The storefront at 3348 W. Moore St. on the ground floor of The Otis development.
A local goods retailer is setting up its ninth and largest outpost yet, this time in Scott’s Addition.
Shop Made in Virginia, which sells homemade products from local vendors, plans to open in October at 3348 W. Moore St.
The storefront on the ground floor of The Otis mixed-use development will be the company’s second location in Virginia and eighth overall. Its other stores are in Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
Co-founder Stacey Price said the Richmond location has been four years in the making. After starting Shop Made in D.C. in 2017 with co-founder Michael Babin, Price had a lot of Virginia-based vendors applying for a spot on her D.C. shelves.
Beginning in 2020, she decided to branch out and look for spaces in Virginia, eyeing Alexandria and Richmond.
Stacey Price
“We are so impressed with the creative community there,” Price said. “We wanted to be in Richmond before we even wanted Northern Virginia, because we knew that community base was there. And we knew that from our D.C. beta test is really what helps make the magic happen.”
Price and Babin started parent company Shop Made Brands to help artisans earn consistent revenue and to provide a convenient location for customers to shop local.
Carytown’s foot traffic initially caught her eye, but she had difficulty finding a lease in the area, so she shifted her focus to Northern Virginia and opened up her shop in Old Town Alexandria in 2021.
The Alexandria store has allowed her to develop a relationship with Richmond vendors prior to setting up shop in the city. About 30 percent of makers represented in the Alexandria shop are local to Richmond.
The Scott’s Addition shop, at 2,600 square feet, will be their largest location that doesn’t have a café. The store will feature an open classroom that can seat up to 24 people for craftspeople to teach workshops, and a “make it bar,” where customers can order crafts to do, along with a beverage.
Price said she plans to have programming daily or most days of the week at the shop. Taqueria Cochiloco is already on the lineup to teach tortilla making classes.
With a large shop, the new Shop Made in Virginia location can house products from about 175 vendors, which is 30 more than their usual roundup. Price said they aim for 70 percent of the vendors to be from Richmond, with the other 30 percent sourced from elsewhere in Virginia.
Price said applicants should be “retail-ready,” meaning they should have a consistent turnaround time for their products to help her keep the shelves stocked.
“They see it as more than a hobby. They see it as a business,” she said of the vendors.
Among those already on board to sell at the Richmond shop are Ancient Truth Investigators, a jewelry brand made by VCU graduate and local artist Rachel Rader, and People Via Plants, which sells ceramics made by Matt Spahr and Val Molnar.
Local artist Billie Claire will paint the shop’s windows.
“We want people to be able to walk in the space and say, ‘holy crap.’ Look at all this talent in this city,” Price said.
Shop Made Brands stores are a consignment-based model and vendors are paid out after the sale. She said about 99 percent of sales goes back to the vendors.
Price said the company also holds gatherings for vendors to share information on financing and grants, panel discussions and workshops.
The shops also have opportunities for local college students. Modeled after the Shop Made in UMD program, Price said they’ll sell products made by VCU students.
She said she also hopes to work with the fashion design department at VCU to have locally made streetwear in the new location, a feature unique to the Richmond store given its larger size.
“I get to play in a different way than I play in our other spaces,” she said.
Promotion for the shop is already underway. Price hosted a happy hour at Väsen Brewing Co. across the street earlier this month.
And a “teaser market” with local vendors is planned for the second Saturday of September on all sidewalks surrounding The Otis.
“The community in Richmond feels like a really big hug,” Price said. “And that’s why I know that we can help grow that very talented, creative class there.”
The storefront at 3348 W. Moore St. on the ground floor of The Otis development.
A local goods retailer is setting up its ninth and largest outpost yet, this time in Scott’s Addition.
Shop Made in Virginia, which sells homemade products from local vendors, plans to open in October at 3348 W. Moore St.
The storefront on the ground floor of The Otis mixed-use development will be the company’s second location in Virginia and eighth overall. Its other stores are in Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
Co-founder Stacey Price said the Richmond location has been four years in the making. After starting Shop Made in D.C. in 2017 with co-founder Michael Babin, Price had a lot of Virginia-based vendors applying for a spot on her D.C. shelves.
Beginning in 2020, she decided to branch out and look for spaces in Virginia, eyeing Alexandria and Richmond.
Stacey Price
“We are so impressed with the creative community there,” Price said. “We wanted to be in Richmond before we even wanted Northern Virginia, because we knew that community base was there. And we knew that from our D.C. beta test is really what helps make the magic happen.”
Price and Babin started parent company Shop Made Brands to help artisans earn consistent revenue and to provide a convenient location for customers to shop local.
Carytown’s foot traffic initially caught her eye, but she had difficulty finding a lease in the area, so she shifted her focus to Northern Virginia and opened up her shop in Old Town Alexandria in 2021.
The Alexandria store has allowed her to develop a relationship with Richmond vendors prior to setting up shop in the city. About 30 percent of makers represented in the Alexandria shop are local to Richmond.
The Scott’s Addition shop, at 2,600 square feet, will be their largest location that doesn’t have a café. The store will feature an open classroom that can seat up to 24 people for craftspeople to teach workshops, and a “make it bar,” where customers can order crafts to do, along with a beverage.
Price said she plans to have programming daily or most days of the week at the shop. Taqueria Cochiloco is already on the lineup to teach tortilla making classes.
With a large shop, the new Shop Made in Virginia location can house products from about 175 vendors, which is 30 more than their usual roundup. Price said they aim for 70 percent of the vendors to be from Richmond, with the other 30 percent sourced from elsewhere in Virginia.
Price said applicants should be “retail-ready,” meaning they should have a consistent turnaround time for their products to help her keep the shelves stocked.
“They see it as more than a hobby. They see it as a business,” she said of the vendors.
Among those already on board to sell at the Richmond shop are Ancient Truth Investigators, a jewelry brand made by VCU graduate and local artist Rachel Rader, and People Via Plants, which sells ceramics made by Matt Spahr and Val Molnar.
Local artist Billie Claire will paint the shop’s windows.
“We want people to be able to walk in the space and say, ‘holy crap.’ Look at all this talent in this city,” Price said.
Shop Made Brands stores are a consignment-based model and vendors are paid out after the sale. She said about 99 percent of sales goes back to the vendors.
Price said the company also holds gatherings for vendors to share information on financing and grants, panel discussions and workshops.
The shops also have opportunities for local college students. Modeled after the Shop Made in UMD program, Price said they’ll sell products made by VCU students.
She said she also hopes to work with the fashion design department at VCU to have locally made streetwear in the new location, a feature unique to the Richmond store given its larger size.
“I get to play in a different way than I play in our other spaces,” she said.
Promotion for the shop is already underway. Price hosted a happy hour at Väsen Brewing Co. across the street earlier this month.
And a “teaser market” with local vendors is planned for the second Saturday of September on all sidewalks surrounding The Otis.
“The community in Richmond feels like a really big hug,” Price said. “And that’s why I know that we can help grow that very talented, creative class there.”
Love this idea! I’m already a fan of Virginia Mercantile downtown. Can’t have enough great ways to support local makers!
This is fantastic! Welcome to RVA.
This is great news!