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Photo courtesy Blue Sage Bridal
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Photo courtesy Blue Sage Bridal
As a former pastry chef, venue coordinator and wedding planner, Noelle Parent has attended her fair share of weddings. She pivoted to retail and filled a need with Blue Sage Bridal, the city’s only consignment bridal store, in 2020. Four years on, the store’s success demanded expansion. In September, the boutique moved to a 7,000-square-foot space at 424 E. Grace St. downtown.
The rehoming helps Blue Sage Bridal serve “all bodies, all brides,” Parent says, noting the addition of three large dressing rooms, increased storage for a wider selection of dresses and a building that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A new vendor space at PopUp RVA (Photo courtesy PopUp RVA)
From its beginnings at the parking lots of The Diamond in 2020, PopUp RVA has wanted to give small vendors a reliable space to take their businesses to the next step, founder Brian Sullivan says.
Its new permanent space — a 9,000-square-foot storefront in the Chesterfield Towne Center that opened Aug. 1 — lets them do just that, seven days a week. After subdividing the space, PopUp RVA is now renting 30 stalls to local vendors on a daily, weekly or monthly basis so they can sell to shoppers during regular mall hours.
