Photo by Jay Paul
Take Forest Hill Avenue out from Richmond, past Forest Hill Park, past the strip malls and on toward Chesterfield County, and you soon find the road narrowing and the shoulder dropping off, replaced by patches of wild chicory and dormant sumac. You might judge yourself headed toward the country, or at least the outer reaches of Chesterfield’s suburbs. You’d be mostly right, but first you’d have a stop to make: Bon Air — the “Good Air” place.
Established in the late 19th century as a resort destination for city-weary Richmonders, today Bon Air has become a Richmond suburb (or, more officially, “census-designated place”). But with its quaint shops and quiet side streets, Bon Air feels more deserving of the all-American moniker Small Town.
Whatever nominal distinction you settle on, Bon Air is well worth a visit. Its sites, shops and dining reflect a place close enough to the city to be a part of its trends and far enough outside to have its own take on things. Here’s an introduction to this quirky community.
Bon Air Christian Church (Photo by Jay Paul)
Col. Algernon Buford (Photo courtesy the Cook Collection, The Valentine)
A Resort Town
The past is always present here, according to Tara Semtner, president of the Bon Air Historical Society. The history of Bon Air is special as it is a village that has evolved over time while retaining so much of its original character," says Semtner. Village streets provides a quick initiation into its history. Buford Road is named for Col. Algernon Buford, president of the Richmond-Danville Railroad after the Civil War. Buford helped secure the tract of land that would become Bon Air. In its heyday, the railroad made three stops in a one-mile stretch of the town.
Buford later served as one of the first members of the Bon Air Land and Improvement Co., which developed Bon Air into a popular Victorian resort. You can still see evidence of this history today along Buford Road — the Bon Air Hotel Annex, Bon Air Christian Church, and dozens of homes small and large testify to its Victorian heritage. Perhaps the best glimpse into Bon Air’s resort days is the annual Victorian Day Parade and Festival (May 13 this year), which brings together in celebration the town and visitors — many of whom come out clad in full Victorian finery.
Polk Miller (Photo courtesy The Valentine)
Unlikely Frontiersmen
Sites to Richmond’s west are dotted with references to the Huguenots, a group of Protestant settlers from France: Huguenot Bridge, Huguenot High and on Bon Air’s western edge, Huguenot Park.
When in 1685 the French king revoked an edict protecting Protestantism in the kingdom, members of the sect had a decision to make: Convert to Catholicism or seek new homelands elsewhere. Virginia may not have been these refugees’ first choice — the humid climate was rumored to be “unhealthy for Frenchmen” — but the colony was a persistent suitor. Generous land grants eventually enticed a sizable recruitment. But if the new arrivals had hopes of joining the English on their settlements along the coast, the colonialists had other plans. The Huguenots were sent westward, in part to serve as a buffer between English settlements and Native Americans.
Polk Miller’s Old South Quartette, c. 1910 (Photo courtesy the Cook Collection, The Valentine)
Sounds of the South
In November of 1909, a recording team from the Edison Co. packed up their equipment and headed south from New Jersey to Richmond. Here, they made seven master cylinders of Bon Air pharmacist and banjo player Polk Miller and his Old South Quartette.
The journey was an unusual one. At the time, almost all artists were required to travel to the studios, not the other way around. Even more significant was the fact that the performance by Miller, who was white, and his quartet, which was all black, was among the first interracial recordings made in the United States.
Miller and the quartet’s repertoire was unique for featuring musical traditions of enslaved Africans in the decades preceding the Civil War. In his book “Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry,” historian Tim Brooks calls their 1909 Richmond recording “perhaps the most direct aural link we have with the music of black America in antebellum times.” Their legacy, however, isn’t one of simple racial reconciliation. While they didn’t traffic in the more overtly racist performance styles of the day, the group, under Miller’s vision, presented a rosy, apologist’s view of plantation life.
Mackenzie Murphey makes a stop at Perk during a four-hour Saturday bike ride. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Where to Eat
With its bright interior and vintage schoolhouse feel, Perk Coffee & Lunchbox could just as easily be at home downtown as it is in the quiet shopping strip off Buford Road. Stop in for a cup of locally roasted coffee and one of a rotating selection of home-made baked goods, like the pimento cheese hand pies.
Photo by Jay Paul
Southbound´s Caleb Yeong (Photo by Jay Paul)
Southbound is another Bon Air destination with a downtown feel. A joint venture between The Roosevelt’s Lee Gregory and Joe Sparatta of Heritage along with local farmer Matt Gottwald, the menu will please anyone who is a fan of both restaurants’ sophisticated take on American classics. Try the half chicken served with grits, braised greens and, of course, potlikker gravy.
Devotees of Joe’s Inn in the Fan district will be happy to know that they can get favorites like Spaghetti à la Joe at the Bon Air location, which features Joe’s Out — a to-go version of the menu right next door. Frank’s will also satisfy a visitor’s craving for Italian. Located near Southbound in the Stony Point Shopping Center, they do a faithful rendition of a New York-style pizza, complete with house-made sauce.
In Bon Air Place shopping center off Tinsley Drive, you'll find Bon Air Seafood, owned by Joe Skinner, who lives just four minutes from his shop. He likes the non-cookie-cutter feel of the town, the low cost of living and the good schools.
Brenda Coffey has been coming to the Buford Road Pharmacy for years. She is helped by Marcia Bogan. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Where to Shop
Given its ties to the past, it’s no surprise that Bon Air offers plenty of vintage and antique finds. Good Stuff Consignment on Tinsley Drive is a town staple. Be sure to check out their chests full of oddities like old stereoviews and celluloid figures. A newer arrival is The Treasury, which opened in 2013 in the old post office building. Owner John Hooser is also a furniture maker who builds custom farmhouse tables from reclaimed lumber.
Bon Air Provisions and nearby Bottleworks would both be great places to stock up for a party or gathering. In addition to specialty foods and drinks, the stores offer beer and cider on tap along with growlers to take them home in.
Buford Road Pharmacy is an institution in Bon Air, having first opened in 1957. It’s still a genuine country drugstore at heart, selling everything from specialty shoes to hostess gifts. Store clerk Marcia Bogen loves going to work in Bon Air downtown. "It's like walking into an old-time Christmas card," she says.
Though Sterling Boutique bills itself as a jewelry store, its selection includes clothing, handbags and a variety of unique gifts. The owner travels extensively, so finds are from all over — but they’re all fun, colorful and have an unmistakable dose of glam.
When I asked where to go shopping in Bon Air, people were eager to point me toward Toys that Teach in Stony Point Shopping Center. The shop is praised for its helpful staff and its wide selection of creativity- and skill-building toys and games.
