The new owners of Little House Green Grocery, Hannah Russell and Andrew Manning, with daughter Iris (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Most couples have a few inside jokes, those “what if” moments from their lives together that they teasingly toss back and forth, whether it’s moving somewhere on a whim or making a major career switch. For Hannah Russell and chef Andrew Manning, that moment came in the form of a local neighborhood market.
‘We had just been talking about doing something together, and I saw an ad for a market for sale and sent it to Andrew,” Russell says. “I was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if this was our market?’”
The ad was vague, but it noted that the shop sourced produce from a lot of local farmers. The pair’s interest was piqued. Turns out, the shop in question was Little House Green Grocery, a place where Russell and Manning were already customers, and it was close to home. The casual question quickly turned into serious consideration and a serendipitous next chapter. In September, the duo officially became the new owners of the neighborhood market at 1227 Bellevue Ave.
“The timing was kind of fortuitous,” says Manning, a Richmond native. “We were like, OK, let’s see if we can do it and see if it works out, and I think if there had been more hiccups [the situation would be different], but it’s like everything just lined up and felt very much like it was meant to be.”
Little House Green Grocery originally opened in 2012 and sold to new owners in 2020. Both Manning and Russell, a nurse, say they’re looking forward to embarking on a more low-intensity project and moving at a slower pace.
“We both work crazy hours at our other jobs, and so this feels like change of pace, and a good place where we want our kids to grow up,” Russell says.
Previously a co-owner and chef at acclaimed Richmond restaurants Longoven and Lost Letter, Manning has been working the line and connecting with farmers for the past two decades. Currently owner of Nokoribi, the Japanese-inspired concept at The Veil Brewing Co.’s Scott’s Addition location, Manning says they’ve scaled back restaurant hours, which will allow him to focus on the market.
“The plan is to keep [Little House Green Grocery] as is; it’s successful, and we don’t want to change that so much, just add our twist to it,” he says. “We have some things hopefully to help improve it, but for the most part they’ve put in some great systems.”
Manning, who spent a lengthy stint cooking in Italy, will tap into those culinary roots and introduce a fresh pasta program and a cheese program at the market. He says the vision is also to expand the vegetarian and meat selections and offer grab-and-go options from salads and grain bowls to sandwiches and fish dip, plus dinner options including roast chicken and pork shanks.
“We're going to hit the prepared foods pretty hard,” Manning says. “I’d like to have on the blackboard, like, ‘Hey, this week we have produce from here, or fish from here,’ just try to give everybody a little love, a little bit of action each week. The great thing about this place is that we can foster those relationships and really bring some attention to each of these farms. I think the main focus is just working with local people, producers as much as possible.”
The couple say their goal is not only to keep their current partnerships, but to grow and foster more. Staff members will remain. They hope to offer cakes and pastries, diversify the beer and wine selection, expand store hours, and introduce a compost program. Manning says the compost area will be managed by a local farmer, “Farmer Joe,” who has a garden space nearby. Customers will be able to drop off green waste and pick up compost later.
Russell also mentions the potential for hosting art shows, wine tastings and other in-house gatherings, “where people can come in and, just to bring the neighborhood together, little things where maybe we work with the other restaurants [in the area],” she says. “We want it to be holistic. We want to know the neighbors, and we want to be present here and have them know who we are.”
Little House Green Grocery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
