RVA Magazine’s Best Stories of 2019

by | Jan 1, 2020 | RICHMOND NEWS

This is not only the end of a year but a decade, and here at RVA Mag, we feel it would be eminently appropriate to kick off 2020 by looking back at all your favorite reads of the past year. From the important political stories of the year to the big cultural events around town and the biggest music and art news of 2019, it’s all here, adding up to the story of what it was like to live in Virginia in 2019.

So before we turn the page on a new decade, take a look back at the most popular stories on our site over the past year, and catch up on any you may have missed the first time around. Here’s to you, Richmond — let’s start this new decade off on a high note!

  1. Give Me Something To Break: Rage RVA Helps You Safely Unleash Your Anger
  2. It’s Official: The Great Richmond Bus Reroute Reduced Transportation Access For Low-Income Residents
  3. The Mysterious Disappearance Of Baugh Auto Body
  4. Virginia’s New Fake Liquor: How Nasty Is It?
  5. A Ghost Bike Memorial’s Removal, And What It Means For The Community
  6. Skill-based Slot Machines Put Vegas at the Corner Bar
  7. Richmond Restaurant Romance: Ideal First-Date Spots For Any Budget
  8. Balls Of Rice: Onigiri RVA Brings Japanese Grab-N-Go Cuisine To Carytown
  9. Opinion: The Real Reasons Why Richmond Is A Great Underground Music City
  10. Racism Doesn’t Stop at the Boards: Lessons from EVMS’ Yearbook
  11. Rock Is Dead, Let It Die
  12. Indie Film Last Call Finds the ‘Twilight Zone’ In the Richmond Bar Scene
  13. Illiterate Light’s Unique Journey To Musical Bliss
  14. Goodbye Strange Matter: The End Of An Era
  15. The Woman Putting The Hope Back In Hopewell
  16. Back-Of-The-House Babes: Richmond Women Dominate Their Work In a Male-Dominated Restaurant Industry
  17. Read This Before You See Roger Stone and Kristin Davis At Paper Moon This Weekend
  18. Your Personal Guide to Richmond’s Thrift Shop Scene
  19. The Locker Room Isn’t Just A Bar, It’s Family
  20. Fighting For Food Justice In A Gentrified Richmond
  21. The Faces Of Richmond Hip Hop
  22. Sheetz vs. Wawa: An Epic Battle Of Convenience Store Titans
  23. Fighting Joe Is Back On The Ballot
  24. Artist’s Map of Richmond’s Streetcar System Reminds Us What Might Have Been
  25. GWAR Announces Unveiling of Dave Brockie Memorial Monument in Hollywood Cemetery

RVA Staff

RVA Staff

Since 2005, the dedicated team at RVA Magazine, known as RVA Staff, has been delivering the cultural news that matters in Richmond, VA. This talented group of professionals is committed to keeping you informed about the events and happenings in the city.




more in community

Old Grace Street is Richmond History. Let’s Recognize It.

Editor's note: We were sent this petition after publishing: VCU Demolition Blitz: More Richmond Erased HERE. As reported by The Richmonder last week, “The Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plan, which sailed through City Council with a unanimous vote Sept. 28, is intended...

It’s Still Our City Ep. 25 | Yavé Rust

RVA Mag and NODDERLY presents It’s Still Our City, a podcast hosted by Harrison Christy and with Clair Morgan as co-host and producer through NODDERLY. "Yavé Rust is a Richmond, VA-based music producer and audio engineer specializing in metal and punk. Originating...

Studio Two Three Is Beefing With Bots. Among Other Things

Studio Two Three has been around long enough to forget how likely it was to fail. Sixteen years ago, a small group of friends wanted to keep making art in Richmond. They pooled money from working in local restaurants to pay rent, borrowed equipment and built an...

Richmond Got a Little Filthier. John Waters Was Here.

Monday night I got taken to a church of filth. The Pope of Trash, the Prince of Puke, the Sultan of Sleaze, John Waters, graced the Byrd Theatre for a sold-out one-man show. The actor, writer and director became famous for cult classics like Pink Flamingos, Hairspray...

It’s Still Our City Ep. 24 | Ed Harrington

RVA Mag and NODDERLY presents It’s Still Our City, a podcast hosted by Harrison Christy and with Clair Morgan as co-host and producer through NODDERLY. "Ed Harrington moved to Richmond in 1993 to study art at VCU. At VCU, he was a Communication Arts major with a...

Richmonders Don’t Know How Many ICE Flights Are Happening

Protestors gathered on Saturday morning outside the Richmond International Airport to oppose and call attention to the airport's role in ICE detainee transfers and deportation flights. Immigration enforcement flights out of Richmond have increased sharply...

A First Look at the New Brown’s Island

Brown's Island has been closed since November 2025 for a $30 million improvement project, the largest renovation of the six-acre island in decades. It will temporarily reopen for the Richmond Folk Festival, October 9 - 11th, giving Richmonders their first chance to...

Richmond Loves Dolly Parton

I was gonna kill my husband in a cab in Peru, but “Islands in the Stream” came on the radio, and we stopped arguing and started singing. She could do that to you. You could totally be feeling some type of way, but if you put some Dolly Parton on, well, then you got a...