Axios Richmond

April 25, 2023
Happy Tuesday.
🧣 Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
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🏟️ Situational awareness: The city announced a finalized development agreement for the Diamond District last night.
- Among other changes, the stadium timeline has been pushed back to 2026 — one year beyond Major League Baseball’s deadline for upgrades.
- The Flying Squirrels have not yet commented on the plan.
Today's newsletter is 908 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: 🛒 Walmart dominates Richmond's grocery wars


Walmart is the most popular grocery chain in the Richmond area, with 23.3% of the market share as of last year, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Erin Davis report from sales-tracking firm Chain Store Guide.
- Kroger and Food Lion are the second-and third-most-popular grocers, with 18.1% and 14.2% of the local market share, respectively.
Of note: Walmart has been Richmonders' favorite since at least 2019, and nearly every grocery chain in the Richmond area lost some market share over last year's report, except Walmart and Lidl.
- Walmart saw a slight gain year over year, and German-based Lidl nearly doubled its share last year.
The big picture: While national grocery behemoths such as Walmart are typically among the most popular grocers — if not the most popular — in any given city, local and regional favorites can give the big box stores a run for their money.
By the numbers: The amount Americans spend on groceries is getting crushed by the amount we spend dining out in the post-pandemic era.
- "People spent 20.7% more at restaurants than they spent on groceries in 2022 — and that figure rose to 29.5% in the first two months of the year, according to Commerce Department data compiled by JLL," Axios' Nathan Bomey writes.
What's next: Amazon — which acquired Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.4 billion — is looking to dramatically expand the grocery wing of its commerce empire, Axios' Richard Collings and Kimberly Chin write.
- "We need a broader physical store footprint given that most of the grocery shopping still happens in physical venues," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently wrote in a letter to shareholders.
Share this story with your Lidl-obsessed friend
2. 🪪 New driver's licenses just dropped
Image: Courtesy of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
The DMV is rolling out a new design for Virginia driver's licenses and ID cards.
What’s happening: Officials say the new credentials are harder to counterfeit.
- But they also highlighted all the new Virginia imagery included in the card, which is designed around a view of the Capitol rotunda.
- The design also features Virginia’s official insect, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, and the American Dogwood, the state flower.
What they’re saying: "The attractive design elements are actually layers of state-of-the-art security features," DMV commissioner Gerald Lackey said in a statement.
Of note: The old ones will remain valid until their expiration date. No need to rush to a DMV.
💭 Karri’s thought bubble: It took me 20 minutes to find the butterfly, but I still can't find the dogwood.
What’s next: DMV spokeswoman Jessica Cowardin says the agency plans to roll out digital IDs later this year.
3. The Current: 🚫 Parking minimums abolished
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
🅿️ City Council voted unanimously to eliminate minimum parking requirements from the city’s zoning code, which planners say contribute to sprawl and high housing costs. (NBC12)
🤝 Gov. Youngkin met with the president of Taiwan, pledging to open a trade office in the country. (WRIC)
- China has responded to past visits by U.S. officials with live-fire military drills in close proximity to the island.
🐔 Chick-fil-A opens its new downtown location in the James Center today. (BizSense)
4. Restaurant news: 😋 Feast on these new options
Inside Slurp Ramen. Image: Courtesy of the restaurant
Last weekend was red hot for restaurants in town, with four new spots opening their doors.
🍜 True to its word, Slurp Ramen opened Saturday in Church Hill with little notice.
🥡 Hibachi House, serving Hibachi-style meat and veggies with noodles from the guys behind Yu Tu Mama and Hibachi Box, opened in Short Pump, in the Shops at Wellesley (the shopping center with Redemption BBQ and Thai Won On).
🥪 Stanley's sold out of bread Thursday and had to close Friday, but the Fan District sandwich shop is back in stock and to its regular Tuesday-Saturday dinner hours.
🍻 And of course, Nokoribi opened Saturday inside The Veil's new Scott's Addition brewery.
But wait, there's more…
🍷 Gramophone Winery, an urban winery that's been in the works for nearly two years in a former dry cleaner at 4827 Forest Hill Ave., is nearly ready to open, owners tell Axios.
- They’d been held up by the city’s parking requirements, which mandated at least 23 spaces. The owners tell Axios they only have 17.
- With the city council’s vote to strike down parking requirements last night, that’s presumably no longer an issue. So stay tuned.
🌮 Tio Pablo in Shockoe Bottom, which has been closed since last summer because of staffing, is open again for dinner Monday through Saturday and lunch and dinner Friday and Saturday.
🍕 Stella's Grocery is adding Billy Pie pizzas to its hot food menu at its Westover Hills location.
- Pro tip: You can order and consume wine and beer on-site at all Stella's markets.
Keep reading for more delicious news
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5. 😻 Fat cat finds forever home
New friends. Photo: Courtesy Kay Ford
Patches, the 40-pound cat that took the world by storm last week, begins his weight loss journey today.
Catch up fast: Patches went viral after Richmond Animal Care and Control shared a picture on Facebook.
- He was adopted by Kay Ford, a retiree who lives in Mechanicsville, who pledged to help Patches work off the weight with a new diet and exercise regimen.
What’s happening: Ford, who has now been featured in the Washington Post and on "Good Morning America," says a vet will oversee Patches' diet with a goal of gentle, gradual weight loss.
- Their first appointment is this morning.
As for the exercise, Ford acknowledges she's got her work cut out for her.
- "It's going to be very difficult to get a cat on a focused exercise plan," she tells Axios.
🫘 Ned is thinking about getting into heirloom beans.
🥶 Karri is freezing to death and had to turn her heat on. She wants spring back.
- Are you cold, too? Tell your friends to subscribe to our free daily newsletter so we can huddle together for warmth.
Thanks to Fadel Allassan for editing and Carlin Becker for copy editing this newsletter.
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