Miles Quillen has been a consistent, positive voice in the Richmond DIY community. Quality designer, respected blogger, and all around excited dude, Miles uses his talents to promote all the good people and things in the city. It was time to ask him a few questions and let people know what this guy is about.
Miles Quillen has been a consistent, positive voice in the Richmond DIY community. Quality designer, respected blogger, and all around excited dude, Miles uses his talents to promote all the good people and things in the city. It was time to ask him a few questions and let people know what this guy is about.
Where did theBlaaahg.com come from?
It came from myself and Mo (Mauricio Vargas). Mo moved to NYC and I stayed in Richmond. It was our way of staying connected to each other and all the randomness that’s going on in the world.
Girls, guys, skateboarding, art… does that pretty much sum it up?
I think it’s evolved a lot since we first started in 2008. What used to be girls, music, skateboarding, events, and girls has now changed more into art, events, music, interviews, skateboarding, etc. You could say it’s matured, but only a little. Kind of like us.
I saw that the site recently got added to the Vice Blog Network. Does that change anything for you guys or do you just keep doing what you do?
Just keep doing what we do. Mo definitely picks up where I slack sometimes.
How did that come about?
They came to us, we listened.
How much do you rep Richmond on there?
As much as we can. We give credit where credit is due. There’s also a lot of Richmond in New York now, which is like killing two birds with one stone.
Any other Richmond/VA Beach sites people need to check out?
God, there are tons. Too many to list. The cool thing about the internet is finding stuff on your own. But people should definitely check out Howard Tarpey’s photography. He definitely shows a great representation of what’s going on in the 757. Also, The Least Most is one we keep our eye on. Steve Crandall is rad.
Heard your friend Gilbert Crockett turned pro. I’m guessing he’s the first person to do that from Richmond. Does that mean anything for the local skate scene?
Yeah, he went pro. Much deserved–he’s been putting in more work than half the skaters out there, in my opinion. All he does is skate. There was a dude back in the day named Ali Mills who was am for New Deal, but Gilbert is certainly the first guy to go pro. What does it mean for the local skate scene? Good question. Beyond more recognition, I’m hoping for the obvious just like every other kid out there – a public skatepark that’s located inside the city.
On to real-life stuff, how long have you been the creative director over at Ellwoods? What are you responsible for?
I’ve been the creative director since about 2009. My responsibilities are always changing, which makes it fun (sometimes). For the most part, I’m responsible for making sure Ellwood’s keeps the image that we want to have. This includes everything from print, advertising, store signage, web, and visually executing our mission. These days it’s actually a lot of social media work.
What attracted you to the job?
The fact that the store smells like patchouli. I love that smell. I remember when I first walked in the store around 2004 and just kind of fell in love with it instantly. It literally took me five separate applications and my mom talking to the store manager to get a job there. I started off bagging groceries part time and haven’t left yet.
Do you see more people supporting local initiatives?
Absolutely. I think it’s past the phase of being “trendy” now. Most people are realizing that it simply make sense and the city only grows from it. It’s a no brainer.
Where is the market going from here?
Right now, after this expansion, that’s about it for us. We physically can’t grow anymore, which I think is a good thing. I would never want this store to get too big and lose it’s soul. This expansion has just allowed us to finally fit everything we really want under one roof and we’re happy with it – it’s a good size for us. The only reason we were able to grow is because we’ve had such great support. We’re just trying to offer healthy, clean, and local foods to Richmond.
Last one, top 5 best things about Richmond, VA?
The River and the city’s vicinity to the outdoors.
The cost of living.
The people.
The weather.
Ward Tefft.
