Rachel Nicholas, Staff Writer
What started as a niche corner of Craigslist has found new life on Instagram where RVA Missed Connections is turning brief, everyday encounters into something more lasting.
The account shares anonymous submissions from Richmonders hoping to reconnect with strangers they crossed paths with. Whether it was a quick glance at a coffee shop or a conversation that ended too soon, no submission is too small.
Jenna Bowen was inspired to create the page based on a book she had read by Brian Francis called “Missed Connections: A Memoir in Letters Never Sent,” a book that explores missed opportunities for love through personal ads.
“It’s really interesting, in the 90s he was in his twenties and in the closet,” said Bowen. “So he posts a missed a connection ad in a newspaper hoping to find love and later reconnects with the letters he received 30 years later.”
Bowen said the novel made her reflect on the idea of missed chances and whether people regret not taking them.
“I read it and thought to myself, ‘Would I want to regret missing my chance at love?’ and I imagined I couldn’t be the only one,” Bowen said.
While the account has begun to carve out a space in Richmond’s online community, its reach is still growing. With just over a thousand followers, Bowen said it has not yet had the scale needed to consistently reconnect people.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Bowen said when asked if the page has successfully connected people so far. “I feel it has too small of a following right now.”
Still, moments of visibility, such as when the local Instagram account @cringemond_va referenced one of her posts, have brought short bursts of attention. Even so, Bowen noted that submissions can be inconsistent, much like the original Craigslist missed connections page, where standout posts are “far and few between.”
Despite its current size, however, Bowen believes the concept has strong potential, especially in a city like Richmond where everyday encounters can feel meaningful.
“I feel like everyone’s had that ‘I saw my soulmate at the airport’ experience,” Bowen said. “So it can easily pertain to everyday passings in our little community we call Richmond.”
For Bowen, the appeal of RVA Missed Connections is not just about romance—it is about creating a low-pressure space where people can take a second chance.
“I’d like to continue to curate a space where people have a safe space to reach out and hope for a mutual feeling,” she said.
While large-scale success stories may still be rare, Bowen has experienced a version of a missed connection story herself. After meeting someone at a bar and failing to exchange numbers, she later tracked them down through mutual connections and decided to take the leap.
“I ended up reaching out and shooting my shot,” Bowen said. “We dated for about a year after that.”
For now, RVA Missed Connections is still finding its footing. With a growing audience and a familiar sense of “what if,” the page taps into something a lot of people in Richmond can relate to – life’s missed moments and second chances.