As the year winds to a close, BizSense is taking a look back at some our most memorable stories of 2012.
These picks weren’t necessarily the most widely read of our stories. But their intriguing – and sometimes peculiar – details and characters made them stand out among the hundreds of stories we published this year.
Enjoy a rewind of the BizSense Picks for 2012:
Country Style Donuts
BizSense summer intern Burl Rolett staked out the late-night scene at a Richmond institution, Country Style Donuts in Eastern Henrico. The cast of characters includes the regulars who show up at 2 a.m. for the day’s first batch of warm doughnuts, the workers who burn the midnight oil to make the sweet treats and the owners who took the reins in the days when a doughnut cost $0.49.
The Mushroom Man
BizSense nature correspondent David Larter ventured into the wild, or at least the woods of a plantation in Goochland, to cover Steve Haas, a small-business owner who makes his living picking wild mushrooms and selling them to the area restaurants and stores.
A catchphrase stays caught
When local loan officer Joe Dunn decided to jump ship for another bank, he held firm that the tagline he used in radio ads to promote himself had to come with him. True to form, when Dunn moved to Monarch Mortgage from Village Bank Mortgage, it was a “Dunn deal.”
Tear down this wall
A Captain D’s at the corner of Laburnum Avenue and Williamsburg Road in Eastern Henrico was fenced off from a main thoroughfare and part of its parking lot after a feud with the owner of the property next door. The restaurant swung back by plastering a giant sign on its outer wall, insisting, “We won’t sell!” Three months later, the two sides made up, the fence came down and the traffic pattern for fried seafood flowed freely once again.
Saved by the brokerage
Keeping the commercial real estate beat lively was a project that almost tasted the wrecking ball before it even got started. An old Manchester paper mill along the river was almost demolished even though local developers were ready to turn the property into apartments.
Nectar co-founder Sean Holmes puts together a pair of custom sunglasses. (Photo by Lena Price)
The future’s so bright
Lena Price, the newest BizSense reporter, brought us the story of Sean Holmes, who toils away piecing together tens of thousands of pairs of sunglassesin a tiny workshop in the Fan. And that’s not even his full-time job.
Shave and a haircut
Hugh Campbell maintained an 80-year legacy for the John Marshall Barber Shop by holding steady during an extended displacement. We were happy to see him make it home.
A whodunit on the 18th hole
Out on the links, the curious case of the missing golf carts remains the mystery of the year. Dozens of golf carts have disappeared from area golf courses and cart dealerships. Coincidence or sophisticated theft ring?
Working on a bikini string
In a rare show of skin for BizSense, we found a VCU student building a swimwear startup. Never before and perhaps never again will a swimsuit grace the BizSense homepage.
But is it a slam-dunk?
And finally for a blast from the past and a bit of celebrity: Former NBA star Stephon “Starbury” Marbury found his way to court in Richmond.
As the year winds to a close, BizSense is taking a look back at some our most memorable stories of 2012.
These picks weren’t necessarily the most widely read of our stories. But their intriguing – and sometimes peculiar – details and characters made them stand out among the hundreds of stories we published this year.
Enjoy a rewind of the BizSense Picks for 2012:
Country Style Donuts
BizSense summer intern Burl Rolett staked out the late-night scene at a Richmond institution, Country Style Donuts in Eastern Henrico. The cast of characters includes the regulars who show up at 2 a.m. for the day’s first batch of warm doughnuts, the workers who burn the midnight oil to make the sweet treats and the owners who took the reins in the days when a doughnut cost $0.49.
The Mushroom Man
BizSense nature correspondent David Larter ventured into the wild, or at least the woods of a plantation in Goochland, to cover Steve Haas, a small-business owner who makes his living picking wild mushrooms and selling them to the area restaurants and stores.
A catchphrase stays caught
When local loan officer Joe Dunn decided to jump ship for another bank, he held firm that the tagline he used in radio ads to promote himself had to come with him. True to form, when Dunn moved to Monarch Mortgage from Village Bank Mortgage, it was a “Dunn deal.”
Tear down this wall
A Captain D’s at the corner of Laburnum Avenue and Williamsburg Road in Eastern Henrico was fenced off from a main thoroughfare and part of its parking lot after a feud with the owner of the property next door. The restaurant swung back by plastering a giant sign on its outer wall, insisting, “We won’t sell!” Three months later, the two sides made up, the fence came down and the traffic pattern for fried seafood flowed freely once again.
Saved by the brokerage
Keeping the commercial real estate beat lively was a project that almost tasted the wrecking ball before it even got started. An old Manchester paper mill along the river was almost demolished even though local developers were ready to turn the property into apartments.
Nectar co-founder Sean Holmes puts together a pair of custom sunglasses. (Photo by Lena Price)
The future’s so bright
Lena Price, the newest BizSense reporter, brought us the story of Sean Holmes, who toils away piecing together tens of thousands of pairs of sunglassesin a tiny workshop in the Fan. And that’s not even his full-time job.
Shave and a haircut
Hugh Campbell maintained an 80-year legacy for the John Marshall Barber Shop by holding steady during an extended displacement. We were happy to see him make it home.
A whodunit on the 18th hole
Out on the links, the curious case of the missing golf carts remains the mystery of the year. Dozens of golf carts have disappeared from area golf courses and cart dealerships. Coincidence or sophisticated theft ring?
Working on a bikini string
In a rare show of skin for BizSense, we found a VCU student building a swimwear startup. Never before and perhaps never again will a swimsuit grace the BizSense homepage.
But is it a slam-dunk?
And finally for a blast from the past and a bit of celebrity: Former NBA star Stephon “Starbury” Marbury found his way to court in Richmond.