Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine is proud to partner with Virginia PrideFest, happening this Saturday, September 12, and to produce the annual Pride Guide celebrating Richmond and Virginia’s LGBTQ+ community. You can download the 2026 Pride Guide HERE. We’d also like to...
Tucked into the alley behind 2512 West Main Street, a fever dream of the cosmos has taken shape across a brick wall. The mural is the collaborative work of four Latino artists working in and around Richmond: Visibly Hidden, Monolith, Mars, and Sol. A distant Earth floats above a mountain range and stars scatter across a deep purple sky. A Mayan...
There are certain people who become part of a neighborhood so slowly that nobody notices it happening until one day they realize the place would feel strange without them. If you’ve spent enough time around The Fan late at night, then you probably know Sunny Mart. It sits right around the corner on Cary Street past Carytown around the corner...
Editor's Note: This is a companion piece to our preview of Songs of Truth, the new musical inspired by the life of Sojourner Truth. This essay from Christian Detres takes a closer look at the woman behind the legend and the enduring relevance of her story. Sojourner Truth is an integral personality to the concept of “American spirit.” She is more...
Following is an updated excerpt from the book, Portraits of Immigrant Voices, in honor of Immigrant Heritage Month, which is celebrated during the month of June throughout the United States to honor the contributions and resilience of the newcomers who have shaped our nation. When Khushnood Nabizada looks back on August 2021, he...
Every time I go to the Aldi on Arthur Ashe at Broad St., En Su Boca tries to seduce me with its tequila and tacos perfume. It doesn’t work all the time, but I feel the pull when I’m browsing the nonsense in Aldi’s middle aisle. I once bought sweatpants there. I’m not ashamed. There was a time when the words “en su boca” meant something...
Inside Richmond's Moy Yat Kung Fu Academy, where women are learning Wing Chun, confidence, and practical self-defense rooted in centuries of martial arts tradition It took me a long time to write this article because I just kept diving deep into the story of Ng Mui, the kung fu nun. She was a baddie supreme. What I thought was going to be an...
Editor’s Note: We occasionally make space for outside voices whose perspectives help us see Richmond differently. This piece was submitted by Chilean journalist and multimedia storyteller Natalia Freire. Hidden gems. I like that expression. It’s the first thing that comes to mind when I look at these photos from Richmond, Virginia. For the past...
Richmond is ranked the number one city in America for supporting local businesses, according to a new national study from OnDeck. The report analyzed Instagram activity tied to hashtags like #shoplocal and #shopsmall across nearly 500 U.S. cities and found Richmond led the country with 68,263 posts per 100,000 residents. To be clear, this is more...
While running for Mayor in 2024, candidate Avula’s top priority in the “Thriving neighborhoods and affordable housing” section of his platform stated: As Mayor, he will: Fight displacement of long-term residents and expand the supply of deeply affordable housing for low-income and working residents. His third bullet point in that part of his...
