The facility at 711 Hospital St. in Shockoe Valley spans 19,000 square feet and features a large warehouse transformed into an indoor airsoft stage. (Photos by Charlotte Matherly)
Alicia Clift doesn’t know much about airsoft.
But when her now-former boss fell ill and offered her some light work at his law office, and then decided to open an airsoft facility and house the law practice there, Clift unintentionally became the face of Valhalla Tactical.
As Anders Smith, who owned Valhalla, got sicker, Clift started managing the facility, which had been one of the only dedicated airsoft venues in the region. When Smith died earlier this year, Valhalla went out of business.
Alicia Clift
Now, inspired by her former boss and her love for the airsoft community, Clift is starting her own arena: River City Airsoft.
“When (Valhalla) closed down, all of the Richmond players had nowhere to go,” Clift said. “I had made a lot of friends, a lot of really cool people, so I just decided that I would open another one and keep it going here in Richmond.”
The new facility is taking shape at 711 Hospital St. in Shockoe Valley. It spans 19,000 square feet and features a large warehouse transformed into an indoor airsoft stage with a maze of wooden structures, an old car and stacks of tires.
In airsoft, players are armed with low-power airguns that shoot plastic pellets. They are divided into two teams, marked by armbands, and engage in combat. The structures in an airsoft arena create hiding places and safe zones for players to navigate as they try to eliminate the opposing team.
Clift hopes to launch River City Airsoft with a grand opening July 9, celebrating with catered food, prizes and a merchandise giveaway.
Construction of the stage started last month and is almost completed, down to adding the finishing touches to the field, such as painting a different design on each structure.
Once open, the facility will operate Wednesday through Sunday. Most passes are $30 per day.
The new venue includes a portrait as a tribute to the late Anders Smith.
One corner of the field will be walled off for speedsoft play, in which close-quarters play is abandoned for lightning rounds of the game. Clift also hopes to offer the facility to police and military training groups.
Other than leasing the building, Clift has incurred few startup costs. She repurposed the wood left by previous tenants, and hasn’t had to hire designers or contractors. A small group of dedicated players from her Valhalla days have volunteered to help renovate and build the stage.
“This is their hobby, so they care about it,” Clift said. “There’s not anything else in Richmond so they’ve spent countless hours of their time helping me.”
While some of Valhalla’s die-hard fans have been driving hours to play at the nearest facilities in eastern Virginia, many of its players are “itching and waiting for me to open,” Clift said.
And even though she doesn’t understand all the ins and outs of airsoft, Clift said she’s come to appreciate the community she’s found.
“Seeing the younger kids come in for the first time and then the 40-year-old guys [are] like, ‘Hey, here, you want to try my gun?’” Clift said. “It’s really, really cool.”
The facility at 711 Hospital St. in Shockoe Valley spans 19,000 square feet and features a large warehouse transformed into an indoor airsoft stage. (Photos by Charlotte Matherly)
Alicia Clift doesn’t know much about airsoft.
But when her now-former boss fell ill and offered her some light work at his law office, and then decided to open an airsoft facility and house the law practice there, Clift unintentionally became the face of Valhalla Tactical.
As Anders Smith, who owned Valhalla, got sicker, Clift started managing the facility, which had been one of the only dedicated airsoft venues in the region. When Smith died earlier this year, Valhalla went out of business.
Alicia Clift
Now, inspired by her former boss and her love for the airsoft community, Clift is starting her own arena: River City Airsoft.
“When (Valhalla) closed down, all of the Richmond players had nowhere to go,” Clift said. “I had made a lot of friends, a lot of really cool people, so I just decided that I would open another one and keep it going here in Richmond.”
The new facility is taking shape at 711 Hospital St. in Shockoe Valley. It spans 19,000 square feet and features a large warehouse transformed into an indoor airsoft stage with a maze of wooden structures, an old car and stacks of tires.
In airsoft, players are armed with low-power airguns that shoot plastic pellets. They are divided into two teams, marked by armbands, and engage in combat. The structures in an airsoft arena create hiding places and safe zones for players to navigate as they try to eliminate the opposing team.
Clift hopes to launch River City Airsoft with a grand opening July 9, celebrating with catered food, prizes and a merchandise giveaway.
Construction of the stage started last month and is almost completed, down to adding the finishing touches to the field, such as painting a different design on each structure.
Once open, the facility will operate Wednesday through Sunday. Most passes are $30 per day.
The new venue includes a portrait as a tribute to the late Anders Smith.
One corner of the field will be walled off for speedsoft play, in which close-quarters play is abandoned for lightning rounds of the game. Clift also hopes to offer the facility to police and military training groups.
Other than leasing the building, Clift has incurred few startup costs. She repurposed the wood left by previous tenants, and hasn’t had to hire designers or contractors. A small group of dedicated players from her Valhalla days have volunteered to help renovate and build the stage.
“This is their hobby, so they care about it,” Clift said. “There’s not anything else in Richmond so they’ve spent countless hours of their time helping me.”
While some of Valhalla’s die-hard fans have been driving hours to play at the nearest facilities in eastern Virginia, many of its players are “itching and waiting for me to open,” Clift said.
And even though she doesn’t understand all the ins and outs of airsoft, Clift said she’s come to appreciate the community she’s found.
“Seeing the younger kids come in for the first time and then the 40-year-old guys [are] like, ‘Hey, here, you want to try my gun?’” Clift said. “It’s really, really cool.”
That sounds awesome! Best of luck.
My boys will be THRILLED!!!
Just what Richmonders in Shockoe Bottom need: more practice shooting each other.