The master site plan for the Camp Yellow Cardinal site in Prince Edward County.
A former Richmond restaurateur is onto a new venture, this time out in the country.
Kevin Wilson, who previously co-owned Richmond Sticky ToGoGo and The Cellar Door, is launching Camp Yellow Cardinal, a 25-acre “glamping” destination in Prince Edward County.
An abbreviation for “glamorous camping,” glamping offers more luxurious accommodations than just the typical tents and sleeping bags.
For Camp Yellow Cardinal, that means geodesic domes, fire pits, a bath house with heated floors and other amenities that Wilson hopes will elevate the camping experience.
Wilson and his wife and co-owner Laura were granted a special use permit for the venture at last week’s Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Wilson will handle operations and marketing, while Laura will handle design and guest experience.
Wilson previously co-owned StickyToGoGo, the carry-out, delivery and catering spinoff of Fan sushi joint Sticky Rice, from 2006 to 2017. During that time, he also co-owned Cellar Door, a Peruvian-inspired restaurant at 1600 Monument Avenue, from 2010 to 2012.
After leaving the restaurant industry, Wilson ended up in what he joked was a “real job” as the director of community engagement at Dominion Payroll. Yet he never forgot his passion for creating experiences for guests, he said in an interview last week.
As he and his wife dipped their toes into real estate investing over the past two years, Wilson said they had the idea to create a business that could help people like themselves from urban areas find some solace in the Virginia countryside.
“It wasn’t a lightning bolt moment. We slowly built this idea and it kept coming back to how great it would be to have something out in the countryside, and it was a retreat for people like us who want to get away for the weekend and recharge,” Wilson said.
A rendering of what the domes at Camp Yellow Cardinal might look like. (Courtesy Kevin Wilson)
Out of their brainstorming came Camp Yellow Cardinal. The couple looked at several rural sites within an hour-and-a-half drive of Richmond before landing on and purchasing the current site, due much in part to its proximity to Farmville.
“Farmville is in that critical mass where it has around five to seven thousand people there,” Wilson said. “So it feels vibrant, but not like too much of a city.”
Currently, the 24.5-acre site that will house Camp Yellow Cardinal consists of vacant, forested land. The property is off the southern side of C C Road, just west of Meherrin and about 20 minutes south of Farmville, Wilson said.
The special-use permit approval means the Wilsons can now begin the first planned phase of construction for the project. Phase one will involve building six campsites, each consisting of a 19-foot diameter “retro futurist” dome with a king-size bed for two guests, atop a 25-by-25 foot wood deck. Each campsite will feature a kitchenette, fire pit, hot tub and propane grill.
Other phase one construction includes a gravel parking lot, a communal pavilion, a small camp store, a walking path between campsites and utilities.
Phase two would bring six more of the campsites, another bath house, a sauna and an observation deck.
A rendering of the Camp Yellow Cardinal bathhouse. (Courtesy Kevin Wilson)
Each of the Camp Yellow Cardinal domes built during phase one construction will fit up to two guests. Wilson said that during phase two, they may build two slightly larger domes to fit a few more people.
Wilson said he hopes to break ground in late April, and is allotting around three months in construction for the first phase. The Wilsons plan to open Camp Yellow Cardinal after the first phase of construction is complete, which should be sometime in July or August, Wilson said.
Total cost to open, including purchasing the property and construction costs, is expected to be around $500,000, he added.
Kevin and Laura Wilson.
“It’s not the kind of thing that I’m used to, throwing half a million dollars around,” Wilson said. “But at the end of the day, we’re not constructing anything that is so complicated.”
The Wilsons plan to target both young couples and recent empty-nesters, particularly those from Richmond and other metro areas within a three-hour radius of the campsite.
Currently, projected rates for the campsite are $285 per campsite per night during the colder months of December through April, and as high as $350 per night during the rest of the year.
Wilson and his wife continue to reside in Richmond. Wilson plans to serve as the property’s full-time owner-manager. The husband and wife duo also plan to hire two to three local staff members to do cleaning and turnover service.
After his many years in the restaurant industry, Wilson said he feels ready to get back to his hospitality roots.
“I’m thrilled to be back in that entrepreneurship saddle again,” he said. “I’ve been leveraging a network I’ve built over a varied but strong career in Richmond. I feel optimistic there’s a community behind this idea. I’m thrilled to bring this thing to life.”
At $350 a night, will be a very niche demographic…….
Most people who go glamping only do it for a few nights at a time, so It’s not an unrealistic price point.
Yes, very niche. Because unless you don’t want to do anything except lay around your glampsite, there’s not much to do in the area. I hunt close by. Maybe a walk in the woods? Or a drive down 460? Exciting!
Highbridge park is not very far!
Agreed. It’s a solid idea, but the price point seems high for being south of Richmond. At that price I’d expect them to be closer to say Ashland in an effort to be accessible to NOVA. I wish them well!
This concept has a lot of potential, and is in a great location: nearby Farmville is a charming college town with local shops and restaurants (including a brewery and distillery) along with nearby parks and the high-bridge trail. Looking at the proposed layout with many of the sites directly adjacent to wetlands and a stream, do I wonder how they’ll manage the mosquitoes.
And the High Bridge Trail State Park is currently undergoing a new master plan process so it will be getting more amenities and access points. Farmville sits very well near the mid-point.
Any idea how far this is from the High Bridge Trail or bikeable to HBT access?
It looks like it’s located in Meherrin – so about 15-20 miles South of where the HBT runs. Making it accessible if you’re willing to bike on rural roads. Although, the Tobacco Heritage Trail is slated to eventually run through Meherrin, so that would be more readily accessible in the future.
Wonderful. Be prepared for wildlife and not all the fluffy cuddly kind.