Carytown & Museum District News Events in Richmond Virginia, West of the Boulevard

Scoot Richmond reports that Ellwood Thompson’s is offering 25 cents off your purchase if avoid automobiles to arrive at their store.

Local organic grocery store Ellwood Thompson’s has started a cool new program that should appeal to all Richmond scooterists.  If you walk, ride a bicycle, take the bus, or ride your scooter to Ellwood Thompson’s, you will get a 25 cent credit on your grocery purchase.  Combine that with the 10 cents you can save if you bring your own bag and you’ve got enough free coin to ride about 9 miles.

There isn’t any info about the program on the ET website, but I’m sure it’ll be there soon.

Infuzion is the latest business to shutter in the area. In Vino was the first to report. I’m wondering if the power is still on to cool the ice bar.

Guest Post By Harry Kollatz.

If you were out and about at all during the Watermelon Festival you probably saw more signs of retail evacuation and displacement. Peyton Hall is shuffling off to Stony Point, Occasionally is going away, and Glass & Powder has the “Store Closing” paint up.

And I saw no mention on the site here of last week’s Style back page article piece by Joe Essid, who practically grew up there and experienced  its boarded-up phase of the mid-1970s. The street wasn’t “dead” then, but different, and there were still two hardware stores.

http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=17504

On the upside, Chop Suey has announced its moving all its operation into Carytown, and the game store opened. Ward says that Tuey is doing twice the business , so, it just made financial and practical sense.

http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=17479
Glass Boat has launched its skiff just to the other end of a building and Heidi Story is skipping a few blocks. So, as usual, the Carytown beat goes on.

From RTD:

Four men brandishing two weapons robbed Oaxaca Latin Market yesterday. The same men are wanted in connection with another robbery last month.

Oaxaca is located at 610 N. Sheppard, just across the street from Sev’s.

Source: RTD

null

The weather report from weather.gov calls for 75 degree weather when the festival starts at 10 AM. It should get up to 85 by mid-afternoon, but it will feel like a relief from the recent heat wave. Humidity will be non-existant.

Also, no rain in the forecast on Sunday.

Anyone who’s driven by Albert Hill has seen the lengthy construction project take place on the front steps. A resident asked the Mayor if the renovations were for ADA compliance (via Richmond.com’s ask the Mayor)…

I live near Albert Hill Middle School in the near West End and noticed some construction at the front steps. Can I assume this is related to the school system making improvements for students and parents with disabilities?
Wilton Burford
Museum District

I wish I could say that is the case. The Richmond Public Schools has $7 million available for making improvements required by the Americans with Disability Act, yet has filed for only a handful of permits to initiate such work this summer. This is a school matter that City government has no control over, so I suggest you contact your School Board representative to find out the status of ADA improvements.

Is it just me, or did the Mayor dodge the question?

Kim Bridges (1st District Representative) followed up in the comments section…

The construction Mr. Burford noticed is part of the work RPS is doing to repair the crumbling but historic concrete balustrade at the front of the school. Last year the spanish tile roofing project was completed, and the PTA has plans for landscape improvements, so things are really looking up for overall appearance of this jewel of a building. But appearance does no good if the building’s not accessible, so Albert Hill will also receive interior ADA upgrades in the days ahead.

Ala Devil’s Triangle, the Museum District portion of Kensington Avenue now has its own website. KensingtonAve.org features a block-by-block account of the street, including houses for sale and local businesses. The site also features discussion boards for residents to discuss local issues.

From The Museum District Association…

The Museum District Association will be facilitating a meeting about parking issues along Sheppard St. in the vicinity of the museums and Benedictine High School. The meeting is set for Thursday, Aug. 7 at 6:30PM in the St. Gertrude staff conference room. Anyone may attend.

Mezzanine, the most highly-anticipated restaurant to hit Carytown since Karsen’s, is putting on the finishing touches and planning to open this month. Owner Randy O’Dell said that pending inspections, Mezzanine will open its doors in about two weeks.