First Fridays: Dress For Success Central Virginia - Look Book Launch Party

All my RVA folks- while you're out and about during First Fridays this week make sure you stop by Blue Bones (Vintage Store) and check out the Dress for Success Central Virginia - Look Book Launch Party! I know I'll definitely be dropping in to check out the festivities; the event serves to promote awareness of the Dress for Success Central Virginia organization and all of its many services, advertise for future events such as the 'Shop for Success' sale (July 18th & 19th)  in addition to celebrating the work of the artist who contributed to the Look Book. Drinks and refreshments will be provided- so come out and shop for some dope vintage threads, network with some great people, and support a wonderful organization!

Blue Bones 

322 W Broad St

Richmond VA

A Few Local Restaurants on my Radar

Here in RVA we love to eat; between the numerous food festivals that we have throughout the year and all the local restaurants this city is truly a Foodie's dream! I'm all about being a tourist in my own city, there's so much history and culture to explore here in Richmond and why not start with some good eats. This Summer come along with me as I explore some local hot spots! With there being so many restaurants to choose from its going to be hard to figure out where to start, but a couple that I have on my radar are The Savory Grain, Casa Del Barco, The Daily Kitchen and Bar, and Millie's Diner. Stay tuned to BarclayINC as I recap my experiences at these local hot spots. From comfort food to Sunday brunch, Richmond really does offer a wide variety of eateries for locals. For all my RVA folks what are your favorite local eats?

The Savory Grain

2043 West Broad St

Richmond, VA 23220

Casa Del Barco

320 S 12th Street

Richmond, VA 23219

The Daily Kitchen and Bar

2934 West Cary Street

Richmond, VA 23221

Millie's Diner

2603 East Main St. 

Richmond, VA 23223

Beauty Wanderlust Brunch

All my RVA make- up artist, make- up lovers, fashion junkies, and those who just want a chance to network with some amazing ladies and enjoy a great brunch- make sure to mark your calendars for June 14th! Renata Lynette of Renata Lynette Makeup and Canvas the Salon will be hosting the Beauty Wanderlust Brunch at Water Coastal Kitchen! The Beauty Wanderlust Brunch is going to be super dope event, that will feature a great panel of women sharing tips about summer trends, fashion, make-up, wellness, travel, and more, and what a better location than Water Coastal Kitchen on Cary St. Yall already know that's my spot! They have an amazing brunch to add to the many reasons that you need to be in attendance. Renata Lynette is based out of DC, and has hosted several events like this in the past in the DC area, and decided to extend the Beauty Wanderlust movement to RVA, being that she has strong roots here. Ladies register now while space is still available, registration is $50 (includes brunch & mimosas), be sure to use the discount code: BARCLAY to receive an additional $10 bucks off!

Register at 

www.beautywanderlustrva.eventbrite.com

Registration: $50 / Includes Brunch and Mimosas

Save an additional $10 using Discount Code: BARCLAY

Check out BeautyWanderlust on Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-Wanderlust-Brunch/101091653558851

Local Eats: Water Coastal Kitchen

For those of you who live in the RVA area or travel through the area often, and are looking for a great seafood restaurant make sure to check out Water Coastal Kitchen formerly the Water Grill. This is one of my fav spots in the city (you've probably read prev. post about me eating at this spot), Water Coastal Kitchen is perfectly located in the heart of Carytown. I've been plenty of times and I'm never disappointed with the quality of food; the seafood is always fresh, the presentation is on point, and the ambiance is lovely. I'm a creature of habit, so I typically order the same thing every time I go which is the simply grilled salmon, with sticky rice, and fingerling potatoes. The prices wont break the bank either, I would say the average price of an entree is $20 bucks or so. If you're looking for a cute spot for a date night or ladies night definitely check out Water Coastal Kitchen. By the way they have an amazing drink menu, I love their Mojitos!

Water Coastal Kitchen

Simply Grilled Salmon x Sticky Rice x Fingerling Potatoes

Dress for Success: Red Carpet Runway Recap

I had the pleasure of attending the Dress for Success: Red Carpet Runway fashion show last Friday, it's an annual fashion presented by the organization to help raise money and bring awareness to the cause. This was my second year attending the show and instead of attending as a blogger, I was actually one of the judges on the panel this year along with Clovia Lawrence from 105.7 Kiss FM, Tara Hawkins from Style Weekly, Troy Michel with The CW Network, and Angela Patton from Camp Diva. It was such an honor to meet these ladies and be on the judges panel with them. Every time I attend a Dress for Success event I end up networking with lots of influential women from right here in Richmond, its always nice to meet people who are passionate about what they do! The Dress for Success team including Jonathan Copeland, Shantell Malachi, Melissa Ross and so many other amazing people put on an excellent show every year; and for such a great cause! If you're not already familiar with the Dress for Success mission, it's to assist disadvantaged women by providing them with professional attire, career development, and a network of support to help them have a smooth transition back into the work place! This organization has helped so many disadvantaged women right here in the Richmond area, and you can help too by donating your gently used suits, dresses, and shoes along with volunteering your time. Visit dfscentralvirginia.org for more information on how you can assist this wondering organization. Being that I was a judge on the panel, I didn't have my camera in tow as I usually do, but I still managed to snap a few pics!

Myself along with the other lovely judges!

Chrisette Michelle Interview

So, a few weeks ago I blogged that I would be attending the Pose 'N Post Symposium presented by Chrisette Michele & Rich Hipster. Of course I was looking forward to the event, but due to heavy rains the venue flooded and the event was cancelled; all my Richmond folks know how certain parts of this city flood with heavy rains. Well, a few days ago Chrisette's PR folks reached out to me letting me know that Chrisette would be given all the Richmond bloggers who couldn't attend, the opportunity to do a phone interview with her! Yall know I hopped on that opportunity right away, I selected the first time slot available to conduct my interview with Miss Chrisette. My mouth dropped when that phone rang, and I heard her voice on the other line. I was already a fan of her's prior to doing my interview, but I must say I'm even more of a fan now! I'm still in awe that this woman took time out of her day to call me and allow me to pick her brain. I got the opportunity to ask about upcoming dates for the Pose 'N Post Symposium, her new album, and the Rich Hipster label/ brand. For those of you that don't know I've recently become a Blogger Contributor for Natura Magazine, you can check out my full interview at www.naturamagazineusa.com/chrisette-michele-interview-recap.

RVA Fashion Week

Richmonder's its that time of year again, RVAFW starts tomorrow! This will be my third year attending and I'm so looking forward to this years festivities, lots of exciting things will be happening throughout the week. This is the perfect opportunity to network with other fashion lovers, bloggers, vloggers, photographers, designers, and small business owners from the Richmond area. There will be a few networking socials at various locations throughout the week, fashion shows, and jewelry showcases. Please don't miss this opportunity to support some of our local designers, I recommend anyone who loves fashion, art, or just being around creative individuals to attend at least one RVAFW event. I've met so many amazing people throughout the years by attending these types of events, and we all know how important networking is when you're trying to build your brand. On top of that its always exciting to see new designers, and fresh faces bringing something new to the scene! If you spot me out and about during RVAFW don't hesitate to come up and say hello, I love meeting my readers and other creative souls from my city!

For more info visit:

rvafashionweek.com

Pose N Post Symposium presented by Chrisette Michele

All my RVA bloggers, vloggers, and small business owners please mark your calenders for this Friday's Pose N Post Symposium presented by Chrisette Michele and Rich Hipster. You definitely don't want to miss this event, come out and learn how to build your social media presence organically with Chrisette Michele and a couple of your favorite vloggers and bloggers from the YouTube and Instagram world. During her 8 city tour Chrisette Michele will be discussing topics such as natural hair in the workplace and how to achieve success through social media. There will also be an intimate performance by Miss Chrisette of course, which I'm so looking forward to! I had the privilege of attending one of her concerts here last summer at The Hipp; to say the least her voice is absolutely amazing, she's a great live performer, and when she started scatting I about lost my mind! I'm so excited that the tour is making a stop in Richmond and that I'll be covering the event for BarclayINC, I cant wait to re cap this event for those of you that cant attend! For those interested in attending, its definitely a great way to network with like minded individuals right here in the Richmond area. As I always say the art scene here is really flourishing and if we want it to continue to thrive we have to support events like this along with supporting each other. I hope to see lots of familiar faces at the Pose N Post Symposium, for more details visit richhipster.myshopify.com/collections/pose-n-post-symposium.

Pose N Post Symposium

Friday April 10th 2015 from 6-9:00 pm

Vanquish 1005 E Main Street

Grand Opening: Soul.Eil

RVA First Friday's April installment is right around the corner, and thank goodness the weather here in RVA will be in 70's, so it should be a beautiful night! With such a brutal Winter I haven't been to any First Friday's festivities in months, so I'm really looking forward to getting back on the scene this week! With that being said the Grand Opening of Soul.Eil will be taking place this Friday from 6-10 pm during RVA First Friday's, come out and network with other fashion lovers in the city. The boutique is located on Broad St. right in the heart of the Arts District, so you cant miss it. In the meantime you can check out their website to get a glimpse of the type of pieces they will be selling. There will be 2 DJ's all night, so it's going to be a pretty live event, of course I'll be there so if you spot me don't hesitate to come over and say hey!

Grand Opening:

Soul.Eil 

April 3rd from 6-10pm

  212 West Broad St. Richmond VA 23220

www.soul-eil.com

Dress for Success: Red Carpet Runway

One of the main reasons I love being a blogger is that it has put me in the presence of so many wonderful people! I cant stress this enough but blogging is definitely a great way to network with folks, you just never know who you're going to meet! With that being said I'm super excited to be covering the Dress for Success: Red Carpet Runway showcase this year. This is the 3rd annual event, I had the pleasure of attending and covering the event last year, it was a great experience. I got to meet some powerful ladies from the Richmond area, including one of the owners of Rumor's Boutique which is a great vintage store in the city. I love the Dress for Success mission which is to assist disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, along with a supportive network and career development tools to make the transition back into the work place a lot smoother. If you live in or near the RVA area please come out and support this mission, the event will be held at The Canal Club, Friday April 17th at 6:30pm. Tickets are $20 and 100% of the proceeds benefit Dress for Success Central Virginia!

For more info or to purchase tickets visit

www.501auctions.com/dfscvafashionshow

Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant

My girls and I were in desperate need of a ladies night, so I decided to put one together this past Saturday. I decided on Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant which is new to the Richmond area, I've heard nothing but great things about them in the 2 months that they've been open so why not give it a shot! We had a great time to say the least, we were there for at least 3 hours, we literally left as they were beginning to close up, which we really didn't notice because we were all engaged in some great convo. I swear I love surrounding myself with positive women, true go-getters, and people that inspire me! Anyway, I loved the overall feel of the space, upon entering the restaurant I noticed a nice large bar where you could do wine tasting (I'll be back soon to do an official wine tasting), they also had a little area for carry out dessert, in addition to huge I mean huge bottles of wine and wine glasses available for purchase. I'm talking the "Olivia Pope" wine glass! So, after scaling over the menu for what seemed like an eternity (I mean it makes it hard to choose one wine when there's such a large variety to choose from) I decided to go with the Flights. The Flights included 4 different wines, I believe the waitress said there was about 1.5 ounces in each glass, I'm so happy I decided to go with this because it gave me the opportunity to taste several different wines. Out of the 4, I must say my favorite was the Blanc de Blanc which was a sparkling white wine, the house wine Cooper's Hawk White wasn't bad either. The food menu was just as vast as the wine menu, there was a nice selection of appetizers and entrees to choose from, I decided to go with the tilipia sandwich which was delicious, and filling I left with a to-go box and ended up eating the rest of it for brunch the next day. I'm definitely looking forward to my next visit to Cooper's Hawk, so glad this chain decided to come to RVA! If you're a wine lover give this place a try for sure, thank me later!

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant

Local Eats: Conch Republic

So, this past Sunday I was in the mood for some good food but something different then my usual salmon or pasta dishes that I seem to gravitate towards anytime I eat out. With Richmond having a ton of restaurants its never an easy choice, but after researching a few places and checking out a couple of menus I decided on Conch Republic. I noticed that their menu had a nice variety of seafood inspired dishes and a wide variety of foods, and once I saw the Shrimp Po' Boy I was basically sold. I swear I've been craving a Shrimp Po' Boy since my visit a few summers ago to New Orleans. Conch Republic did not disappoint the ambiance was super laid back and its decor will definitely put you in the mindset of Key West. The floor to ceiling windows which appear to fully open on warmer days give you the perfect view of the James River. Richmond has such a lovely water front, I love visiting little places in RVA that really make use of how beautiful and scenic this city is! Back to Conch Republic the prices were great I think my sandwich was around 13/ 14 bucks, it was super fresh, my shrimp were fried to perfection and the service was good! I'll definitely be seeing more of this place especially once the weather warms up a bit.

Shrimp Po' Boy

RVA

The cold and gloomy weather wasn't keeping me away from some good food!

RVA Fashion Week!

RVAFW is literally right around the corner, all festivities kick off next week and I am super excited to be on board this year as one of RVA Fashion Week's badged bloggers! Whether you're an artist, designer, blogger or just simply a lover of fashion, please come out next week and support the fashion movement in RVA by attending some of RVAFW's many events. Attending any of RVAFW events will put you in the presence of some amazing individuals, I'm a huge fan of networking and I cant tell you the number of great people and contacts I've made by attending RVA Fashion Week events. See you there!

Return of The Curls: Curls Around The World Tour

Well my fellow naturals I am happy to announce that I am a part of this years Return of The Curls Bloggers crew! If you remember a few posts back I spoke at the Return of The Curls Holiday Trunk Show, I had such an amazing time that I decided to team up with them again and get on board with this years Curls Around The World Tour! The tour will be hitting some great city's this year including Los Angeles, Greensboro, Louisville, and of course Richmond. I will be working alongside with some wonderful Natural Hair and Fashion Bloggers, I'm so excited about whats to come in the upcoming months! I'll be updating the blog frequently with information on the Curls Around The World Tour upcoming shows, some great natural hair info, and what you ladies can expect when you attend a show or any Return of The Curls event!