RVA Unrest: Business Closings & Economic Fallout In Richmond, Va From 2020 Pandemic and Civil Unrest

"It could’ve been when business at his Bistro 27 tumbled to an all-time low as COVID-19 forced us to hunker down at home. Or when his landlord announced that rent on the property at West Broad and Adams streets was going up 25%. Or maybe when bands of demonstrators marched down Broad Street, breaking windows and vandalizing properties, including the bistro’s."

A local café-and-market chain has retreated from Scott’s Addition as it cuts costs amid the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

“It didn’t make financial sense to stay there,” owner Kathleen Richardson said.

“Going into COVID, business was OK. But it wasn’t great,” Slotnick said. “I felt I’d have to completely rebrand to have a shot (and) I felt that wouldn’t be a good investment at this time.”

For the third time since the start of the pandemic, a national restaurant brand has exited Carytown. The Jimmy John’s location at 3314 W. Cary St. closed in recent weeks. The Illinois-based hoagie chain had been in the space since 2014.

“The overhead is just so high and the view is just so uncertain,” said Forest, who is managing member of the company.

Stump said he liked the location, but the protests, in his mind, had dealt a blow to the ongoing revitalization of downtown. Some storefronts in the neighborhood remain boarded up after earlier protests led to property damage in the neighborhood.

“All that work just went down the toilet,” he said.

“We have decided to permanently close. With COVID, and giving birth to our second child in May, we just don’t feel comfortable with the daily risk, nor do we feel it responsible to put our staff at risk,” the Comstocks said in a message to BizSense via Facebook.

“With our business being down almost 90%, it’s just not worth the risk to our staff and families to stay open,” Emilia Sparatta said. “How do you pay your employees what they’re worth like that? It’s just not possible.”

“(Studio director Kyra Haigh) and I have worked tirelessly this past year to try and continue what we have created in our ‘home’ on Cary St., but all signs are pointing in the direction that the time has come to let go,” owner Alicia Golden

“Need Supply has made the difficult decision to wind-down its business and operations in an orderly fashion” said attorney Corey Booker of Whiteford, Taylory & Preston, who is representing Need and it’s parent company, NSTO. 

“In the immediate term, in light of the current pandemic and the resulting economic impact to the restaurant industry, Richmond on Broad Café will not re-open,” according to a post made to the restaurant’s Facebook page. 

“The Broad has always been much more than a workspace and the necessary adaptations that all brick and mortar businesses will need to implement in the wake of COVID-19 would have meant our community-centered space would become a purely functional office.”

“Financially, I couldn’t do both. Between COVID and now the looting and vandalism from protests, it has been terrible,” Michael Oseguera said. “Feels like Grace Street has been set back 30 years.”

A notice on the store in the Cary Court Park & Shop said the bakery is permanently closed. Another note said Jozef Bindas, who had worked there since it opened, and his wife, Emmanuelle Bindas, both had died.

"Police say there were at least a half dozen structural fires overnight including at the Starbucks on Lombardy and Broad."

"This anger that is spilling into the streets is taking a heavy toll on small businesses, but you and I went home on Saturday, on Sunday, and last night, and every night you are able to read this.  George Floyd did not go home. 

I hope you drop the anger and hate.  The protests and unfortunate looting that are unfolding are the symptoms, not the cause. "