A rendering of the interior of Graybo’s new space on West Leigh Street. (Images courtesy Campfire & Co.)
A year after buying the building, local developer Duke Dodson is set to turn a former Scott’s Addition bar-arcade space into a sports bar-card shop combo concept.
Dodson is preparing to open Parlay Bar & Lounge in the old Circuit Arcade Bar spot at 3117 W. Leigh St., where he’ll also relocate his Graybo’s Sports Cards retail shop.
The Circuit closed last fall after a six-year run in the building. Dodson, who’s invested in and developed real estate all over the city, paid $4 million for the The Circuit property a few months before it went out of business.
In a statement, Dodson said: “This dual concept is completely new to the sports card world and Richmond. We’re hoping this catches on as the ‘no-brainer’ spot to watch a game or just get together with friends.”
Graybo’s Sports Cards is owned by Dodson, Gray Burnette and Ryan Fitz, all of whom are longtime sports card collectors. They opened the shop in a Dodson-owned building at 214 E. Grace St. in early 2023, selling unopened packs and boxes of sports cards as well as professionally graded, collectible individual cards. The shop will be leaving Grace Street in favor of the Scott’s Addition building, a move that’ll see the shop jump from 550 to 2,200 square feet.
The new sports bar is planned to include a putting green as well as TVs and lounge seating.
Adjacent to Graybo’s will be Parlay, which The Dodson Cos. describes as an elevated sports bar, with plenty of TVs, lounge seating, private pod seating areas and a putting green across its 3,300 square feet.
Running Parlay will be local chef Robyn Carter and restaurateur Kelsey Biser. The duo has worked with Dodson in the past, as they recently opened a pair of restaurants in Colonial Beach, a town on the Northern Neck where Dodson is developing a $25 million mixed-use project dubbed CoBe on the Potomac.
Both Parlay and Graybo’s are set to open on May 18. Campfire & Co. is the project interior designer.
Also heading to Scott’s Addition’s dining scene is Ballast, a restaurant and market from the owners of Yellow Umbrella that’s set to open in the old Blue Bee Cider space, and Cochiloco, a Mexican spot from the owners of Y Tu Mamá that’s opening in The Otis at 1601 Roseneath Road.
A rendering of the interior of Graybo’s new space on West Leigh Street. (Images courtesy Campfire & Co.)
A year after buying the building, local developer Duke Dodson is set to turn a former Scott’s Addition bar-arcade space into a sports bar-card shop combo concept.
Dodson is preparing to open Parlay Bar & Lounge in the old Circuit Arcade Bar spot at 3117 W. Leigh St., where he’ll also relocate his Graybo’s Sports Cards retail shop.
The Circuit closed last fall after a six-year run in the building. Dodson, who’s invested in and developed real estate all over the city, paid $4 million for the The Circuit property a few months before it went out of business.
In a statement, Dodson said: “This dual concept is completely new to the sports card world and Richmond. We’re hoping this catches on as the ‘no-brainer’ spot to watch a game or just get together with friends.”
Graybo’s Sports Cards is owned by Dodson, Gray Burnette and Ryan Fitz, all of whom are longtime sports card collectors. They opened the shop in a Dodson-owned building at 214 E. Grace St. in early 2023, selling unopened packs and boxes of sports cards as well as professionally graded, collectible individual cards. The shop will be leaving Grace Street in favor of the Scott’s Addition building, a move that’ll see the shop jump from 550 to 2,200 square feet.
The new sports bar is planned to include a putting green as well as TVs and lounge seating.
Adjacent to Graybo’s will be Parlay, which The Dodson Cos. describes as an elevated sports bar, with plenty of TVs, lounge seating, private pod seating areas and a putting green across its 3,300 square feet.
Running Parlay will be local chef Robyn Carter and restaurateur Kelsey Biser. The duo has worked with Dodson in the past, as they recently opened a pair of restaurants in Colonial Beach, a town on the Northern Neck where Dodson is developing a $25 million mixed-use project dubbed CoBe on the Potomac.
Both Parlay and Graybo’s are set to open on May 18. Campfire & Co. is the project interior designer.
Also heading to Scott’s Addition’s dining scene is Ballast, a restaurant and market from the owners of Yellow Umbrella that’s set to open in the old Blue Bee Cider space, and Cochiloco, a Mexican spot from the owners of Y Tu Mamá that’s opening in The Otis at 1601 Roseneath Road.
Today’s news is once again about more housing planned in Manchester and more fun things to do in Scotts Addition. Both areas are exploding with growth of some kind. It’s fun to watch. Duke’s new venture is just blocks from the soon to be built baseball park and I’m sure he sees the link between the two.
I’m not trying to be flippant, but I’m having g a hard time trying to see how a “soon (?)-to-be-built” ball park is going to help a sports card retailer/sports bar. Maybe my age is influencing my thinking but I can’t picture folks hoofing it from the Diamond to this location. And with parking nearly non existent in Scott’s Addition, I can’t imagine throngs of game goers trying to squeeze into Scott’s Addition either before or after the game. However, your comment does have merit if the city were to ever offer some sort of trolley shuttle between the at-present… Read more »
I’m with ya on Bill’s.
Cool idea. Richmond needs more unique sports bars. Great location. Also, I am interested in a 1933 Babe Ruth Goudey : )
It’s about time RVA has a space like this! “The Hobby” has been exploding for the past four years and I am excited to see Parlay grow in the coming years. Cheers to Duke and Gray on their success of Graybo’s Sports Cards and this new venture.