Hey there! 👋
The Richmond Experience started as our founders’ own ~research and development~ project on Instagram for finding the best places to know and love in the River City. And it turned out, their growing number of followers were looking for that kind of resource, too. With an engaged audience and readership, RVAx quickly became what is today: a hyper-local lifestyle media outlet, focusing on everything there is to eat, drink, see, and do in Richmond, Virginia.
You know how every group has that one friend in the know — the go-to for all the inside scoop on what’s hot, where to be, and how to snag the sweetest deals? Consider us that new best bud to you.
Let’s be friends!
Meet the team
Paige Poprocky
owner + chief marketing officer
Originally from Pennsylvania, Paige moved to Richmond more than a decade ago to pursue a career in teaching. After educating for many years in Louisa County, she moved on to following her passions for wine and content creation, building a digital place of her own on her blog, Sips & Trips with Paige. There, Paige brings her many readers along with her on wine adventures, travel escapades, and date-night experiences, particularly in Richmond and its surrounding areas. Wave if you see her sipping wine, exercising, or exploring RVA with her wife and follow her for even more content @sipsandtripswithpaige.
Say hello here: paige@therichmondexperience.com
And for the ~Paige~ Richmond experience:
EAT Lost Letter
DRINK Jardin
SEE Maymont
DO North Bank Trail + Buttermilk Trail
Kelsey Heintz
owner + editor-in-chief
After earning her degree in English from JMU, Kelsey lived in the Northern Virginia and San Diego areas, applying her wordy prowess to blogs, instructional guides, friends’ Instagram captions, and just about every line in between. She moved to Richmond in 2018, settling(ish) first in Scott's Addition, then in Church Hill, before finding a suburban spot that gives her and her family just a bit more room to grow. You can usually find her reading yet another thriller or rewatching whatever Friends episode she rewatched least recently. Look for her on Instagram @kelseyheintzistyping.
Say hello here: kelsey@therichmondexperience.com
And for the ~Kelsey~ Richmond experience:
EAT Jack Brown's
DRINK Riverbend Roastery
SEE Hollywood Cemetery
DO T. Pott Bridge
Samantha + Sean Kanipe
founders + former owners
When Samantha and Sean landed in Richmond, they found themselves lost in the vast sea of Yelp and Google, drowning in options that didn't quite hit the mark. They craved a curated guide that spoke to their local passions and offered insider insights — and finally decided to create it themselves with The Richmond Experience. Starting as an Instagram handle, the locals' account for folks to find what to eat, drink, see, and do quickly blossomed into a full-blown media hub with a thriving membership, and the Kanipes hired their first full-time employee to help continue that growth. Paige and Kelsey came on board full-time shortly thereafter, and following years of dedicated work for the small biz, Samantha and Sean, having moved back to Samantha's home state of New Jersey, decided to entrust full operations to the duo and sell the company to them.
How it works
There are FOUR ways to get involved with The Richmond Experience:
👯♂️ Join as a Member
Get exclusive access to our weekly newsletters, curated calendar of local events, library of city guides, our member forum, and more
📱 Follow us on Instagram
Get free daily content about the best of the Richmond social scene, plus giveaways with awesome prizes
🎧 Listen to The Chatter
Get free end-of-week tips straight to your earbuds for what to eat, drink, see, and do in RVA right damn now
📈 Become a Biz Partner
Get your business in front of our audience so they can see how awesome you really are
