Earlier this year, we wrote about Storefront for Community Design’s community engagement process to receive feedback and ideas from residents for the new intended use of the former Bank of America building in Northside’s Highland Park community. The bank building closed in 2017 and ownership was transferred to the Richmond Land Bank, a program of Maggie Walker Community Trust (MWCLT), in the hope of finding a suitable use and tenant in the coming years.
Since the development of Storefront’s final report, MWCLT developed a Request for Proposal (RFP), held a community meeting to review the process and RFP, and organized an informational session to review the RFP with potential applicants. The RFP launched in early June and applicants are encouraged to send proposals by August 2.
As this process continues, and additional opportunities arise for community members and businesses to develop similar projects around Richmond, it’s important for everyone to understand the terminology in these proposals. Check out the following resources to learn more about RFPs and the process of responding with successful proposals.
02 | Ms. Thompson's Kitchen
[10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series]
Ms. Mary Thompson has lived in her Church Hill home for 69 years and invested long-term in the community to energize and inspire residents to advocate for positive change. She remembers Church Hill as a beautiful community with vibrant local businesses like the ice cream shop and bakery that disappeared over time as urban blight increased. Ms. Thompson was serious about bringing change to her neighborhood and was committed to collaborating with non-profits, community developers, and community partners to create a vision shaped by community voice.
Storefront for Community Design was lucky enough to have Ms. Thompson as a founding member who brought her experience and voice to the table as the organization began working in Richmond’s East End. Throughout Storefront’s early years, she continued to be an advocate for our mission and even used our design and planning services to help create a vision to remodel her kitchen.
01 | Storefront is Born
[10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series]
Sometime in 2009, Storefront Founding member Burt Pinnock, FAIA, NOMA, received a call from Cynthia Newbille, 7th Voter District Council Representative. The Old and Historic District (O&HD) had been expanded in her district and she wanted to figure out how to bring design services to her constituents, many of whom lived below the poverty line. With the added design overlay of an O&HD, things like adding a ramp or replacing windows became that much more complicated for community members. Local design professionals and community members were aware of community design centers in other cities and recognized the need for something similar here in Richmond.
The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods (ACORN) was instrumental in facilitating the community dialogue that led to the creation of Storefront for Community Design. Additional founding Partners included community members, affordable housing developers, City of Richmond Planning and Economic Development departments, members from VCU’s Urban and Regional Planning program, and practicing architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and preservationists.
mOb Spring 2021 Semester—Project Recap!
The mOb studio is an interdisciplinary studio that brings together the departments of graphic, fashion, and interior design at VCUarts. The fall and spring semester course operates as an innovative design lab that realizes the potential of design to shape the city of Richmond. The mOb studio collaborates with Storefront’s Design Session allowing students to gain practical design experience while engaging the city.
The city as classroom
We wrapped up an exciting spring semester with mOb studiO last month! mObians are as resilient as ever and together we navigated an interdisciplinary service-learning class environment with curiosity, innovation and enthusiasm. mOb tackled four projects this semester along with prompts for their urban sketchbooks that served to grow their understanding of the city as a classroom. Here’s a recap of mOb projects and final outcomes:
Notes from the Field: June Program Highlights
Storefront for Community Design operates three main community-based studio programs: Youth Innovation, Design Session, and Community Engagement. Check out our latest highlights for each studio below. If you’re interested in getting involved, check out our summer volunteer opportunities.
Youth Innovation Studio
The Youth Innovation Studio provides project-based learning opportunities that engage youth and young adults in real-world problem solving while providing a safe space to build the capacity to create effective change in their lives and communities.
Spring Session
As the school year ends, we are preparing to celebrate 14 students and families for consistently attending virtual school at Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC). Many of our students realized virtual school was not ideal for their learning style, so by attending virtual classes at 6PIC many were able to improve their grades significantly through the support of our 6PIC partner, Saving Our Youth, and several dedicated volunteers. We are thankful to Richmond Public Schools for providing reopening information to our students and answering questions about what to expect when our students return to school next year.
Storefront Summer Volunteer Opportunities
A huge THANKS to those who completed the Storefront for Community Design Get to Know You Survey this spring. We will be using your feedback to develop new volunteer opportunities and will launch a new volunteer form later this summer — be on the lookout! Until then, we have a few exciting volunteer opportunities taking place this summer. These include:
Studio Program Working Groups
10th Anniversary Event Design & Planning
Participatory Budgeting Initiative
See below for descriptions of each opportunity. We are looking for volunteers with varying interests and expertise, so don’t be bashful to get involved. If you are interested in volunteering, be sure to complete the form specific to each opportunity by Wednesday, June 30. If you have any questions, please email hello@storefrontrichmond.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
Notes from the Field: April Program Highlights
It's been a busy start to 2021 as Storefront for Community Design welcomed a new Executive Director and Center Director. The Board of Directors and staff have taken this time to reflect upon the progress we’ve made and establish a vision moving forward. This edition of Notes from the Field will catch you up on recent program highlights and upcoming program opportunities.
Reimagining the Bank of America Building: Community Visioning in Highland Park
Storefront for Community Design was contracted by Maggie Walker Community Land Trust (MWCLT) to lead a community engagement process to receive feedback and ideas from residents for the new intended use of the former Bank of America building located at 1307 E Brookland Park Blvd in Northside’s Highland Park community. The Bank of America building closed in 2017 and ownership was transferred to the Richmond Land Bank, a program of MWCLT, in the hope of finding a suitable use and tenant in the coming years.
In late 2020, Storefront developed a creative digital and physical outreach plan to frame an accessible, culturally responsive community listening approach that amplified the ideas that Northside residents have regarding the intended use of the former Bank of America Building. Data and responses were collected and presented in a final report for the MWCLT Citizen Advisory Panel to consider as they determine future use of the building.
Storefront Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Each year, Valentine’s Day reminds us to purposefully demonstrate love, care, and support for our families, friends, and communities. This year’s holiday also marks Storefront for Community Design’s 10th anniversary and we want to shout a huge THANK YOU for your support in making our first ten years a success.
Since the beginning, we set out to make design accessible to all “for the love of our city.” Through partnerships and community collaborations, we continue to discover new ways of seeking Richmond's physical and social transformation through design and community voice. After an incredible ten years, we remain humble, yet excited for the possibilities that lie ahead for our organization, partners, and neighbors.
Our Board of Directors, staff, and partners are excited to celebrate this milestone anniversary throughout the year, so stay tuned for ways to get involved. To kickstart our celebration, here’s a few ways you can show your support today.
Donate to Storefront to support our next ten years
Volunteer as a Session Designer
Share our story with your network
Whether you’ve been with Storefront from the beginning or just a short time, we wanted to celebrate our anniversary with a look back over the last ten years. Enjoy the memories and accomplishments of our community and we look forward to making many more with you in the coming years. Now, it’s time to celebrate!
Storefront Welcomes New Executive Director and Youth Innovation Director
Storefront for Community Design is excited to announce the selection of Shawn Balon as its new Executive Director.
Shawn brings a wealth of experience in design, non-profit, and educational environments with expanded knowledge of organizational management and strategic planning. He has the strategic vision necessary to elevate Storefront for Community Design and its programs in the years to come and will bring a creative, innovative, and collaborative approach when working with staff, board members, donors, partners, volunteers, and the community-at-large.
“I appreciate the board’s confidence in me, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead such a great organization. It will take innovative and purposeful solutions to create a path for Storefront for Community Design to continue addressing the challenges in our communities, and I look forward to advancing my efforts to focus on the importance of participatory design to honor differences, challenge injustices, and create vibrant neighborhoods,” said Balon.