“Richmond Buzz” is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and other news from the Richmond. Check out our Richmond webpage for more.
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This week’s buzz brings updates from across the Richmond, including a few storefronts beyond the more densely foot-trafficked corridors.
At the quieter intersection of Balboa Street and 20th Avenue, for example, Bicycle store Uniqa at 1826 Balboa Street is set to host a “paint and sip” night on June 6 in collaboration with Nido, a social club which organizes these kinds of events. Tickets are $55, and include wine, food, paint supplies and a guide: local artist Eliza Azatian.
Niko Ihnatsenka, who opened Uniqa around two years ago, said he also plans to bring back movie nights to the store, which he used to host regularly. For those, the store’s Persian rugs are cleared of bikes and supplies, and a projector screen is set up against the window.
“Sometimes the movies are biking related, other times it’s like, Kill Bill,” he said.
Ihnatsenka also plans to host a pop-up with different vendors sometime in June. Follow the store on Instagram for more details.
This summer, at Westside Art House at 540 Balboa St. near 7th Avenue, theater artist and teacher Becca Wolff will host regularly scheduled classes and open hours for collaboration and brainstorming.
Interested thespians can head to the space on June 4, the first day of Wolff’s residency, for an open house.
For Wolff, this pop-up is an opportunity for local artists to meet, collaborate and work through ideas together, even when they’re not working on productions — and to “develop a culture that exists in so many other cities.”
Information about classes can be found on Wolff’s website. Drop-in hours will be Monday through Friday, 12pm-3pm, and will be free to attend.
“My dream would be that enough people show up that it’s kind of a support group,” Wolff said. “I just want to open the door.”
There’s a brand new tattoo parlor at 3401 Anza St and 25th Avenue — but its owner is not new to the scene. Rob Quinn, who has worked in shops around town and in Sacramento since 1999, opened San Francisco Tattoo Co. this month after about a year’s worth of light renovation.
Quinn, who grew up in San Francisco, is happy with the corner space, he said, because its “lighthouse-style Victorian” windows resemble “the old Ed Hardy style” of tattoo parlor.
Interested tattooees can enter raffles for free or discounted tattoos at the shop, and find more information on its website.
Big news out of Constance, the long-under-development storefront at 3512 Balboa St. near 36th Avenue: Mission Local has confirmed that the family-owned tea shop will specialize in fresh-milled matcha.
Yes, another matcha spot. But bear in mind that this might make Constance something of a destination: matcha made from tea leaves milled on-site is typically only found in Japan, Constance’s owner Bill Tiet told us. They’ve imported commercial stone mills from Japan, Tiet said, and are excited to bring “matcha like never before” to the neighborhood.
Constance will have a soft opening on Sunday, May 31, and will share a parklet with Rampant Wine next door.
Maybe you prefer green wine to green tea: A few blocks up, Daniel Lovett at bottle shop Slake at 3239 Balboa street near 34th Avenue has started a wine club. Members can select from two tiers, pick up two or three hand-selected bottles each month and enjoy discounts in-store.
Slake also hosts weekly free tastings on Friday evenings. Find more information on its website.
