RICHMOND, Va. — For a small business owner, finding a place to set up shop in Richmond can be a daunting process.
"It's difficult," said Lauren Williams, who has a clothing business. "I was not anticipating it to be as hard as it was. I looked at retail spaces for, I think, over six months. I pretty much was thinking of throwing in the towel and just maybe pivoting to a different career."
"I've always wanted a brick-and-mortar, but it just seemed impossible with everything that's been going on," said Skyler Carpenter, who makes skin products.
The offerings are often vast, empty spaces, sometimes called 'dark shells,' needing a lot of work. And they're not cheap.
"They don't even have plumbing or walls or floors or electricity, and you have to put all that stuff in," Williams said. "Some of them were asking for five- or 10-year leases, and others had bidding wars — for a rental."
"I wanted to start a storefront," said Tippy Tippens, who makes soaps, among other things. "But rents are so high, and the commercial lease not only includes the rent, but it also includes repairs to the building."
That environment can make even the most determined entrepreneur question their business model.
"Starting at $6,000 and up, I needed help in running this new part of my business," said Tippens.
Fortunately, about a year ago, Tippens found a way to bring fellow small business owners together under one roof. And so 'Kind Hearted Goods' in Church Hill was born.
"With 'Toy Blossom' I make eco-friendly skin and body care, so everything's packaged in metal, paper or glass, so it's refillable," said Carpenter.
"'Dottir' is kind of inspired by the cultures of Scandinavia and the types of clothes that they wear, and the colors and the textures and patterns," Williams said.
"I got my start on Kickstarter with the bird soaps that I'd give to oil spill cleanup," said Tippens. "I finally came up with this collective model where each business contributes a shop day, or we divide the shop days equally. When we first started, there were three businesses, so we each had two shop days a week, and we were in a smaller space. And then as we moved locations, we had a larger space. Now we have six businesses, so each business has one shop day and then contributes part of the rent."
That's exactly what Lauren Williams' 'Dottir' needed.
"I came into the shop, and I looked at the space, and I looked at the numbers, and ran all of that, and it just seemed like amazing that this thing had fallen into my lap," said Williams. "The bonus was it's in a location that I never dreamed I'd be in, in the heart of Church Hill, in a beautiful historic building."
For Skyler Carpenter's 'Toy Blossom,' the collective made sense, and made her dream a reality.
"Sharing the time with one another, as far as one shop day a week, and sharing the rent, just made it that much more possible," she said. "A lot of people want to know where these ingredients are coming from, or who makes them, and it's so important for me to know that other people know that it's one person doing it. Having a brick and mortar space, I can meet people who just moved here, who love Richmond just as much as I do."
Walking outside to Broad Street, Tippens pointed to an updated number written with a dry-erase marker on the storefront window. "This is our impact, how much money we've donated," Tippens said. "$91,624."
Tippens explained that the collective's six businesses all share a commitment to environmental and social good, which includes giving back to those causes.
She also pointed out that all the goods on display at the Church Hill store share a visual aesthetic.
"Everybody's work looks good together," said Tippens. "And then I mix it all in. We don't do it booth-style, where each business has a section. Everything's mixed in, so it looks like a regular shop."
After a year that has been challenging for business owners everywhere, Tippens says she's glad she has partners.
"Being able to have the smaller portion of the rent just helps you withstand these difficult times," Tippens said. "Especially the uncertainty the past year from tariffs, chaos, stress. It feels very similar to how it did in the pandemic."
Williams agrees that there is safety in numbers.
"The economy is very volatile right now, and we just don't know what's going to happen in the future. But I feel really confident knowing that I'm in a situation where I have five other women who are in it with me," Williams said.
But while consumers may be watching their wallets closely, Carpenter says paradoxically, that could actually help the small business owner.
"People are being more intentional with where they spend money," said Carpenter. "They want to feel like they're giving to someone that they know. And I think that's the really cool part of owning a small business, is that people can meet you, they can connect with you, and then they enjoy your product as well."
And all three women say if you can do business in Richmond, the community will have your back.
"I have a lot of friends that have small businesses that are technically competitors of mine, but we really try to boost each other up," said Williams. "The collective model is just wonderful for Richmond, because we all kind of know each other already. So go find your small business friends and talk to them about this idea."
"I moved here about five years ago, and when I started Toy Blossom, so many people wanted to help, as far as collaborating or just a basic 'like' or share of your post on Instagram," said Carpenter. "People are so excited to help you, and to watch you grow, because you know you're creating something that people enjoy. More creation brings so much love and warmth into a community that kind of desperately needs it right now."
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