Ed 376: King Princess Tix, Aquarium Installation, Wine & Cocktail Bar
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Rabbit, rabbit!
Starting our week with a states-wide search for beloved local Lowe’s cat, Francine, is making us feel like we need all the luck we can get right now. In case you haven’t seen the most recent updates, a couple of good Samaritans have taken it upon themselves to lead a task force (@wheresfrancine) to search for one of our favorite felines, but as of writing this intro, she’s still MIA. At least one thing’s for sure, though: Richmonders all over are doing what they do best and rallying around a good cause. Here’s hoping by Friday, we can do another thing we do best and toast over a craft beer about Franny’s safe return.
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including acorn collections, a 5K/10K on an airstrip, coffee stats, and more.
PODCAST
WEATHER
Wednesday: Partly cloudy; high of 73°, low of 50°
Thursday: Mostly sunny; high of 70°, low of 50°
Friday: Partly cloudy; high of 72°, low of 49°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 12 - 11 pm: RICHMOND OYSTER WEEK KICKOFF
Thursday, 9 - 11:45 pm: THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL: MIDNIGHT RELEASE PARTY
Friday, 5 - 8 pm: VIRGINIA CAPITAL TRAIL 10TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS KICKOFF
CITY GUIDES
1. WHERE TO GET YOUR SCARE ON THIS HALLOWEEN
2. 9 WAYS TO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN IN RICHMOND (WITHOUT THE JUMP SCARE)
Image Source: @poemuseum
RICHMONDER TO KNOW
Tib: All this Francine news has us feeling the urge to send extra love to our other favorite city kitties. As you know, Edgar and Pluto were the dynamic duo who roamed the grounds at the Poe Museum until Pluto’s passing in 2023. Earlier this year, another furry friend moved into the gardens to cozy up with Edgar, and they’re both more deserving this week than ever of some extra head pats, we’d say.
THE LATEST:
Image Source: Auntie Ning’s
Image Source: Lost Letter
Image Source: Kole Tang Aquatics
Image Source: Blanchard’s Coffee
SOCIAL NEWS
As we mentioned up top, Francine, the beloved cat who’s lived at the W Broad St Lowe’s for the last eight years and is well known in Richmond, has gone missing after last being seen in the store on September 18. She’s microchipped, and the @wheresfrancine Insta account has been leading a community search for her, sharing a spreadsheet of contacts. Folks close to the sitch say security footage from earlier in the month shows a cat boarding a freight truck in the store’s receiving area that was headed to a Lowe’s distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina, and a manager there confirmed a cat was seen on an incoming trailer the weekend of September 20 but didn’t know the weight of the circumstances. Task Force Francine and the Richmond SPCA traveled to Garysburg to scope things out (with Francine’s blanket in tow!) but couldn’t access the property. (VPM)
You might be a fin of this update: Kole Tang Aquatics, an aquarium installation and service co, is getting ready to open its first retail location in Dumbarton. The 1,600-square-foot spot will see a full reno to transform it into a modern fish store modeled after Florida’s high-standard aquarium shops, with plans to sell aquariums, equipment, coral, and both fresh and saltwater fish and continue offering installation, maintenance, and emergency services. With more than 75 regular clients, Kole Tang’s three-person team also provides mobile service across Virginia, as well as parts of North Carolina and Maryland. Owner Kole Elkin says the biz is expected to open around Christmas or early next year. (Richmond BizSense)
More delish sips for us: The Brooklyn, a new addition in Scott’s Addition — thought up by the owners of Lillian and Lost Letter — is a coming-soon wine and cocktail bar designed as both a cozy dinner spot and a lively place to grab drinks late into the night. The bar features a dark, moody atmosphere with carefully curated music, 17 bar seats, additional seating for groups, and intimate two-tops perfect for date night, too. Its menu is centered around a hearth and small pizza oven, with more deets still under wraps. The space showcases custom woodwork, thoughtful lighting, and design by local talent, while construction transformed the corner into a welcoming, stylish setting. Like the owners’ other ventures, the team is focused on perfecting every detail to ensure guests feel comfortable, satisfied, and eager to return. (Instagram)
If you have any extra nuts lying around, the Virginia Department of Forestry is asking residents to collect and donate acorns, chestnuts, black walnuts, and others of the like to support its research, reforestation, and tree-nursery efforts. The program runs through October 15, and the collected specimens will be germinated and grown for eventual planting, including use in home plantings and reforestation projects, helping to expand forest cover and genetic diversity while engaging the public in conservation work. (Style Weekly)
On Richmond’s LGBTQ+ scene: With Richmond’s local Pride happenings wrapping up at the end of September, Richmond mag put out a piece about the LGBTQ+ community in our area. James Millner, who moved to Richmond in 2009, noticed a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in civic life and joined Virginia Pride in 2014, eventually becoming president and helping oversee its merger with Diversity Richmond. Under his leadership and that of the volunteer Pride Committee, Virginia Pride has expanded into an annual Pridefest, a “Summer of Pride” series, and other programs. Pridefest now draws 30,000 to 40,000 attendees. This year, the entertainment lineup, curated by drag performer and committee member Alvion Davenport, featured headliners Saucy Santana and Kevin Aviance alongside local talent under the theme “Live Out Loud.” With about 150 vendors and a Youth Pride Pavilion focused on LGBTQ+ youth, the festival aims to be both celebratory and supportive. Generally, organizers emphasize that Pride must remain rooted in activism and resilience, with visibility, joy, and community strength serving as acts of resistance against attempts at erasure. (Richmond magazine)
Stay grounded: As of August 2025, Virginians are paying a median of $3.48 for a regular cup of coffee — an increase of 7.1% from the prior year — based on data from restaurant POS systems. This rise is driven by overall inflation and import tariffs that have pushed up input costs. While the data excludes chains like Starbucks that use proprietary systems, the trend suggests broader upward pressure on coffee prices statewide. Better make it count — have you gotten a locally made PSL, yet? (Axios)
Image Source: Roger Gupta via The National
Weekly Giveaway
King Princess at The National
🎶You didn’t wanna live in a city where the people are shitty🎶 — and you don’t, ow! Neither is our music scene, and The National knows that as well as any venue in town, TBH.
This week, we’re teaming up with The National to give away two pair of tickets to King Princess! Happening Tuesday, October 28, at 8 pm.
To enter, tell us: King Princess was the first artist to sign onto whose record label?
Last week: Congratulations to last edition’s winner, Emely T., for winning the EFM Waxing giveaway!
Image Source: Haunts of Richmond
Member Perks
Haunts of Richmond
When you want a side of history with your goosebumps this spooky season, schedule something with Haunts of Richmond. The co offers a range of ghost tours and spooky walks of the city and the surrounding area, like the Church Hill Chillers Tour or Shadows of Shockoe Tour.
As a member of The Richmond Experience, you get 10% off tours and events booked online! Use code RVAxMember in the Discount Code box when you book.
New + Trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We’d like to welcome 8 new members this week: Ellie Q., Michael W., Seungwon B., Marielle P., Stephen F., Mady B., James K., and Nicole S., we’re so glad you’re here!
It takes a village, so let us know if you have any questions, thoughts, feedback, tips, or recs! Thanks for reading edition 376 of The Weekly Insider.
XXOO!
- The Richmond Experience
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