When Evrim Dogu decided he wanted to move his baking business into a new building, he decided to look for space in Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood.
Dogu, whose Sub Rosa bread company has been selling in Richmond for about two years, primarily through monthly subscriptions and the Byrd House Market in Oregon Hill, said he sees a chance to help out a neighborhood in transition.
“I think that there’s a need for small businesses of quality up in Church Hill, he said. “I get a sense that this is needed here more than anywhere else [in the city].”
The baker has picked out a building near the intersection of 25th Street and Jefferson Avenue He admits there will be plenty of “rigmarole” involved with converting the former hair salon into a bakery.
Dogu is working on plans for the space, partnering with Storefront for Community Design, a Church Hill-based non-profit that provides affordable architecture and design assistance. But he says construction won’t begin until a loan application is approved.
If all goes well, the new bakery also will include a coffee and espresso bar run by Lamplighter Roasting Co. Dogu hopes the joint venture will draw more customers and create something of a community gathering spot.
He called the bakery an “old-world place where you go to get your daily bread and your coffee. It’s a place to gather.”
Church Hill has always been a neighborhood of two stories. Beautiful mansions, some from the antebellum period, perched on Libby Hill and Chimborazo Hill, offering sweeping views of the James River and downtown skyline.
But north of Broad Street the view is often one of empty storefronts and worn-down housing. Revitalizing the neighborhood through improved housing and new business opportunities is a top priority of city officials, including Mayor Dwight Jones.
While Jones and his staff work to help more businesses take root in the area, some development is already under way. Other businesses entered the neighborhood before the current wave of revitalization took hold.
Maria McGinnis established her dog daycare, boarding and pet-sitting business in Church Hill six years ago. She said friends told her that the neighborhood was up and coming, as well as pet friendly. Some of her family members had graduated from the former St. Patrick’s Catholic school in the neighborhood.
And though she looked at sites in Henrico County and other areas, she said the decision to set up shop in Church Hill has worked out perfectly.
“I feel like I won the lottery,” she said. “People have been totally supportive.”
Maria McGinnis established Pets at Play, her dog daycare, boarding and pet-sitting business in Church Hill six years ago. She says the neighborhood had been incredibly welcoming and supportive of her business.
Kendra Feather is a long-time restaurateur in Richmond’s Fan District. She owns Ipanema Cafe and Garnett’s Cafe. But her latest venture, The Roosevelt, will be located at the intersection of 25th Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Renovations are almost completed, and when Feather spoke to us in mid-July she was hoping to open the restaurant before Aug. 1. The largest hurdle remaining was the ABC license that would allow the business to serve alcohol.
Feather said she was excited to set up shop in a new neighborhood and thought the area’s expanding residential population needs more dining options. She also said the area now has a similar vibe to the Fan’s atmosphere 10-years-ago.
“I’ve heard the first sign of gentrification is that the art students move in,” she said. “And that’s started to happen up there.”
Dogu thinks the demand for new business is there. And aside from his desire to help build the neighborhood, he says the price is right for real estate.
“The numbers make sense. I can’t afford the square footage in the Fan that I can get here,” he said. “I have lived here, and like the neighborhood. I feel drawn here.”
Don’t miss part two of Work It, Richmond’s Church Hill series tomorrow, where we’ll examine efforts by the city and private groups to spur new economic and community development.