Metal Supermarkets is a chain of stores that sell metals in various sizes and shapes to individuals and businesses. (Jack Jacobs photos)
After nearly a decade near The Diamond, a metals supplier has taken a shine to a larger space elsewhere in the city.
Metal Supermarkets recently reopened in a 10,000-square-foot space at 711 Hospital St. in Shockoe Valley near the city’s East End. The franchised chain sells steel, aluminum, bronze, copper and other metals in a variety of sizes and shapes.
The new location is twice as large as its original spot at 1728 Arlington Road. Franchisee Rob Racine said the extra room will allow the company to offer more products on-site in Richmond.
Rob Racine
“A lot of customers are really excited about having more space and seeing more selection,” Racine said. “We’ve always been able to get just about anything people want. The expanded space means we’ll have it faster or on hand more often.”
The store intends to roll out more products over the course of the year. In addition to selling things like steel beams and bronze pipes, Metal Supermarkets will also cut and shape metal pieces for customers. In the new location, the store is able to provide more services on-site like a new saw for same-day cutting.
Racine said the store’s customers run the gamut from contractors working on restaurant buildouts to gearheads who tinker with cars as a hobby. Most of the store’s revenue comes from professionals. While the store is focused on selling to people in greater Richmond, it also attracts customers from outside the area.
“Our customers come from as far away as Charlottesville and Waynesboro to the west, and people come from almost to the North Carolina border,” he said.
A desire to grow the business motivated the relocation, which Racine said was the culmination of a challenging several-year search for an industrial space larger than the previous spot.
“We’ve been looking for more space for about 3 years. It’s hard to find industrial space in Richmond, frankly,” he said.
The Richmond store originally opened on Arlington Road in December 2015. It reopened on Hospital Street in May. Racine also operates the Metal Supermarkets locations in Newport News and Norfolk.
Metal Supermarkets was founded in Canada in 1985. The chain has 125 locations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, according to a company news release.
The local store leases its new space in the Shockoe Commerce Centre building. Other tenants there include River City Airsoft.
Metal Supermarkets is a chain of stores that sell metals in various sizes and shapes to individuals and businesses. (Jack Jacobs photos)
After nearly a decade near The Diamond, a metals supplier has taken a shine to a larger space elsewhere in the city.
Metal Supermarkets recently reopened in a 10,000-square-foot space at 711 Hospital St. in Shockoe Valley near the city’s East End. The franchised chain sells steel, aluminum, bronze, copper and other metals in a variety of sizes and shapes.
The new location is twice as large as its original spot at 1728 Arlington Road. Franchisee Rob Racine said the extra room will allow the company to offer more products on-site in Richmond.
Rob Racine
“A lot of customers are really excited about having more space and seeing more selection,” Racine said. “We’ve always been able to get just about anything people want. The expanded space means we’ll have it faster or on hand more often.”
The store intends to roll out more products over the course of the year. In addition to selling things like steel beams and bronze pipes, Metal Supermarkets will also cut and shape metal pieces for customers. In the new location, the store is able to provide more services on-site like a new saw for same-day cutting.
Racine said the store’s customers run the gamut from contractors working on restaurant buildouts to gearheads who tinker with cars as a hobby. Most of the store’s revenue comes from professionals. While the store is focused on selling to people in greater Richmond, it also attracts customers from outside the area.
“Our customers come from as far away as Charlottesville and Waynesboro to the west, and people come from almost to the North Carolina border,” he said.
A desire to grow the business motivated the relocation, which Racine said was the culmination of a challenging several-year search for an industrial space larger than the previous spot.
“We’ve been looking for more space for about 3 years. It’s hard to find industrial space in Richmond, frankly,” he said.
The Richmond store originally opened on Arlington Road in December 2015. It reopened on Hospital Street in May. Racine also operates the Metal Supermarkets locations in Newport News and Norfolk.
Metal Supermarkets was founded in Canada in 1985. The chain has 125 locations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, according to a company news release.
The local store leases its new space in the Shockoe Commerce Centre building. Other tenants there include River City Airsoft.
Congratulations! It’s great to see these industrial jobs stay in the city.
The staff at Metal Supermarket is awesome and their selection of drops (left over material from bigger pieces that were cut down) allowed me to develop my sculpture practice over the past few years. I love these folks!!