Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor
Richmond is bustling with vibrant, southern colors, cobblestone walkways, life around every corner and economic development — and with that development comes influencers.
Folks from around Virginia and the rest of the country are flocking to the river city to create content about its delicious dishes and historic neighborhoods. They are making blogs, vlogs, real estate businesses and … giving away tiramisu in public parks.
At least, one person is — Alex Na, also known as the “free tiramisu guy.”
Na — a “DMV transplant” in his own words — moved to Richmond about half a year ago and did not know anyone in the area.
“I just had to kind of find my own path around here,” Na said.
Na started his sweet empire with a simple TikTok, in which he offered up his leftover tiramisu to anyone who could meet him at the park. Now he is holding pop-ups, fundraisers and events galore.
“People can find friends, and people can find a sense of belonging in Richmond,” Na said.
For Na, in a political climate where life feels “hopeless” between the buzz of what is being broadcast on the news, it is a vice to be a creator and meet people through that avenue.
“Having social media content creators and influencers highlighting things they can look forward to a bit more and being like ‘let’s just showcase what Richmond has to offer,’” Na said.
Lauren Z. Ray had no particular plans to plant herself in Richmond but, after a tour down the east coast, she and her partner fell in love with it. Now, Ray is one of the biggest influencers in the city.
Ray is known for her travel vlogs around Richmond and vegan food guides. Many of her videos highlight history and architecture around town.
“The videos started reaching other Richmond locals, I began growing a community and people started sending me their own recommendations,” Ray said. “I seriously love getting to share local businesses and adventures through Virginia with everyone.”
To Ray, it’s important for influencers to show different sides of Richmond and show every unique place to explore.
“[Influencers] create community, spotlight small businesses that don’t have huge marketing budgets, make the city feel approachable and reach different audiences in different ways,” Ray said.
Even some realtors — such as Miles Agee — have made a splash online for their quick, upbeat videos.
As a real estate agent, Agee makes families happy by helping them find their Richmond forever homes. He is not necessarily trying to become famous — and does not see himself as much of an influencer, but rather a creator striving to build trust with his audience.
“I feel like saying ‘Hey I’m an influencer,’ it’s really more just to show a different side of marketing because every agent is just showing houses and I’m not trying to be like every agent,” Agee said. “I feel trust with people, for them to see a honest, real perspective of who I am so that way they can say ‘this is guy that we want to use.’”
To Agee, authenticity is the true influence. More folks should reach out to the strangers around them and explore.
“My favorite part about Richmond is you’ll find, more often than not, you’ll leave a conversation and you’re like, ‘man I probably would have never talked to that person but they were cool as hell,’” Agee said.