what the next generation of entrepreneurs are,” Young says. “It’s become a cool mentoring opportunity.”
Although Shift Retail Lab wasn’t founded strictly for food and beverage businesses, Young says there is no denying the appeal of that category. “Food has been something we weren’t really looking for when we opened it, but it has been a big theme,” she says, noting one of their most successful Shel e participants was a vegan jerky product, Jacked! Jackfruit Jerky. “It’s become so popular that my next project is expanding the Shi brand.”
Young says the vision is for Shi Labs
to function as a multifaceted umbrella program with food, beverage and retail labs and a test kitchen. They also hope to partner with Virginia Union University and The Kitchens at Reynolds on entrepreneurship-focused projects.
‘REAL STAKES’
Introducing an element of competition into the Bench Top Innovations course adds an extra layer of incentive for participating teams. Just ask Absurd Snacks’ Mittl.
“We really wanted to win. We were determined to win,” she says.
A member of Mittl’s group had a
“It’s stakes, it’s life, and it’s still
—Somiah Lattimore, Senior Director of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at UR
severe food allergy, which led the team to examine nut-free alternatives for trail mix. Mittl, a student-athlete, had been roasting chickpeas for years as a portable snack. Mimicking the texture of nuts and packed with protein, the legumes were a crunchy, healthy treat with untapped potential as an ingredient.
“The purpose of the course is to explore a market and nd opportunities,” Mier says. “Absurd Snacks found one within trail mix. How do you innovate trail mix? Well, they did, and they found a unique angle and unique trend that is sizable.”
For the rst half of the school year, Mittl and her Bench Top group embodied the scrappy startup mindset, holding latenight, ca eine-fueled bean-soaking sessions in her apartment, methodically testing sweet and savory varieties, and cooking and tweaking those recipes in the school’s commercial kitchen.
The climax of the class came during an end-of-the-semester pitch competition dubbed The Great Bake O . Attended by hundreds of people, including possible investors and food professionals as well as alumni and faculty, the event is the startup equivalent of a group project presentation. Instead of a grade, there’s a prospective business at stake, with a panel of industry experts selecting the concept that exudes the most commercial viability.
Most funding for Bench Top Innovations is provided by the university’s Creativity-Innovation-Entrepreneurship initiative, with additional nancing provided by the Robins School of Business. Once the capital expires, the winning groups own the right to their businesses from recipe to trademark.
“There’s a lot on the line when they’re pitching out to those investors. They have no idea who’s going to win, but they know it’s real-world because investors are picking,” Lattimore says. “It’s real stakes, it’s real life, and it’s still class.”
//
Students demonstrating their product during UR’s The Great Bake O in November 2022.
Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom
Retailers including a bookstore and an antiques shop are found in Shockoe Slip. Adjacent Shockoe Bottom o ers additional stores. shockoeslip.org
Arts District
Find clothing shops, art galleries, theaters, restaurants and a boutique hotel along Broad Street downtown. richmondartsdistrict.org
UNIQUELY RICHMOND
Short Pump
A shoppers’ mecca featuring lodging, retail and dining at West Broad Village, plus dining and locally owned specialty stores such as Tweed and Fido Park Avenue at the Shoppes at Westgate. westbroadvillage.com; shoppesatwestgate.com
Carytown
Stretching along West Cary Street, the “Mile of Style” bustles with local dining, spas and unique shops. carytownrva.com
Southpark Mall
Serving the Tri-Cities area of Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell since 1989, Southpark Mall has a Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Regal Theatres and an extensive list of typical mall stores and dining options. Plans to redevelop the site of a shuttered Sears store into multifamily residential apartments won approval from Colonial Heights in January 2022. 230 Southpark Circle, Colonial Heights; southparkmall.com
The Shoppes at Bellgrade
At the corner of Huguenot and Robious roads, enjoy a selection of clothing and other specialty stores.
11400 W. Huguenot Road
Westhampton RVA
In the Near West End, this area encompasses Patterson, Libbie and Grove avenues, with a variety of local boutiques and shops. westhamptonrva.com
Downtown Ashland
Find a specialty grocer, niche boutiques, antique stores and restaurants along Ashland’s Center Street and Railroad Avenue. visitashlandva.com
Willow Lawn
Richmond’s first shopping center o ers Dick’s Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Michael’s, Bu City Soap, DSW and other larger chain stores, as well as a Kroger grocery store, Row House gym, spa, children’s play area and a number of local and national restaurants. The center is bordered by apartments with additional units in the works, and the 7.6-mile Pulse bus route currently ends at Willow Lawn. 1601 Willow Lawn Drive, willowlawn.com
The Shops at White Oak Village Features national chain stores for apparel, entertainment and pet supplies. 4521-4571
S. Laburnum Ave.
Stony Point Shopping Center
Gi s, stationery, children’s clothing, Trader Joe’s and more at the intersection of Huguenot Road and Forest Hill Avenue.
Lakeside
Stores o er a mix of quirky home furnishings, antiques and gi s along Lakeside Avenue between Glenside Drive and Bryan Park.
Short Pump Town Center
Since the open-air mall opened in 2003, Short Pump Town Center has remained a key player in the transformation of the West End of Henrico County and the edge of Goochland County. The mall boasts over 100 retailers, such as Apple, Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, Dick’s Sporting Goods and L.L. Bean, as well as restaurants including local favorites The Boathouse, Casa del Barco and Lehja plus national chains and fast casual options. 11800 W. Broad St., shortpumptowncenter.com
// Originally published February 2023 and updated for Welcome Inc.
Sycamore Square
This shopping center in the village of Midlothian has upscale consignment jewelry, clothing and dining. 1000 Sycamore Square Drive, shopsycamoresquare.com
Westchester Commons
This retail development includes a movie theater, national chain stores and other shops and restaurants. 15786 WC Main St., shopwestchestercommons.com
In the City
10: City of Richmond
The city’s neighborhoods are walkable and bikeable, brimming with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. You’ll find turnof-the-20th-century rowhouses in the Fan, Jackson Ward and the Museum District, a youthful industrial vibe in Scott’s Addition, art galleries and hip living spaces in the Downtown Arts District, pre-Civil War homes in Church Hill, lo s in converted warehouses in Shockoe Bottom and stunning James River views in Union Hill.
20: Near West End, Westhampton, Tuckahoe
A neighborhood that began in the years between the two world wars, the Near West End is a charming mishmash of architectural styles such as Tudor, Cra sman and Colonial Revival, with River Road’s grand homes sited just blocks from cottages. You’ll find plentiful shopping and dining nearby on Libbie, Grove and Patterson avenues and at Willow Lawn shopping center.
22, 34: Far West End, Short Pump
The western end of Henrico County is a mix of prestigious suburban communities and sections of smaller, older homes, with the benefit of easy interstate access to downtown Richmond and adjoining counties. Neighborhoods with rolling hills and charming gardens are as common here
as luxury condos and townhouses. Mixed-use developments such as West Broad Village and shopping and dining.
30, 32: North Side
Families flock to North Side areas such as Brookland Park, Ginter Park, Bellevue and Laburnum Park — as well as Lakeside, o icially part of Henrico County — to take advantage of the large yards and exceptional architecture. Long avenues with well-caredfor medians, including some resident-tended gardens, crisscross the area. Many retirees
move here to live in one of the three senior communities. The 262-acre Bryan Park, with its lakes, trails, a 17-acre azalea garden, playing fields and weekly farmers market, is an area mainstay — as is Dot’s Back Inn in Bellevue, a kitschy diner beloved by locals.
50, 60: Manchester, South Side
South of the James, yet still in city limits, is a mix of industry, arts and neighborhoods. Former factories, warehouses and other historic buildings in Manchester house lo s, technology companies, eateries and art centers, including the recently relocated Studio Two Three, which o ers classes and studio space for artists. Development in the area has exploded in recent years, dominated by apartment buildings, mixed-use projects and o ice space. Farther west, you’ll find Forest Hill Park and its surrounding neighborhoods including Woodland Heights and Westover Hills, where residents enjoy easy access to trails and the river.
64: Bon Air
Abutting the western edge of the city, this area rolls along the James River to the border with Powhatan County. Single-family homes on wooded lots dominate, and longstanding neighborhoods such as Salisbury continue to attract newcomers. The Highland Hills neighborhood in Bon Air was developed in the 1950s and features midcentury modern homes designed by Washington, D.C., architect Charles Goodman.
North Side’s Brookland Park neighborhood
Rocketts Landing
