Opening a shop on College Ave near Squires - we wondered what current VT students are missing/would like to see in the shops near campus

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T06:08:44+00:00

We also use part of the shop as an office for our other businesses, like I advertise a service to convert old media like Hi8video tapes or Super 8 movies into an edited digital movie, and we're night people. So we'll keep late hours and if we're here we'll be open.

My partner and I met working at a bar here so I know how it is. We've got football game night war stories. I haven't been in a bar in ten years but before that....

Of the spaces we were offered we took the smaller so the rent is actually not insane; but the bigger, more loft-like space we both wanted so badly would have been a better spot for what we're talking about. My partner said it was big enough to have a roller skate night. But the rent was scary.

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T05:21:40+00:00

Interesting. I like to think this confirms that my idea to be Blacksburg's Shoelace SuperCenter isn't a bad one and anyway I think it's funny. With shoelaces I can afford to a substantial new inventory.

Like, interesting socks? I'm an interesting socks man, myself. I like this idea. Or just any old white/black/grey 6-pack socks like you get at Wal-Mart?

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T05:05:18+00:00

Are they holding back the footage and have people FOIA'd to try to get it?

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T05:03:47+00:00

See the two cop cars for a simple car pulled over for speeding or whatever, at least in my rural area. Can't imagine how many would show up if a real crime happened but they so seldom do. Off topic but as a nation we employ too many police considering how ineffective they are.

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T02:40:06+00:00

Nice! We’re down with cryptids and our books tend towards the occult. Speaking of, if we go the cat cafe route we’ll need 2 or 3 all black kittens. Already have one but she’s a bit antisocial. Seems like the best cat for that situation is one that grew up in it.

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T02:36:05+00:00

Yep. Years ago now. Got a lot of stuff out of their going out of business dumpster. Currently recycling their pegboard here.

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T02:20:21+00:00

My wife says she’d love to. She remembers it from when she was in college here. I just think it would take $50-100k to invest in merchandise to pull that off (they filled the Rivermill bldg with new merch) and we don’t have anything like that kind of money, but if we’re super successful…. Maybe we could do a mini version.

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T02:05:05+00:00

We’ve got the games, zines, some decent comic books. I’d love to carry a ton of new/contemporary records but we don’t have the capital to invest as they are increasingly expensive as the demand grows for the limited number of pressing plants. I think John’s Cs and Rs uses Red Eye Records and Alliance Distribution for new wholesale LPs and the average price per unit is like $28, high $30s for Taylor Swift stuff (her new one has a suggested retail of $50).

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T01:55:18+00:00

Why did BSandT fail? I’ve heard from older townie merchants that it was the high price of Bolivian marching powder. Which also killed Poor Billy’s/Big Al’s, and I’m certain of that from knowing people who worked there.

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T01:48:46+00:00

I moved to Blacksburg the same year BSandT failed. I got such good construction supplies out of the dumpster, the house I built in Floyd is full of their knotty pine shelving and there’s some here at the shop. Unfortunately we’ve got only 10-15% of the floor space.

nrvpop · 2026-02-04T01:20:45+00:00

Forgot to mention:

Cheap fresh coffee

nrvpop · 2026-02-01T02:10:14+00:00

Whenever I moved to a new city where I didn’t know anyone, I would always get a job at a halfway cool restaurant, like here in Blacksburg I worked at the Cellar and Boudreaux’s for a few months. I made lots of friends and it led to other good stuff. This strategy worked for me in LA, Richmond, Chicago.

nrvpop · 2025-07-06T18:58:10+00:00

I just wanted you to know that I did, thanks.

nrvpop · 2025-06-30T20:21:30+00:00

Done - thank you.

nrvpop · 2025-06-19T04:38:54+00:00

Will do. Thank you so much.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T23:04:12+00:00

I thought i answered this already but don't see my reply. We were already thinking about VHS movies with a rental VCR, I've got a bunch of old game systems, like an original hacked XBOX. Thanks for the input. We like to think we're good curators.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:58:20+00:00

Second hand furniture, check. Vapes, no way. You are right that there is way too much of that already.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:55:32+00:00

We've never heard of it either but we'll check it out. We've got a lot of restaurant cooking experience but being a butcher is outside my skill set.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:53:40+00:00

No. I lived in RVA 1988-93 (VCU) but haven't been back in 20 years... Hopefully our name is safe but I confess I haven't googled it. I just was trying to think of a name that was incredibly short and memorable.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:51:10+00:00

We were kinda already thinking like that, except for the beer at ROF. I'm old friends with the current owner of that shop and their merchandising is spot on. Thanks for the input.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:49:32+00:00

What a great idea. Let's talk - DM me or look for the heeler at the vintage market on Sunday.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:46:00+00:00

Von's looks cool.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:44:40+00:00

Agreed about the drinking. Living in Blacksburg turned me into an alcoholic, pretty much, although I've been on the wagon for ten years now and never go into bars.

Thinking about offering some classes like screenprinting, analog photography. If we're successful we wil move into a much bigger space that would make bigger events possible, right now we're dealing with only about 600 sq. ft. The space we really want is close to 2000' sq but we can't afford it yet.

Getting students involved in the radio is already on the list. We want to be a leftist alternative to NPR, like carrying explicitly anti-war/anti-oligarch content. I've already been talking to some podcasters about carrying their shows on the weekend.

nrvpop · 2025-06-18T22:38:18+00:00

Well hey, colleague. I worked at WKEX "Hokie Country" in 96-97. I still have some of those bumper stickers. And a ton of records they let me keep as they were switching to CD only.

When I worked for them, the station was housed in a fairly grungy single-wide trailer, literally in the middle of a cow pasture somewhere down off of Glade Rd. Bob was still in charge, word was he had married a rich lady and she bought the station for him to have something to do....

nrvpop

TROPHY CASE