Tasty & Accessible Vegan: Broad Street Food Cart Lot

Ed Edge in front of his RVA Vegan food cart, credit Style Weekly

If you’ve lived in Richmond for more than a year, you’ve probably met Ed Edge. His personality is as memorable as his name, and he’s doing big things for our city (see his old business, Christ Cycles). One of his recent ventures has been setting up Richmond’s first food cart lot at 1825 W Broad St between Meadow and Lombardy.


Food cart lot in Portlandia

Staples of the lot currently include RVA Vegan, Rooster Cart (former owners at Cafe Gutenberg, so you know it’s yummy) and Dollop desserts. I haven't tried Dollop yet, but RVA Vegan and Rooster Cart are 100% vegan and 100% delicious. Sammies at Rooster run around $8/ea. If you’re on a budget, try RVA Vegan’s selection — cupcakes, hotdogs and tamales, all for $2/ea. Ed’s goal is to make vegan food accessible for everyone, both on price point and taste. (Tip — his cinnamon cupcakes are to die for.)

The lot is typically open from noon to 3p on weekdays and occasionally evenings and weekends. Follow RVA Vegan, Rooster Cart and Dollop on Facebook for daily schedules.

Storefront Volunteer Thank You

Storefront friends and volunteers are invited to explore a partially renovated storefront at 122/124 E Broad St tonight from 5:30 to 8p.



This event, co-sponsored by Douglas Development, Polis Ventures, There/Here, and Storefront, will highlight the great potential for architectural revitalization and new business use on Broad Street. Participants will be invited to engage the streetscape with their design and innovation ideas in an interactive photo exhibit of Richmond’s downtown. Light fare from Comfort and beverages will be served.

Bohemian Richmond

Everyone has their own impression of a city. Last week I reconnected with The Dandy Warhols album, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia. This song is so Richmond to me — veganism, hipsters and partial nudity (semi-kid). But seriously, that bar could be Ipanema.



What song best represents your Richmond? Share in the comments below!

Party in the Park

Monroe Park, that is.

Tomorrow from noon until 4p, All the Saints Theater Company is hosting a free event in support of the Monroe Park Campaign to keep the park open and free during renovations. The party will include live music from local bands such as No BS! Brass Band, The Diamond Center and Lobo Marino, a parade, face painting, food and beverage from local restaurants and a market featuring free clothing, toys and books. Bundle up — it’s sure to be a fun day! RSVP here on Facebook.

Tiny-ness

While I don’t enjoy the aesthetic of the particular “tiny house” featured in this article, I do appreciate the concept.

“Tiny House Movement Thrives Amid Real Estate Bust”

Also, tiny apartment for the day below, via Emily Jones. I would love to live in a space that size! Just the thought of all the purging gets me excited. Too bad the studios in Richmond somehow seem to cost $800/mo and up. Send me an email if you know of anything cheaper.

“125 Square Feet! Kristen’s Minimalist Studio in Seattle”

Sustainable Urban Planning in RVA

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting with several board members of Richmond’s non-profit Partnership for Smarter Growth (PSG). Their mission is to “educate and engage the communities in the Richmond region to work together to improve quality of life by guiding where and how we grow.” Richmond is a wonderful place with a lot of potential to be even better — it’s great that we have a specific organization invested in such a cause. They are working to promote smart urban growth, community leadership and awareness, better public transportation, local food, and land conservation (to name a few).

PSG is hosting an exciting public event this month! On October 24, their third annual River City Saunter event will focus on an exploration of the future of Broad St and sustainable development in the Richmond region. It’s only $15 to attend and will take place at the Renaissance Conference Center on 107 W Broad St. Don’t think of the fee as a fee, but as a small contribution to an organization that is vital to Richmond’s urban growth and development. RSVP by October 14 via PSG’s website.

Favorites

Lately I have been entertaining the idea of leaving Richmond, largely for career-related reasons. Actually, it’s a thought I’ve had off and on for the past four years since I’ve been here. The longer I live in this town/city, the more I dig my heels in and want to stay. I feel at home — Richmond’s an easy place to love.

In that vein, I asked everyone at Emily’s backyard Fan potluck tonight to name at least one of their favorite things about Richmond. We’ve all lived here for varying lengths of time, but have a common excitement and affinity for the place.


Clockwise from top — me, Noel, Evan, Christie, James, Chris, Chase and Veronica


Sir James Hill

Shared around a circle and documented via iPhone, here is our {list}.

James Hill
1. Scuffletown Park
2. Proximity to beach/mountain/lake within two hours

Emily Jones
3. Backyard Fan parties
4. Personalities at Shields Market
5. Shows at Balliceaux
6. Richmond’s Marathon Training Team
7. McSorley’s on tap at Bogart’s

Chris Holmes
8. China Panda
9. New York Deli’s multicade and photo booth

Chase Goitia
10. Houses with place names (“The Dallas”)
11. Eight places to get coffee in any given area
12. Restaurants with proper outdoor spaces
13. Quantity of trees in the city

Veronica Park
14. $2 movies at The Byrd Theatre
15. Free stuff in alleys

Kristen Ziegler (me)
16. Local art and music scene

Noel Ives-Rublee
17. James River (we all say, “Ohhhh yeah. Duh!”)
18. Retro-ness via Plaza Bowl, dodgeball leagues and rollergirl teams

Evan MacKenzie
19. Adult soccer scene via CVSA, SCOR and RISE
20. Beer culture at bars compared to other cities
21. Bicycling culture and local shops

Christie Thompson
22. Vegetarian/vegan friendly dining options
23. Awesome dance parties

24. And the obvious one — our friends! (Cheesy, but I had to.)

Photo credits to the always awesome Miss Emily Jones.

Ultra Tiny Homes in Japan

Super-small luxury houses might seem counter-intuitive to most Americans, who measure their floor space in the thousands of feet, not hundreds... the techniques in Japan could offer lessons on how to comfortably house residents in other teeming cities.

Small Footprint = Ecofriendly

Check out this apartment in Hong Kong — 330 SF with 24 “rooms”. The best way to be friendly to the environment is to avoid using resources in the first place. One great example is small space living — less materials and energy are used to create and maintain than in a larger space.

“When Less Was More”

In an era of economic austerity and a seemingly permanent energy crisis, can “less is more” become popular again?