Richmond Magazine has dedicated some serious coverage to Manchester in their December issue. Stephanie Ganz wrote Remembering What Was and rightly gives a nod to the past:

“For the first half of the 20th century, Manchester bustled with shoppers enjoying department stores, restaurants and movie theaters in a thriving commercial corridor. But as residents moved to the suburbs, and retail stores relocated to malls in the 1960s and ’70s, the area gave way to abandoned buildings and vacant lots.”

The article also gives an overview of the commercial development happening along the Hull Street corridor. Ganz made special mention of the soon to open Butterbean, Hot Diggity Donuts, and the new Brewpub to be located in the former Thalhimer’s Department Store (aka The Baldwin Building).

Manchester Matters

Another feature article in the same issue entitled Manchester Matters by Elizabeth Ferris gives a run through of the history and several of the existing businesses and business owners in the area. Ferris makes special mention of Brewer’s Cafe, Dogtown Dance Theatre, Soul-Ice, Send-A-Chef, Camden’s, Bahashem Soap Company, Artspace, and Caravati’s. And how can you not love rooting for Dogtown, RVA’s underdog when you read quotes like this:

“Milton Vice, president of the Hull Street Merchants Association and one of the organizers of the annual Hull Street Festival, says he’s proud of the growth the corridor is seeing. “Several years ago, the area had surrendered,” says Vice, “but now this area is being rescued.”

If you live, work, or play in Manchester, what an incredible time it is to be a part of what is going on in our little city within a city.

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