A plant shop voted the best in Charlotte, North Carolina, two years in a row has picked up roots and replanted in Richmond.

Driving the news: Shades of Moss, a boutique plant and indie record store, is having its grand opening tomorrow at 2128 W. Cary St.

• The opening is a homecoming for owner and Richmond native Barry Greene who, after stints in Brooklyn and Charlotte, boomeranged back to Richmond a second time last year.

Why it matters: Richmond's thriving Black-owned small business community — and the city's reputation for being supportive of these businesses — is what inspired him to make the move.

In Charlotte, it was difficult for him to find a retail space, even when one was listed as available for rent, Greene tells Axios.

• He'd reach out and be told the price per square footage was suddenly higher, or that a space was no longer available, only to see it remain vacant.
• It was an experience echoed by other Charlotte business owners of color, Axios' Charlotte's Katie Peralta Soloff reported in 2021.

Meanwhile, Greene was watching friends open business after business here in his hometown. Places like Urban Hang Suite, Ruby Scoops, Charged Up and the Richmond Flower Truck.

• So Greene came back to Richmond with his wife and 18-month-old daughter.

What they're saying: "I've always felt like [the Black business community] has been a hidden gem of Richmond. I'm happy. I've come full circle," Greene said, adding that having his daughter walk into a store in his hometown is a bonus.

Zoom in: At Shades of Moss, locals will find plants, pots and potting soil, plus incense, candles, loose tea his wife grows and a growing list of smaller items from fellow local business owners, like Rushing Blooms' dried flowers.

• Green also offers in-home consulting services to help folks get started with plant care — or just keeping their existing plants alive.

On the vinyl front, shoppers can expect a curated selection of jazz, lo-fi, house and soul.

• "It's very niche. Our motto is: Every plant deserves a great playlist," he says.

And in Richmond, he's finally found a place that wants to hear it.

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Sheetz is trying very hard to make Unleaded 88 a thing.

The latest: The chain announced it will hold prices of the fuel at $2.99 through the end of the month.

Why it matters: That's significantly cheaper than the average Richmond-area price of regular fuel (Unleaded 87) which sat at $3.61 a gallon yesterday, per AAA.

• Which had us wondering: What exactly is Unleaded 88 and why is Sheetz the only major retailer trying to sell it?

The big picture: The only difference between Unleaded 88 and regular fuel is the ethanol content.

• 88 is 15% ethanol, whereas regular and most other grades are 10%.

And it's fine to use in most cars.

• The fuel comes with a standard line of advice that it can be used in vehicles manufactured after 2001 that accept regular fuel.

Of note: It's slightly less fuel efficient than regular, per the Columbus Dispatch.

Yes, but: Daniel Ciolkosz, a professor of agriculture and biological engineering at Penn State, told the newspaper that any difference in fuel efficiency is likely negligible given we're only talking about a 5% difference in ethanol content.

The bottom line: It's probably worth buying in cases where it's at least 5% cheaper than regular, per Ciolkosz.

🚔 The Richmond Police Department's plans for a new surveillance hub include a 109-foot LED display, which is approximately the width of two semi-trailers. (VPM)

📈 Average home sale prices in Virginia have increased 36% since 2018, and the average sale price in the state is now $389,000. (Virginia Mercury)

🚲 RVA BikeShare, which relaunched this week after a three-month hiatus, doesn't work. (VPM)

• The only available app to borrow a bike doesn't allow borrowing. The help email goes to a nonworking address, and the listed 800-number doesn't include Richmond's program.

🚚 A food truck park is taking over the former Innsbrook After Hours space and will open in mid-September, hosting around 20 food trucks for lunch and dinner daily. (BizSense)

Movie tickets for "Barbie," "Oppenheimer" and the rest of the season's lineup will drop to $4 — a fraction of their regular price — at theaters nationwide for the second annual National Cinema Day on Sunday.

What's happening: The Cinema Foundation announced the holiday's return this week after the success of last year's inaugural event, which drew an estimated 8.1 million moviegoers nationwide, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes.

The big picture: More than 3,000 movie theaters with 30,000-plus screens across the country will participate, including Regal, AMC and Movieland in Richmond.

A former basketball court at Hotchkiss Park in Northside is now home to the city's first outdoor roller rink.

What's happening: Richmond artist Taron Sparks, aka Silly Genius, created the space as a mural-based public art project intended to recognize "the historical & cultural importance of roller skating in Black & queer communities," he wrote in a statement.

• The mural was funded through a mini-grant from Reclaiming The Monument via its Mellon Foundation grant and created in partnership with the city's parks department.

Why it matters: Roller skating has been experiencing a revival since the pandemic, but few public spaces have opened to meet the increasing demand.

Zoom in: The rink opened last week, but on Saturday there's a celebratory pop-up event — Backspin — from 7-10:30pm, featuring music by The Disco Cat and DJ Mike Kemetic, plus food by Nomad Deli.

• Skate rentals will be available Saturday for $5, but all other times it's BYOSkates.

The park and rink are open daily, dawn until dusk.

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