Student-led campaign supports Richmond businesses, aims to halt corporate takeovers

As the Starbucks espresso machines rattled
loudly in the background, Derek Chamberlin
explained the importance of shopping at
small, local businesses and how the ShopRVA
campaign and new Web site work to create
a sustainable business community in Richmond.

“It is better to go to small places,” said
Chamberlin, a senior graphic design major.
“You feel at home.”

The ShopRVA campaign aims to educate
people about how supporting local businesses
helps Richmond’s economy and culture, he
said.

“All those little hole-in-the wall places
are what make Richmond so diverse,” said
Chamberlin.

The ShopRVA campaign started as part of the
VCU class “Design Rebels,” in which students
develop a large-scale community project. Last
year’s class, which ran for two semesters,
designed and executed the project, but when
most of its members graduated or lost interest,
Chamberlin and his classmate Alex Zilberman,
also a senior graphic design major,
took it on as their own.

The project provides free advertising
for local businesses via the
ShopRVA Web site, which is set to
launch this week. The site will be
set up like a blog and will have two
sections, a shop section and a RVA
section, Chamberlin said.

The shop section will have postings
for all of the local restaurants that
participate in the campaign. Postings
will be free, and Chamberlin and
Zilberman will “interview” business
representatives to ensure they are
supportive of the Richmond community.

Participating businesses receive a
ShopRVA logo-sticker to place on the
front of their establishment. The logo
features a stylized beehive with flying bees.
Businesses can pay $25 to have pictures, bios
and media featured on the site.

“Eventually there will be a Google map
that has all (the businesses in) the campaign
marked on it,” Chamberlin said.

The RVA side of the Web site will be where
businesses and community members post
events and announcements, supporting events
such as First Friday’s Artwalk.

The campaign is making Richmonders more
intelligent consumers while getting businesses
to participate in the community, Chamberlin
said.

The challenge is determining whether businesses
that started out small but became bigger
distributors, such as Legend Brewing Co., will
support the community, he said.

“It is hard to draw the boundary (on what
is local and what is not),” Chamberlin said.
Mass production has caused large corporate
businesses to lose their integrity, Chamberlin
said, as he glanced around at the Starbucks
art on the walls.

“When you go to local businesses you
know people put (part of) themselves into it,”
Chamberlin said.

—

ShopRVA.com

The ShopRVA Web site is set to launch
Dec. 2. Shoprva.com will offer information
50 local businesses. That number is expected
the campaign recruits more businesses.

Want to support Richmond’s economy and
Look for the ShopRVA logo sticker at your favorite businesses.

Join the ShopRVA Facebook.com group and
else supports Richmond’s local businesses.

Why shop local?
1. Maintains a unique community.
2. Supports your local economy.
3. Nonprofits receive more money
from local business that are invested in
the community.
4. Receive more personal shopping
attention.
5. More accountable business
practices.

Courtesy of the ShopRVA Web site: shoprva.com