Richmond Va Business Blog
The Best Business in Richmond Virginia
Puritan Cleaners: Pressed for Success
0531 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
In the late 1970’s Puritan Cleaners President Gary Glover gave up a career in professional volleyball to help run the Arlington based family business when his mother became ill. In 1980, Glover expanded the company and moved to Richmond. Today, Puritan’s 13 locations are all in the Richmond area.
Free home delivery is just one of the many reasons Puritan Cleaners has been named Richmond’s best dry cleaner for the last 17 years. Puritan Priority Club service will pick up and drop off your dry cleaning order at your home or place of business. There is no waiting in line and your account is automatically charged. The service is offered at the regular in store price. Puritan provides a home delivery bag for your convenience.
Not content just to offer good service, Puritan Cleaners gets involved in the community. Glover says, “Just trying to help your neighbor, that’s what it’s all about.” And that’s exactly what Puritan Cleaners does.
Every November since 1988 Puritan has collected “Coats for Kids” which provides the coats to needy families in the greater Richmond area. They collect the coats, clean them and then provide them to the Salvation Army for distribution. Since the program began, Puritan Cleaners has given out more than 300,000 coats.
But for Puritan, it’s not just about providing clothing to the needy. In April the company partners with the Central Virginia Food Bank to provide 100,000 meals for kids. Donations are collected at the area locations as well as through home delivery.
Puritan’s “Thank You Patriot” allows you to write a letter to an active duty military person. Puritan will forward the letter. Keeping with the patriotic theme, Puritan will clean your American flag for free.
On their website, they tell the story of Captain Tom Tokartz, a service veteran who belongs to the WWII Round Table of Central Virginia. Norman Way, Director of Operations at Puritan Cleaners, said “Captain Tokartz had us clean the flag, and then presented it to the WWII Round Table at their forum on the evening of October 14th, where it was used as a backdrop for their speaker that night. He was gracious enough to invite us to come to the forum, and I have to say that we were honored to be there.” The website states that “the program that evening featured a first-hand account of B-29 bombing missions over Germany in 1945 from 2nd Lt. Phil True, who was a navigator on one of the planes.”
Working with the Richmond YMCA, Puritan sponsors “Cinderella Dreams.” This program provides prom dresses for high school girls. Before the girls come in to “shop” for their dress, Puritan Cleaners will inspect and clean the gowns.
The economic downturn has affected Puritan Cleaners just like it has businesses across the country. But rather than cut back on community involvement and services, Puritan has simply offered more. A special program offers the free cleaning of business suits and clothing so that unemployed customers will be better prepared for interviews.
Puritan Cleaners is a vital part of the Richmond business community. But they’re also a neighbor and community partner.or area high school girls
Bliley Funeral Homes: Providing Comfort and Services to the Grieving for over 135 Years
0555 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
The funeral business remains the service that everyone needs, and yet no one wants. That is why it takes a particular quality of person to run such a business. Since 1874, the Joseph W. Bliley family has been doing just that for the Richmond Community.
Joseph W. Bliley, Sr., along with his two brothers, John and Frank, founded Bliley Funeral Homes in 1874 on the corner of Third and Marshall Streets. Some 135 years later, the company is still family owned and operated.
Today, Bliley’s has three locations in the Richmond area: Augusta Avenue, Hull Street and Staple’s Mill. These locations offer tasteful gathering rooms and common areas, as well as an array of audiovisual options for those who would like to add sound, music or video tributes to a service.
It seems that no matter how one has planned or prepared for the death of a relative or close friend, there are always questions when the time comes. The Bliley family is available to help answer those questions, as well as to ask the ones a family member may not think of in a time of grief.
Bliley’s helps to answer those questions with their to-do list that covers everything from planning the service, to alerting the insurance company to filling out all the necessary paperwork.
And because the folks at Blileys know that death never comes at a convenient time, they are the only funeral home in the metro Richmond area to have a licensed funeral director on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, they can help coordinate transportation should the loved one pass away out of state, or should the services an interment be out of state.
In addition to providing necessary services in a time of grief, Bliley’s stays active in the community through sponsoring and participating in the Italian Street Festival, the Richmond YWCA’s “Remember My Name” memorial service, the Richmond Nativity Pageant, and the Interment of the Angels.
One thing that kept the Bliley name in the forefront for many years was the election of Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. to the House of Representatives in 1980. Tom Bliley had served as President of the company as well as Mayor of Richmond when he was elected to Congress. In 1995, when the Republican Party gained majority control of the Congress, Bliley was elected Chairman of the House Commerce Committee. He held that position for six years until he retired from Congress in 2001.
If you don’t want to leave your arrangements for someone else to plan, Bliley’s offers pre-planning as well as pre-payment options. They recommend that you review your plans every few years to make sure that your wishes remain the same.
It takes a unique type of individual to be involved in the funeral planning business. For the Bliley’s that’s the type of family they are. Continuing in a tradition begun not long after the Civil War, the family takes pride in the business and remains committed to offering comfort and ease of transitions for those saying farewell to a loved one.
Sally Bell’s offers a few of Richmond’s favorite things
0556 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
It’s not a brown paper package. But it is tied up with string and it is one of Richmond’s very favorite things. And now, thanks to a new venture, you can enjoy it on weekends.
In 1924, following their meeting at a Women’s Exchange, Sarah (“Sallie”) Cabell Jones of Ashland and Elizabeth Lee Milton of Gloucester opened what was then called “Sarah Lee Kitchen.” They set out to provide quality catering goods, made from scratch. Five years in, Mrs. Milton sold her interest in the company to Mrs. Jones.
While it may be true that “Nobody doesn’t like Sarah Lee,” the larger corporation didn’t care for the local bakery’s use of the name. So the name was changed to the now Richmond famous “Sally Bell’s Kitchen.”
The box lunch tradition began in the 1950s. And in that nearly sixty years, the box lunch menu, and recipes haven’t changed. Since the tradition began, customers have been opening up that little black and white cardboard box to see their favorite Sally Belle Kitchen lunch item inside. Was it the deviled egg? Was it the upside down cupcake? Or was it just good food packaged well?
Sally Bell’s has been at their 701 Grace Street location since their beginnings. But, sadly for their fans, they are only open on weekdays. That means if you weren’t downtown during the week, chances were that you’d never get to experience the joy of a Sally Bell boxed lunch.
But this spring the caterer opened a new location at The Landing at Fountain Lake in Byrd Park. Now, on a weekend you can grab your lunch and enjoy a picnic by the lake. As an added bonus, Sally Bell’s now manages the paddle boat rental on the lake.
So far, it’s been a successful venture for the caterer.
Manager Scott Jones recently told Richmond.com “We’re getting a lot of West End ladies who are coming out here for a Sally Bell’s box lunch. And then last week, we had a huge group of kids who were out here for Friday Pictures in the Park who were buying ice cream and sodas.”
What’s so amazing about a Sally Bell lunch? For many it’s tradition. It’s comfort food. It’s the food you know. But the deviled eggs, sometimes made by the hundreds and the sweet potato salad can make your meal worthwhile.
Not to be missed are the upside down cupcakes. Sure you can go to one of the new, trendy cupcake bakeries. But the cupcakes at Sally Bell’s are made to eat, not to display. They’re iced upside down so that you get a taste of icing in every bite.
While the original owners were ladies of tradition and while the company has held those traditions throughout, branching out to Byrd Park signifies the recognition that it might just be time to grow a bit. And grow, they are. Sally Bell’s Facebook page now has over a thousand fans.
So this weekend, take a break from the usual and enjoy a Richmond tradition, now coming to you in their new location at Byrd Park.
Schwarzschild is a Richmond Girl’s Best Friend
0558 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
In the early 1890s a young man named William Harry (W.H.) Schwarzschild was working as a clothing salesman, but like many he sought a better opportunity for himself. He saw among his clients the need for quality timepieces, particularly for those men who worked to keep the trains running on time. So in his non-work hours Schwarzschild sold timepieces to men at the Richmond rail stations. By the mid- 1890s his business was thriving. He quit his job as a clothing salesman and concentrated on building The Old Dominion Watch Company.
Schwarzschild’s business and success grew and in 1902 he changed the name of his company to Schwarzschild Brothers Watchmakers and Jewelers and moved to a new location at the corner of Broad and Second Streets. Schwarzschild now has locations in Short Pump Town Center, Cary Town and Midlothian.
Richmond residents who value fine jewelry have long recognized the Schwarzschild name. Schwarzschild Jewelers has provided Central Virginia with exquisite diamonds and jewelry for 113 years.
Schwarzschild is among the many Richmond businesses that Richmond has come to know and trust. Richmond values tradition, and Schwarzschild has been there to help carry that tradition out in fine style.
For over a hundred years, Richmond brides embraced the tradition of the Schwarzschild Bridal Registry. A young lady knew she was really a Richmond bride if she were registered with Schwarzschild. After a three year absence, the company announced the return of the Bridal Registry in December 2009. The savvy, modern-day Richmond shopper can reach the couple’s registry via the Schwarzschild website.
Just as no Richmond bride could be complete without a Schwarzschild registry, the best dressed Richmond trees bear the traditional Schwarzschild ornament. For 2009, the jeweler offered their exclusive ornament highlighting the charming row houses that line the streets of The Fan. This addition joined ornaments that featured The Jefferson Hotel; Maymont House; St John’s Church, The Dogwood & Cardinal; The State Capitol; The Byrd Theatre; The Ukrops Christmas Parade Silver Anniversary limited edition; Robert E. Lee statue and JEB Stuart statue.
Schwarzschild recently announced that for the Perfect Match Diamond Event at Schwarzschild Jewelers Friday, July 30th and Saturday, July 31st at Schwarzschild Alverser Plaza, they have “has assembled a collection of hundreds of fine diamonds of all shapes and sizes; engagement rings and wedding bands; and a special assortment of natural fancy colored diamonds, the rarest of the rare – in naturally rich, luminous hues that range from blue and pink to champagne and bright canary yellow.”
The story of W. H. Schwarzschild is one of many Richmond success stories. It’s the story of a young man, born just a few years after a long drawn out Civil War destroyed much of the city. As the city moved into the 20th century, Schwarzschild saw an opportunity and seized it. His entrepreneurship stands as a testament to the American spirit. And his name is a Richmond household word. Today, Schwarzschild remains one of the few independently owned, and family-run luxury jewelry companies in the country.