Al Harris

Monday Q&A: Is the pet industry really recession-proof?

Thousands of pet stores around the country, including several around Richmond, have one thing in common. They order their inventory of toys, leashes, collars and accessories from WholesalePet.com.

Local sales shrink 7.5 percent in two years

Sales at metro area businesses continued to decline in 2009, falling almost 6 percent from 2008, according to data from the Virginia Department of Taxation.

The Pipeline: Commercial Real Estate Round Up for 2.12.10

Purnell Furniture Services Inc. purchased the 58,684-square-foot industrial property at 11223 – 11223 and 11237 – 11237 Leadbetter Road in Ashland from Standard Properties Inc. for $2.25 million. Mid Atlantic Volleyball Club leased 18,888 square feet in the Chesterfield Airport Industrial Park at 7500-7600 Whitepine Road in Richmond, VA. Thalhimer reports the following deals: Quality… Read more »

No ramp? Prepare to pay.

Last March, BizSense published a story called “The business of accessibility” about a Maryland lawyer who represented local defendants in their fight to force businesses to comply with the American with Disabilities Act. The act requires landlords and business owners to remove architectural barriers that would impede the disabled from entering the business, such as… Read more »

Know thy shelf

Builder Matt Ferguson survived the housing crisis by starting a new company that installs sliding shelves inside cabinets.

Ad Report Card: CarMax gets dramatic

The locally-based chain of used car dealerships ran four 15-second advertisements during the Super Bowl on CBS. And they got a good deal on it too.