallery family is Holley Elizabeth. Her contact information and many more samples of her artwork are available on the Salvation Tattoo website.
As Richmond’s tourism grows, more people are discovering its historic charm.
The Adventuresses’ Club of the Americas, a nonprofit social club committed to creating community around the Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries TV shows, books, and upcoming movie, have scheduled a ‘con’ or conference for Richmond this coming July.
Because of the era portrayed in the series, they highlighted Oregon Hill on the con webpage.
Also, they are looking for local artists with a fondness for Miss Fisher and the Art Deco era to become vendors at their con.
From (recently re-elected) Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association President Todd Woodson:
On Monday, December 16th at 1:30PM, the City Planning Commission will hear a conceptual plan presented by Venture Richmond for a $17 million, taxpayer funded “improvement plan”, including a CORPORATE HELICOPTER PAD and DYNAMIC LIGHTING PLAN for publicly owned Browns Island, located on a flood plain in downtown Richmond. Venture Richmond and 3north held a planning charrette last April and invited DOMINION ENERGY, ALTRIA CORPORATION, NEW MARKET CORPORATION, certain developers, attorneys and City planning staff yet excluded the stake-holding public from the conversation. After being approved by only 3 members of the ten member Urban Design Committee last week, the proposal is poised to be approved “under the radar” by the planning commission on Monday. If you aren’t interested in building a corporate helipad on public property with taxpayer funds, I would urge you to attend and speak out against this ill conceived plan!
Of course, the corporate media has been silent about this, as they do not want to raise the ire of Venture (aka Vulture) Richmond. Remember, Richmond’s leaders don’t want to PUT SCHOOLS FIRST! Remember, corporate corruption takes from the public– even if most citizens agree with the improvements being made, they should not be excluded from the public planning process!
Neighborhood representatives recently received this ‘Section 106’ note in regard to the proposed cell phone towner on the 800 block of W.Cary that the neighborhood association has opposed.
This is to notify you that a new comment has been added to the following filing:
Comment Source: BirchCo, Inc.
Comment Date: 11/19/2019
Comment Text: Please note that the request to provide mock ups and photo documentation of same is still being considered and worked on by the applicant. Additional information will be provided to all parties as soon as it is available.File Number: 0008777730
TCNS Number: 188256
Purpose: Update
Original Purpose: Collocation Submission Packet
Has the Communications Tower or Non-Tower Structure been the subject of SHPO/THPO review? No
Notification Date: 7AM EST 10/02/2019Applicant: T-Mobile Northeast, LLC
Consultant: BirchCo, Inc.
Positive Train Control Filing Subject to Expedited Treatment Under Program Comment: No
Site Name: VA71951C / 805 West Cary
Site Address: 805 West Cary Street
Detailed Description of Project:
Site Coordinates: 37-32-40.0 N, 77-27-7.0 W
City: Richmond
County: RICHMOND CITY
State:VA
Lead SHPO/THPO: Virginia Department of Historic Resources
This site has mentioned Holly Street neighbor Trent Jackson and his Lil’ Sprouts business before, but this morning, at RealLocalRVA‘s October meeting, he won a semi-finalist position for Help To The Shelf. As part of a partnership with Hatch Kitchen and the Apple Cart Co., Help To The Shelf is an exciting food/beverage pitch competition aimed at helping businesses launch a product and gain recognition with a larger audience. Here’s hoping that Lil’ Sprouts microgreens brings it all home!
Help To The Shelf semi-finalists, Trent Jackson is on left.