Then and Now

For this year's 30th survey, the editors pulled 10 category winners from the 1988 magazine and then selected who or what takes the prize today

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A sneak peek from our August Best & Worst issue, on newsstands now

Best Local TV Anchor

Your 1988 Pick: Sabrina Squire

Our Pick Today: Sabrina Squire

Sabrina Squire’s beaming headshot appears in the dictionary next to the entry for “longevity.” Few broadcast journalists make their way to the anchor desk of the evening news; even fewer still flourish behind the desk for three decades. A lot has changed in the industry since Squire started at WWBT-NBC 12 back in 1981 as an intern. One thing hasn’t: 33 years after co-anchoring her first newscast, Squire is still on top. “We’ve been No. 1 for as long as I can remember,” she says, referring to the Nielsen television ratings of the 6 o’clock newscast. “I can’t remember not being No. 1.”

Worst Public Eyesore

Then: Charles Store Ruins on Broad

Now: GRTC Pulse Construction on Broad

The revitalization of Broad Street is in full effect these days, but the ruins of the Charles Store Companies between Foushee and First streets, now a surface parking lot, are not yet a part of it. Perhaps the present-day recipient of this dubious honor — the ongoing GRTC Pulse construction along Broad Street — will change that. Work on the 7.6-mile bus rapid transit line connecting Rocketts Landing to Willow Lawn is projected to wrap up by year’s end, says Carrie Rose Pace, a spokeswoman for the Greater Richmond Transit Company. Pace, ever a good sport, begs to differ with the “eyesore” characterization “I see progress. I see the future,” she says. “It’ll probably be voted best thing next year when it’s finished,” Pace adds. We’ll see.

Best Newspaper Sportswriter

Then: Bill Millsaps

Now: Dave Lawrence

As a reporter and editor, Millsaps was a fixture in the Times-Dispatch sports section from 1966 to 1992. He then entered upper management, after earning “best sports writer in the state” honors 11 times. Dave Lawrence, sports editor for Richmond Suburban Newspapers, earns our nod as the region’s top sports writer today. His career spans nearly four decades — long enough to take his fair share of knocks. The most memorable one came in the form of an Atlee High defensive back, in pursuit of a Patrick Henry High running back, diving out of bounds and into an unsuspecting Lawrence’s leg. It was broken, he would later learn, but only after photographing the second half of action, and two soccer games the next day. There’s no crying in sports writing.

Most Recognizable Richmonder in the Region

Then: Dick Strauss

Now: Tim Kaine

“This is a man who deserves to be recognized,” this magazine wrote of Dick Strauss back in 1988, when voters nominated him as the region’s most recognizable person. By then, the preeminent Ford dealer in the region was synonymous with car sales for a generation of Richmonders, thanks to his self-starring commercials. Who assumes the most recognizable mantle today? U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. The former Richmond city councilman, mayor and Virginia governor who still calls North Side home came tantalizingly close to the White House last year after Democrat Hillary Clinton added him to the party’s presidential ticket. Even in defeat, he remains the region’s foremost elected official and the sole person from either political party who can claim the title of “America’s Dad.”

Best Smell

Then: FFV Cookie Factory

Now: C.F. Sauer Co.  

It’s no wonder that voters selected Famous Foods of Virginia (FFV), later known as Interbake Foods, as the source of the city’s best smell back in the day. From two-story ovens in the North Boulevard factory wafted the aroma of our collective guilty pleasure — Girl Scout Cookies. Interbake relocated its headquarters to Henrico in 2006, and the old factory was converted into 178 apartments in 2013. Now, our olfactory systems draw us slightly east, toward another Richmond culinary staple: C.F. Sauer Co. at the corner of Meadow and Broad streets, where nostrils are filled with the aroma of herbs and spices. Roll down your car windows and take a whiff.

Best Place for People Watching

Then: Regency Square Mall

Now: The Diamond

People watching at Regency these days is slightly sparser than it once was, as malls across the country have fallen on hard times. Brighter days may be ahead for the Henrico retail center, though: New owners pledged a $35 million renovation and announced the opening of a massive new Regal Cineplex. Until that’s complete, take your wandering eyes to The Diamond, where the Flying Squirrels minor league baseball games are only the tip of the entertainment iceberg. Knock back a couple of Hardywood Singels, and you’ll be in stitches by the seventh-inning stretch.

Most Scandalous Richmonder

Then: Chuck Richardson

Now: Joe Morrissey

Former Richmond City Councilman Chuck Richardson earned the ire of our voters after copping to a heroin addiction he says he developed while serving in Vietnam. Years later, he served prison time after pleading guilty to distributing the drug. Richardson still dabbles in city politics, and his daughter, Nichole Armstead, recently won the Democratic primary for city treasurer. Our 2017 choice: Former Commonwealth’s Attorney, State Delegate and failed mayoral candidate Joe Morrissey. Since losing last November, Morrissey has focused on his legal practice, he says. He paraphrased Oscar Wilde when asked for his reaction to the “scandalous” label: “The only thing worse than them talking about you is them not talking about you.”

Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners

Then: Shockoe Slip

Now: James River

Shockoe Slip circa 1988 was a bright spot in a bleak downtown desperate for a beacon. Now, the slip is a pit stop on the way to the region’s true shining star: the James River. The city has spent millions to transform the north and south banks of the James into bustling areas of activity for Richmonders and out-of-towners alike — and collaborated via conservation easement to keep much of the natural setting safe from development. A sparkling achievement of the ongoing Riverfront Plan was unveiled last December, when the T. Tyler Potterfield bridge opened, providing an unrivaled vantage point from which to enjoy the James.

Best Place to Meet Someone New

Then: Friday Cheers at Festival Park

Now: VMFA Happy Hour

Like the Sixth Street Marketplace, Festival Park is no more, but Friday Cheers lives on, bigger than ever, at its new home on Brown’s Island. It’s still a hot spot to meet new people, but we prefer to mingle at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ happy hour, held each Friday. The museum extends its hours and offers wine and beer specials, and sometimes live music. There are also 30-minute gallery tours, so in the event you do meet that special someone, you can wow them with your enviable grasp of Impressionist art. (Who said that college art history class wouldn’t come in handy?)

Worst Job in Town

Then: City Policeman

Now: Anything in City Hall   

Chances are the War on Drugs, rising gun violence and other perils contributed to our voters dubbing city police officer the worst job in the region back in the day. Presently topping the list of jobs we wouldn’t take in a million years is anything based at 900 E. Broad St. Sure, there’s a new mayor who’s promising to transform Richmond City Hall, but we’re not sipping the Levar-Stoney-is-our-savior Kool-Aid just yet. And if his comprehensive performance review released this spring is any indication, he’s got a lot of work ahead of him before the city’s beleaguered population takes a drink, either.