From left: Brandon Cates, Andrew Chasen and Marc Cates of DéCOR. Photo by Isaac Harrell
Design Depot
A few feet south of the Carytown thoroughfare, Marc Cates and Andrew Chasen, the owners of Chasen Galleries, recently opened a Richmond interior-design collective at 19 S. Belmont Ave., bringing more than 25 professionals together under one roof. DéCOR , which stands for Design Center of Richmond, is envisioned as a place for designers and consumers to find the best in interior design in one convenient location. "We personally can attest to the quality and efficiency of all the vendors that are included in DéCOR," Chasen says.
The 5,600-square-foot shop will showcase products and services from specialists in kitchen design, painting, draperies, cabinetry, flooring, fabrics and more. Each vendor will have a booth in the two-story shop. "We refer each other anyway," says Linda Chinn, owner and lighting designer at Lighting by Design. "We are all in the community, and we've worked together, so it's really natural."
A large conference area upstairs will be used for art openings, photography classes and design workshops. "This is really the cream of the crop for interior design in Richmond," says Henry Clifford, owner at Livewire, a home technology integrator. "It's groundbreaking. Nobody else in Richmond is doing this." For more information, call 204-1048 or visit designcenterofrichmond.com . —Anne Dreyfuss
Kiwi Burgers
One of Carytown's newest additions, Burger Bach , brings a different flavor to the usual burger joint. The restaurant, which opened in mid-February, offers grass-fed burgers, organic ingredients and free-range chicken in the space formerly occupied by Ellwood Thompson's Café at 10 S. Thompson St. The New Zealand-inspired menu came from owner Michael Ripp's numerous trips to that country to visit his son. "These burgers don't make you as full or tired — or give you that feeling—as when you eat a normal burger," Ripp says. For vegetarians, Burger Bach offers bean burgers, fresh-cut fries and salads. This month, the menu expanded to include salmon-filet burgers, roasted fresh oysters and sautéed New Zealand green shell mussels. For more information, call 359-1305. —Paige Baxter
Corporate Refugees
After more than 20 years spent working in the commercial real estate industry for national retailers, Modern Artifacts owners Bill and Sharon Montgomery were ready to home in on their own community. "When you spend 20 years seeing the same shirt folded in the same way in the same store in a mall that could be anywhere U.S.A., after a while, you start to crave something unique," Sharon says. In early March, the couple opened their handmade housewares and gift shop at 3039 W. Cary St., in the old Phoenix location. The store carries hand-blown glass, turned wood, thrown ceramics, textiles and more made by independent artisans in Richmond and across the country. The couple plans to turn the back room of the store, which they've nicknamed "The Shed," into a creative space for future events such as local artisan trunk shows and art exhibits. "Mostly, it's just a really good reason to throw a party once a month," Sharon says. For more information, call 355-5558 or visit modernartifactsrva.com . —AD
Popping Champagne
Break out the bubbly, ladies. Carytown's newest shoe store, Champagne & Shoes , will open in the old Dominion Skateboards shop at 3004-B W. Cary St. in April. Wineglass chandeliers, marble tabletops and crown molding set the 1,300-square-foot boutique apart from its predecessor. "It's kind of girly and funky and different, but it's very upscale," says co-owner Kathleen Preservati. The store will carry several designers, including Vince Camuto, Charles David and Rosegold. Don't miss the April 12 grand opening at 10:30 a.m. The first 50 people to walk through the door will leave with an umbrella printed with the Champagne & Shoes logo. For more information, call 261-0951 or visit champagneandshoesva.com . —AD
