Vinnie Charity of Built by Vin (Photo courtesy Jason Stumpf)
Richmond is a city of makers, with creatives attracted to the city to start businesses and a growing population of residents looking to support local shops. However, given this ever-growing culture of creators, it can be hard for people to discover new makers or even know who they should search for to begin with. With this in mind, the nonprofit networking group RVA Makers in October launched its Find a Maker directory at its website, rvamakers.com.
“Richmond is an amazing place to experiment and start these small businesses for a ton of reasons, but where are they and how do you get to them?” says Emily Herr, president of RVA Makers and owner of HerrSuite Murals. “There are makers sourcing materials and objects for projects and [they] want to work with local people, but who are they? And the five that you know might already be busy because we’re all growing so fast, then where are the next five people? We’re providing more access to makers that people don’t already have.”
The directory is a searchable database where you can discover everything from interior designers to jewelry makers. You can use keywords for an advanced search or just browse makers within certain categories.
Makers may list multiple materials that they work with so users can discover that they provide multiple services or products. The directory can also be used to find festivals and events featuring local makers.
Small businesses have the opportunity to connect with lawyers, bookkeepers and other service providers. Maker spaces and studios for rent are also searchable.
Pottery artist Tasha McKelvey (Photo courtesy Tasha McKelvey)
There’s a $30 annual fee to be listed in the directory, which goes to operating costs. There’s no requirement to be a part of the monthly meetup group RVA Makers. “This is not an exclusive thing for people that only come to our events,” says Bert Green, vice president of RVA Makers and owner of sustainable home-goods manufacturer SolarMill. “If you’re proud of your work, even if it’s the weirdest, wildest things, I promise there is a category for you.”