Children’s Museum is growing up

The Children’s Museum of Richmond is expanding.

On Monday the museum unveiled a rendering of its new outpost at Short Pump, which is scheduled to open in June.

The organization leased 15,500 square feet of space at 2200 Old Brick Road in West Broad Village, across from Whole Foods Market. The space had been built out for Books-A-Million, which reversed its decision to open a store in the new mixed-use development last year.

Karen Coltrane, CEO at the museum, was on site Monday along with other staff and said the she looked at locations all over the region. Read more

Top 10 business news events of 2009

Good riddance, 2009.

Companies that have been around for decades dropped like flies. RIP S&K Menswear, Circuit City, LandAmerica and Roper Lumber. It’s also time to start saying our goodbyes to Ukrop’s, although the stores won’t be changing over just yet.

But there were some more uplifting moments, and some funny ones, too. Plus, tough times are instructional.

We tallied the Top 10 biggest moments in business, and there is some painful medicine there. But there’s lots of reasons for encouragement – some of which we’ll be getting to in tomorrow’s Top 10 trends to watch.
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A slew of new shops in Short Pump

A handful of new retailers have recently opened their doors around the Short Pump area. HomeGoods opened Sunday morning at West Broad Village. The highly-anticipated discount home accessories retailer was packed with eager shoppers through the afternoon.

Teavana, a highly-specialized retailer carrying over 100 kinds of teas from around the world, including India, Nepal and Japan, has opened on the lower level of Short Pump Town Center, near Firebird’s. The store also carries a variety of teapots and other related products.

Crazy 8, a new concept from children’s retailer Gymboree, has also recently opened in the mall, offering discount children’s clothing and accessories.

A third new tenant at Short Pump Town Center is Fast-Fix Jewelry & Watch Repairs, offering watch and jewelry repair, cleaning and battery replacement, plus key duplication and other services.

Electronics retailer hhgregg will be the next new tenant at the mall, scheduled to open around Thanksgiving in the former Circuit City outparcel next to Chipotle.

This article orginal appeared on DowntownShortPump.com, an RBS news partner.

Short Pump retail update

Short Pump is getting another Asian restaurant and the region’s first Life Is Good store.

Rainbow Buffet opened last week in the Short Pump Village shopping center. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant joins multiple other Asian restaurants to open in the past year, including Kanpai Japanese Steakhouse in the Towne Center West shopping center, Kenji Hibachi & Sushi Bar in Parc Place Shops and Kona Grill at West Broad Village. Read more

Aloft Hotel Opens at West Broad Village

The 135-room Aloft Hotel at West Broad Village in Short Pump is finally open, after a recent dispute with developers. Read more

Retail vacancy continues to rise

There are more storefronts in Richmond than ever before; the problem is that more of them are also empty. Commercial real estate brokers say that could mean banks might soon start taking back some retail properties if tenants don’t start signing leases.

The metro area’s retail vacancy rate rose to 6.9 percent in the second quarter, up from 5.5 percent a year ago, according to Thalhimer’s recent market report. And that most recent figure is up from 6.2 percent in the first quarter of this year. Read more

New Richmond university set to open in fall

South University, a private institution with six campuses across the southeast United States, is opening a Short Pump location.

South University will invest $12 million and focus on health occupations, business management and psychology.  Many of the university’s students are seeking a career change or an advanced degree.

The school will initially add 60 jobs to the region – 25 support staff and 35 faculty members – according to Dennis Corrado, president of the Richmond campus. Read more

Outfitter opening at West Broad Village in November

A national outdoor equipment and clothing chain is opening a store at West Broad Village in November.

Recreational Equipment, Inc., known as REI, announced this morning the 26,500-square-foot store will cover two floors and offer camping, climbing, cycling, fitness, and hiking gear.

The location is the company’s first in Richmond; they have two in Northern Virginia. The company has stores in 28 states. The corporate headquarters are located in Kent, Wash.

The West Broad Village location will feature a full service bike shop, gear rentals, and educational programs. The retailer also offers adventure travel packages.

REI started as a cooperative for outdoor enthusiasts in 1938. The company still operates a customer co-op program that pays its members an annual refund on their purchases of about 10 percent, according to their website. Earlier this year $72.7 million was distributed to $3.7 million members.

According to KIRO news in Seattle, REI reported a $15 million profit from sales of $1.4 billion in 2008, a 65 percent drop in profit from the year before.

Dave & Buster’s to debut at West Broad Village

Dave & Buster’s, a restaurant chain based in Dallas, is opening their first Virginia location at West Broad Village in Short Pump. The grand opening is scheduled for April 20.

The new restaurant will employ about 150 people

The driving concept behind Dave & Buster’s is their “Million Dollar Midway” which features video games, racing simulators, skeeball, and other interactive amusements. The arcade is geared towards grown ups, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

The 16,000-square-foot location is the chain’s 53rd.  It features private rooms for parties and corporate events. The original Dave & Buster’s opened in Dallas in 1982 and the company has a net worth of $100 million according to their website.

Fee Dispute at W. Broad Village Resolved

West Broad Village developer Unicorp and Henrico County officials have reached a resolution to their dispute about the cost of water and sewer connections at the development. Read more

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