David Waller of Waller & Company Jewelers, a family-owned business that was looted in late May (Photo by Jay Paul)
Rebuilding Again
With the community's help, 120-year-old Waller & Company Jewelers recovers from vandalism and looting
Richard Waller Jr., patriarch of the 120-year-old, Black, family-owned business Waller & Company Jewelers, remembers rushing to his downtown shop following a break-in during the 1968 riots, days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Now, during another era of unrest, his business at 19 E. Broad St. was looted again as Richmond and other cities across the country were racked by rioting the weekend following the killing of George Floyd. Notified by an alarm shortly after 2 a.m. on Sunday, May 31, Waller, 82, found busted windows and display cases emptied of watches and jewelry.
Waller’s youngest son, David, who manages most of the store’s day-to-day business, is working with insurers to appraise the value of the stolen merchandise. The business has been at its current location since 1980, and was located on First Street during the 1968 riots.
Despite the property losses, “I’m not mad. I’ve forgiven [the looters],” Waller says.
“About 50 to 70 watches were stolen. If I could talk to [the looters], I would tell them they should take that money and do something smart with it, invest or buy property,” he adds. “But they will probably just throw it away.”
A degree of risk is to be expected being in the jewelry business, Waller says.
Businesses along Broad Street and long-time customers were appalled that a symbol of Black commerce in Richmond had been hit. As of June 15, supporters had raised more than $50,000 to rebuild the business.
The morning after the looting, longtime members of African American sororities and fraternities arrived ready to clear glass and nail boards, but supplies hadn’t arrived. Instead, the volunteers bought Greek memorabilia — key chains, shirts and other items with emblems of the Black organizations — merchandise Waller is most known for.
Tears filled Waller’s eyes as he thanked volunteers. Purple flower garlands placed by supporters covered the store’s broken windows. Signs flanked the door identifying the jeweler as a small, Black-owned business. Decades before, the words “soul brother” had been written on the front of the shop to appeal to the conscience of looters. Less than two weeks following the riots at the end of May, Waller worked on jewelry repairs for customers while David and his older brother, Richard, worked in the back of the shop.
David, who has moved much of the store’s retail online, says the family aims to overcome adversity and remain relevant.
“We’re trying to go for another 120 years,” he says.
—Leah Small
Blue Bones co-owners Lauren Healy-Flora (left) and Jeremy Flora (right) with Dylan and June (Photo by Jay Paul)
Store of Good Will
“The later it got, the worse it got,” Lauren Healy-Flora recalls of the May 31-June 1 chaos around Blue Bones, the downtown Broad Street vintage-clothing store she operates with her husband, Jeremy Flora. Earlier, she and her daughter had placed cutout blue hearts reading “Black Lives Matter” in the store’s windows.
Jeremy and some friends, hearing of trouble downtown, rushed over to board up windows and secure merchandise. “A gentleman was shooting into the air by the store, and another across the street had started shooting, too,” Healy-Flora says. A bonfire blazed outside the store’s front door, and distressing pictures and texts arrived while she waited at home with their children. Jeremy was at the store when his phone began to die. “I told him to get the hell out of there,” she says.
Shortly after Jeremy pulled away in their Blue Bones truck from the alley behind the store, fire consumed a parked car.
The events provided an exclamation point for for Blue Bones’ six-year run at the location it shared with record store Steady Sounds. With their lease ending, Blue Bones had already made plans to move a few blocks west, while Steady Sounds had already planned to close.
Blue Bones’ new shop, which repurposes an older space, could open in the fall.
“For my husband and I … [we] definitely feel like a change needs to happen, and if that meant some broken windows, so be it. We don’t feel victimized. Now we’re getting statues taken down. The greater cause is for bigger and better things.”
—Harry Kollatz Jr.
Promac owner Keon Winston (right) and his brother, Joseph Hood (Photo by Jay Paul)
Recovery Mode
Keon Winston, owner of Promac Computer Repair, supports the recent demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality. But when looting and property damage reached stores close to his location at 1819 W. Broad St., he put his military training to good use and prepared to defend his 2-year-old business.
“We’re a Black-owned business that was built from the ground up,” Winston says. “So when you think about all that, and where we’re at, I couldn’t see risking anything with the shop.”
Winston, who served in the war in Iraq, stayed at his shop the entire night, armed and ready to dissuade any would-be looters. The effort appears to have paid off, as his store was untouched. Another computer repair shop on Main Street wasn’t as lucky, losing more than $100,000 in merchandise, according to a WTVR report.
Winston says there’s someone at his shop at all times now. Despite these ongoing challenges and the difficulties presented by the pandemic, he remains optimistic about the shop’s future and thankful for the loyalty of his patrons.
“We couldn’t ask for better, more supportive customers,” he says.
A longtime computer whiz, Winston opened his store after a series of negative experiences working for other repair shops, and he has plans to open a second location. He believes that current frustrations will hang heavy for a good while longer, and he’s prepared to stand guard as long as it takes.
—Cameron Oglesby
Adventures in Small Business
Operated by parents and partners Anthony and Nora Bryant, the children’s clothing, toy and book shop Little Nomad turns 3 in July. During this time, a conveyor belt of challenges has confronted the Bryants and their neighboring retailers, from the imposition of Pulse bus line construction to a car smashing into the store in 2017, the coronavirus shutdown, and this spring’s protests and demonstrations.
During our interview, Anthony Bryant interrupts himself while making a curbside exchange. “I’m giving our customers a delivery window between 9 a.m. [and] 11 a.m,” he explains, upbeat. Small business requires resilience.
The pandemic brought new considerations to the family-centered Little Nomad’s online presence and efforts to drive traffic to the store. “We’re pretty seasoned after these three years,” Bryant says, and then he laughs, both weary and enthusiastic. “We know very well how to pivot and how to prepare ourselves for the unthinkable.”
Jackson Ward’s community-mindedness and downtown’s league of retailers have buoyed Bryant’s spirits. He boarded up early on the Saturday of the disturbances, and the next day, as a precaution, he removed the store’s inventory. Several meetings held through the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Richmond Arts District group (of which he’s vice president) helped him adjust.
“We’re looking at this as a reset button,” he says. “One thing is crystal clear. This is Jackson Ward.” The neighborhood is emblematic of Black commerce and community organization forced by racial and class divisions — achieving by overcoming. His personal connections here provide a genuine sense of continuation. “So much of what’s recently happened is directly associated with this neighborhood’s history,” Bryant says. “You can’t sweep that under the rug.”
—HK