[10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series]
image: In 2016 FRED (Free Reusable Everything Desirable) was born as a vehicle for connecting communities and dispersing needed items. Camden Whitehead (shown in gold) was challenged to a headstand competition in exchange for items to the community.
From the first impact story that celebrated Storefront’s founding to the last story that detailed a community driven design process, it is evident that Storefront for Community Design’s impact has been witnessed across the City of Richmond. In ten years, our programming has grown from a single design assistance program at a neighborhood level to multiple programs at a city-wide level.
In 2021, Storefront announced the selection of our new Executive Director making this an ideal moment to reflect upon the progress we’ve made and establish a vision moving forward that adapts to the changing landscape of our communities. Over the past six months, we’ve been writing a strategic plan that will be our roadmap through 2025 and we are excited to launch it this spring. As we turn our attention to the next 10 years, we asked founding members of Storefront for Community Design and VCUarts mOb studio three questions to highlight past achievements and share their vision for the future of our programming.
image: a mock bus shelter designed by mOb studio students
Q1: What was the initial vision for Storefront for Community Design and mOb studio?
Design is active and client-based. For design students, it should be local, national, and international. mOb studio and Storefront for Community Design’s collaboration connect Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to the community and allows for students to get closer to where design becomes real and necessary.
- Kristin Caskey
Our vision for Storefront was to form an organization that connected the design community of Richmond with people who might benefit from design resources but were either unaware of those resources or unable to pay for those resources (or both). Storefront was intended to be a trusted, neutral party that was not working for commercial interests or the city, though both developers and the city would often participate in Storefront events.
- Andrew Moore
Initially, I thought Storefront would be primarily a presence at a neighborhood level that would provide access to assistance from design professionals for people who would otherwise not avail themselves of that help for things like addressing code violations/maintenance issues or needing help with ADA-type accessibility.
- Jim Hill
“We hoped to show the community what design is by making public the processes, joys, and habits of designers. We hoped to unleash the power of design to imagine a city that could exist but did not exist at that time. We hoped to become a generator and a center for a growing design community in the city.”
image: collecting community feedback for the beautification of Six Points commercial corridor in Highland Park
Q2: What has been the most impactful contribution that Storefront for Community Design has made to the community?
The General Demotion/General Devotion competition and the Recovery by Design program were both inspirational ways to extend the reach of our mission in an important way. I think, however, that the development of Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC) might be the biggest on-the-ground project Storefront has accomplished, for both bricks-and-mortar and programming.
- Jim Hill
Discovering the ways that design can heal racial divides in the City of Richmond. Revealing the superpowers of designers to help the city wonder and to imagine and make visual an environment that does not exist or an environment in need of adjustment.
- Camden Whitehead
Storefront’s largest impact has been to enable individual residents and neighborhoods to have a voice in the city, speaking the language of design. At the individual level, community members have understood how good design, applied to their properties, can benefit both their interests and the larger community. At the neighborhood level, communities have seen how an organized workshop can transform ideas into reality.
- Andrew Moore
Storefront and mOb studio have made a space for students at VCU to live closer to, and better understand their neighbors. A way for students to serve the place and people where they live, and act on projects which expand design into places and lives where it may not have been. Students find that design lives everywhere and is not a reality show. Many of our former mObians find that the impulse to serve and work in community or as collaborators drives what they choose to do for work.
- Kristin Caskey
“It has planted seeds for young designers to step into the profession with a redefined and reawakened understanding of how design can impact needs that aren’t aligned with profit driven motives to better serve humanity.”
image: Andrew Moore volunteering at a community workshop in the Carver neighborhood
Q3: What is one new thing you would like to see Storefront for Community Design achieve in the next 10 years?
A small school of community engaged design, where recent design graduates work with elementary, middle, and high school students to share their superpowers of design and help them identify and undertake projects in Richmond neighborhoods. Also, we need a place/shop that is equipped to prototype and build our work.
- Camden Whitehead
In the next ten years, I would love to see the physical footprint of Storefront expand into other areas of the city, partnering with local neighborhood stakeholders to realize the benefits of good design at a hyper-local level.
- Andrew Moore
“I would like to see Storefront continue to help communities build capacity, but I would really like to see Storefront find a way to mentor students from underserved communities helping them explore design and public service education and career opportunities.”
image: Storefront’s City Builders youth meet with mOb studio to learn about their semester designs. Storefront’s vision for the future includes enhanced design opportunities for youth and young adults.
A huge THANKS to our founders who took time to share experiences and insights with Storefront for Community Design and mOb studio.
Andrew Moore, Senior Principal / Studio Director at Glave & Holmes Architecture, SFCD Founder
Kristin Caskey, Associate Professor, VCUarts Fashion; Design Director, Kloth Studio; mOb studio Founder
Jim Hill, SFCD Founder
John Malinoski, mOb studio Founder
Andrew Moore, Senior Principal / Studio Director at Glave & Holmes Architecture, SFCD Founder
Camden Whitehead, Associate Professor, VCUarts Interior Design, mOb studio Founder
Here’s to 10 more amazing and impactful years!
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
We can only continue because of your generous support that makes it possible for Storefront to continue connecting community members to design tools and resources. In honor of our 10th anniversary and to ensure future funding, we are laying the foundation for the next 10 years of community impact. Money raised will be invested in a variety of ways that, taken together, are designed to increase Storefront's mission and programming that will bring positive change to Richmond communities over the next 10 years.
10 YEARS, 10 STORIES OF IMPACT
Follow Storefront for Community Design’s 10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series to learn more about our impact over the last ten years and check out a timeline of milestones for an overview of our work.
01 | Storefront is Born
02 | Ms. Thompson’s Kitchen
03 | mOb + Storefront = ❤️
04 | Recovery by Design
05 | A Celebration of Community Design
06 | Designing an Innovation Center
07 | Building a Brave Space
08 | General Demotion / General Devotion
09 | Community Driven Design Process
10 | A Vision for the Future