Wyatt Clark sells local art, clothing and knickknacks at Made RVA General Store; Photo by Jay Paul
Inside the Made RVA General Store in Jackson Ward, handmade hair bows are displayed beside robots, mannequin heads and African masks on an oversize wooden dresser. The 422 W. Broad St. shop opened in November, selling locally made art and clothing along with an array of knickknacks that owner Wyatt Clark has gathered from friends and family.
"The community of Richmond has really embraced the store," the 22-year-old says. He stocks T-shirts printed by local illustrator Adrian King and books from Richmond authors, including The South Is Still Rising: Contemporary Radical and Anarchist Activism in Richmond Virginia from 1994 to 2004 by local activist Mo Karn. Clark came up with a business plan for the store with help from his uncle, an architect and bookstore owner who lives in Snow Hill, Md. He wants the store to help support the local art scene, through selling artists' work and providing them with a space to work together on projects.
In the next few months, Clark hopes to add a creative design house to the shop, collaborating with friends to work on projects for local bands and businesses. "We'd be able to do everything that a creative agency in Shockoe Bottom can do, only with people who are much younger," he says. Clark also plans to expand the "Made" brand into other cities, keeping the Richmond branch as a flagship location. For more information, call (571) 643-1991 or visit the shop's Facebook page.
