Some stories are bigger than others.
Among the 1,000 or so news stories the dogged BizSense reporting crew churned out this year, there were some that caught readers’ attention in a special way, causing them to spread like wildfire.
Some we knew would play big, while some caught us by surprise in their popularity. The topics ranged from real estate to pizza to golf.
Here they are, counting down from No. 10: Our most-read stories of the year.
10. Two restaurant chains pull out of Short Pump
McAlister’s Deli closed its location in Short Pump. (J. Elias O’Neal)
Bertucci’s closed in the Shoppes at Westgate.
BizSense readers always have shown a strong interest in all things Short Pump – usually either loving or hating the retail corridor for whatever reason at the time. But few topics get folks clicking like the shuttering of a Short Pump restaurant. In this case, it was a double helping – the closure of McAlister’s Deli and Bertuccis – that drew readers in by the tens of thousands.
9. $18M mixed-use project set to rise near VCU
Buildings will be razed to make way for the 805W development on the edge of VCU territory. (J. Elias O’Neal)
One of our most commented-on stories of the year was fueled by news of a VCU-area mixed-use development planned where four long-dormant buildings on West Cary Street stood on the border of Oregon Hill. An outcry over the design of the new building ensued, as did a debate over whether it was better to save the existing buildings. A few readers were angered at BizSense’s use of the word “derelict” to describe the existing structures and the developer’s plan even led to a small rally of residents opposed to the project. In the end, the developers moved forward, the site was razed and the project is currently under construction.
8. Hokie-country pizza joint finds a home in the Fan
Benny Affamato’s is taking over the former Continental Divide space at 2501 W. Main St. in the Fan. (J. Elias O’Neal)
The strong presence of Virginia Tech alumni in Richmond pushed this story into the top 10, as we got the scoop on Benny’s, the Blacksburg-based pizza shop chain, making a move into the Fan. It only added fuel to the fire that Benny’s was taking over where a Charlottesville-based restaurant left off.
7. Netflix in Richmond? Streaming giant hunting for hub in Virginia
Netflix’s headquarters in Los Gatos, CA. (Courtesy of Netflix)
This one started with a tip from a loyal source that Netflix was sniffing around for industrial space in Richmond and elsewhere in the state for a production hub. We jumped on it, were in the right place at the right time and got hold of a letter the company wrote to the governor about its potential pursuits. Might the streaming video giant make a move here in 2019? It all may depend on whether the state government tweaks its film incentive program. Stay tuned.
6. Virginia Beach-based taco shop folds Richmond outpost
Pelon’s Baja Grill closed its outpost at 2233 Dabney Road on Saturday. (Charlotte Woods)
Readers took notice in droves when news broke that 4-year-old taco shop Pelon’s Baja Grill was moving out of its Dabney Road home to make way for the expansion of a neighboring pharmaceutical company. The restaurant’s owners mostly shrugged it off, saying they were resolved to head back to Hampton Roads to run their other two locations, but hinted that they may someday look to come back to Richmond. Maybe knowing the closure got so much attention will help them decide one way or the other.
5. Topgolf gets final approval in Henrico
A Topgolf tee line and outfield in Centennial, CO.
Is there room in the Richmond market for two high-tech multilevel golf driving ranges within 20 miles of one another? We’ll finally get the chance to find out in 2019, as Dallas-based Topgolf got county approval and began construction on its $25 million facility in the Westwood area of Henrico, while its New York-based competitor Drive Shack was already well underway on a similar venue in Goochland County. Reader interest in this story certainly bodes well for Topgolf, which is the frontrunner in the industry with dozens of locations around the country.
4. Steakhouse chain building from scratch near Brandermill
Swift Creek Place, a new retail center planned for Chesterfield’s Brandermill area, will be anchored by a Texas Roadhouse and 26,100 square feet of additional retail. (Thalhimer)
Chesterfield residents must really love steak. How else can one explain the voracious appetite readers had for this story about restaurant Texas Roadhouse’s plans to build a new location in the planned Swift Creek Place retail center? Let us know if you think of any other logical explanation.
3. Felony indictments levied against Bobby+April’s Hicks
The Bobby+April storefront at 3311 W. Cary St. (Jonathan Spiers)
The legal troubles of local contractor and home renovator Robert E. “Bobby” Hicks – the “Bobby” in real estate brokerage and renovation firm Bobby+April – fascinated BizSense readers unlike almost any other story we covered this year. News of him being slapped with felony charges stemming from his work for a former client and filing for personal bankruptcy protection sparked debate in our comment section, with opinions on both sides. Who’s in the right, who’s in the wrong? The legal mess still is being unraveled in court and should play out further in early 2019.
2. Retail center revamp opens door to more tenants
Several national retailers will join Breckenridge Center in Chester on the former Kmart site. (J. Elias O’Neal)
This is another one in Chesterfield that surprised us. We broke the news of a planned redevelopment of an 11-acre site previously home to a Kmart store in the Breckenridge Center in Chester that was set to usher in national retailers T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Ross Dress For Less, Ulta and PetSmart. Readers gobbled it up at levels beyond even Chesterfield steakhouse news. Not that it isn’t big news; we just didn’t expect it to be the second-most-read story of the year.
1. Local ‘Rehabbers’ builder winds down brand as debts, legal disputes pile up
Breese and Josh Romano in front of a home they restored in 2016. (Jonathan Spiers)
The rise and fall of local house flipper Josh Romano captured the attention of BizSense readers far beyond any other story we covered this year. Perhaps it was because he had been built up as somewhat of a local celebrity after a brush with reality TV, that news of his mounting debts, a string of angry customers and losing properties to foreclosure proved so captivating to readers. His troubled year ended with a personal bankruptcy filing and Romano trying to chart a course back to stable ground. Needless to say, this latter chapter isn’t likely to grab the attention of TV producers.
Some stories are bigger than others.
Among the 1,000 or so news stories the dogged BizSense reporting crew churned out this year, there were some that caught readers’ attention in a special way, causing them to spread like wildfire.
Some we knew would play big, while some caught us by surprise in their popularity. The topics ranged from real estate to pizza to golf.
Here they are, counting down from No. 10: Our most-read stories of the year.
10. Two restaurant chains pull out of Short Pump
McAlister’s Deli closed its location in Short Pump. (J. Elias O’Neal)
Bertucci’s closed in the Shoppes at Westgate.
BizSense readers always have shown a strong interest in all things Short Pump – usually either loving or hating the retail corridor for whatever reason at the time. But few topics get folks clicking like the shuttering of a Short Pump restaurant. In this case, it was a double helping – the closure of McAlister’s Deli and Bertuccis – that drew readers in by the tens of thousands.
9. $18M mixed-use project set to rise near VCU
Buildings will be razed to make way for the 805W development on the edge of VCU territory. (J. Elias O’Neal)
One of our most commented-on stories of the year was fueled by news of a VCU-area mixed-use development planned where four long-dormant buildings on West Cary Street stood on the border of Oregon Hill. An outcry over the design of the new building ensued, as did a debate over whether it was better to save the existing buildings. A few readers were angered at BizSense’s use of the word “derelict” to describe the existing structures and the developer’s plan even led to a small rally of residents opposed to the project. In the end, the developers moved forward, the site was razed and the project is currently under construction.
8. Hokie-country pizza joint finds a home in the Fan
Benny Affamato’s is taking over the former Continental Divide space at 2501 W. Main St. in the Fan. (J. Elias O’Neal)
The strong presence of Virginia Tech alumni in Richmond pushed this story into the top 10, as we got the scoop on Benny’s, the Blacksburg-based pizza shop chain, making a move into the Fan. It only added fuel to the fire that Benny’s was taking over where a Charlottesville-based restaurant left off.
7. Netflix in Richmond? Streaming giant hunting for hub in Virginia
Netflix’s headquarters in Los Gatos, CA. (Courtesy of Netflix)
This one started with a tip from a loyal source that Netflix was sniffing around for industrial space in Richmond and elsewhere in the state for a production hub. We jumped on it, were in the right place at the right time and got hold of a letter the company wrote to the governor about its potential pursuits. Might the streaming video giant make a move here in 2019? It all may depend on whether the state government tweaks its film incentive program. Stay tuned.
6. Virginia Beach-based taco shop folds Richmond outpost
Pelon’s Baja Grill closed its outpost at 2233 Dabney Road on Saturday. (Charlotte Woods)
Readers took notice in droves when news broke that 4-year-old taco shop Pelon’s Baja Grill was moving out of its Dabney Road home to make way for the expansion of a neighboring pharmaceutical company. The restaurant’s owners mostly shrugged it off, saying they were resolved to head back to Hampton Roads to run their other two locations, but hinted that they may someday look to come back to Richmond. Maybe knowing the closure got so much attention will help them decide one way or the other.
5. Topgolf gets final approval in Henrico
A Topgolf tee line and outfield in Centennial, CO.
Is there room in the Richmond market for two high-tech multilevel golf driving ranges within 20 miles of one another? We’ll finally get the chance to find out in 2019, as Dallas-based Topgolf got county approval and began construction on its $25 million facility in the Westwood area of Henrico, while its New York-based competitor Drive Shack was already well underway on a similar venue in Goochland County. Reader interest in this story certainly bodes well for Topgolf, which is the frontrunner in the industry with dozens of locations around the country.
4. Steakhouse chain building from scratch near Brandermill
Swift Creek Place, a new retail center planned for Chesterfield’s Brandermill area, will be anchored by a Texas Roadhouse and 26,100 square feet of additional retail. (Thalhimer)
Chesterfield residents must really love steak. How else can one explain the voracious appetite readers had for this story about restaurant Texas Roadhouse’s plans to build a new location in the planned Swift Creek Place retail center? Let us know if you think of any other logical explanation.
3. Felony indictments levied against Bobby+April’s Hicks
The Bobby+April storefront at 3311 W. Cary St. (Jonathan Spiers)
The legal troubles of local contractor and home renovator Robert E. “Bobby” Hicks – the “Bobby” in real estate brokerage and renovation firm Bobby+April – fascinated BizSense readers unlike almost any other story we covered this year. News of him being slapped with felony charges stemming from his work for a former client and filing for personal bankruptcy protection sparked debate in our comment section, with opinions on both sides. Who’s in the right, who’s in the wrong? The legal mess still is being unraveled in court and should play out further in early 2019.
2. Retail center revamp opens door to more tenants
Several national retailers will join Breckenridge Center in Chester on the former Kmart site. (J. Elias O’Neal)
This is another one in Chesterfield that surprised us. We broke the news of a planned redevelopment of an 11-acre site previously home to a Kmart store in the Breckenridge Center in Chester that was set to usher in national retailers T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Ross Dress For Less, Ulta and PetSmart. Readers gobbled it up at levels beyond even Chesterfield steakhouse news. Not that it isn’t big news; we just didn’t expect it to be the second-most-read story of the year.
1. Local ‘Rehabbers’ builder winds down brand as debts, legal disputes pile up
Breese and Josh Romano in front of a home they restored in 2016. (Jonathan Spiers)
The rise and fall of local house flipper Josh Romano captured the attention of BizSense readers far beyond any other story we covered this year. Perhaps it was because he had been built up as somewhat of a local celebrity after a brush with reality TV, that news of his mounting debts, a string of angry customers and losing properties to foreclosure proved so captivating to readers. His troubled year ended with a personal bankruptcy filing and Romano trying to chart a course back to stable ground. Needless to say, this latter chapter isn’t likely to grab the attention of TV producers.