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The Valentine is reevaluating its collection to determine which items best tell Richmond’s stories — and which should go to more suitable homes.
For the past 55 years, McLean’s has been serving simple country-style food on Broad Street, while all around it, Richmond’s nationally praised restaurant scene continues to evolve. By Stephanie Ganz
ADAM EWING
STORIED OBJECTS
By Harry Kollatz Jr.
DINER DYNASTY
94 TOP DOCS
Medical professionals pursue a variety of activities outside work to head off burnout in this highstress field, plus 449 of Richmond’s top doctors in 91 categories, as selected by their peers.
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JUSTICE SYSTEM
A QUEST FOR REFORM Nonprofit seeks to help nonviolent offenders stay out of jail
Tom Barbour (right) and Jerald Hess
T
om Barbour’s job used to be persuading a judge that a defendant was guilty. He was an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Richmond, and though he worked on plea agreements that reduced jail sentences, a successful argument often would mean time behind bars for the defendant. But it troubled Barbour to see people incarcerated for nonviolent crimes. “For violent offenders, the public safety benefit of incarceration is keeping them out of the community,” Barbour says. “For people who are nonviolent … the public safety benefit of incarceration doesn’t exist.” This belief inspired him to start a nonprofit dedicated to helping the latter group: the Virginia Holistic Justice Initiative (VAHJI). A Marine Corps veteran, Barbour left the Richmond commonwealth’s attorney’s office in 2018. Now he leads the VAHJI from an office in Capital One’s 1717 Innovation Center, a modern workspace on East Cary Street shared
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with other startups. Barbour, 34, co-founded the organization in 2018 with public defender Jerald Hess. They assembled five additional board members, secured funding and gained 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. This
For people who are nonviolent … the public safety benefit of incarceration doesn’t exist.” —Tom Barbour, Virginia Holistic Justice Initiative
year, the organization is preparing to hire its first case worker. VAHJI has two goals: to serve as a link between clients and community resources, and to advocate for legislation to end incarceration of nonviolent offenders. “When you incarcerate someone,
you create a risk of recidivism,” Barbour explains. “You’re taking them out of their housing situation, their employment situation, you’re taking them away from social contact. You insert a lot of stress into the situation.” A better system, VAHJI organizers believe, would be to hold a hearing on a defendant’s risk to the community, after trial and before sentencing. A person who is not deemed “an unmanageable risk of physical violence” would be ineligible for incarceration. Legislation mandating such a hearing would have to originate in the General Assembly, and Barbour estimates passage of such a measure could take five to 10 years. “This system is not going to change in the way we’re describing without longterm engagement with local elected leaders,” he says. Meanwhile, VAHJI will work to support the kinds of plea agreements Barbour once designed as a criminal prosecutor. “I would come up with proposed alternative plea agreements,” Barbour explains. “For example, I might ask a defendant to check in with different homeless shelters as part of the agreement. But if the person couldn’t access those resources, it wasn’t an agreement that could be fulfilled.” The initiative’s case worker will meet clients and connect them with resources for mental health and substance abuse care, unemployment, lack of transportation and housing instability. VAHJI board member and Virginia Commonwealth University English professor David Coogan runs “Writing Your Way Out,” a program that redirects low-level offenders to a writing class. Upon signing a plea agreement, a defendant must take and pass a self-critical writing class instead of paying a fee or serving time in jail. “If someone is charged with something like theft or trespassing, and it stems from mental illness or addiction, the system just incarcerates these people, and their mental illness or addiction is never treated,” Coogan says. “What’s needed is not more criminalization of these issues, but more humanization.” —D. Hunter Reardon
ASH DANIEL
LOCAL
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weddings • real estate • wine & beer
Mount Ida Reserve luxury everything.
mountidareserve.com | 434-556-5562
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ILLUSTRATION BY KEVIN MCFADIN
spring of 1926, McPherson had gone to Venice Beach for a swim but vanished for five weeks. She turned up at a border town, claiming she’d been kidnapped. Her disappearance had never received a satisfactory explanation. Back in Richmond, the man identified as Brooks claims that on March 21, he went into a mental haze on a Los Angeles street corner with $25,000 in his pockets. The Times-Dispatch mentions “reports from Los Angeles” that Brooks ran something called a “Mindology Center,” and that he’s 80 years old. He credits his younger appearance to three gland operations. “I have a hard time convincing people of my age,” Brooks says, stating, “I am 81 on May 9.”
The 1930 census records Brooks’ age as 38 and his occupation as a general-practice physician. The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Michael Brooks as a “metaphysical teacher” living in an apartment on Southwest Hall Street, not with Pearl (though nearby). He gave lectures in Portland at the Institute of Mental and Spiritual Research grouped under the attainment of “Success and Prosperity,” with subjects including “How to Tap the Source of All Supply” and “Getting Your Genie to Work for You.” By ’39, Pearl would be at the Broadway address but without Michael — and he wouldn’t be in L.A., either. Brooks is present enough of mind to retain Richmond attorney Warren Tiller,
who steers the amnesiac’s release. Once sprung, Brooks cashes in what is reported as a stock account with more than $1,500. At Broad Street Station, he buys a train ticket for Los Angeles. “More jovial than usual,” a reporter notes, Brooks pauses his departure to declare, “Richmond will not see me again, probably, but they will hear plenty about me after I leave. It is a great place and I intend to write a story about the city and its hospitality.” There’s no evidence that he ever did. But an online search turned up a 1940 book by Michael Erim Brooks titled “Naturopathic Science or How to Doctor Yourself.” Portland’s 1940 census lists Pearl both as “head of household” and “married.” R
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A&E
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4/25 | FILM
FATHER’S SONG
“Star Wars” fans know that Darth Vader said, “No, I am your father,” not “Luke, I am your father.” See for yourself when The Richmond Symphony presents “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” at the Altria Theater. The blockbuster space opera will play on the big screen as the symphony performs Oscar-winning composer John Williams’ iconic musical score. The concert is led by guest conductor Keitaro Harada, who’ll become the music and artistic director of the Savannah Philharmonic in the 2020-21 season. (It was his destiny.) Harada has worked with symphonies around the world, and conducted operas, chamber works and film scores. May the force be with you on April 25 at 7:30 p.m. $40 to $80. altriatheater.com. — Nicole Cohen
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POSTPONED | SPORT
Reigning champion Martin Truex Jr. returns to Richmond Raceway for the Toyota Owners 400. The race starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday April 19, and there’s a Q&A session with drivers Clint Bowyer, Ty Majeski and 16-year-old Jett Noland at 11:25 a.m. to get fans revved up. On Saturday, the raceway hosts NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series ToyotaCare 250, after a 15-year hiatus from the track. A craft beer fest, a red carpet event with drivers and crew chiefs and Q&A sessions with Bowyer, Alex Bowman and Majeski will precede the ToyotaCare 250, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. This event has been postponed. richmond raceway.com. —Miranda Yañez 58
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TOP TO BOTTOM: NATHAN CONGLETON NBC; COURTESY RICHMOND RACEWAY
VROOM, VROOM IN THE ROOM
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APPROACHING SIX DECADES, McLEAN’S RESTAURANT RELIES ON ITS PROVEN FORMULA OF FAMILY AND UNFUSSY FARE TO REMAIN A RICHMOND INSTITUTION.
BY STEPHANIE GANZ | PHOTOS BY PARKER MICHELS-BOYCE
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M
cLean’s Restaurant is the kind of place where change comes slowly and no one seems to mind. In fact, that may be the secret to its enduring appeal. For the past 55 years, McLean’s has been serving simple country-style food on Broad Street, dishing up classics like chicken-fried steak, pot roast, and fish roe and eggs, while all around it, Richmond’s nationally praised restaurant scene continues to evolve, and trendy, chef-driven concepts have become the standard. Within the nondescript, beige, nearly windowless building at 3205 W. Broad St., a regular crew of contractors alights at the counter every morning, congregating over coffee before heading off to work. Some die-hards show up twice in a single 8-hour shift. They don’t have to bother telling anyone their orders; the food just shows up, like it would at your grandma’s house. McLean’s dining room is alive at lunchtime, with almost every table occupied by a diverse cross-section of Richmonders — bankers with their ties flipped over their shoulders, the chief of police in his favorite back corner booth, construction workers in dusty Carhartts on their 30-minute lunch break — while waitresses roam the dining room with plates stacked from wrist to elbow and steaming pots of coffee dangling from their fingers. The Rev. Chuck Craddock, a Baptist pastor, has been coming to McLean’s for over 30 years. “I’ve married off some of the waitresses that have come through here,” he says, “and buried some of the cooks.” Craddock remembers when owner Dionna Kelleher was a waitress at McLean’s while she was in high school. “I’ve seen her grow up and have her babies, and now they’re working here,” he adds. A sturdy man with a white beard and easy smile, Craddock was working as a contractor when he first started coming to McLean’s. “You could come in and sit for an hour, make your
plans, drink your coffee, before you went on out to work,” he continues. Now, he’s like one of the family. “I’m their friend,” he says, nodding at the waitresses working behind the 12-seat bar, “and I think I’ve sort of become like their grandfather, too.” In an old-school diner like McLean’s, the waitresses still call everyone “honey” and take the time to make small talk, but if a customer starts causing trouble, they know to move on. They’ll pocket their tips and think nothing of it, flipping the table for the next customers and moving through their shift like sharks in the open sea. “If people feel like they can walk all over you and no one has your back, you don’t want to go to work,” says Meredith Mangigian, who has been working at McLean’s off and on since 2004. “I’ve worked other places where management wasn’t that great and I didn’t have support, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m back here.” Mangigian grew up across the street from Kelleher and babysat her kids. After studying optometry and working in the field, Mangigian found herself back at McLean’s, where she says she makes more than the $21 an hour she was earning while working at a private optometry facility, and quicker, leaving her more time to spend with her 2-yearold daughter. “I watched Meredith and her sister grow up,” says Kelleher, “and when they needed a job, they came here.” It’s a formula that’s worked for years, and McLean’s employs several sets of siblings, cousins and even a married couple in the kitchen. “I trust them,” she continues. “I get applicants, but really, I listen to, ‘I’ve got a friend,’ or ‘My sister needs a job.’ It keeps it easier. It’s less to worry about, to have a staff I can trust.” Perhaps no one on the staff embodies that idea more than McLean’s salaried cook of four decades, Barry Coker. A man of few words and a dogged work ethic, Coker is the first to flick on the lights and fire up the griddle. While the rest of us are bracing for the alarm clock, he’s frying strips of bacon and cooking batches of home fries, which are sliced and cooked on the flat top until soft with crispy edges. He starts the grits and checks the buckets of salt herring before setting up the line for the other four cooks who arrive by 7 a.m. After that, he starts on the following day’s specials, dishes like beef tips, pot pie and fried chicken. His spaghetti, which is served on Wednesdays, has its own loyal following.
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—MCLEAN’S OWNER, DIONNA KELLEHER
DIRECTIONAL: PHOTO CREDIT
From left, Dionna Kelleher, Trent Kelleher, Fred Wagner and Miranda Kelleher
‘IT’S REALLY A FAMILY AFFAIR.’
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The menu at McLean’s felt like what he had left behind. While reminiscing with his daughter, Wagner pauses for a minute to think about some of his favorite meals at McLean’s, and a customer sitting nearby pipes up: “Fish roe and eggs! It’s the only place in Richmond to get fish roe and eggs!” “I don’t eat the fish roe and eggs,” Wagner confides in his quiet, Southern drawl, “not that I would have a problem with it, but I like the country-style steak.” “With a side of mashed potatoes, right?” Kelleher prompts. “Yeah, and gravy,” he offers.
Wagner remembers a time when Hicks, who died before seeing Kelleher take over the restaurant, was stiffed by a customer. “She ran across the street after him and made him come back and pay,” Wagner recalls, shaking his head and chuckling to himself. “She thought as much of the restaurant as we did. That’s the only way she ever worked.” When Pat Ingram decided to sell the business in 1988, Kelleher convinced her parents and older brother, who were patrons at the restaurant, to buy it. It was a profitable, turn-key operation, which they mostly left unchanged. “They didn’t have restaurant experience,” Kelleher says, “but my mom grew up in a time when all meals were prepared at home, and being from Mack McLean opened McLean’s at 4001 W. Broad St. in 1965. the mountains, comfort food was what families ate. My dad Homesick, McLean sold his namesake restaurant soon after said it seemed like a good investment because it had a good clientele and lots of repeat customers.” Wagner kept his job and moved back to Zebulon, North Carolina, to open McLean’s as chief appraiser for VDOT, Ole Time Cafe. Since then, and her brother maintained the restaurant has had three sets of mom-and-pop owners a full-time position at Circuit — Hyde and Pat Ingram, the City until he eventually reloWagners and current owners, cated with the company, sellKelleher and her husband, ing his stake to his parents. Barry. They bought the busiKelleher’s mother, who died ness from Kelleher’s parents in 2018, went to work in the in 2008 after she had managed diner full time. “Mom worked the restaurant for a decade. there every day,” Kelleher Kelleher began working recalls. “She did the orderat McLean’s in 1985 at 15 ing, kept things organized. Dad did the books. He came after her older sister, Danita, in at the end of the day, got who was waiting tables the receipts and a meal.” there while attending VCU, Kelleher continued to convinced her that waitresswork at McLean’s while ing would be a good way to attending college, but when earn money. At first she she graduated in 1992 with a just worked weekends, but degree in business managethe longer she hung around, ment and administration, the more shifts she picked she took a position at Signet up. Turns out, it was good money, and Kelleher liked Bank in the foreign exchange the people she worked with. department. “I worked in a cubicle,” Kelleher rememWhen she graduated from VCU, Danita moved on, but bers. “I [couldn’t] do it. Certain Kelleher was hooked. personalities can, but it was Breakfast too mundane for me,” she says, “After less than a year, I At McLean’s, Kelleher says she learned about more plates at went back to waiting tables.” than simply waiting tables. Career waitress Ann Hicks McLean’s Kelleher knew deep down that McLean’s was her took Kelleher under her wing when she started and home, and that she wanted to be more than a waitress; taught her the values of hard work and accountability. “[Ann] worked the night shift,” Kelleher says, rememshe wanted to be the boss: “When I was 30, I realized that bering the days when McLean’s was open 24 hours. I didn’t want to be 50 and be a waitress at McLean’s,” she “She and I would work it together, and there would be says. “If it wasn’t in the books for me to have an ownera dead time between 4 and 6 a.m., and she would say, ship in it, then I told my parents I’d get a teaching degree. ‘Why don’t you go on back there in the booth and lay They agreed that when I turned 40, they would retire down? I got this.’ ” A teenager and sophomore in high and I would buy it from them. So I ran it for them for 10 school, Kelleher took her up on the offer, catching a years, and when it came up, I bought it.” quick nap curled up in a booth. DINER DYNASTY CONT’D ON P.178
ALL IN THE FAMILY
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TOP DOCS 2020 WINNERS Mike Spagnolo
Harinder Dhindsa
Douglas Johnson
Glen Allen Chiropractic & Acupuncture Center, 11535 Nuckols Road, Suite D, Glen Allen, 804-747-5464
VCU Health, 1250 E. Marshall St.
Bon Secours Richmond Diabetes and Endocrinology, 8266 Atlee Road, Medical Office Building II, Suite 332, Mechanicsville, 804-764-7686
DERMATOLOGY Victoria Gross Richmond Dermatology and Laser Specialists, 9816 Mayland Drive, 804-282-8510
Julia Nunley VCU Health, Massey Cancer Center, Stony Point 9109, 9109 Stony Point Drive; Nelson Clinic, 401 N. 11th St.; 804-828-9361
Jeffrey Engel Richmond Emergency Physicians, Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital Emergency Department, 5855 Bremo Road, Suite 210, 804-287-7066
Paulo Gazoni BetterMed Urgent Care, 6100 Harbourside Centre Loop, Midlothian, 804-639-7555
K. Scott Hickey Emergency Coverage Corp., Chippenham Hospital, 7101 Jahnke Road, 804-483-1900
Suzanne Peck
Charles Shields
Richmond Dermatology and Laser Specialists, 9816 Mayland Drive, 804-282-8510
Henrico Doctors Hospital, James River Emergency Group-Forest, 1602 Skipwith Road, 804-289-4500
Georgia Seeley Dermatology Associates of Virginia, 10800 Midlothian Turnpike, Suite 310, 804-794-2307; 201 Concourse Blvd., Suite 110, Glen Allen, 804-549-4025
Laurie Shinn Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 828-CHOR (2467); Commonwealth Dermatology, 7001 Forest Ave., Suite 400, 804-282-0831
EMERGENCY MEDICINE Charles Deverna Medical director, HCA Johnston-Willis Hospital Emergency Department, 1401 Johnston Willis Drive, North Chesterfield, 804-483-6000
Shannon Walsh Emergency Coverage Corp., Chippenham Hospital, 7101 Jahnke Road, 804-483-1900
ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES AND METABOLISM
Edmond (Trey) Wickham
GERIATRIC MEDICINE
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY
William T. Brand Jr.
Peter Boling
Cecelia H. Boardman
VCU Health Center for Advanced Health Management, 2116 W. Laburnum Ave., 804-254-3500
Virginia Gynecologic Oncology, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, 7607 Forest Ave., Suite 200, 8 04-200-7062
Gastrointestinal Specialists Inc., 7611 Forest Ave., Suite 410, 804-285-8206
Ramy Eid Gastrointestinal Specialists Inc., 201 Wadsworth Drive; 13700 St. Francis Blvd., Suite 505; 804-285-8206
FAMILY/GENERAL PRACTICE
Richmond Gastroenterology Associates, 223 Wadsworth Drive, 804-560-9852
Colonial Heights Medical Center, 63512 Boulevard, Colonial Heights, 804-520-1110
Richard L. Gergoudis Family Physicians, division of Commonwealth Primary Care, 1800 Glenside Drive, Suite 110, 804-288-1800
Punit Goel Sound Physicians, 5801 Bremo Road, 804-287-7270
Robert P. Castellucci
Giancarlo Pierantoni
Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, 8921 Three Chopt Road, Suite 102, 804-282-9899
VCU Health at Mayland Medical Center, 3470 Mayland Court, 804-527-4540
Francesco Celi
Zachary Shook
VCU Health, 417 N. 11th St., 804-828-2161
Virginia Physicians Inc., Reynolds Primary Care, 6900 Forest Avenue, Suite 300, 804-346-1515
Samantha Hudson
Point 9109, 9109 Stony Point Drive, 804-828-4060
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 1000 E. Broad St.; Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, 2305 N. Parham Road; 804828-CHOR (2467)
James A. Bush
VCU Health, 417 N. 11th St., 804-828-2161
GASTROENTEROLOGY
Maria Iuorno
Souheil Abou-Assi
Virginia Endocrinology, 3460 Mayland Court, Henrico; 2384 Colony Crossing Place, Midlothian, 804-423-3636
Gastrointestinal Specialists Inc., 5855 Bremo Road, Suite 706, 804-285-8206
Doumit Bouhaidar VCU Health at Stony
(cont’d)
Howard O. Haverty Jr.
George Smallfield VCU Health at Stony Point 9109, 9109 Stony Point Drive, 804-828-4060
Scott Woogen Richmond Gastroenterology Associates, 223 Wadsworth Drive, 804-560-9852
GENETICS Hind AlSaif Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 1000 E. Broad St., 804-828-CHOR (2467)
Ray Lewandowski Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 1000 E. Broad St.; VCU Health at Mayland Medical Center, 3470 Mayland Court; 804828-CHOR (2467)
John Quillin VCU Massey Cancer Center, North Hospital, 1300 E. Marshall St.; VCU Massey Cancer Center at Stony Point, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; 804-828-5116
Sarah Hobgood VCU Health, Ambulatory Care Center, 417 N. 11th St.; VCU Health Center for Advanced Health Management, 2116 W. Laburnum Ave.; 804-254-3500
Tyler C. Ford
GYNECOLOGY/ OBSTETRICS (GENERAL)
Bon Secours Commonwealth Gynecologic Oncology, 5875 Bremo Road, MOB South, Suite G-7, 804-288-8900
Boyd Clary Virginia Physicians for Women, Puddledock Medical Center, 2025 Waterside Road, Suite 100, Prince George, 804-897-2100
Alice J. Hirata Bon Secours Richmond OB-GYN, 1501 Maple Ave., Suite 100, NW Bldg. 1, 804-320-2483
Christine Isaacs VCU Health, Stony Point 9000, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; Nelson Clinic, 401 N. 11th St.; 804-828-4409
Nicole Karjane
Virginia Gynecologic Oncology, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, 7607 Forest Ave., Suite 200, 804-200-7062
Johnny Hyde
Stephanie Sullivan VCU Massey Cancer Center, North Hospital, 1300 E. Marshall St., 804-828-9080
Randal J. West Women’s Cancer and Wellness Institute. Johnston-Willis Hospital, 1401 Johnston Willis Drive, Suite 1100, North Chesterfield, 804-323-5040
HEMATOLOGY AND ONCOLOGY
VCU Health, Stony Point 9000, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; Nelson Clinic, 401 N. 11th St.; 804-828-4409
J. Christian Barrett
Vienne Murray
Virginia Cancer Institute, 6605 W. Broad St., Suite A, 804-287-3000
West End Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7601 Forest Ave., Suite 100, 804-282-9479
VCU Massey Cancer Center, North Hospital, 1300 E. Marshall St., 804-828-5116
Elke K. Friedman
Pablo Gonzalez Virginia Cancer Institute, 1401 Johnston Willis Drive, Suite 100, 804-330-7990
Yellow highlight denotes top vote-getter in category.
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TOP DOCS 2020 WINNERS PULMONOLOGY Daniel Grinnan VCU Health, 417 N. 11th St.; Stony Point 9000, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; 800-762-6161
Ken Haft Pulmonary Associates of Richmond, 6600 W. Broad St., No. 300, 804-320-4243
Scott K. Radow Pulmonary Associates of Richmond, 6600 W. Broad St., No. 300, 804-320-4243
John Sentz Pulmonary Associates of Richmond, 1000 Boulders Parkway, Suite 200, 804-320-4243
R. Wes Shepherd VCU Health, Massey Cancer Center, Ambulatory Care Center, 417 N. 11th St., 800-762-6161
RADIATION ONCOLOGY Douglas W. Arthur VCU Massey Cancer Center, North Hospital, 1300 E. Marshall St.; VCU Massey Cancer Center at Stony Point, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; VCU Massey Cancer Center at Hanover Medical Park, 8222 Meadowbridge Road, Mechanicsville; 804-828-7232
Judy L. Chin Radiation Oncology Associates, Bon Secours Cancer Institute at Reynolds Crossing, 6605 W. Broad St., Suite G-201, 804-266-7762
Emma Fields VCU Massey Cancer Center, North Hospi-
tal, 1300 E. Marshall St.; VCU Massey Cancer Center at Stony Point, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; VCU Massey Cancer Center at Hanover Medical Park, 8222 Meadowbridge Road, Mechanicsville; 804-828-7232
Gregory Vorona
Kenneth Steingold
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 1000 E. Broad St., 804-828-CHOR (2467)
Retired, Virginia Fertility Associates, a Shady Grove Company, 9030 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 430, 804-379-9000
Lang Robertson Liebman
Namit Mahajan
Peter Coutlakis
Commonwealth Radiology, 1508 Willow Lawn Drive, Suite 117, 804-288-8327
Arthritis Specialist Ltd., 1401 Johnston Willis Road, Suite 1200, 804-323-1401
Radiation Oncology Associates, Bon Secours Cancer Institute at Reynolds Crossing, 6605 W. Broad St., Suite G-201, 804-266-7762
David Randolph Sr.
RADIOLOGYINTERVENTIONAL
Philip C. Pieters Radiology Associates of Richmond, 2602 Buford Road, 804-272-8806
Sarah Cannon Institute at Johnston-Willis Hospital, 1401 Johnston Willis Drive, 804-483-5164
Ashish Sethi
Shiyu Song
Efstathios “Ike” Spinos
VCU Massey Cancer Center, North Hospital, 1300 E. Marshall St.; VCU Massey Cancer Center at Stony Point, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; 804-828-7232
RADIOLOGYDIAGNOSTIC Ann Fulcher VCU Health, 1250 E. Marshall St., 800-762-6161
Radiology Associates of Richmond, 2602 Buford Road, 804-272-8806
Radiology Associates of Richmond, 2602 Buford Road, 804-272-8806
Brian Strife
Premier HealthCare Associates, 7702 E. Parham Road, Suite 101, 804-288-7901
Michael Strachan Premier HealthCare Associates, 7702 E. Parham Road, Suite 101, 804-288-7901
Samuel Taylor VCU Health, Center for Sleep Medicine, 2529 Professional Road, 804-323-2255
SPORTS MEDICINE Seth Cheatham VCU Health Sports Medicine, 1300 W. Broad St., Suite 113, 804-828-0713
Doug Cutter HCA Virginia Sports Medicine, 1115 Boulders Parkway, Suite 110, 804-560-6500
Katherine Dec
Michael Edelstein
SLEEP MEDICINE
Thomas Loughran
Richard S. Lucidi
Commonwealth Radiology, 1508 Willow Lawn Drive, Suite 117, 804-288-8327
Tammy Spring
Sleep Disorder Center of Pulmonary Associates of Richmond, 2354 Colony Crossing Place, Midlothian, 804-320-4243
REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY/ INFERTILITY
A. John Kuta
Vaden Padgett
VCU Health, NOW Center, 11958 W. Broad St., 804-828-9341
Douglas Puryear
VCU Health, Stony Point 9000, 9000 Stony Point Parkway, 804-828-9341
VCU Health, 1250 E. Marshall St., 804-628-3580
Radiology Associates of Richmond, 2602 Buford Road, 804272-8806
Radiology Associates of Richmond, 2602 Buford Road, 804-272-8806
Beth Rubinstein
Associates of Richmond, 2354 Colony Crossing Place, Midlothian, 804320-4243
VCU Health Sports Medicine, 1300 W. Broad St., Suite 113, 804-828-0713; Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 1000 E. Broad St., 804-628-4878
Virginia Fertility Associates, a Shady Grove Company, 9030 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 430, 804-379-9000
Lowrey H. Holthaus
RHEUMATOLOGY
(cont’d)
VCU Health, Stony Point 9109, 9109 Stony Point Parkway, 804-327-8820
Anish Shah Virginia Fertility Associates, a Shady Grove Company, 9030 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 430, 804-379-9000
Huzaefah Syed
Taruj Ali Sleep Disorder Center of Pulmonary Associates of Richmond, 2354 Colony Crossing Place, Midlothian, 804-320-4243
Justin Brockbank Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 2529 Professional Road, 804-828-CHOR (2467)
VCU Health Sports Medicine, 1300 W. Broad St., Suite 113, 804-828-0713
William E. “Bill” Nordt OrthoVirginia, 7650 E. Parham Road, Suite 100, 804-288-3136
Matthew Walker OrthoVirginia, 7650 E. Parham Road, Suite 100, 804-288-3136
SURGERY (BARIATRIC) Gretchen Aquilina VCU Health, Stony Point 9109, 9109 Stony Point Drive; VCU Health at Chesterfield Meadows, 6433 Centralia Road; 804-827-0045
Matthew L. Brengman Advanced Surgical Partners of Virginia, 7702 E. Parham Road, MOB III, Suite 304, 804-360-0600
Guilherme Campos VCU Health, 417 N. 11th St.; Stony Point 9109, 9109 Stony Point Drive; 804-827-0045
Jennifer Salluzzo VCU Health, Stony Point 9109, 9109 Stony Point Drive; Temple Avenue, 2035 Waterside Road; 804-827-0045
Gregory Schroder Advanced Surgical Partners of Virginia, 7702 E. Parham Road, MOB III, Suite 304, 804-360-0600
SURGERY (BREAST) Harry Bear VCU Massey Cancer Center, North Hospital, 1300 E. Marshall St.; VCU Massey Cancer Center at Stony Point, 9000 Stony Point Parkway; 804-628-3111
Ruth Felsen Women’s Cancer and Wellness Institute, 1401 Johnston Willis Drive, Suite 1100, 804-323-5040
Michael Polsky Sleep Disorder Center of Pulmonary
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CARYTOWN
THE BEAT ON THE STREET Some old friends pop up, Lolita’s prepares to open and The Byrd Theatre enters phase two
Karina (left) and Rosio Garcia in front of their Fan restaurant, Little Mexico
Hola, Carytown
JAY PAUL
Lolita’s promises authentic traditional Mexican cuisine
By Nicole Cohen
On a brisk March afternoon, Rosio Garcia sits at a table with her laptop and a stack of papers, hard at work inside her Fan restaurant, Little Mexico, which she co-owns with her sister Karina. Taking advantage of the post-lunch lull, she knows her workload is only going to get more intense as she and her sister prepare to open LOLITA’S — named for their mother — in Carytown. The Garcias’ parents founded Mexico Restaurant, which has several locations throughout the region. Often traveling to Mexico for recreation and to visit relatives, the sisters are planning to bring the culture of the country to Carytown. “We want to be a dining experience that also educates people on the history of Mexico and Mexican food,” she says. The sisters plan to
source locally when possible, and the menu will focus on traditional dishes that are mostly made from scratch. “People have this idea or construct of what Mexican food is,” Rosio says. “We want to educate people on what true traditional Mexican cooking is.” There will be a bar, so expect tequila and signature drinks. Currently in the design phase, the restaurant’s interior will incorporate decor from Mexican artisans and makers. The sisters have control over the layout since the building is new construction, built in the lot that formerly housed taco restaurant Don’t Look Back, and they hope to open this summer. “We’re really excited to be a part of the Carytown neighborhood,” Rosio says.
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O N WAR D A LONG EVERYONE AGREES THAT CARYTOWN IS CHANGING, BUT WHO BENEFITS DOWN THE ROAD?
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BY DON HARRISON PHOTOS BY JAY PAUL
S T YLE
Don’t mess with the merchants of Carytown. Just ask the owners of the porn palace who tried, in the mid-’70s, to disguise their shop as a candle store and were promptly run out of town. And then there was the fast food franchise that wanted to open a drive-thru on the easternmost, most countercultural edge of Richmond’s popular nine-block shopping district. “Everyone got up in arms over the thought we’d have a drivethru across from the historic Byrd Theatre,” says May Cayton, owner of Bygones vintage clothing boutique, a Carytown staple since 1985. “It made us all sick. But it was just a matter of talking the landlords into being good stewards of what Carytown is.”
Carytown is where you’ll find some of Richmond’s longest-running — and iconic — local businesses, starting with the historic Byrd Theatre, a restored grand movie palace built in 1928. The centerpiece of the district is Cary Court Shopping Center, the first strip mall in Richmond, which officially opened in 1938 as Cary Street Park and Shop Center. (Construction slowed due to the wartime economy, but many stores were open by 1933.) Bordered by Thompson Street to the west and Arthur Ashe Boulevard to the east, Carytown is, on most days, buzzing with activity and populated with shoppers, diners, buskers and people watchers. Ten years ago, a Ben & Jerry’s franchise moved in near longtime local ice cream shop Bev’s — and promptly closed. “It’s the way people think in Carytown,” says Tom Roukous, owner of Coppola’s Deli since 1990. “Many of my customers said they were going to go to Bev’s twice as much to make sure they survived. I think that mentality is awesome. It’s just different here.” “Keep Carytown weird,” laughs Richmond City Council member Stephanie Lynch, who represents the historic shopping area in Richmond’s 5th District. “I relate to the desire to preserve the character of Carytown and the types of businesses that thrive there. It’s the prime example of an inclusive business community that has all cultures, creeds and backgrounds ... a community space for small business.” “We used to call it ‘a mile of style,’ ” says L.A. Phipps, manager of Cary Court’s Crème de la Crème gift shop, and the public liaison for the Carytown Merchants Association, a group of affiliated local businesses that advocate, coordinate cleanup efforts and throw special events like the annual Watermelon Festival. Approximately one-third of the businesses here are dues-paying members. “Carytown is very important to the
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He says that he and his fellow brokers have been talking to restaurant, fitness, boutique, and apparel interests — “all across the board.” Of the asking price, he says that “our rental rate is in line with new construction for major retail development projects for the Richmond market.” The only big-box retailer involved in the project is Publix, he stresses, and that chain is replacing Ukrop’s and Martin’s, also large grocery chains. Still, this project — as well as a five-story Residence Inn by Marriott hotel planned near the district — is something long expected, and widely feared. “It’s been a concern of some of us here for years now,” says Jim Bland, owner of Plan 9 Records, in Carytown since 1981, “that we’d end up like places in other towns where the cool spot has corporate entities come in and change the nature of it.” Andreas Waltenburg can speak to that. He What’s the Exchange? owns a bar and gastropub in New York City’s It probably won’t offer adult magazines, and West Village, The Folly, and says that funky local retailers have largely been priced out there are no plans for a drive-thru, but the $40 million Carytown Exchange development of the Big Apple. “The diversity of New York on Carytown’s western edge has caused more has pretty much disappeared. You don’t get as much variety now.” than a few pearls to be clutched. Anchored by Four years ago, Waltenburg and his wife, a Publix grocery store, with the neighboring Mary Dail, moved to Richmond with their Virginia ABC outlet planning a relocation to the development, when completed it will proson, Loki, while he continued to maintain The vide 120,000 square feet of retail space — an Folly. The couple opened Fuel Pump last year, entire block of Carytown. a Carytown coffee shop. It’s a changing neighborhood, he says. “My biggest issue is that they are pushing “In the way Richmond itself is changing. It’s away small businesses and only making room for the national franchises,” says Lisa McShermoving very quickly and upward, so to speak. ry, owner of the dress shop Lex’s of Carytown, But even though the selection of stores might an area mainstay for 24 years (McSherry also change … people here are very loyal to their mom-and-pop organizations.” owns Mamie’s Apothecary next door). “That —May Cayton, worries me for Carytown because not everyThough she is not happy with the project, owner of Bygones one can pay what they’re trying to charge. Cayton credits the Exchange developers for at least emulating the look and feel of the Unless you’re a national franchise, you’re not district. “I like the fact that there will be going to be able to afford it.” Before she opened her apothecary, stores lining Cary Street so it echoes the older McSherry says she contacted Exchange brosection,” she says. “When the property was kers to inquire about renting there. “They wouldn’t entertain Ukrop’s or Martin’s, there was just a parking lot facing Carytown. talking to me,” she says. “When they told me what they were From the drawings I’ve seen, they’re at least trying to make the charging for square footage, I kind of laughed. They didn’t care Cary Street side reminiscent of the older part of Carytown.” The ship of purity sailed long ago, some would argue. With that I’d been a local retailer for so long, they didn’t even want me in that area.” West Elm, Kroger, two 7-Elevens, Wells Fargo Bank, Walgreens, On the other hand, James Ashby, senior vice president of Fresh Market, Chipotle, Panera and McDonald’s — with driveCushman & Wakefield/Thalhimer, the brokers for the Carytown thru — Carytown’s locals-only vibe has long been compromised. Exchange, says, “We are marketing to, and speaking with, not “This is what happens when our city grows,” Chop Suey Books only national tenants but regional and local tenants as well.” owner Ward Tefft says. “It’s always the small businesses that Some of those include existing Carytown retailers, Ashby build it up and clean it up, and then the big businesses come in says, “and there are some who have been looking for space in and raise the rent. That’s just the nature of things.” Tefft’s independent bookstore has been in Carytown for Carytown for years. If you look at the Carytown market, there’s 14 years. He’s not stoked at the prospect of chains potentially very little vacancy. And a lot of the buildings are old row houses, moving into the neighborhood, “but it will bring people into with layouts that don’t work well for some.” economy of Richmond,” she says. “People know it. People love it. People complain about parking, but they still come.” New and longtime merchants agree that Richmond’s most prominent shopping destination is changing — in all kinds of ways. Whether these changes are all positive is a question up for debate. For right now, business is brisk. “I think Carytown is booming,” says Bygones’ owner Cayton. “That’s because there’s a movement, nationally, where people want to live where they can walk. Where there are things to do. People are really tired of being cut off in the suburbs and being dependent on internal combustion engines and polluting and not getting exercise.” This walkable district, with all of its many experiences, finds itself in a “sweet spot,” she says. The world is finally catching up to Carytown.
“
People know it. People love it. People complain about parking, but they still come.”
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RENDERING COURTESY REGENCY CENTERS
(Clockwise from top left) Tom Roukous, owner of Coppola’s Deli; street performers are common in Carytown, including this drummer who set up next to candy shop Rocket Fizz’s pirate statue; May Cayton, owner of Bygones; James Ashby, a broker with the Carytown Exchange, maintains that the development will fit in well with the character and makeup of the neighborhood
the city, and that’s good for the tax revenue,” he says. “There’s not much you can do when someone buys a piece of property and wants to do something like that. I guess we’ll wait and see what it’s going to be. I assume it will be chains.” “There’s going to be pros and cons to the Exchange, and, no, people aren’t happy about it,” Phipps admits. One positive is a new 525-space parking deck. “We’ve been to all the meetings,” she says of the merchant association’s dealings with the Florida-based Regency Centers, which is spearheading the Exchange. “They’re consulting
us. They’ve given us plans, mockups, that show us that the new buildings will look like the little row homes of Cary Street. ... I think they respect what Carytown is.” The first part of Carytown Exchange’s construction will be finished in August, Ashby says, the rest in early 2021. “We have four individual buildings, one on Ellwood and three on Cary, and the largest space we can do is 4,500 square feet. The rest will range in size from 1,200 to 3,600 square feet. So, let me be clear: There’s not going to be any big-boxing of Carytown.” Sometimes corporate encroachment
isn’t so bad. Tefft says, “When Capital One came in and displaced a bunch of local businesses and signed a 20-year lease for their Capital One Café, and then did $1 million in improvements, what can you say? They are definitely involved in Carytown cleanup and are friendly neighbors. I don’t like that they opened up across the street from Sugar & Twine [an established, independent coffee shop], but I think the two offer different experiences.” “Capital One is a big company, but they understand marketing,” Roukous adds. “That group came in and hit the streets,
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and they pulled weeds and put down mulch and scrubbed graffiti, and they did it three or four times.” That, he says, is how you win over longtime Carytown merchants and clientele.
The View From Here
ences these days, not product, she adds. “As you saw clothing stores going out, you saw more restaurants coming in. If I was in the restaurant industry, I’d say it’s for the better. But I can’t say it’s good for retailers. When there’s a good mix of restaurants and retailers, we all benefit one another, but as the restaurants take over and retailers move out, it’s harmful because now you just have an area of people coming to eat and not shopping.” “There are more restaurants here, sure,” Tefft says. “But that’s just kind of Richmond. We’ve got more restaurants everywhere.”
Cayton has seen big changes since she moved Bygones to Carytown from Grace Street, near Virginia Commonwealth University, in the mid-’80s. Back then, there were only three restaurants in Carytown, she recalls. “And the sidewalks basically rolled up at 8:30. Except for going to the movies, there wasn’t much to do. There was a Entering the ’20s gay bar for a while [preceding Babe’s of Carytown], and a few To keep up with everything from shoplifter alerts to cleanup efforts, Carytown merchants interact through a private Faceevening places, but the biggest change I’ve seen is in the number of restaurants, good restaurants. It’s a much book page set up by the association. “The bigmore happening place for a much longer day.” gest debate lately has been about parking, or Roukous says, “It used to be a more funcspecifically the new $1 charge on the parking tional street, with a hardware store, vacuum deck,” Cayton says. Historically free to use, repair shop and so on.” Carytown still houses the city-owned parking decks on Colonial and a shoe repair shop and a dry cleaner. Crenshaw avenues implemented a new $1 to Carytown needs a variety of businesses, $2 fee to park in August 2019. he says. “You can’t have too much of anyBut a long-burning complaint is about city government. “They don’t do much for thing. You need clothing, restaurants, outdoors store, bookstores, record stores. You Carytown. You could sometimes say that’s a need diversity. I would say, yes, it’s become plus,” Roukous says with a laugh. “Considera dining area. And, yes, it’s probably a little ing that Carytown’s always been where the much because you now see them closing.” money came from, I don’t think the city Xtra’s Cafe, a 10-year Carytown veterreally helps.” an, and Zzaam Fresh Korean Grill, which “For years, when I was on the board of opened in 2015, have both shut down in the association, we were promised money recent months. But turnover like that is not toward beautification and a new entrance unusual, Lehrer says. “Restaurants are diffisign,” McSherry says. “That’s not too much —James Ashby, cult anywhere.” to ask considering that we pay a huge chunk a broker for the Cayton adds that the district has also of taxes to the city. But they don’t put money Carytown Exchange found its niche as a secondary market. “We back into Carytown at all. They’ll plant a few have not just vintage clothing stores, but we trees here and there. But in the years I’ve been have consignment stores, we have Chop Suey [here], they have continually promised us funding, and it never comes.” Used Books, we have [Bits and Pixels], and McSherry and a handful of other busiBuffalo Exchange opened [in 2018]. Block by ness owners paid for the last entrance sign more than 20 block, you can see that in order to remain unique, which Caryyears ago. It has since deteriorated, and there has been no town has always been, it’s differentiated itself from Stony Point replacement. or Short Pump. It has now really embraced nightlife and the “It’s not fair,” Lynch says. “We shouldn’t penalize our smallsecondary market.” McSherry acknowledges the trend toward buying secondbusiness community and make them pay for the things that the hand. “The wave of consignment and thrift stores [has] really city services should be responsible for delivering.” She’s looking taken over, in my opinion,” she says. “If I didn’t have such a niche for funding options to help with beautification and signage. with the formal market, I would’ve closed down completely.” “I don’t try to think about the negatives,” Roukous says, sitting She isn’t bitter about it, though. “People are into recycled and in his deli. “I love Carytown. I’m so glad that I’m here. I couldn’t refurbished clothing now have picked a better spot.” (Clockwise from top left) The Byrd Theatre, because they are more envi“I truly love the old-school, little-bit-kooky feel of Carytown,” Richmond’s grand movie palace, has been in operronmentally conscious. I echoes Waltenburg. “It’s a really open-minded, culturally and ation for 90 years; Lisa McSherry, owner of Lex’s of Carytown and Mamie’s Apothecary; Chop totally respect that.” politically diverse small town. As long as it remains a place where Suey Books on the eastern edge of Carytown has It’s more about experieveryone feels welcome, I don’t think it’s going to go wrong.” been a neighborhood fixture for 14 years.
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Let me be clear: There’s not going to be any bigboxing of Carytown.”
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(Top) Can Can’s interior design, including its lighting, transports guests to early 1900s Paris. (Below) Popular menu items include frites, onion soup and fresh baked bread.
some thing for e v er yone
The restaurant’s interior, designed to evoke Paris in the early 1900s, features dark wood paneling, red leather banquettes, massive urns spouting fresh flowers and metal lightbulb swags. Support columns have stained glass panels lit from within, and open metal shelving holding glassware serves a dual purpose: storage and easy access. A bread station in the center of the main dining room stores full loaves awaiting the knife. Large mirrors reflect the light that streams in from windows on two walls. “The decor and ambiance really do transport you to Paris,” says Paul Kincaid IV, Can Can’s general manager. “We have the lights, the atmosphere, the feel of a big-city restaurant. We aim for a total sensory experience.” In the past, visitors have noted Can Can’s similarities in design to the celebrated Manhattan restaurant Balthazar, but Ripp says brasseries around the world share many common elements that make them timeless. “We appreciate the comparisons and won’t deny the similarities because it was the only brasserie most people had seen when we opened,” Ripp says. “We don’t hear that much anymore since Le Diplomate opened in D.C.” And then there’s the food. “Everyone comes in here and wants French food — you have to satisfy those expectations,” says John Kincaid — Paul’s brother — who took over as executive chef in January after Ripp decided to work the day shift. The menu, while consistent in offering staples such as onion soup, served with cheese dripping over the sides of its tureen, and frites — French fries — crisp and standing to attention in papercone-lined metal flutes, changes regularly. A different region of France is featured monthly, which gives the kitchen a chance to introduce “hyper-seasonal” dishes with ingredients that are available for only short periods of time. “There are so many chefs doing inventive, great things around the city, it pushes you to want to put something
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CARYTOWN Can Can's General Manager Paul Kincaid IV (left) and Executive Chef John Kincaid
“We have the lights, the atmosphere, the feel of a big-city restaurant. We aim for a total sensory experience.” —PAUL KINCAID IV, CAN CAN BR ASSERIE GENER AL MANAGER out that looks good and tastes good,” chef Kincaid says. “We want to give people an experience, so they become regulars, to come back for more than special occasions, to keep things fresh and fun.” Experiments can be successful … or not. In December 2018, Ripp added goulash to the menu. The first night, the kitchen prepped for 30 orders; they were gone in 30 minutes. Early this year, a veal pot au feu was attracting less attention from diners, even though the staff — which eats together every day — enjoyed it. “You think you know the market, you think you know people, but it’s about experimenting and exploring,” Ripp says, noting that he didn’t put escargot on the menu until servers told him, repeatedly, that customers were asking for them. “OK, you want snails, I can do snails,” he says. “So we worked to create a unique dish, and it was a runaway success.”
the phil osoph y
From the outset, Ripp wanted to create a restaurant that was inviting. That atmosphere comes from within, he says. “The neighborhood doesn’t want a chain [restaurant] but wants a place that is comfortable and well run, which you get with chains,” he says. Can Can’s regulars know about the annual Bastille Day celebration that culminates with cancan dancers atop the bar, kicking high with petticoats on full display. Paul Kincaid tells of a group of friends who gather every year to watch the annual Richmond Zombie Walk via the front windows — and reserve the tables at the end of the prior year’s walk. “I kind of feel sorry for the people who think they’re doing their due diligence by calling a month out for one of those tables,” he laughs. “They’re booked.” For those who want food adventures, monthly wine dinners give Chef Kincaid a
chance to introduce gastronomic delights from different cultures — including Spain, Italy and Vietnam — which are then paired with appropriate wines. Both Kincaids agree that for the restaurant to work, the food and the atmosphere have to be collaborative. Each came to Can Can with their own restaurant experiences but started at the bottom — Paul as a lunch table runner, John as a line cook — as all staff do. Ripp learned the same way at his father’s restaurants. “You want to understand the challenges of every station,” Ripp says. “The [staff] who really get you stick with you and understand the priorities, the culture. The more they believe, then they’ll put in the time.” Paul Kincaid says training and ongoing dialogue is essential. “A restaurant is a simple thing, but a lot of work goes into it,” he says. “It’s really important to let everybody know what we expect for the day, because we treat every day as something new; we’re not just phoning it in on a Tuesday.” John Kincaid adds: “[Paul and I] came in and wanted to learn the Can Can way, and now we’re teaching it.” He shared the story of a new sous chef, someone who had started at Can Can three years ago as a dishwasher and moved down the line. “He just kept growing and doing it,” John Kincaid says. “I loved when I was able to offer him a sous position.” Ripp says the training is also practical. “You’re growing your team every day because of the transition within the industry,” he says. “You’re always hiring your replacement, your next chef.” The goal is to satisfy the customer. “We want people who want an upscale experience to feel like they’re getting one, and we want our regulars to feel comfortable; that’s where the hospitality comes in,” Paul Kincaid says. “With our corner spot, we are so visible, we really anchor the neighborhood. That’s something we all take pride in.” “We’re not perfect,” Ripp says, “but we sure work on it every day.”
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DINER DYNASTY CONT’D FROM P.93
After managing the restaurant for so long, the transibusiness partner, and a second location of McLean’s at the Hanover Industrial Air Park, owned by Hyde tion was an easy one, but there was still plenty to learn. Ingram. But when those outposts eventually closed, “When I took over, I had to learn the books,” she remembers. “The first month, Dad asked me, ‘Did you reconcile Kelleher saw her window and copyrighted the name. the books?’ ‘Yeah, I did it,’ ” she lied, and then ran out to There would be no more confusion: Now hers is the find out what “reconciling the books” meant. only legal claim to the name in Virginia. Server Miranda But in spring 2010, just a few years after acquiring the Kelleher is a frank, straight-shooting woman, with Kelleher business, Kelleher faced a new challenge: Her landlord at lingering traces of her Bristol accent inflecting her delivers plates of food at the candid speech. At 50, she’s not on the floor waiting the time, Ed Christa, charmed by visions of his own potencounter at tables anymore, unless someone calls out sick. She tially successful restaurant (what is now Vinny’s after McLean’s handles the orderhaving briefly been a Quizno’s) decided ing and schedules not to renew her staff, and when the lease. After having restaurant finally made the biggest transitioned from purchase in her life, a cash register to a Kelleher was in a touch-screen pointbind. She needed to of-sale system last find a new location year, Kelleher was in just six months, there from open but she had very to close making specific criteria — sure the change she wanted to stay was a smooth one. in the area, preferaShe says a key to running a business bly on the same side of Broad Street. for so long is to hire “I was looking trustworthy people at [potentially] not and let them do having a place,” their thing. Kelleher rememLike her parents, bers. “It was a pretty Kelleher now employs her own stressful time.” She children. Her son, looked at the former Trent, a senior at Randolph Macon College, and 20-year-old Byram’s Lobster House location at 3215 E. Broad St., but she says daughter Miranda both work as servers, though she’s yet to it wasn’t the right fit. Scandal ensued after the deal fell through convince her 14-year-old, Jade, to join the fold. and Byram’s owner Konstantinos “Gus” Nikiforos dumped an “I enjoy it because I get to see them more. I love to see acidic substance on the building next door, which Kelleher had them work together,” Kelleher says. “On a personal level, my decided to buy instead. Nikiforos ended up pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges of property damage about a year later. daughter is just like I was when I was her age — very stubborn, McLean’s new home formerly housed Victorian Fireplaces, hard-headed, independent — which I know in the long run is a which wasn’t doing enough business to justify the large great quality to have, but at the moment, as a mother-daughter space. The owner at the time, a McLean’s regular, sold half relationship, it can be tough. I remember it with my mom. Nobody knew anything but me. [Miranda] does a great job, of the building to Kelleher, and less than a week after closing but she gets on her horse a little bit, just like I did.” McLean’s original location of 45 years, she opened the new restaurant and held her breath. “We bought the building, and Not only will that stubborn streak serve Miranda well in the people came.” the years to come, it will sustain her if she decides to take on “I can remember my mom saying how proud she was of my the family business. A diner owner needs a strong resolve to ambition to move the restaurant and keep the name going,” weather the tempest of change outside the restaurant’s doors. Kelleher notes. “She said if they still had the business at the While Scott’s Addition erupts with restaurants, breweries time the lease was not being renewed, they would have just and apartment buildings, just across Broad Street, past the closed the doors.” new Pulse bus stop, McLean’s is a defiant holdout — a true diner, with endless refills of coffee and a tight-knit family There have been a few McLean’s offshoots over the years, running the show. R a Maclean’s on Staples Mill Road opened by Mack’s original
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