Coffee With Strangers: Recent Episodes
Kelli Lemon | CoffeeWithStrangersVA.com
Coffee with Strangers RVA is your new Monday morning routine. With interviews from fascinating people in Richmond and look ahead at the week's events, Coffee with Strangers will get your week off the right start.
You know those people in RVA who we've all followed on social media, liked pictures of their cats, seen them in a crowd and thought, 'Man, I'd like to have coffee with that guy.', well, it's those people who join Kelli Lemon for coffee every Monday, somewhere in Richmond.
This week we're at Urban Hang Suite to celebrate Kelli and team on the two year anniversary of UHS. Through getting started to a global pandemic and racial protests and riots outside their front door, UHS has stayed open and more importantly, solidified itself as more than an a coffee shop.
This week we're catching up with CWS alum AnnMarie Grohs. AnnMarie was one of the first true strangers we had on the show. Back in 2015 Boho Studios had been open for about 18 months and had only one location. See what's changed in that time and how the pandemic has had an impact.
Kelli's at Urban Hang Suite to grab drinks with artist Hamilton Glass. Ham's art has already graced some notable buildings in Richmond, now his Mending Walls project is putting artists together to do the same while tackling the civil injustices of our time. Season 11 is presented by Chesapeake Bank memberfdic
After stints in the NFL and a successful career in the Arena Football League, including a 2005 American Bowl championship with the Richmond Bandits, Nate Daniels decided to put roots down in Richmond and begin working with the next generation of professional athletes.
Kelli's in Shockoe Bottom and along the James River to experience notable points in the River's contributions to Richmond's history as well as visit with Justin Doyle from the James River Association on the health of the River and how it impacts our city.
This week we're catching up with CWS alum Melody Short. We had Melody on the show back in June of 2017 and, wow, a lot has changed for her since then. She's launched the Richmond Night Market and recently launched the Jackson Ward Collective with Rasheeda Creighton and Kelli. Despite the change in careers over the three years, her commitment to serving her community has remained central to who she is and what she does.
Kelli's at Triple Crossing downtown to grab drinks with Eric Jackson. Originally from Portsmouth, Eric's been in Richmond just over two years and already had an impact on the craft beer scene and been central to sharing the Black message among the craft beer industry.
Looking for something more relevant to offer her students for summer reading, Melissa Face, a teacher and writer, assigned The Hate U Give. The parallels between Angie Thomas' 2017 fictional book and present day Richmond though are clear.
Kelli's in Jackson Ward to visit the area where Bill "Bojangles" Robinson grew up, check out The Jefferson Hotel where he was discovered, and visit his monument in Jackson Ward celebrating his life.
Kelli and Matt are back at Marcus-David Peters Circle to visit with past guest Ashley Hawkins of Studio Two Three to hear what they're doing to re-contextualize Monument Ave.
Kelli's on the southside to grab drinks with Scott Wayne at Canvas, a destination for meaningful virtual or in-person meetings and events which Scott's owned since 2017. Kelli and Scott talk monuments, how to move Richmond forward and all that makes it magical.
Kelli's visiting Marcus-David Peters Circle to experience the scene and share a message about season 11 of Coffee with Strangers. This season is about intention. Sharing the stories of people, places, business and culture in Richmond who are working intentionally to make this city inclusive. Stay tuned.
Kelli's downtown on Broad Street to grab coffee with Ledbury co-founder and CEO Paul Trible. Paul's originally a Newport News guy who after finishing business school in Oxford, at the start of the recession, decided to open a luxury men's shirt company in Richmond.
Kelli's in Scott's Addition to meet Joey Darragh of Vasen Brewing. Joey's the president and co-founder of Vasen. This northern Virginia boy spent time at Apple and Tesla before giving up the tech/startup life to move back to VA and open Vasen with his cousin.
Kelli's downtown in the studios of Spin 100 for coffee with Aliyah the DJ...AND...to hear from her dad, DJ Lonnie B how he's passing the torch to Aliyah.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Paige Mudd. Paige just celebrated 20 years at the Richmond Times-Dispatch where this girl from Delaware has worked her way for intern to Executive Editor.
Kelli's at TopGolf to grab coffee with TopGolf's marketing manager Amber Drew. Amber's the face of the area's newest entertainment spot leading a team that creates moments that matter for everyone who comes through.
Kelli's at Blachard's Coffee to grab coffee with Reba Hollingsworth. This Texas girl is more than morning anchor on CBS6, she's also an entrepreneur with a few tricks up her sleeve, or should we say her leg?
Kelli is at Pop's to grab coffee with Lisa Sims. Lisa's the CEO of Venture Richmond the downtown organization behind some of the most exciting events and festivals in RVA.
Kelli’s rollin' into Pop's to grab coffee with Cole & Charisma. Cole & Charisma are creators and hosts of the Roll with Cole & Charisma YouTube channel bringing awareness to disabilities and promoting accessibility in Richmond and beyond.
Kelli’s in Shockoe Bottom to grab coffee with Rachel DePompa. Rachel's an investigative reporter with NBC12 and host of the How We Got Here podcast. When she's not busy covering injustices or shacking sticks she's cheering on the Capitals and exploring RVA with her family.
Kelli’s at Pony Pasture to have coffee with Nathan Burrell. Nathan is the superintendent of the James River Park system, keeping the park ready for the two million visitors a year who come through.
Kelli’s at the Spin100 studios to have coffee with Aliyah Battle. Known as Aliyah the D.J., Aliyah’s the daughter of DJ Lonnie B but at 15 years old, Aliyah’s already making a name for herself.
Kelli's riding around with Church Hill with Becky Crump to learn more about how this girl from Matthews, VA came to Richmond and how she founded Mindful Mornings and The Giving Wall, two movements having an impact on Richmond's social good scene.
Kelli's riding around with Church Hill with Becky Crump to learn more about how this girl from Matthews, VA came to Richmond and how she founded Mindful Mornings and The Giving Wall, two movements having an impact on Richmond's social good scene.
Kelli is at Pop’s to grab coffee with Megan Wilson. Megan’s better known as Sweet Sauce, her blog that covers style, travel, fashion and dope spots for all those things in Richmond...so it was about time for Kelli to caught up with her for coffee.
Kelli is at Pop's to grab coffee with Josh Wright. Josh is...wait for it...the owner of Pop's not the mention the chef, cook, baker and all around mastermind of Pop's, except for when his mom puts him in line.
Kelli's getting picked up at Urban Hang Suite by Matt and Lance Lemon...yep, Lance as in, her brother Lance! She has no idea this is happening though. We roll cameras through the whole surprise and then visit with Lance on the drive over to Chesapeake Bank to say hello to those great folks.
Kelli's at Pop's for coffee with Candace Burns. Candace is the evening anchor on CBS6 but there's a lot more to this girl from Michigan than breaking news and basketball.
Kelli's at Pop's for episode 100 of Coffee with Strangers to grab coffee with...wait for it...Kelli Lemon. Kelli's a social entrepreneur in town and as of the taping of the episode was voted second in the city to most embody the spirit of RVA.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Ted Elmore. Ted's the president of the Bridge Park Foundation, the non-profit with plans to reconnect communities that are separated from the City Center.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Todd Nuckols. Todd's the Executive Director of Lighthouse Labs, the startup accelerator that's helped put the RVA startup community on the map and earn some national attention.
Kelli's at Pop's grab coffee with Yewande Austin. Yewande is a social entrepreneur whose work is spreading change from Richmond to Nigeria. She runs the Global Institute for Diversity and Change, and the Change Rocks Foundation which produces soci-economic empowerment programs around the world.
Matt's at Urban Hang Suite to have coffee with Faith Wilkerson. Faith's the owner of Unlocking RVA, the full service event planning and promotions company she started three years ago to help people find out what's going on around RVA. She's also an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond and great friends with Kelli, which we why we had LikeTheFruit sit this one out.
Kelli's at Pop's to have coffee with McKenzie Payne. McKenzie is the founder of Mac's Smack, the socially responsible small batch balms inspired by nature made right here in Richmond.
Kelli's at Pop's for grab ☕️ with Damon Jiggetts. Damon is the Executive Director of the Peter Paul Development Center in Church Hill. His 9-5 is all about helping families & children in the East End and his 5-9 is about seeking solutions for the city.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Miranda Anderson. Miranda's originally from Utah and only been in Richmond a couple years but a couple years in and she's already a part of Richmond's creative scene.
Kelli’s at the Urban Hang Suite to grab coffee with Alexandra Hicks. Alex is an accountant by day but in her off time is the founder and operator of Nerd Squad, a local nonprofit dedicated to boosting literacy and cultivating of love of reading.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Brian Marks. Brian is the founder of Bonfire, the platform that allows users to raise funds for their organization or sell custom apparel and co-founder of Belle Isle Moonshine. Both companies are Richmond-based but have reach across the world.
The Evelyn D. Reinhart Guest House offers an amazing service to families who have loved-ones in care at St. Mary's Hospital. Imagine having a loved-one injured or needing treatment hours away from home and you don't have the resources to stay in a hotel the whole time to be by their side at the hospital. The Reinhart Guest House is that home away from home for families who come to St. Mary's.
Kelli's at Pop's to gab coffee with hip hop musician Michael Millions. Michael's been part of the Richmond hip hop scene for almost 20 years and has no plans of slowing down. His work has been covered by every major hip hop publication, except Rolling Stone (but that's coming). He's got a dope hidden gem for Richmond pizza and so much more.
Kelli's the Diamond to grab coffee with Todd Parnell, otherwise known as Parney. Parney's the Vice President and COO of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Over the past 9 years he's been a huge part of bringing baseball back to RVA and making Squirrels baseball something for everyone.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Dorrie Smith. Dorrie's a gym owner, fitness trainer and body builder who'd been working at VCU until 2017 when she went full time into fitness.
Kelli's downtown at Pop's to grab coffee with Jesse Vaughan. Jesse's a filmmaker known for his work on In Living Color and having won 29 Emmys but when he's not in LA or on set, he's on campus at Virginia State.
Kelli's in Carytown to grab coffee with Amy Black. Amy's been in Richmond for 20 years and has been tattooing for 18 of those. Today she's got a full schedule of appointments ranging from full back or arm designs to mastectomy tattoos for breast cancer survivors.
Kelli's downtown to grab coffee with Herman Baskerville otherwise known as Big Herm. Herm's the owner of Big Herm's Kitchen & Catering on 2 Street in the heart of Jackson Ward and if you saw her article in Boomer magazine, you know what a staple Big Herm's is to Richmond's southern soul food scene.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Scott Garka. Scott's the president of Culture Works, a non-profit helping brand Richmond as a regional arts & culture destination that the world is noticing.
Kelli's downtown at Pop's to grab coffee with Raymond Hawkes. Ray's a Virginia Union grad the evening traffic reporter on CBS6 who despite his evening shift has mastered the dinner break and still live Richmond.
Kelli's downtown at Pop's to grab coffee with Emily Herr. Emily's a Richmond native living who still lives only about four miles from where she was born. A 2013 VCU grad, Emily's been livin' RVA dream as full time muralist traveling and painting.
Kelli's downtown at Pop's to grab coffee with Matt DiNardo. Matt's the morning meteorologist on 8 News Born & raised on Long Island, Matt's been in RVA for 14 years and yeah, his forecast is more accurate than the farmer's almanac.
Kelli's in Jackson Ward to grab juice with Ashley Williams. Ashley is the owner of BareSoul Yoga and social justice advocate and her yoga studio in Saadia's JuiceBox is making yoga and mindfulness accessible to a whole new population.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and scored some dope Black Friday deals. Monday is Cyber Monday so you've got more chances to snag some great stuff and Tuesday is Giving Tuesday so we hope you'll save some money to support one of the local non profits we've worked with this year like UnBoundRVA, Girls for a Change, Storefront for Community Design, The Salvation Army, Studio Two Three, Code VA or one of the other great non profits in RVA.
We're taking a break through the end of the year but will be back in January with new episodes and may have some exciting news during the holidays so stay tuned on social media.
Oh, and we've got mugs...message us through social if you want one. They'll make great Christmas gifts. Okay, see you soon!
Kelli's at Garnett's East to grab coffee with John Murden. John's a Richmond native who married into the restaurant business but hasn't forgotten his roots at Little Caesar's. He's also the founder of Church Hill People's News, a website that's been covering news and events of the east end for more than a decade.
Kelli's in Highland Park to grab coffee with Ryan Rinn at the newly opened 6 Points Innovation Center. Ryan's originally from Texas, came to Richmond to attend U of R, stuck around and ended up in grad school at VCU, and soon after that he became Executive Director at Storefront for Community Design.
Kelli's at Garnett's Cafe at The Valentine to grab coffee with Bill Martin. Bill's the Director of The Valentine and has been with the museum for 23 years. As Bill says, The Valentine is "all Richmond all the time" and a place where we can each find our respective piece of Richmond history.
Kelli's on Broad Street for coffee with Ashley Hawkins of Studio Two Three during the Coffee then Lipstick event with Lou Stevens Glam Squad and Capture Photography. Ashley and her co-founders started Studio Two Three right out of VCU as a way of keeping artists in Richmond and keeping Richmond interesting and this mom of two still finds time to live Richmond.
Kelli's at pop's to grab coffee with Andrea Maradiaga. You may have seen Andrea around RVA at some notable restaurants and dope events, probably because she's been in the RVA restaurant scene for 12 and is the owner of Richmond PhotoBooth, you know, that dope thing at all the cool parties now? Yep, that's probably her. Born in the US and raised in Nicaragua, Andrea moved to Richmond by herself at 18 to attend VCU and brought the hustle of a third-world country with her to her business.
Kelli’s at the State Capitol to grab coffee with Governor Terry McAuliffe. The Governor’s nearing the end of his term so this was the perfect time grab some coffee and talk about what he’s enjoyed about Richmond, how he sells Virginia and what he’s got coming up next.
Kelli's in Carytown to grab coffee at Ellwood Thompson'swith Bert Arens. Bert's the Catering Manager at Ellwood's, a position she's been in for about six months, she's been in Richmond since the 80's though when she attended VCU. She was a big part of organizing National Coffee (with Strangers) Day but doesn't need much coffee herself, she's naturally got a ton of energy.
Kelli’s back at the State Fair of Virginia to ride the the Ferris wheel with Nate Marcus. Nate’s the founder of the website Occasion Genius. Originally from Boston, Nate was originally teaching Iron Chef classes when he moved to RVA, seeing the opening in the market for a site that listed hundreds of team-building and adventurous activities, he started Occasion Genius to help pair groups in RVA looking for something to do with businesses who can host them for dope events.
Kelli's at the Virginia State Fair to ride the Ferris wheel with Daryl Watkins of Creative Dog Media. Daryl's no stranger to an aerial view either so the Ferris wheel was a nature spot to talk. He took Creative Dog Media from a hobby to a recognizable business and one of the premier aerial photography companies in RVA. Daryl's lived all over Virginia and been in Richmond since 2005 and doesn't anticipate leaving soon either.
Okay, y'all, National Coffee (with Strangers) Day is Friday, September 29 at Ellwood Thompson's from 7am to 11am. It's going to be a great day, made possible by our friends at Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Company, Black Hand Coffee Company, Gearhart's Fine Chocolates, King Of Pops, Richmond PhotoBooth, and Triple Crossing Brewing. They'll all be on had with their amazing coffee products. With a $1 donation to The Salvation Army, attendees get their choice of a coffee product and a $5 donation gets attendees a custom Coffee with Strangers coffee mug and a gift bag with other coffee related swag in addition to the choice of coffee product.
Burned out from living the beltway loop life, Shannon Siriano Greenwood moved to Richmond about five years ago. She was part of a duo who opened a successful fitness studio in the Fan but when she began her family, she realized to fitness studio-owner-lifestyle wasn't what she was looking for as a compliment to motherhood. She sold the business but kept getting calls from friends asking for help growing their businesses the way she'd grown her own...
Kelli's off this week but we do have a few announcements. One, big thanks to our friends at Rise Biscuits Donuts for sponsoring last week's episode with Candice Smith. Be sure to visit Rise in Short Pump for some of the best dang biscuits and donuts around.
Keep an eye on the website and social media channels for more news about our International Coffee (with Strangers) Day on Friday, September 29 in partnership with Ellwood Thompson's. Come to Ellwood's from 7am-11am and experience coffee products from our amazing sponsors Blanchard's Coffee, Gearhart's Fine Chocolates, King of Pop's, Richmond PhotoBooth & Triple Crossing Brewing
Kelli's at Rise Biscuits Donuts in Short Pump to grab coffee with Candice Smith of NBC12. Originally from Roanoke, Candice came to Richmond to attend VCU, started interning at NBC12 as an editor and worked her way to where she is now, waking up at 3am to bring viewers the morning traffic and covering events around town through 12 About Town. She loves fitness, getting outside for paddleboarding or running the Libby Hill steps but loves herself pizza and donuts too.
Kelli's at Pop's to have coffee with Ryan Allen. Ryan may be better known though as his drag queen persona, Reann Ballslee. Ryan's been doing drag for 12 years and Reann's won homecoming queen titles and hosted tons of events around Richmond. Both Ryan and Reann love Richmond and feel celebrated and loved in RVA and Virginia.
Kelli's in Scott's Addition to grab coffee, and cider, with Buskey Cider founder Will Correll. Will's a Virginia boy at heart, having grown up in Franklin before his family relocated to Memphis. He always knew he'd be back to VA though and when he was ready to open Buskey, he knew RVA and Scott's Addition was the right spot.
Kelli's grabbing coffee with Angela Patton of Camp Diva RVA and Girls for a Change. These two had coffee in late-July in front of a live audience as part of RVA Tech Week but Angela's story and passion is so strong, we had to have her back for y'all to hear about the work she's doing in RVA.
Kelli's grabbing ☕️ with Krissi Cecil, better known as Krissi Radio of 103.7 Play. Krissi was born and raised in Richmond, and actually went to a party at Kelli's parents house one time..Anyway, she grew up listening to Melissa Chase on the radio and now she gets to work with her, which is kind of like a dream come true for the girl from Mechanicsville. Krissi also has maybe the most unique side hustle we've encountered, selling fireworks.
Kelli’s at Pop’s to grab coffee with Anika Horn. Anika came to Richmond just two years ago, and never wanted to be an entrepreneur yet she’s totally who we think of when we think of entrepreneurs in the city. Everyday she’s biking around the city helping other entrepreneurs use their businesses for good. Originally from a small town in Germany, that still doesn’t have internet, she moved to RVA two years ago and felt at home within a couple weeks.
Kelli's downtown at Pop's to have coffee with Melody Short. Melody is the small business director at UnBoundRVA, a non-profit who helps low-income families and individuals change the narrative in their lives through the power of entrepreneurship. She's also an entrepreneur herself and mother.
Kelli's had coffee with six people so far in Season 6. So we thought we'd take a break for Memorial Day weekend and give y'all a mashup of those six guests and get back at it on June 5 with Melody Short. Enjoy!
Kelli's at Pop's to meet Dayal Baxani for coffee. Dayal walked the the couple blocks up from his store on East Broad Street. 707 Fine Clothing has been Dayal's family's business for 38 years, and Dayal's been at for 15. Over that time, Dayal's seen nearby clothing stores close as downtown Richmond changed. His family stuck with it though and is still there as downtown comes back around. Dayal was born and raised in Richmond, spent some time at VCU and loves all that RVA has to offer for his business and family.
Kelli's at Pop's to meet Rose Maghdouri. Rose is originally from Iran, she moved to the States when she was 17 and then to Richmond a few years after college. She was laid off from her job in international banking so she went back to school to buy some time until she figured out her next move. Richmond was calling though and she moved back but still couldn't find what she was looking for, until one day the light bulb went off in her head to open a yoga studio...
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with David Bailey. David's a Richmond native and Church Hill resident. David's the founder of Arrabon, an organization that works with Christian communities to find solutions in an ever-changing world. David's a total stranger to Kelli but no stranger to the RVA dining scene and has suggestions across the board.
Kelli's grabbin' coffee at Pop's with Ross Catrow. Ross is the founder and former publisher of RVANews.com, which closed last year. Now he's a full-time advocate for RVA Rapid Transit, a group working to connect Metro-Richmond through a regional transit system. Oh, and he's the editor and curator of the popular Good Morning, RVA emails.
Kelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Sam Reed. Sam's a musician and singer, originally from Chester. After high school she got married and had a child, not long after she realized she really wanted to to take her singing seriously, and she could actually do that in Richmond. Today she sings with a diverse group of bands and lives a diverse lifestyle in RVA.
Kelli's kicking off Season 6 at Pop's by grabbing coffee with Austin Kitchen. Austin is maybe better known as @RVAFitFoodie on Instagram, the girl posting amazing pics of her beautiful and healthy food. She's always been fit and into fitness but how she arrived at the healthy eating piece came after a cancer-scare. Now she's inspiring and empowering people across the world with how to feel better and live longer by improving what they eat.
Kelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Lorna Pinckney. Lorna began hosting weekly poetry and open mic events near Pop's almost 20 years ago with Soul Kitchen and then evolved into Tuesday Verses and then added Wednesday Verses. Lorna's weekly open mic events have provided a creative outlet for Richmond's urban creatives, saved folks from suicide, and played match-maker for singles.
Kelli's at Pop's to have coffee with Brandon Farbstein. Brandon's the kid who gave a Ted talk at 15 years old, then within the same year he was named to Style Weekly's 40 Under 40. At 17 he's now finishing high school online because the bullying got so bad he had to leave but he's using it to motivate and inspire others as he continues his motivational speaking career.
Kelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Justin Ayars of Unite Virginia. Justin was born in Las Vegas and grew up around Liberace, Barbara Streisand, and the Rockettes, then moved to Northern Virginia, and out of law school had a clerkship in Norfolk. He's been all around the Commonwealth and saw the need and opportunity to connect the LGBTQ community through story-telling, and Unite Virginia was born.
Kelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Prabir Mehta. Prabir's family moved from India to Richmond in 1988. He's seen Richmond change over that time, especially Jackson Ward, which is where he currently rests his head. Prabir is involved in a lot around the city, including Board Chair at Gallery 5 and working with the folks at the Science Museum of Virginia, and more. And he's also a big coffee drinker.
Kelli's visiting Pop's Market to grab coffee with Tiffany Jana. Tiffany's a military brat who's been in Richmond for more than 20 years. She's seen Richmond change a lot since the mid 90s. She was about to move to the Bay Area late in 2016 but when mayor-elect Levar Stoney called and asked her to head-up his transition team she chose to stay.
Kelli’s at Pop’s Market to grab coffee with…Matt. Yeah, our originally scheduled guest didn’t show but we decided to turn on the cameras anyway and give Matt a break from runnin’ all the cameras and actually drink some coffee and talk about Richmond.
Kelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Chris Dovi. Though they've only ever casually met, when news around the world breaks, Kelli visits Chris' Facebook page for his take. Chris says his Facebook posts are "the last shadow of [him] as reporter," who had formerly written for Style Weekly, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond Magazine, and hosted a radio program on WRIR. He's now the Executive Director of CODE VA
Kelli’s at Pop’s for coffee with Steph Shaw. Steph is a true stranger, never met and literally know nothing about her. Well, she was on the Governor’s LGBT Tourism Task Force but that’s all we know. We did learn that Steph’s in advertising, lives in Church Hill, and wants to be buried at Hollywood Cemetery.
Kelli's grabbing coffee with Lauri Wansley at Pop's Market downtown. Lauri's got one of the coolest jobs around, she's the Richmond Community Manager for Yelp, which means she throws cool parties, exposes tons of otherwise hidden gems around town, and probably eats out a lot! Sitting in her dorm room during her senior year at Virginia Tech was when this Richmond native realized she wanted a career she passionate about...that's when she found Yelp.
Kelli's at the Byrd Theatre in Carytown as the speaker for January's Creative Mornings event. The title of her talk is The Mystery of The Why.
Kelli's downtown to grab coffee with Marc Cheatham at Pop's Market on Grace Street. In 2011 Marc founded The Cheats Movement, a Richmond brand dedicated to growing community through hip-hop culture. In its six years, the Movement has grown to include podcasts, live shows, an upcoming Family Gathering and magazine release, and even more. With the Family Gathering coming up on February 4, Kelli had to catch up with Marc and let him that #WeSeeIt.
Kelli's at Pop's Market downtown to grab coffee with Kelly Blanchard. Kelley's involved in a lot around Richmond, especially small business. She was a co-founder of New Normal Apparel in Jackson Ward, she recently started the Richmond Pit Bull Project to celebrate and support pit bulls, and dogs in general. Kelli and Kelley have known of each other for a while but never had the chance to meet over coffee.
Kelli's kicking off Season 5 downtown at Pop's Market by grabbing coffee with Trevor Dickerson. Trevor really is a man to know around Richmond. Late in high school he founded a news site in Short Pump and ran that for a few years before selling it, then worked for a local PR firm, before leaving that to found Boulevard Creative Then in 2016 he co-founded RVAHub.com and Breakaway RVA. In short, he's a man in the know and he's a man to know.
Kelli's wrapping up season 4 with Mayor Dwight C. Jones. Mayor Jones is winding down he's second term as mayor of Richmond and look back on his time as mayor, some thoughts for Richmond residents when heading to the polls on November 8 to vote for his successor, and some advice for whoever that new mayor may be. Don't worry, Kelli got him to drop some his favorite places to eat around town and spill his Richmond speech.
Kelli's at Garnett's Cafe to have coffee with Deejay Gray, founder and artistic director of Theatre Lab, Richmond home for unexpected and evocative performance. Deejay tells Kelli about the hidden gems of the RVA theater community, his favorite spots to eat and what he's looking forward to this fall.
Kelli’s at Pop’s Market downtown to grab coffee with Curt Autry of NBC12. Curt’s been in Richmond for over 20 years, he moved up from Raleigh, North Carolina to anchor a new weekday newscast in RVA and stayed to raise his family. Now, just a note, we did have some audio issues with this episode so it’s a bit shorter but don’t worry, we will get Curt back so he can tell us more about his favorite spots, how he’s seen Richmond change and where he comes up with his hashtags.
Kelli's downtown to grab coffee with Amy Brachman. About five years ago, while on sabbatical, Amy found a pair of yoga pants that made her feel taller than the 5'0" on her driver's license. So she ordered a whole bunch more and sold them to friends who also wanted to feel great about themselves. Soon, she was getting calls from yoga and barre studios in Richmond asking her if they could stock her pants, and with that, Super Fun Yoga Pants was born. Amy's been in RVA for about 10 years and feels like her company is making kindness, confidence, joy and community in RVA.
Kelli's in the fan to grab coffee with Shane Emmett, CEO and Co-Founder of Health Warrior, the food and movement company based in Scott's Addition. Shane's a reformed lawyer who's been in Richmond for eight years and in the health food industry for about six. He's also a father of two who's happy to share his company's origin story and how he lives Richmond with his wife and two daughters.
Kelli's downtown at the HI Richmond Hostel to grab coffee with Stephanie Breijo Stephanie is the food editor at Richmond Magazine and while this Southern California girl loves covering the Richmond dining scene it's actually so good that she now feels guilty when she stays in to cook.
Kelli's headed back to Pop's Market downtown to grab coffee with with one of the biggest divas of the Richmond wedding scene, Lou Stevens owner of the Lou Stevens Glam Squad. Lou founded the wedding styling and makeup company 26 years ago when she moved to Richmond. In her conversation with Kelli she'll talk about how she's seen the Richmond wedding scene change, what she loves about Richmond, and more.
On Friday, August 5, our friend Christina Dick gave a "coffee talk" at Gather to talk about using social media to create a real life network, you know, behind just tweets and posts and actually using social to meet people. We crashed the talk to listen in and thought we'd share it with y'all. Enjoy!
Kelli's downtown at Greenleaf's Pool Room to have coffee with Enjoli Moon. Enjoli is the founder and creative director of the Afrikana Independent Film Festival and runs the brand at Croacker's Spot, one of RVA's signature soulfood restaurants. Enjoli talks about how she's seen Richmond change from the days when she was going to City Council meetings with her father to it now being a creative and culturally diverse city.
Kelli's on Broad Street to grab coffee with Brian McDaniel at Quirk Hotel. Brian works at Quirk but has bounced around a bit since graduating from VCU. He also works at Blue Bones Vintage and sometimes at Goatacado. He tells Kelli about why he enjoys holding down multiple jobs, what he's working on for the fall, and what he loves about Richmond.
Kelli's in Scott's Addition to grab popsicles with Paul Cassimus of King of Pops. Paul's originally from the suburbs of Atlanta, moved to Richmond in 2009 to pursue a degree and career in teaching. After two years of teaching and visiting his friend's popsicle stand back home, he realized getting into the popsicle business was a great way to embrace his Greek heritage, famous for loving to serve others food.
Kelli's back in the Fan to wrap-up season 3 by talking with Kevin Clay. Kevin is a real man about town in RVA. He's been working with and in the restaurant industry for more than 10 years, which he says supports his entrepreneurship habit. Back in 2009 he founded the city's first LGBT news website, GayRVA.com, and now is is on the cusp of transitioning his company, Big Spoon, to further support the restaurant industry and maybe help solve poverty in Richmond.
Kelli is back downtown at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Molly Sanyour. Molly was that girl in elementary school who'd skip recess to go back to art class and play with clay. She came back to RVA after school at JMU and after brief time of hating being back in town, she's now found her niche doing what she loves, living RVA and throwing clay. And, yeah, we know what you're thinking, has she ever rein acted the scene from Ghost? Watch and find out.
Kelli is in the Fan to have coffee with Seo Kelleher at Garnett's Cafe. Seo is a fitness and nutrition instructor who left her corporate 9 to 5 in 2012 to start her business, CO2 Fit. She's been in Richmond since 1997 when she moved her to a be closer to a boyfriend, that ended and she stayed. And thank goodness for RVA she did, she's big into women's empowerment & entrepreneurship and no doubt has been an inspiration to her CO2 Fit clients. Okay, that's enough from us, enjoy the episode.
Kelli is back downtown at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Andrew Freiden. Andrew is the 'morning weather guy' on NBC12 in Richmond. He can be found around town hosting events, playing with his is kids in the James River or on his mountain bike. He's been in Richmond since 2000 and seen the city change, he's also got a forecast for the future of the city, and (if you listen to the podcast) he's got thoughts on the Richmond political scene and tips on staying up on the weather.
Kelli’s in Carytown to grab coffee with Caroline Logan at Don’t Look Back. Caroline is a Richmond native and graduate of the University of Richmond. For her 9 to 5 she’s the Director of Communications for the Virginia Tourism Corporation, in her spare time she loves getting out in Church Hill with her husband and dog…and of course traveling around the Commonwealth.
Kelli's at Don't Look Back in Carytown to grab coffee with Brian Beard. Brian's the owner of River City Food Tours, a business he founded to offer Richmond natives and visitors alike the opportunity to taste new food, hear new stories and feel like a local. Brian is also one of the best Instagram photographers in Richmond...and he doesn't even own a camera.
Kelli's downtown at Pop's Market on Grace Street to grab coffee with Duron Chavis. Duron's an urban farmer, activist, and father. He's been in Richmond all his life and within the last few years really been devoting his time and energy to finding opportunities for minorities to get involved with farming and improving access to fresh food for everyone.
Kelli's at the HI Richmond Hostel on 2nd Street to grab coffee with Beth Dixon. Beth's maybe best known as the bar manager, bartender, mixologist, bar chef or whatever you want to call it at Pasture on Grace Street. But she's also a mom, chicken wrangler and bee keeper who knows the importance of a good porch and loves the #rvadine scene.
Kelli’s at Pop’s Market downtown to have coffee with Josh Epperson. Josh is kind of the quintessential Richmond creative, he’s a writer and podcaster (Orphaned Stories), but he also hold’s down a 9 to 5 and runs a nonprofit (Feast RVA). He’s been in a Richmond for more than a decade and has carefully and consciously worked at how he integrates work with life so he can really live Richmond.
We've all heard the the term, eating bird food, right? Well, Brittany Mullins heard it from her college roommate when she ate trail mix and sunflowers seeds. Fast forward a few years to Brittany living in Richmond and starting her blog, eating bird food became that name and she embarked on a one woman crusade to prove the healthy living doesn't have to mean depriving yourself and that muffins can still be delicious and healthy. In the eight years of her blog she's amassed more than 100,000 followers seeking her recipes, fitness tips and health tricks. In this episode she gives Kelli extensive details on how she takes her coffee, where she buys local foods and how she lives Richmond.
Kelli’s downtown at Pop’s Market on Grace St to grab coffee with Tommy McPhail. You’ve probably seen Tommy somewhere on your timeline before, the red hair is hard to miss, he’s also hard to miss around town. He’s involved in pretty much everything, especially everything music. He’ll put a band up in his house for a night and help them land a gig in someone’s basement…oh, and he tweets his childhood hero, Michael Jordan, everyday…okay…just listen.
Kelli's in the Fan to grab coffee with Jake Crocker at F.W. Sullivan's. Jake's the co-owner of F.W. Sullivan's, Lady N'Awlins, and Uptown Market & Deli, all located at the corner of Stafford and Main in the Fan. To relax from the restaurant world, Jake's taken up acting and recently became a member of the Screen Actor's Guild. His latest work includes AMC's Turn, Mercy Street on PBS and a role in the Meg Ryan film Ithaca, released in late-2015.
Kelli's kicking off season 3 with Dawn Estelle Archer at Pop's Market on Grace Street. Three years ago Dawn Estelle Archer was depressed, suicidal, and really struggling to find happiness...She started a dance fitness class in a Manchester parking lot and had soon sold her car and was soon traveling the country teaching classes and counseling. Today she's got a quarter of a million followers on Instagram who she inspires with her transparency, and fitness programs...all from her Richmond studios. Episode 1 has tears and laughs, you'll want to check it out.
Kelli grabs coffee with Sharalyn Bailey, Administrator for the Dominion Christmas Parade. Sharalyn has been working with the parade for 25 years and has some solid tips on where to park, when the get there and more.
Kelli talks with Kimberly Carter of the James Center. Kimberly has been with the James Center for 19 years, more than half of the 31 years the Grand Illumination has been taking place. She enlightens Kelli on event history, 2015 details, parking, how many bulbs it takes to outline the building, reindeer and what she does to get in the Christmas spirit.
Kelli kicks off the Christmas episodes by talking with Katherine Wintsch, the 2015 Richmond Christmas Mother. The Richmond Christmas Mother is among the oldest Christmas traditions in Richmond, dating back to 1935. For over 80 years the Richmond Christmas Mother has raised funds from Richmond families to support Richmond families in need. Katherine is the founder and chief executive of the Mom Complex, a research and consulting firm that drives innovation for some of the world's biggest companies.
Kelli's wrapping up season 2 in Carytown with DJ Lonnie B at Mott Gallery. Lonnie's no stranger to Kelli, he's been spinning records in Richmond for 25 years but his thoughts on the RVA music scene and beating cancer is what Kelli's excited to hear Lonnie share.
Kelli's downtown to grab coffee with Vernon Gordon at Greenleaf's Pool Room. Kelli's known Vernon since their respective "VCU days". Vernon was introduced to Richmond though his stay at VCU while undergoing cancer treatments and after VCU, stayed to start his family and begin his ministry.
Kelli's downtown to grab coffee with Greg Burton of ESPN950 at Greenleaf's Pool Room. Kelli's known Greg for a while but never had the chance to put him on the spot about how many football games he actually watches, what he thinks about the stadium controversy and hear how he felt about Richmond 2015. In this episode of Coffee With Strangers she also talks to this Delaware boy about how he came to Richmond, where he likes to eat and whether VCU should have a football team.
Kelli goes to Carytown to meet wedding planner and bridal shop owner Christine Greenberg at Mott Gallery. Christine's a military brat who spent most of her life moving every two years until she came to school at VCU. She says Richmond and Church Hill feel like great hometowns and that accessibility and comfort make RVA feel like a good pair of shoes.
Kelli’s headed back downtown to grab coffee with Andrew Cothern at Greenleaf’s Pool Room. Andrew is known among the Richmond music scene for his five-year-old Richmond music blog, RVA Playlist. Andrew drops the knowledge on all aspects of the RVA music scene, including dope small venues, where to find good music during the UCI Road World Championships, and up-and-coming musicians.
Kelli heads over to Garnett's Cafe in the fan to grab with Mavis Wynn, Event & Operations Manager for Venture Richmond. In her role with Venture Richmond, Mavis has a hand in some of the signature events that make Richmond Richmond.
Twitter Links Kelli - http://twitter.com/LikeTheFruit Mavis - http://twitter.com/MavisWynn Venture Richmond - http://twitter.com/VentureRVA Coffee W. Strangers - http://twitter.com/RVAStranger
Kelli heads downtown to grab coffee with Jim Gottier of Greenleaf's Pool Room. Jim and his wife have been in California and New York but came to Richmond to open Greenleaf's, an old-school pool room at in the John Marshall building at the corners of 6th and Franklins Streets in downtown Richmond.
Kelli grabs coffee with NBC12Anchor/Reporter Karla Redditte to learn how this southern belle from Memphis has been living Richmond since 2012. Kelli learns from Karla about being single in RVA, her tastes in music and traveling...and, yes, you can say hello to her in public.
elli grabs coffee with Lauren Millard of RVANews.com. Lauren isn't originally from Richmond but after eight years in RVA she's ready to lay down in the street and tell folks about how great it is. She's also noted Richmond's affection for shutting streets down to have a few drinks.
When the host of a fake late night talk show is making it big in Richmond, naturally Kelli has to meet the person. Kelli gets over to Garnett's Cafe in the Fan for coffee with Beau Cribbs, the host of RVA Tonight, an almost monthly late night talk show at the Coalition Theater. Beau talks about why he loves Richmond, getting a real Senator on a fake talk show and his favorite spots to eat around RVA.