Update: Participatory Budgeting Initiative Kicks Off this Fall

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a new paradigm providing an avenue for community members to engage in a democratic process that gives residents direct access to their tax dollars and allows them to guide where that money will go.

In October 2019, Richmond City Council passed a resolution calling on the city’s administration to set aside money each year for the initiative. It outlined a process for participatory budgeting in the City, but due to COVID-19, the initiative was put on hold. In 2021, the initiative picked up steam again and Storefront for Community Design helped to begin bringing together community collaborators to convene, develop, and implement the process in Richmond. PB can be a complicated process to understand, so we encourage you to keep reading to learn more about PB, how it may be implemented in Richmond, and ways to get involved.

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The Participatory Budgeting Approach

This multi-year program will include a community-led effort to reimagine how the city invests in our communities. The final process that is workshopped and realized by community members will follow a similar four-step approach from successful PB precedents. Below is an example of the annual cycle of engagement referenced from the Participatory Budgeting Project.

1. Brainstorm Ideas: Community members in each Voter District come together in meetings to think about what types of projects they would like to see in their neighborhoods.

2. Create Project Proposals: Volunteers work with experts to turn people’s ideas into real project proposals. This includes capacity building by meeting with city departments to understand how much items cost and what can be completed in a one-year period.

3. Vote: After sharing the top projects in their Voter District, the community votes to validate every voice in the community.

4. Disperse Funding: The projects with the most votes in each Voter District receive funding to be implemented over the next fiscal year. 

The Participatory Process; source: participatorybudgeting.org

Each year, the process begins again, community members brainstorm new ideas, turn them into new projects, vote, and funding is dispersed in the following fiscal year. The goal is for PB to become a part of the City of Richmond’s budget process and a new way of equitable governing.

While much of the focus of PB is on the allocation of public dollars, the process will also expand the capacity of residents to be active participants in making community decisions. Residents will broaden their understanding on how project proposals are reviewed by City departments, evaluated by cost, and implemented in neighborhoods. Instead of decisions being made for residents, teenagers and adults will come together to imagine what their neighborhoods can become as they begin to close the gap between social and economic challenges and realize a more collective vision for democracy. 

In 2022, with funding from the Community Foundation of greater Richmond, Storefront kicked off the ideation of PB and began working with a consultant who will take this process to the next level. Starting in fall 2022, Matthew Slaats Consulting LLC will collaborate with the PB Steering Commission and community collaborators to create the roadmap for PB and develop a guidebook for Richmond’s process. The goal is to have a guidebook completed by early 2023 and begin educational outreach throughout Richmond. Storefront for Community Design will remain a partner in the project as a fiscal sponsor to assist with funding, provided by the City of Richmond, of the project over the next year.

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Learn More About Participatory Budgeting

See below for additional resources to learn more about Participatory Budgeting and it’s impact around the country.

• VPM NPR: Initiative to Put City Spending in Residents’ Hand Moving Forward

• UVA Today Q&A: PB in Richmond

• Richmond Times-Dispatch: Reimagining the City Through PB

• Participatory Budgeting Project

• HUD Exchange: Participatory Budgeting

• People Power Hub

• Organizing Engagement Participatory Budgeting

• The World Bank: Participatory Budgeting

10 | A Vision for the Future

[10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series]

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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.”

— Camden Whitehead

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.”

— mOb studio faculty

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.”

— Jim Hill

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.

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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!

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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.

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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

09 | Community Driven Design Process

[10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series]

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image: Stakeholder and community engagement (credit: Citizen HKS)

A community driven design process aims to create a NetZero hub for the Highland Park Community through Re-Imagining Benefield.

The WHY

In early 2018, Ryan Rinn, then Executive Director of Storefront for Community Design and Nick Cooper, then Director of Citizen HKS, sat down to talk about how two organizations could come together and support a Richmond community in need. Ryan quickly guided the conversation to an under-served community on Richmond’s North Side that Storefront had been invested in for years but needed a substantial project and process to continue to empower the youth and serve as a catalyst for change and hope.  Re-Imagining Benefield was born.

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image: Stakeholder and community engagement (credit: Citizen HKS)

The WHAT

Through a robust community engagement process and a unique co-live/co-work programmatic model that will incubate local businesses on the first floor and provide mixed income; co-living housing above, the project will be the new community center for Highland Park and be a model for similar process transformations across the country.

“Through deep listening, Citizen HKS and Storefront for Community Design have perfectly captured the desires, goals and dreams of the community in Re-Imagining Benefield. Upon completion of the project, it will be a place community members can truly call their own”

— Megan Rollins, CEO at Boaz & Ruth

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image: Stakeholder and community engagement (credit: Citizen HKS)

The HOW

Re-Imagining Benefield is a project designed by the community of Highland Park FOR the community of Highland Park.

“Family, affordable, innovative, community and equitable” were key words that drove the design of the project because they were emphasized by community members of the Highland Park neighborhood through community workshops, town hall meets, interviews, surveys and an overall robust community engagement process that spanned 18 months and continues through the special use permit process today. Storefront for Community Design served as a catalyst for connections and making sure every community stakeholder was heard throughout the process, embodying a true inclusive design process.

Building program catered specifically to the community’s needs and a defining building set back request [preserving the intimate scale of Meadowbridge Road] were key design outcomes established by the community during the engagement process.

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image: Existing conditions at Six Points (top image); community vision for Six Points (bottom image - credit: Citizen HKS)

The IMPACT

The Fundamental driver for the planning of the first floor was built on adaptation and growth for the future. Both in terms of youth attaining business acumen but also in terms of spatial flexibility between what exists today and what we can only predict will happen tomorrow as what we define as successful retail will always evolve. The two floors of mixed-income housing above, along with the collaborative working environment housed on the first-floor are significant contributors promoting social equity within the project and for the community as a whole.

Using an existing collection of buildings as the bones of the first floor and the existing character of highland park to influence the addition, the ecosystem of the place has informed the design. Adaptive Re-use in nature is the most resourceful approach to architecture you can take so the project seeks to preserve the historic Spanish Art Deco structure while integrating a maker space, local businesses, and a collaborative workshop space on the first floor. This workshop is planned to serve as a hub for education by being open to the community.

It was important from the outset that we needed to be as environmentally responsible as we were being socially responsible, so a path to NetZero was established as a guiding principle for the work. This is planned to be one of the first NetZero projects in Richmond and will be a place for education around the steps it takes to create a more resilient and sustainable future for all.

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image: Key impact numbers

“Re-Imagining Benefield was a project that stood out for engaging the neighborhood in positive discourse on its future, helping to give voice to community concerns, and translating problems into concrete and lasting solutions. Clearly the design team brought a high level of passion and commitment to making a difference”

— Carl Elefante, FAIA, 2017 President of the AIA

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WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

We can only continue because of your generous support that makes it possible for Storefront to continue assisting with community driven design processes like Reimagining Benefield. 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.

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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

Reimagining the Bank of America Building: Community Visioning in Highland Park

Storefront for Community Design partnered with 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.

The existing Bank of America building on the left.

Prior to leading on-the-ground engagement efforts, Storefront and community partners developed three project goals:

1. Collaborative Engagement
With the help of two key community residents, identify and connect with varying audiences in Northside’s Highland Park community through in-person conversations and virtual open house presentations.


2. Meaningful Data collection
Utilizing a variety of methods, solicit feedback from community members on the potential use of the Bank of America building.


3. Effective reporting
Utilizing feedback, gather and synthesize responses into a final report that provides recommendations and next steps for a successful community-led project.

From late summer 2020 to winter 2021, Storefront and community partners approached the engagement and project delivery work in four phases.

Throughout the engagement process, Storefront and community partners followed a schedule that included four phases: Research and Background information, Branding Design and Community Survey, Community Engagement, and Final Recommendations.

During the research and background phase, the team reviewed the current conditions of the Bank of America building and also researched its past use. By visiting the building, taking photos and videos, and reviewing floor plans, the team was able to understand its current conditions and use this information to present to the community and also apply potential uses.

During the branding and community outreach phase, the team created fun and engaging posters to hang along the business corridor to gain interest from the community. Community voice leads and consultants canvassed the Highland Park business corridor and Brookland Park business corridor to discuss the bank building with local business owners. An online survey was also developed for all residents of the Northside, and beyond, to provide their ideas for the future of the bank building.

Photos of the interior and exterior conditions of the existing Bank of America building.

Posters and flyers developed to spark the interest of the community including links to the online community survey.

Due to COVID-19, the project partners were unable to directly engage with individuals in large groups. Staff, volunteers, and community leaders opted for virtual engagement and held an open house on December 15, 2020. The project partners presented their research from Phase 1 and Phase 2 and provided case studies to spark the imagination of attendees.

The project partners also attended the Highland Park Quality of Life meeting to present their findings and ideas to community members in attendance. Both presentations provided attendees the forum to voice their ideas, concerns, and questions regarding the use of the bank building.

Virtual open house presentation to community members.

In the final phase, Storefront and community partners developed a report that included final recommendations for the MWCLT Citizens’ Advisory Panel and MWCLT Board to consider as they determine future use of the building. After a thorough review of the survey results, conversations, and virtual chats, the following top five uses are initial recommendations for the Bank of America building.

1. Grocery / Farmer’s Market
Potential business models may include affordable products, commercial kitchen space, food hall, and / or pharmacy.


2. Restaurant
Business models may include black-owned or community-based small businesses with the inclusion of healthy food options.


3. Coffee Shop / Café / Bakery
Business models may include black-owned or community-based small businesses in a creative space.


4. Community Center
Business models may include performing arts, business incubators for the arts, social gathering space, entertainment, and / or co-working space.


5. Doctor’s Office / Preventative Health
Business models may include vaccination center, in-home health services to community members, health education, and / or sidewalk labs.

MWCLT staff are preparing a draft RFP that includes these community priorities. They will be gathering comments on the report published by Storefront for Community Design and presenting it at a public Citizens Advisory Panel meeting on May 8, 2021. To share your comments, impressions, and questions, check out the Richmond Land Bank website to review the report and discover next steps. In addition, if you are interested to participate in future engagement opportunities as the building development progresses, submit your contact information in the form on the RLB Bank of America webpage.

Download the Full Report: Reimagining the Bank of America Building: Community Engagement Report

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!

image: Timeline of Storefront Milestones

2009: The Beginning

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.

Soon after, he connected with others who were convinced that a city-wide design center was desperately needed. With a vote of confidence from the City Council, Storefront was founded on February 14, 2011 in the East End of Richmond on 25th Street. Additional founding Partners included community members, members of the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods, 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.

Storefront set out to make design accessible to all “for the love of our city” by providing pro bono design and planning assistance to support local businesses, residences, organizations, and neighborhoods. Think of Storefront as the architecture, design, and planning equivalent of legal aid for a free clinic. Our services would soon connect Richmonders to one another in a variety of ways, with the end goal of seeing an improved quality of life for all residents of the City of Richmond.

2011-2014

In 2011, Storefront’s programming included Community Workshops, Community Improvement Days, and Design Session. To this day, our Community Workshops and Design Sessions have been the lynchpin throughout our programming. Community workshops have facilitated public input and engagement offerings for neighborhood, civic, merchant, and friends’ associations throughout the city; Design Session has provided a pro bono design assistance program that offers one-on-one advise, sketches, and plans of action from volunteer design and planning professionals; and Community Improvement Days have created a way of gathering volunteers to add fresh coats of paint, plant trees and flowers, and pick-up trash in our neighborhoods. Since 2011, Storefront has completed over 300 Design Sessions, over 25 community engagement processes and workshops, and 10 design education series with an estimated value of services well over $300,000

In 2012, Storefront partnered with mOb studiO (short for “Middle of Broad”), an interdisciplinary, service-learning design lab consisting of three VCUarts design departments: fashion, graphic, and interior design. The studio provides the opportunity for up to 30 students to participate during the semester. After joining forces, we moved our office to the Art & Cultural District at 205 E. Broad Street creating a collaborative workspace with mOb studiO. Since our conjunction, we continue to administer our community design and civic advocacy programs from this space and open our doors every First Friday to showcase design, process, and community engagement work as part of the Arts & Cultural District’s Art Walk where more than 8,000 people have visited our storefront.

image: mOb studiO; Final poster project to educate community members on the benefits of a food forest

2014-2017

In July 2014, we were named “Best of Richmond” in the categories of Urban Planning and Community Development by Richmond Magazine. At that time, we also embarked in a three-year partnership with Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) and mOb studiO to co-create and destigmatize mental illness through our Recovery by Design program. After a successful first year, we received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to continue engaging in “making” with over 90 participants recovering from addiction, intellectual disabilities, and mental illness. Through pre- and post-interviews, we learned that participants showed improvements in sociability and expressed general excitement in skill building.

While our clients are Richmonders, we are part of a larger national movement of community design. In 2015, we hosted the Association for Community Design’s national conference, drawing more than 175 attendees from 18 major cities where we had the opportunity to talk with our national neighbors as well as our next door neighbors in the heart of Richmond’s Art & Cultural District.

In our early years, we began focusing on community organizing in Northside’s Highland Park neighborhood where we built on six years of engagement efforts as part of the Highland Park Quality of Life development and implementation plan. A major request of the quality of life planning process was to strengthen the neighborhood youth. With this in mind, Storefront led the idea of the Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC), a teen serving, non-profit collaborative in Highland Park.

In 2016, Storefront received funding through the Robins Foundation Community Innovation Grant to open 6PIC in partnership with four non-profits including Art 180, Groundwork RVA, Saving Our Youth Virginia, and Untold RVA. After additional fundraising, design, and build-out of the space, 6PIC opened in June 2017 providing a resource and engagement outlet that serves an average of 20 youth per day while providing a space for Storefront’s presence in the Northside. Since opening, 6PIC continues to be an evolving partnership between Storefront, Groundwork RVA, Saving Our Youth Virginia, ART 180, Boaz & Ruth, Community 50/50, Untold RVA, the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW), RVA Rapid Transit, Virginia LISC, Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC), the Highland park Quality of Life Team, and Richmond Public High School students.

image: Youth Innovation programming at Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC)

Since 2000, the Golden Hammer Awards have honored excellence in neighborhood revitalization projects throughout greater Richmond. In 2017, the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods (ACORN) disbanded and Storefront (with the support from Better Housing Coalition) and Historic Richmond partnered to administer and co-host the Golden Hammer Awards and gearing up for our fifth year of successfully highlighting excellence in our communities.

2018-2020

In 2018, 6PIC partners completed a strategic planning and evaluation process to define how the layered, integrated services of multiple non-profits can overlap and intentionally improve equity and health in the community. This launched the City Builders program with support from Richmond Memorial Health Foundation and Capital One. The vision of City Builders realizes 6PIC’s mission of growing urban youth leaders and advances civic power for Northside residents through place-making projects and neighborhood-based skill building in program areas offered by 6PIC partners.

In 2019, Storefront and mOb studiO hosted a nationwide architecture and youth competition funded by the NEA Artworks to consider how to re-present the history and figures monumentalized on Monument Avenue. The competition, called Monument Avenue: General Demotion/General Devotion, asked participants to reconsider Monument Avenue through its role as a historic urban boulevard, its viability as a 5.4-mile interurban connector, its presence in Richmond given the city’s emergence as a diverse and progressive city, its significance in the history of the United States, and the debate about Confederate statues in public spaces. The exhibition of competition finalists opened on February 14, 2019 at the Valentine Museum.

image: Monument Avenue: General Demotion/General Devotion Exhibition at the Valentine Museum

In late fall 2019, Storefront’s Board of Directors and staff engaged in a workshop to help shape and guide the Strategic Planning process and the future of Storefront programming. Key partners and stakeholders throughout the community were involved to develop a plan that represented the transition from idea-rich conversations to a strategy that would strengthen the organization and hone our impact in the future. The Board for Directors and staff have used this document to begin program implementation and plan for future staffing and operations.

2021: Here’s to Ten More Years!

In early 2021, Storefront announced the selection of our new Executive Director and Center Director making this an ideal moment to reflect upon the progress we’ve made to assist in creating more equitable communities and establish a vision moving forward; an opportunity to discover how we can better align and advocate to the current needs of our communities and future development trends around the City of Richmond. Planning has begun on the following goals and we look forward to working with you to realize our vision in the coming years.

• Craft Storefront’s brand messaging to engage individuals unfamiliar with our purpose

• Build on the successes of our Design Session program by increasing opportunities for low-cost design assistance

• Develop an innovative community engagement methodology for Storefront programming and to share with community members

• Increase the Youth Innovation Studio through robust curriculum development and innovative design programming

• Develop new resources and toolkits to share with neighbors around the city

Let’s get to work!
Press Release

Golden Hammer Awards 2018

Historic Richmond + Storefront for Community Design will co-host the Golden Hammer
Awards for the second year on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at the historic Monumental Church. Call for submissions will close September 15.

Historic Richmond Executive Director Cyane Crump said, “As Richmond-area nonprofits with interests in historic preservation and neighborhood revitalization, we are delighted to co-present the awards to recognize professionals working in neighborhood revitalization, blight reduction and historic preservation in the Richmond region.” Projects completed after January 1, 2017 located in the greater Richmond area (City of Richmond, Counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico) will be considered for the categories of: Best Restoration, Best Adaptive Reuse, Best New Construction, Best Placemaking and a new category Best Residential focusing on single-family projects.

“With over 45 submissions last year, we are excited to see which projects in the area will be nominated,” said Ryan Rinn, Executive Director of Storefront for Community Design. “Teamwork and partnerships have always been critical to preservation and placemaking in Richmond and we look forward to another year of high quality submissions.”

We are open for submissions and the portal will close September 15, 2018 at midnight. Applications for the 2018 Golden Hammer Awards can be submitted through Historic Richmond's website.

6PIC turns 1!

6PIC's one year anniversary is June 6th! Come say Happy Birthday!
Join us on Wednesday, June 6th 5:30-8:00 for food, dancing, door prizes and 6PIC updates!

Can't meet us? There are still ways to support 6PIC and youth empowerment in Highland Park. Storefront for Community Design is celebrating 6PIC’s 1-year birthday by working to secure many more years of youth empowerment and community ownership in Highland Park.  
 
Join our 100x100 Challenge this June to raise funds for 6PIC’s operating costs (think: power, water, Internet + the amazing people that keep it running seamlessly every day).

It’s easy: be one of 100 people to give $100* to Storefront, so we can keep the 6PIC goodness flowing for years to come.
 
www.6picrva.org/donate/


*Any amount is much appreciated—we just like round numbers.  

6PIC Spring!

The Six Points Innovation Center's Spring programming has begun. Programming this semester includes Empowerment Hour, Green Team with GroundworkRVA, Lyrics and Beats, ArtStories, Multimedia Street Art, Blackademic in Residence, Design classes, Jobs for Life classes, and Higher Education Preparation and Assistance classes. There will also be various workshops and topics classes for teens in Highland Park who want to engage in arts, environment, advocacy, education & history. Six Points is also proud to launch the program, City Builders, which empowers youth to activism and understanding racism in city policy.

Learn more about 6PIC here and check out the spring calendar here.

Golden Hammer Awards !

Are you interested in learning more about the nominations for the Golden Hammer Awards this year? Now that the application is closed, we are taking inventory of the amazing range of projects that were nominated for the Golden Hammer Awards. Stay tuned this month as we reveal more about the event. 

If you didn't get the chance to nominate a project, please make it out to the two big events on November 2nd.

The Awards Ceremony will be held on November 2nd, 2017 at Monumental Church from 6pm to 8pm. Tickets to the event are $20 and can be purchased via email from our partners at Historic Richmond: info@historicrichmond.com/

Luckily, the night doesn't end there! From 8:15-10, Storefront will be hosting a Golden Hammer Awards After Party bonanza at the Valentine Museum. A $100 ticket's proceeds go straight to Storefront for Community Design and will buy your entry to an evening at the Valentine Museum and Wickham Garden, a dj, an open bar, and a specialty cocktail designed for the event: The Golden Hammered. 

If you would like to support Storefront programming and the Golden Hammer Awards, please purchase a ticket via our Donate page and choose the $100 Golden Hammer After Party Ticket option. You can also buy a ticket over the phone (804.322.9556) or via email (hello@storefrontrichmond.org)

See you on November 2nd!

Golden Hammer Awards 2017

 

Let's take a look at the projects that have made a positive and revitalizing impact on Richmond this past year

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Firstly, what are the Golden Hammer Awards?

The Golden Hammer Awards were started in 2000 with a goal of honoring excellence in neighborhood revitalization projects throughout the Greater-Richmond Area. Storefront for Community Design and Historic Richmond are partnering together to host the awards with support from the Better Housing Coalition. Read more here.

Do you know a project that is deserving of the Golden Hammer Award?

Nominate a project or apply through our application page. Projects must have been complete after January 1, 2016. Four awards will be given out and applicants will be considered for the categories: Best Restoration, Best Adaptive Reuse Project, Best New Construction, and Best Placemaking Project. 

We are enthused to present this year's awards alongside the folks at Historic Richmond. The ceremony will be held on November 2nd, 2017 at Monumental Church. Join us for our panel discussion titled The History, Development and Revitalization of Northside Streetcar Suburbs. Following the lecture, we will present the 2017 Golden Hammer Awards. This year's award has been designed and produced by students from the mOb Studio.

If you have further questions about the application process, the event, project eligibility, or sponsorship, email goldenhammer@storefrontrichmond.org.