news briefs

Alchemists Moves Back to Stony Point

Alchemists has relocated to 3080 Stony Point Road in the Stony Point Village Shopping Center. Their new space is intimate, engaging and cozy, yet still spacious, peaceful and serene. They will be curating classes and workshops while expanding their online presence, venturing into eCommerce and bringing in-house readers back to meet demand.

Alchemists will continue to be an oasis of peace and relaxation for the body, mind and spirit. They offer an eclectic collection of unique gifts, jewelry and whimsy, hand-picked to bring joy to the life of others, along with an amazing array of books, crystals and shamanic tools to nurture, comfort and inspire our personal surroundings and optimal well-being.

For more information, call 804-320-9200 or visit AlchemistsRVA.com. See ad, page 5.

The Farmbus Promotes Sustainability

Farm to Family and The Farmbus have been supporting the Richmond-area community for 13 years to fill a need for fresh, locally sourced vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy and other value-added products from their regional food shed. The goal is to create a more sustainable food system by supporting small, local farms and building resilient communities through local food aggregation and distribution models, including the Farmbus (mobile farmers market), a retail outlet and a year-round community supported agriculture (CSA) program in Richmond and Washington, D.C.

To further support their sustainability goals, owner Mark Lily has added solar to the Farmbus, equipping it with two 400-watt panels that can supply the vehicle’s electrical needs while out on the road feeding the community. There are plans to install more solar systems at the farm and market in the near future.

Retail location: 2817 Mechanicsville Tpke. For more information, call 804-397-7337 or visit TheFarmbus.CSAware.See ad, page 31.

Reserve Your Next Spa Party in Carytown RVA

Janice Powell

Main Street Spa & Wellness Center has moved to a new location at 24 S. Auburn Avenue (the corner of Cary Street and Auburn Avenue), and is booking Spa Parties with the capacity to host six to eight guests for bridal parties, birthdays, anniversaries and more. The new space has been fully renovated, including parking with handicap access. Main Street Spa & Wellness Center, celebrating 20 years of business in February, offers a variety of wellness services from detox body wraps to colon hydrotherapy (open/closed system), infrared sauna and more. President Janice Powell says, “We invite you to experience absolute relaxation. Our services and products have been carefully selected and blended to reflect our commitment to integrating nature, innovation and luxury. We strive to consistently offer a complete spa experience that will bring new levels of vitality, health and natural well-being to your life.”

For more information and appointments, call 804-644-1084 or visit MainStreetSpa.org. See ad, page 31.

Richmond Selected for Community Compost Pilot

Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) has been selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service to receive a $90,000 grant to launch the Richmond Compost Initiative this spring through early fall 2023.

The initiative seeks to foster a culture of composting, divert food waste from the landfill and cycle organic waste into high quality compost. This project has already begun to demonstrate citizens’ enthusiasm for a municipal composting option. Educating the community is another key goal of the pilot, and there will be an ample effort to engage people new to composting, as well as train members of the PRCF Workforce Development team and other community garden volunteers on the process and application of composting.

Community gardens play a key role in providing sites for food waste collection stations and will be the primary beneficiary of the compost produced. The composting team will service the collection bins weekly and bring the organic matter to a central site to transform into highquality compost. This initiative will make important progress toward the city’s sustainability goals as outlined in the RVAGreen 2050 plan slated for adoption by city council later this year.

For more information, contact Kate Rivara at Katherine.Rivara@rva.gov.

Artspace Gallery is now open at 2833-A Hathaway Road in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center, south of the James. With a sense of renewal, a cadre of local artists has brought this artist-run, contemporary gallery space into being. A teaching space is a welcome addition to the new location, offering further opportunities for engaging the community.

Artspace’s exhibitions often reflect artists’ concerns with both society and the natural world. March exhibits include Mona Dworkin’s haunting portraits, Carl Patow’s vibrant digital pieces and Elaine Rogers’ work inspired by social and cultural issues.

There are many reasons to visit the gallery: the meditative act of art appreciation; finding inspiration by viewing exciting and challenging works; the cathartic act of making art; and talking and collaborating with other artists and art lovers. Artspace hosts fresh exhibitions each month, with a public reception usually held on Fourth Fridays. Auction events, juried shows, invitational exhibitions, wine tastings, special events and calls for proposals from artists round out their offerings for both artists and community members.

For more information about classes, shows and membership, call 804-232-6464 or visit ArtspaceGallery.org. Mary-Lynne Williams is expanding her online business, Buffalo Firefly, into a new energy wellness studio in the True North Yoga building at 4025 Mac Arthur Avenue. Williams is planning minor updates to the northside location and will be opening the studio in April.

Yoga, massage and acupuncture practitioners and instructors will remain in the space, and Buffalo Firefly will add reiki, meditation classes, sound healing and Akashic records readings. Visitors will be able to shop for high-quality crystals, aromatherapy, books, tarot cards, sound healing instruments and more in Buffalo Firefly’s new retail space.

For more information, visit BuffaloFirefly.com.

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. ~Mother Teresa

Debbie Troxell, RN, MSNH Thermographer RVAThermography.com • 804-683-7774

Breast and Health imaging to keep you living happily longer.

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Begin your journey now to a healthy body and tranquil mind.

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804.741.5267 • glenmoreyoga.com

10442 Ridgefield Parkway, Richmond

New Local Source for Healing Provisions

HealThySelf Healthy Mixes is opening a new location at 5203 S. Laburnum Avenue that will provide wellness beverages, herbal products and healthy sessions. Menu items include sea moss gel, drinks, and shakes; herbal teas and capsules; elderberry syrup and tonic and more. HealThySelf is dedicated to helping create balance during the wellness journey and promoting a healthy lifestyle with natural mixes. Owners Justin and Janiqua Morris say, “We believe that food has the power to heal us. It is the most potent tool we have to help prevent and treat many of our chronic diseases.”

Their journey began with a husband’s desire to heal his wife. After struggling with serious health challenges and experiencing little to no progress, they decided to do their own in-depth research after switching to a plant-based diet anchored by natural herbs.

For more information, visit HTSHealthyMixes.org.

Streamlining and Calming Your Space

Get Organized RVA creates aesthetically appealing, calm and systematized spaces, allowing clients to devote their time and energy to what matters most. This professional home organizing company was started by two women, Jamie Gibberman and Kristin Gorin, brought together by their love of organization. Gibberman worked as a registered dietitian for 15 years and Gorin, with a background in psychology, worked as a certified personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. Kristin Gorin (left), Jamie Gibberman (right) Get Organized RVA recognizes how chaotic and disorganized home environments can significantly impact their clients’ physical and mental health. Their goal is to help bring a sense of peace and contentment to whatever stage of life the client and their home may be in. They work with busy professionals to streamline their spaces to promote work/life balance; help young families manage children’s toys and items to create daily routines and more intentional learning environments; help empty-nesters convert former bedrooms into rooms with a new purpose; decrease the overwhelm for those planning to downsize; and unpack for those moving into a new space, setting up serene surroundings from the start.

For more information, call 804-905-8475 or visit GetOrganizedRVA.com. Less Than, Richmond’s first zero waste and refill shop, is located in the lower level of the Stonewall Jackson School at 1 N. Lombardy Street, Suite 106. Their retail goods are sustainably made, packaged and shipped from their Hampton Roads location. All of Less Than’s ingredients are natural, plant-based and formulated to be biodegradable. Most items are vegan, and all are cruelty-free and free of toxic ingredients.

Less Than focuses on plastic-free alternatives and reusable replacements for single-use items from businesses with sustainable practices. They create many of their products and work with local makers to better support the community.

Their refill station offers scented and unscented options for most popular household liquid and powder goods by the ounce. Patrons can bring their own containers, purchase ones at the store, or use containers collected from the community, sanitized and made available for free.

For more information, call 804-918-9387 or visit GoLessThan.com.

Project Plant It! Celebrates Trees & Bees

Dominion Energy’s Project Plant It! program continues to blossom and engage the next generation of environmental stewards. Participating students will receive free tree seedlings and free packets of wildflower seeds designed to attract bees and other pollinators. Fun Fact: Spring 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the first Arbor Day in 1872. Visit ProjectPlantIt.com to download educational resources and interactive lesson plans about trees and pollinators.