The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - GoFundMe Launched To Save Reid's Grocery; What Is The Future Of Reid's Grocery Now?

Episode Date: January 15, 2024

The I Love CVille Show headlines: GoFundMe Launched To Save Reid’s Grocery What Is The Future Of Reid’s Grocery Now? Selvedge Brewing Opening Soon On Ivy Road Homeless Campus/Housing Coming To Albemarle? Chef Laura Fonner’s Influence On Common House Assaults On The Rivanna Trail Are Concerning Is Virginia Men’s Hoops NCAA Tourney Caliber? UVA Basketball’s Impact On CVille Economy Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible and iLoveCVille.com.

Good Monday afternoon, guys. I'm Jerry Miller, and this is the I Love Seville Show. Thank you kindly for joining us live in downtown Charlottesville from our studio on Market Street in the Macklin Building. Today's program, the water cooler of Chitter Chatter in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Central Virginia, and beyond. Here are some of the headlines we are going to pontificate about. A GoFundMe was recently launched within the last 24 hours to save Reed's Grocery Store. Reed's Grocery Store is a favorite in this community. And its struggles to stay afloat have been well documented

over the last 90 to 120 days, certainly well documented on this talk show. Those struggles have gone now into a new calendar year, 2024, and there is a GoFundMe that has raised just shy of $1,400 with a $10,000 goal to save this grocery store. The purpose of this GoFundMe, and I'm going to read verbatim, is to help Reeds earn enough charitable donation to purchase a new bulk order to stock the shelves and get back to offering the community essential groceries at lower prices.

I want to talk about this GoFundMe. I want to talk about the 90 to 120 day struggle of this grocery store. I want to talk about the future of this parcel of land and this building as it pertains to the city and development. I want to talk salvage brewing, opening on Ivy Road shortly. As remodeling projects go, the target date of opening this Ivy Road Brewery, Selvage Brewery, going from the Wool Factory to Ivy Road across from Boar's Head in Hunter's new project, Bel Air Place, it's delayed. I want to give you an update on what to expect with Selvage Brewery

and to give you my take and Judah's take on what we think is on the horizon for this beer brand that makes fantastic, fantastic cerveza. Chef Laura Foner, we talked about last week, headed to Common House as the executive chef. Judah and I brainstormed what we could expect from Common House with Chef Laura Foner, a self-proclaimed gypsy chef, at the helm of the Common House kitchen. I want to further that conversation today on the program. Unfortunately, here's another headline we'll talk today. There have been a handful of assaults on the Rivanna Trail, assaults on women, and precarious positions on the trail.

And frankly speaking, there's many precarious positions on this popular gateway where if someone was running or hiking or walking alone, they would be exposed to potential trouble. not just from an X's and O's standpoint, but the influence the basketball team has on the Charlottesville economy during January, February, and March, when not many people are spending money. It's no secret the Virginia men's basketball team is struggling right now, and this team is on the cusp of potentially not making the NCAA men's basketball tournament. And when this team doesn't make the big dance, doesn't make March Madness, it's not just us as fans that suffer that conversation today

on the I Love Seville show. Let's weave Judah into the mix. You say that you would have been shocked if school would have been canceled today for the dusting we had this morning. I say, au contraire, mon cher. They canceled school last week for rain, for H2O. This was snow, actual snow, and some potential freezing rain with some trouble on roadways, especially those that are deep in counties that have

to drive a distance to get to La Escuela school, Judah. But do we think that outlying counties have gotten it a lot worse than we have here? Because I wasn't on the road at 8 or whenever buses are out and around early. But from what I saw when I came out to my car, I was... You got to work surprisingly early today. I left home early. Earlier than normal. I was very impressed.

There was absolutely no problem whatsoever on the roads. I don't know how much snow we're supposed to get this afternoon, but unless it's something serious, which I doubt, I can't see. I also am not sure what the weather stations were calling for today. But unless they thought that there were going to be some major some major snowfall i don't see why schools would uh would close for this sounds like a prop that waiting to happen we're going to set the stage for a prop bet here i understand the rain because that was disgusting i mean that was like a full day of heavy rain heavy nasty rainfall um I don't really know. I don't know that I can completely understand that,

but I couldn't understand it last week. We're going to set the stage for a prop on the show. Kathy Carpenter is right. Schools were closed today anyway for Martin Luther King Day. One of the questions we asked before the show started, did kids get gypped of a snow day because it fell on a calendar holiday for schools? And Judah said, there's no chance in heck they would have missed school today.

I said, perhaps they would. Maybe we set the stage for a prop bet for tomorrow. How about this prop bet? Another bottle of scotch or bourbon, a 750 milliliter, a threshold cap of $50 or under. Although that Johnny Walker black that you purchased age 12 years was pretty damn good. I think you would, you would say it's pretty good, right? I would definitely agree. One of the conditions of the prop bet is neither you nor I can drink the winner's bottle without the other person also enjoying the bottle. So really, if you lose, you win. How about this prop bet before we get to Reed's Grocery and a GoFundMe that's circulating

to save the grocery store? Does it leave a sour taste in your mouth that a GoFundMe is circulating to save a grocery store? I'm going to ask you that question. I'm going to ask you that question. Before I do, how about this prop bet? I will bet you,

prop bet, that Charlottesville schools or Albemarle schools, why don't we just do, for the sake of talk show, Albemarle County schools. Albemarle County public schools will be on a two-hour delay tomorrow for a bottle of brown juice, 750 milliliter, $50 threshold or under, although I think that Johnny Walker Black, aged 12 years, was 60. So maybe we cap it at 60 bucks.

Do you want to take that bet? I don't know if I want to take that bet. Why don't you want to take that bet? You just said there's not a chance in heck they're missing school. Tomorrow, a two-hour delay for Albemarle County Public Schools. Two-hour delay.

You say no two-hour delay. I say yes, two-hour delay for a Johnny Walker Black age 12 years. I'm not sure I want to jump into that. No bet? I'm not trying to peer pressure you into a bet. It's supposed to snow until at some point this evening, I think. That's what I'm saying. You have a lot going for you, but it's supposed to snow until at some point this evening, I think. That's what I'm saying. You have a lot going for you, but it's supposed to clear up as well.

Yeah. Do you want to take that bet or not? Do you have a chance to recoup the bet you lost picking Michael Payne as mayor? I went with Juan Diego Wade. Do you want to take the bet, yes or no? No, I'm not going to take it. You're not taking the bet? No.

Okay. Fine, no bet. I'm not trying to peer pressure Judah Wickh not taking the bet? No. Okay. Fine, no bet. I'm not trying to peer pressure Judah Wickower into a bet. I will say this. I bet a two-hour delay minimum for Albemarle County Public Schools tomorrow. I'll increase the window to entice you to make a bet. I'm not sure I will take this. The cancellation of Albemarle County Public Schools altogether tomorrow for snow.

Wow. Would you take that bet? Albemarle County Public Schools, the cancellation of an entire day of Tuesday school tomorrow due to snow. Would you take that bet? You're saying not a chance in H-E double hockey sticks. You would say no. I would say yes.

And I'm not saying we're committing to a bet. Would you take that? I might take a bet against them closing the entire day tomorrow. So you're saying you're willing to take that bet? What exactly are you looking up when you're researching this? How can you research the forecast for tomorrow? Do you have Doc Brown's DeLorean? Is Marty McFly adjusting the flux capacitor to Hillsdale Valley to see what the forecast for schools is tomorrow? Seeing how long it's supposed to snow today. I mean, I can tell you, according to the Apple Weather app, which we know how legitimate that is, the snow is going to be on the docket until 11pm and then it clears up. Did they give

an estimate on how much they think is going to stay on the ground? No, it doesn't give an estimate. It just says flurries. And who knows about this? We know how unpredictable this is. For the sake of a talk show, do you want the bet or not?

I'm not trying to peer pressure the man into a bet. Does anyone want to give Judah Wickhauer advice on whether he should take this bet? I think I would take the bet against them closing tomorrow. Wow. For the entire day. Judah Wickhauer will take that bet. Ginny Hu watching the program, she says, our homeschool co-op closed today mostly based on what may happen later today.

My kids were not impressed. Yeah, I wasn't either. Ginny Hu says, there at minimum will be a delay. The decision makers are too terrified of something happening and being sued. All right, I'm going to table this discussion. So you're willing to bet Johnny Walker Black, age 12 years, $60 bottle, that school will not be canceled tomorrow? Albemarle County Public Schools specifically.

Yeah, I think I'm willing to go with that. Okay, is that a yes with conviction? You're locking the bet in. No, that's not a yes with conviction. This man, this is what I deal with every day because I don't trust you what is there not to trust this is documented on the record there's cameras and microphones I know what is there not to trust but I also know that you don't go into these things expecting to lose so you're saying I have influence over Dr. Matthew Haas and can get convinced the superintendent of Alamaro County Public Schools to close the schools for the sole

purpose of me winning a Johnny Walker bottle of black age 12 years, a $60 bottle of booze on the I Love Seville show. That's what you're telling me. No, I didn't say that. Then what intel would I have or insider information that would keep you hesitant from making this bet? How many bets have you lost on... I rarely lose bets. I rarely lose bets. And that's why I'm less than enthusiastic about entering

a bet with you. The reason I rarely lose bets is because I understand the dynamics of proposition bets. I think I've lost one bet in the course. I think I'm 12 and 1 on bets. Sounds about right. Do you not want to make up your bottle, though, from last time? I've still got this bottle to go. Okay, fine. He's passing on the bet. I'm not peer pressuring. I'm not peer pressuring. We'll go to another topic. Christelle, Albert, Philip, welcome to the show. Bill McChesney, Neil Williamson, welcome to the show. Neil Williamson says flooding and winds were a significant part of the closing decisions last week. School buses have a high center of

gravity and many of the roads they are required to cover are not well maintained. James Watson says happy Martin Luther King Day over the last 30 years, Jerry. I only remember UVA actually closing once or twice for snow. If anything now now they could tell the students to jump on Zoom. K-12 schools would likely close with a half inch of snow, but UVA normally stays open. Bill McChesney says, throwback comment on sledding in the golf course area in East McIntyre Park. The area going down to where the Warner Parkway is now called was called Suicide Hill because there was a railroad right away going north and south there was a flat spot and a drop off and you would go airborne there was also the use of

large wax car hoods used as a toboggan that sounds awesome that sounds like chevy chase from christmas vacation clark griswold if you may uh bill mcchesney says don't bet judah jerry's just trying to restock the bar for the christmas. That's almost 12 months from now, the Christmas party. Bill McChesney also says, most buses start rolling about 6 to 7 a.m. in the county. The outlying unpaved roads start to accumulate snow earlier. Thomas watching the program says, good Lord, Judah, make a decision. So Jennifer says something along those lines as well. This man takes forever to make a decision.

Last call on the bet. says something along those lines as well. This man takes forever to make a decision. Last call on the bet. You don't want to try to get some vengeance from the bet you lost, picking Michael Payne and me as Juan Diego Wade for mayor. No, thank you. Okay. I think Albemarle County Public Schools minimum are going to be on a two-hour delay, and I would put the odds,

and this is one of the key factors of winning proposition bets, is to hedge risk and to determine probability very quickly. I would put the odds of Albemarle County Public Schools closing tomorrow for an entire day at 60-40 in favor of closing. So I would have probably taken that bet based on those 60-40 odds. All right, let's go to the first headline, one shot, and then I'm going to weave you in on reads.

This is extremely concerning. Albert Graves, I'm going to weave you in on reads. This is extremely concerning. Albert Graves, I'm going to get to your tweets. Ginny Hu says minimum there'll be a delay tomorrow. The decision makers are terrified of something happening. Albert Graves, I'm curious of your take on this. Viewers and listeners, I'm curious of your

take on this. It's no secret that Reed's grocery store is struggling. We've covered the struggle extremely well on this talk show with an eye or a lens of helping Reed's Grocery Store drive incremental business to stay afloat. For nearly two months, let's be conservative. For a month, Judah, I think you and I ran a campaign on the I Love Seville Network, a pro bono campaign where we got no revenue for doing this, to encourage viewers and listeners to buy gift cards at Reed's. We wanted them to buy gift cards because that was an opportunity to not take food or inventory or stock off shelves

and instead just give Reed's money that they can use now to replenish their stock. And then we, as gift card purchasers, could use the gift cards later when the business was a little more flush with cash. It's no secret that Reed's grocery store, one of its primary customer bases, are the neighborhoods around Reed's. And the neighborhoods around Reed's, whether it's 10th and Page, whether it's Fifeville, whether it's Rose Hill, whether it's Star Hill, whether it's the Cherry Avenue neighborhoods, are neighborhoods that are most on the financial margin in Charlottesville City. Within the last 24 hours, a GoFundMe was created to save Reed's Grocery Store on Preston Avenue. This GoFundMe has about one, two, three, four, five paragraphs of copy. I'm going to read four of those paragraphs of Copy Judah. And I quote, Over 10,000 residents, 23.1% of our community in Charlottesville City live in poverty,

which is nearly twice that of the national average. Additionally, one in six Charlottesville residents grapples with food insecurity compounded by housing and transportation challenges. For years, Reed's Super Save Market has been a vital cornerstone in the Rose Hill and Tenth and Page communities, offering essentially access to affordable produce and meats in an underserved food desert. Sadly, much like many of the other locally owned and operated businesses, Reed's is feeling the impact of the tough economy. If you've been into that store in the past few months, you've likely noticed the empty shelves. Through this campaign, I'm hoping to earn enough so that Reed's can purchase

a new bulk order to stock the shelves and get back to offering the community essential groceries at lower prices. By donating to Reed's Super Safe Market, you not only help a local business, but also contribute to the fight against food insecurity and the preservation of our community's identity. Your support is crucial to preserving this community asset and addressing the broader issues our city faces. This was started 23 hours ago by Billy Clements and Megan Salgado. Jude, I want to weave you in on a two-shot.

It's been shared significantly on social media. The goal is $10,000. They've raised right now $1,393. I want to caveat every commentary that we're about to offer by saying this first. I want Reed's Grocery Store and this community to survive. We back small business owners. We back small business owners. We champion small business owners. We gave Reed's in 2023 and the fourth quarter a month to

a month and a half of pro bono advertising where we ask our viewers and listeners to buy gift cards to support them. There's nothing that Judah and I, and I rarely try to speak for Judah, but I know he's in agreement with me here. There's nothing that Judah and I and I rarely try to speak for Judah but I know he's in agreement with me here there's nothing that Judah and I would rather see than the success and the longevity of Reeds is that fair? yeah okay

please don't let anyone take anything we're about to say out of context please understand how passionate we are about local businesses and their support, their longevity, their tenure, especially a business like Reed's where we understand they served a financially margin aspect of our community. We get it. And our beloved. And our beloved. Some of the best meat department in Central Virginia. I believe Riverside on High Street uses Reed's for meat. They have a fantastic craft

beer selection. A lot of people don't realize that. A phenomenal craft beer selection at reeds. Great prices. I need a cut to the chase right now. We're going on four months here of empty shelves. We're going

on four months here where the community rallied around the grocery store for months. Months community rallied around the grocery store for months. Months it rallied around the grocery store. And now, arguably, maybe the last push or the last hope, a GoFundMe where it's the digital hat being passed around the community to save an institution. What is going on here, Judah? I mean, that is an institution. What is going on here, Judah?

I mean, that is the question. What is going on? I think that's what I would want to know. I mean, anybody that does any investing knows that you need to understand the underlying problem if you're trying to prop up a business. Like, is that $10,000 going to be, is that all they need? Is it just, did they hit a speed bump and somehow they need to shore up, you know, a difficult period with some, with some excess, you know, income? Or is there an underlying problem that is continuing and this is just

going to be a temporary fix? That's what I'm worried about. And as much as I would love to see Reed succeed, I'm wondering why, you know, how did they get into this position? What are they, you know, part of what, uh, yeah, part of any business is, you know, whether it's t-shirts or cars is you buy a product and then you sell the product. And I'm wondering why they're $10,000 short. It might not even be $10,000 short. It may be more. This is just a number somebody chose for a GoFundMe campaign. We have no idea on the financials. No idea of the financials. Is $10,000

enough to even stock a grocery store? I was at Reed's a little while ago and it's still very empty. Is $10,000 even enough to stock a grocery store? I'm not sure it is. Even if it was enough to completely stock the store, I'm not sure it is. And even if it was enough to completely stock the store,

are they going to have this problem again? Like, I'm wondering why they're lacking stock. Did they, I mean, I don't think that prices have risen so quickly that, I mean, I just don't, I don't really understand how they're in this position. Logan Wells-Claylow, welcome to the broadcast.

Maria Marshall-Barnes, welcome to the broadcast. Vanessa Parkhill, welcome to the broadcast. Thank you very much for watching the program. I can explain to you why they're in this position in a matter of moments. Philip Dow says, don't take that bet, Judah. Bill McChesney says, never bet against the house, Judah. Yep.

Couldn't bet against the house. Even if he buys the Johnny Walker Black, he's still drinking the bottle. It's not like he's just giving it to me. He's enjoying it as well. Warrior AG says this on Twitter. Do the people, and viewers and listeners, help me with this question. Warrior AG says, do the people that own Reed's in Charlottesville also own the Reed's grocery store in Dillwyn? He says because the Reed's grocery store in Dillwyn is fully stocked and packed every time.

I'm going to cut to the chase. The grocery business, the grocery store business one-shot me, and then we'll bring you back in. And then you can see if you can find that Reed's, Dilwyn, Reed's, Charlottesville. I believe it's the same owners. The grocery business is as competitive a business as you're going to find. It's a single-digit percentage profit margin business. Even the best of the best,

I'm talking like the Teeters and the Wegmans out there, are operating on slim margins. Single-digit percentage margin business. It's no secret that headwinds and grocery stores go hand-in-hand. How many people are getting groceries delivered to their door through Amazon, Walmart, Target? How many people in this wealthy Charlottesville, Albemarle community are choosing to shop at Whole Foods, Wegmans, Teeter, Foods of all nations. You look at Reed's, and granted it's a grocery desert, but how many grocery stores can you count within one mile of Reed's? I'd say Food Lion Pantops is within a mile of Reed's. And I'd say Food Lion Pantops is a very similar customer as Reed's.

How far is the Barracks Road Shopping Center from Reed's? Probably less than a mile. Right about a mile. The Market Street Market, right next to this studio. What is that? Six blocks, seven, eight blocks from Reed's? Half a mile, while it's a grocery desert, there's still significant competition. And as consumers become more equipped and accustomed to buying groceries online, and as the population demographics shift for this community and become wealthier,

the base of customers for Reed's diminishes. And 10th and Page, Rose Hill, and Star Hill are not the neighborhood demographics of 20 years ago. 10th and Page, Rose Hill, and Star Hill are gentrifying quickly. And as gentrification manifests, businesses that relied on a certain demographic from yesteryear are being pushed out. All these are happening at the exact same time. I'm not sure $10,000 is enough

to stock a grocery store. And if this GoFundMe does tip and hits $10, the and the shelves are not completely full how many more cracks that this does the grocery have and i'm going to caveat this again by saying i want reeds to have success i need reeds to have success everyone wants reeds to have success we love this institution albert graves says how long will this 10 000 last last? Will they need another GoFundMe again in a month or two? Or didn't the owner say they will be stocked after the first of the year on the NBC 29 News interview? There are a lot of questions that need answering. I'm definitely for saving a Charlottesville staple, however. Exactly. Here's another question I have for you. Is the future of Reeds a small grocery store on Preston Avenue? Or is the future of Reeds...

Let me look at the GIS. What did you find in your research, Judah? They both link to the same... They both link to the same website well that's an indication that it's the same yeah Reed's Dillwyn and Reed's Charlottesville link to the same website yeah

and Albert Graves is saying Reed's Dillwyn is fully stocked that's what he's saying 600 Preston Avenue on the GIS, owned by the Brooks family, has an assessed value of $2,667,000. $2,667,000. Year built in 1948.

We are talking... How big is the parcel? GIS needs some work. Is the future of REITs a grocery store or is it redevelopment into housing? Preston Avenue smack dab in the middle of up-zone density for housing. How many folks are licking their chops for that potential purchase? These are just frank conversations we need to have. And I want to see this grocery store survive. But maybe we're not being true to ourselves. And here's a

very difficult statement to swallow. Are you ready? Are you ready for this? Has the community gentrified so much in the last 10 to 15 years that the customer base is not there anymore for this grocery store? And have these neighborhoods like Rose Hill, Star Hill, 10th and Page, and Fifeville gentrified so much and become so disposable income rooted that these customers are pursuing other options for their grocery shopping? But would that account for the bare shelves? I don't follow. If people are no longer

using reeds, then... They don't have the income to stock the shelves. If they don't have customers buying stuff, there's no money to buy new groceries at wholesale that then they can mark up to make profit. How do they re-up inventory? How do they re-up their grocery stock?

People walk in and buy stuff they take the money from selling stuff and buy more stuff and the stuff that they buy they mark up and that's called revenue it's not net profit but it's income used to pay overhead and potentially have some left over that is called net if the folks ain't walking in, they're not getting the revenue to stock the shelves. Okay. So basically you're saying that a lot of stuff has just been thrown out as it goes bad. And that's why they're lacking stock.

I don't think it's that. I think it's the customer base isn't there. Okay. I don't think the customer base is there. I don't want to allude to anything else of what it could be. I just think the customer base isn't there. And that's unfortunate. I think it's a byproduct of gentrifying neighborhoods.

Time will tell. The GoFundMe you can find online, it's a $10,000 goal. There's $1,393 donated in about 24 hours. I wonder after this show the impact that this is going to have. It's just scooped up an extra $100 since I started talking about this. Let's see what happens. Megan Salgado is the organizer. Billy Clements as well.

All right, next topic. Selvage Brewery is on the cusp of moving its taproom and brewery from the Wool Factory to Ivy Road. Hunter Craig has redeveloped the shopping center across from the Borset called Bel Air Place. The sister business of Selvage Brewery is Grit Coffee. Your family knows Grit. I believe your father, an early investor in Grit, if memory serves correct. Yeah, he was an investor. Grit Coffee's, is it a distillery with coffee? Roaster. Grit Coffee's roasting headquarters was in the back of Bel Air Place. Hunter Craig put significant money into rehabilitating and beautifying

the shopping center on Ivy Road across from the Boar's Head entrance. Now it's home to local standouts like Kenny Ball Antiques. On the back of that building, maybe it's Anchor Tenant, if you may. In fact, I'm going to, it's Anchor Tenant. It's probably going to be salvaged when it moves from the wool factory to the back of Bel Air Place. You could find Kenny Ball Antiques in there.

What are some of the other places you could find in there? See if you can look up Bel Air Place. I drive by this every day. Viewers and listeners, let us know your thoughts. We'll relay them live on air. What do you got, Judah? Comer and Co. Huh?

Comer. Oh, yeah. Comer and Co. Keep talking to me. Let's see. James Watson. I was surprised when the little grocery store Lytle closed in the shopping plaza on Route 29 after only two years, and that's an international chain with deep pockets. I don't think it's just neighborhood change as much as there is many more options. Ten years ago, we didn't really have Wegmans and Costco or any delivery options. It's a saturated market.

I actually thought Wegmans was going to put a hurting on the food line near Mill Creek. It's just an incredibly saturated space of business. Grocery. He's exactly right. Philip Dow in Scottsville. I just can't see Reed's making it due to the big grocery chains in Charlottesville. It's finally catching up to them. Bill thinks they may owe money to creditors. And it's difficult to dig out of a hole. What else you got in Bel Air Place, J-Dubs? The Shade Shop, Queen of Keswick, Olivia Branch.

Olivia, you're awesome. You make the program better. That's a Charlottesville icon and institution in that shopping center. The Shade Shop. Well done, Olivia Branch. I want it to survive. I don't want anyone to take anything I said out of context about REITs. I want it to survive. But this has been going on for a little while now. And after this GoFundMe, how many other opportunities are there? How many? And we talked about this about the daily progress on Friday. The daily progress on Friday, its print product is not existent.

So the extent of the ad revenue that the daily progress can generate is banner ads on a website. Right now, there's browsers that block banner ads on websites. So if the progress has nothing to sell, how does it generate income? If reads has nothing to sell on its shelves,

how does it generate income? It's the same concept. When Selvage opens on Ivy Road, which I think is going to happen very soon, it's a little past its projected grand opening, but it's right on the horizon. When it does, it's going to crush it. It's a market starving for a sports bar, approachable, family friendly, beer bar, good food concept. I would not be surprised if 10,000 cars drive by Bella

Air Place every single day. And the customer base that's driving by Bellaire Place every single day is one of extremely deep pockets. We talk on this talk show often, the HUD median income for a household in the Charlottesville metro area is $123,300 household income. $123,300. Of those 10,000 cars that are driving by Bel Air Place, the large majority are over the $123,300.

You've got St. Ann's there. You've got Farmington there. You've got Boar's Head there. You've got Greencroft there. You've got all the folks driving to Crozet and Ivy Road, Bel Air, Florida, Ednam, Ednam Forest, Wesley, Tillman Road.

It's going to crush it. And it's going to drive even more foot traffic to Bel Air Place. Hunter Craig landing a tenant like Selvidge is going to create trickle over foot traffic for the merchants in Bel Air Place like the Shade Shop, like Kenny Ball Antiques, like Comer & Co.

Derek Bond. Be Just, Logan Wells-Clello says. Be Just moved. Well done, Logan Wells-Clello. Be Just was in downtown Belmont. And Be Just moved from downtown Belmont because they were not getting enough foot traffic. They were across the street from Tavola. Be Just.

A retail store that sold light kitchenwares and other cool stuff. My wife was a huge fan of BeJust. It has now moved from downtown Belmont to Bel Air Place on Ivy Road. Derek Bond owns the Melting Pot and Moe's Barbecue. Derek, Moe's would crush it on this talk show. Hundreds of additional customers, hundreds of additional customers a week from this talk show. He says, how does a for-profit business do a GoFundMe?

That's a great question. Because the people that you mentioned are doing it for them. It still goes to the for-profit business. I got a question for tax accountants out there. If a GoFundMe is launched for a for-profit business and that $10,000 is allocated

to the for-profit business, is the for-profit business paying taxes on that $10,000? That's a good question. Is that $10,000 getting taxed off the rip? Is it estimated payments? Is it seen as revenue from customers? Is it essentially seen as gift card revenue? Does that $10,000 translate into money that can be spent,

gift card money that can be spent later, or is it a charitable donation? Yeah. If there are creditors, does that $10,000 go first to them? Does that $10,000 go to employee back pay if there is any? Does it go to the owners? Are these fair questions? Yeah.

Great question from you, Derek Bond. Very good question. Anything you want to throw on with this? Selvage or... or Reeds? Where Selvage is going, we've got... we've heard B. Just mentioned. There's Galleria Carpets, Seville Shade Shop, and Helen's Story Antiques as well. Fantastic.

Judah rattling off the merchants. They've got a fantastic list, a fantastic merchant epicenter. And if you notice, it's a collection of the best that came from Ivy Square Shopping Center after UVA purchased. And it's a collection that complements each other well to create food traffic from storefront to storefront to storefront.

A collection of merchants that appeal to a wealthy demographic. James Watson makes a fantastic point. Rebecca's Natural Foods closed within the last year. Probably the whole food's delivery chipped away at its longevity. I try to broker the sale of Rebecca's Natural Foods. If baseball was a metaphor, if I could use baseball as a metaphor for the brokerage of that business,

we got to the bottom of the sixth inning with a potential buyer. There was just too many unknowns. You got a landlord that is a very... I'm choosing my words carefully here. A very by-the-book landlord in federal realty, a publicly traded company. He's right. Rebecca's was margined,

marginalized, commoditized by Whole Foods. Rob Neal. He says that would be recognized as ordinary income, the GoFundMe donation. Ordinary income either immediately or incrementally depending on the filing basis.

Thank you, Rob. Fantastic stuff from Rob. That would be recognized as ordinary income either immediately or incrementally depending on the filing basis. I would very much encourage the folks that own Reads, if they get a sizable donation from this GoFundMe campaign, to immediately, if not right now, consult with a CPA. Seriously.

Albert Graves says, can a for-profit business accept a gift without paying taxes? Albert Graves says, has inflation hit the customer base of Reeds that they can't even afford to come into Reeds any longer? I think it's the customer base of Reeds is not the same depth as it once was in numbers.

You look at 10th and Page, it's not the 10th of Page when I came here as a first year at the University of Virginia in 2000. Neither is Rose Hill, neither is Star Hill, and neither is much of Fife Hill. Next topic, One Shot Me. We talked on this talk show over the course of the last 12 to 18 months for the need for Charlottesville City and Albemarle County to do a joint venture. venture that creates a campus or an epicenter that houses and educates and rehabilitates homeless or houseless individuals in this community. We had for an extended period of time, deep throat, I'm going to get to your comment in a matter of moments about reads. We had for an extended period of time

Sandersville and Market Street Park, our own version of Hooverville. Sam Sanders, the city manager of Charlottesville, allowed tent town to be birthed in a park. And you had 50, 60, 70 tents at one time before they were disbanded. Sandersville. It's no question that we have a houseless population

that needs our help. And my suggestion over the last 12 to 18 months was to create, and Judah, you outlined what's happening now, was to create an epicenter for housing, for education, for rehabilitation, a place where you could shower, do laundry, get a warm cot, maybe two to three meals a day, utilize the internet, learn how to do a resume, get potentially some clothing for a job interview, practice job interviews, get a GED, a place that had rules in place that limited drug use and drunkenness, and a place for a hand up instead of a hand out. A hand up instead of a hand out. A hand up instead of a hand out. Well, folks, that's happening now. Suggestion made on this talk show within the last 18 months.

Set the stage, Judah Wickauer. Well, the Albemarle City Council or Albemarle Board of Supervisors has voted to, I believe there are a couple different uses for this, but they're basically putting $2 million on the line to create a place where I believe they're going to have enough space to cover about half of what is currently projected as the number of houseless people in Albemarle County. So I believe this should be ready by 26. I could be wrong on that, but basically they're putting their money where their mouth is, and they're going to create a place that's not just going to be apartments or housing. I believe it's also going to have services that will help. Rehabilitation.

Yeah. Rehabilitation, rep. Rehabilitation. Repositioning. Assimilation. How about restoration employment for Albemarle and Charlottesville? Reach. A hand up is within reach. For your branding. For your marketing collateral. Restoration

employment for Albemarle and Charlottesville. Reach. R-E-A-C-H. Reach. A hand up is within reach is your tagline. and Charlottesville. REACH. R-E-A-C-H. REACH. A hand up is within REACH is your tagline. What you can't do is have it in the epicenter of commerce. And I'll catch some heat for that.

But that's obvious. Yeah. That's obvious. Charlottesville and Albemarle can joint venture to create REACH. Restoration, employment for Albemarle and Charlottesville and Albemarle can joint venture to create reach restoration, employment for Albemarle and Charlottesville hand up is within reach

this may be materializing now it may be materializing now and that's a good thing because what everyone wants and this show included, and I don't want anyone to take anything out of context that I say, and they took it out of context when I was talking about Sandersville on Market Street Park.

I wanted to help Sandersville, our own version of Hooverville. I just didn't want Sandersville on the downtown mall. That's not good for anyone, including those in Sandersville, because they get stigmatized by those that are frustrated that it's downtown. Deep Throat watching the program. Deep Throat and his son, High Voice,

who is a virtuoso at just about anything he touches, have created an artificial intelligence version of Charlottesville City Council. I've seen version one. I've seen version two. Judah has seen version one and version two as well. Is it Vimeo? Is that how I say it?

I think so, yeah. AI, artificial intelligence version of City council. I thought it was hilarious. It was. The question is, if we played it on the talk show, would the viewers and listeners of our Fine and Fair talk show respond with the same, ah, they're just joking.

They're just joking and poking. Or would they say, oh, those Judah and Jerry and those scoundrels? How do you think they would respond? The artificial intelligence two-minute Vimeo created by high-voice Santos. I thought it was effing hilarious. Yes, the satire is strong in this one,

but I'm not sure how well it would be received by people with no sense of humor. I'm not calling anyone out. I'm just saying people with no sense of humor probably would not find it funny. And there's many people with no sense of humor that apparently are watching this talk show. My favorite is the meme accounts who watch this talk show from start to finish and then spend hours creating content to blast our talk show. It's a very unique time we live in. Everyone needs a hobby. Ginny Hu says, oh, you and Judah will catch heat, but I really, really, really want to see what High Voice created. Jennifer is watching the program on Facebook please publish what High Voice did please

Spencer watching on another Facebook page is this the same kid who created those renderings for the neighborhoods and what could be with upzoning yes, yes it is it's that High Voice it's damn good we should take a poll if the viewers and listeners

want to see High Voice's artificial intelligence version of City Council. I need you to put the 20 second, and I'm going to time you. 20 seconds, put in perspective for the viewers and listeners what High Voice created when it came to artificial intelligence and City Council. I'm going to tell you when to go. Are you ready? You're asking me to? I want you to do it. Okay.

This is a little satire because you are long-winded here. Three, two, one, go. you to do it okay this is a little satire because you were long-winded here three two one go well they've basically set up all of the city council members as some mix of robot and human and uh the first episode is them introducing themselves uh somewhatavorably, I would say, in some cases. And the second episode, they're basically kind of running through their, I guess, how they go about doing things. Liza, the dog is loose in the studio. Hello, Liza. You go to the studio camera. That went well over 30 seconds. Not surprised. Liza, dog is loose to the studio hello Liza do you go to the studio camera

that went well over 30 seconds not surprised Liza will you sit can they see Liza the dog right there next to me they can see her head sticking up not anymore here's a sweet beat

what are you doing sneaking on set you're not supposed to be here she's like I got out of my leash Deep Throat says on Reed's GoFundMe tax situation, I do it this way. The GoFundMe benefits the owner, a natural person to whom anybody can give up to the gift tax exclusion. Then the owner injects more capital into the business. Maybe that would work. So there's your, you got a finance guy offering some perspective. On the REITs GoFundMe tax situation, I would do it this way. The GoFundMe benefits the owner, who's a natural person, to whom anybody can give up to the gift tax exclusion. Then the owner injects more capital into the business. Either way, REITs, I would very much

encourage you to highlight, to have a conversation with a tax professional before someone gives you potentially $10,000. Because the last thing you want is... Philip Dow says, I need to see what High Voice created. Oh, Kimberly says, please play High Voices video. Oh, man. Oh, God. Deep Throat said, just emailed you a gentler version of episode one. Oh, he actually did email me a gentler version of episode one.

The problem is it's going to be me who catches the heat. It's going to be me who catches the heat. The times we live. All right. Laura Foner at Common House. There was a profile on this in the Daily Progress. We talked about it first last week

on the I Love Seville show after she did a fantastic Facebook post. Laura Foner did. Chef Foner. The self-proclaimed gypsy chef is now the executive chef at Common House. Anyone who has Laura Foner working for her wins. Laura Foner's food is badass. Yeah.

Laura Foner's food is badass. I'll say it again. Laura Foner's food is badass. Was awesome at Dooners. Was awesome at Siren. Was very much excited for her opening on the downtown mall in the old Commonwealth Sky Bar, Patsy Flores space with J.R. Hadley,

who I know quite well. Remember when J.R. Hadley first launched Boylan Heights. I remember when J.R. Hadley first launched Boylan Heights. I remember when J.R. Hadley launched Cho's. I remember when J.R. Hadley invested in the Champion Brewing Company. J.R. Hadley seems to have the Midas touch. What J.R. Hadley touches generally turns to gold. He seems to have the Midas touch.

That's why I was very excited with the Laura Fonder-J.R. Hadley partnership at Skybar. The reality is the restaurant business is brutal. And as Laura highlighted in the profile on her in the Daily Progress, she's got three kids. So having the stability and the consistency and the predictability of a paycheck in a schedule, especially in the restaurant business, is important. She highlighted that in the profile. I also saw in the profile how her influence is being felt already. For example, Common House is going to open on Saturday mornings for brunch

for not just members but non-members, so people can try her cuisine. She also was quoted in the story as saying, if you're hungry, reach out to me. Nice. I think Common House's gain, I think Laura Foner's joining of the Common House team is Common House's gain.

I do worry, I do worry about this. Speaking straightforwardly here, that Laura is a free spirit. And I do believe her destiny is restaurant ownership. And I do believe in an ideal world, she would prefer to serve the masses

as opposed to potentially serve the people that can afford common house. The people that can afford common house. And in an ideal world, I think her cuisine and the price point she would like to serve it at is maybe in a $10 to $20 a plate range that can appeal to as many people as possible. Yeah. I would love to see from her a... How do I characterize this? I think she's utilized this term before.

Approachable, affordable, delectable stoner food. Approachable, meaning it's appealing to the masses. Affordable, meaning it's appealing to the masses. Delectable, meaning it's appealing to the masses. Affordable, meaning it's appealing to the masses. Delectable, meaning it's delicious. Stoner food. Ingredients everyone knows. That everyone likes.

Home cooking. Soul food. The type of cuisine that's so good that it's talked about. And I'm not sure how that's so good that it's talked about. And I'm not sure how that's done in Charlottesville. Who's doing approachable, affordable, delectable stoner food well in this town? Who? Who? I mean, there's a number of options

that you could come up with right now yeah Fabio's is pretty good there's one pastas, sandwiches Riverside, La Michoacana if you want to use the high street corridor alone Lazy Parrot to a certain extent

I think some of the stuff Dino's is doing is amazing. I think he does a heck of a job. But the market's been so saturated and the overhead tied to labor and to rent is so expensive that the price points have almost made the food and beverage business a customer of exclusivity. My wife and I ate out on Saturday with our two boys. I'm not going to say where we went. Our nearly six-year-old had a Bavarian pretzel and a Shirley Temple. My wife and I split a cheeseburger.

It was a great cheeseburger. We split a cheeseburger. We had a basic city six lord each and then we shared a six lord. So three beers

a cheeseburger a Bavarian pretzel and then we shared a six lord. So three beers, a cheeseburger, a Bavarian pretzel, and a Shirley Temple. How much do you think it was before tip? It's just over $40? $57. Wow.

A cheeseburger, a Bavarian pretzel, a Shirley Temple, and three beers. How much was the pretzel? $10. $10. $8 beers. How much was the pretzel? Ten bucks. Ten bucks?

Eight dollar beers. That's a heck of a pretzel. Sixteen ounce drafts. Fifteen dollar cheeseburger. With tip, you're talking, was it 67, 68, 70 bucks? It's become, food and beverage has become another way that society is becoming gentrified. If we're unable to take our children...

I am sweating my... Let's fix the angle here. Studio camera. I've got to take this jacket off. Thank you. If we as parents are unable to take our children out to restaurants to eat and drink, we are starving them, pun intended, of learning societal norms. It's also basically a death spiral for the businesses.

You have to be able to take your children out as parents to go places so you can teach your children how to behave in public. It's one of the tryouts or the trial opportunities to create maturation. And as Judah just highlighted, it's a death spiral for the business. Are we getting to the point where a sit-down restaurant has gotten to the top 10% of society that can use it or enjoy it?

And are they going to? And will they? I mean, if restaurants have to raise the prices so much that they lose customers, then they end up having to raise the prices further and end up losing customers. And I don't see how that ends well. Moe's does great stoner food. I agree with that, Derek Bond. Judah, well said. losing customers and I don't see how that ends well.

Moe's does great stoner food. I agree with that, Derek Bond. Judah, well said. Aaron King says Holly's does good stoner food. Love Holly's. Derek Bond says pork sandwich, two sides, 12 bucks at Moe's and a $6 draft. One of the best deals you can find right there.

Same with Riverside. But if we've gotten to the point that things are so expensive that kids can't go, look at Crowby's. Closed. And I have intimate knowledge of what's going to happen at that location and I'm not going to talk about it because it's not my place to say yet. But if we can't take our kids out to restaurants

and parents can't do this, that's a huge customer base that a restaurant's going to be missing. And that's going to create price point inflation. That's going to create labor shortage problems or a lack of opportunities for labor. And that's going to further gentrify a community, much like groceries. Another example is on Friday when we talked about the daily progress putting everything behind a paywall. They've basically created the gentrification

of news where you have to pay $50 a month to read what's going on in the community. That means certain people who can afford it are going to get inside information to utilize opportunistically, while others who can afford the $50 a month to get news to find out what's going on in the community are going to be left behind. These are the type of factors

that forever change the landscape or the demographic or the look of a community. And they're happening right before our eyes. And they expedited and escalated in momentum because of the pandemic. Lisa Colosso-Costolo on Cherry Avenue. Does Reed's deliver groceries? No, it does not. Please allow customers to call in their, do they allow customers to call in their orders ahead? I do not know that answer. She says, some stores do, and Reeds may need to update to respond to these needs. I will say this, the last time I was recently in Reeds, they were severely understaffed. It's no secret that Wegmans has taken all the,

many, not all, but many of the A, B, and C players from frontline jobs, food and beverage jobs, hospitality jobs, music jobs, tourism jobs. Wegmans took a lot of the A, B, and C players and hired them. And they gave them bennies, they gave them stability, and they gave them a low-stress work situation. Have you been to Wegmans? Wegmans has got an army of people working there.

And I want you to compare and contrast the army of people working at Wegmans versus the service that you may get at Food Lion or Giant on Pantops or Kroger. You got a question on the Giant on Pantops, good luck figuring that out with the help of somebody in the store. It ain't happening. You're figuring it out on your own. You got a question in Wegmans, there's two people per aisle ready to answer your questions. And if they don't know it, they got a phone or a little gizmo that they hold that they can literally look I'll give you the answer right away. Suzanne Daly. There is recent research about Gen Z not wanting to eat out in restaurants due to one, anxiety of having to order, two, menu anxiety, not knowing what is on the menu ahead of time,

and three, inflationary cost of food in restaurants. Well said, Suzanne Daly. And many young millennials and Gen Zers, call them Zillennials, would rather have food delivered to them through a third-party app while they can eat at the comfort of their own home while watching or streaming content on their phones

or on, is it even called a television anymore? What is the thing that's hanging on the wall that streams content? Is it called television? Seriously, I have a serious question for you. The thing that is hanging on the wall that you stream content on, is that called a TV anymore?

Flat screen TV. You said TV. I know. TV is an abbreviation for television. Is it television? Yeah. Here's television? Yeah. Here's the shitty aspect. Excuse my language.

Moms and dads watching this program and the kids that are home on MLK, my kids included. I shouldn't have used the word shitty. Damn it. Ah, I said it again. And damn it. Ah, I'm getting screwed here.

Okay, I'm going to cut to the chase here. Using third-party delivery apps to get food sent to your house is screwing the small business owner that's in the F&B business. And also don't complain about not having enough money to do stuff if you're actively paying more to get food delivered to you. I'll take it a step further. Here's the terrible situation. You're utilizing a third-party delivery like Grubhub or Uber Eats to get food from a locally owned business. And when the food gets to your house through Grubhub or Uber Eats, and you

open it up, and you see it as a shadow of the food that you're accustomed to in the restaurant, and then you leave a nasty review for the restaurant. That is BS. It's not the restaurant's fault that the food gets delivered to your house crappy and terrible condition or cold. It's a byproduct of using third-party delivery apps to get the food to you. You can't leave the nasty review for the restaurant because the delivery people are stacking orders and taking

your food 45 minutes to get to your front door. And you're screwing the small business owner when you do that. And furthermore, if you really want to help a locally owned business, you don't order through Grubhub or order Uber Eats or one of these third-party deliveries. You pick it up from the restaurant

and then you take it back to your house where they can maintain margin at the restaurant and not have it cannibalized by third-party delivery. It's 1.40. We're 70 minutes in. So many people watching the program right now. What do you want to do on the assaults on the Rivanna Trail? Do you want to save that for tomorrow? I've noticed that the assaults on the Rivanna Trail is also concerning. Women getting assaulted on this trail. Don't run alone. It sucks to say this. It sucks for me to have to say in 2024, if you're a woman, don't run alone on the Rivanna Trail, but it's the nature of today's reality.

And it's unfortunate that I have to say that. And other places have been like that for a long time. So it's sad that we're seeing that on the Ravenna Trail, but it's not surprising that there are people out there that would do stuff like this. One guy, multiple women assault. Fortunately, at this point, not severely physically injured. The mental anguish can never be put into perspective of an assault. I've had many female friends who were physically assaulted. I'm not talking sexually, but physically assaulted.

Their mental anguish never should be underestimated. Yeah. Never truly recover from that. Be careful there. Be careful anywhere. Groups and safety in numbers. And then to close, this Virginia men's basketball team

is literally on the cusp of not making the NCAA tournament. They just got smoked like Bob Marley against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons picked this team apart. They cannot win on the road. They're losing double-digit ball games, especially on the road,

getting blown out. You can't play your way into the NCAA tournament in January, but you can play your way out of the NCAA tournament in January, and it looks like this team is doing that. The impact of UVA not playing in the men's basketball NCAA tournament is significant. When this team is good and is playing deep into March, deep in the ACC tournament and deep into the big dance, the small businesses in this area win because we go out and watch these games on these flat screens that are hanging on walls and we spend money at the restaurants and

at the bars and at the locations. When they're struggling, we don't do that as much. And the locations that have these flat screens hanging on walls that are showing sports content, they call TVs anymore? Those are the ones that need our help more than ever right now in January, February, and March because credit card bills are due from Christmas. James Watson, Wegmans, Costco, and Darden Hotel probably hired 1,000 people combined. Wait till Home Depot opens. Exactly right. I would bet you it's higher than 1,000 people.

James Watson makes a fantastic point. Wegmans, Costco, and Darden Hotel probably hired 1,000 people combined. A, B, and Darden Hotel probably hired 1,000 people combined, A, B, and C players from food and beverage, frontline workers, hospitality, music, live events. When you're left with D and F players at your frontline businesses, music, hospitality, tourism, restaurants, coffee shops,

that is not going to give a good look or a good first impression to customers. Do we even have DNF players still hanging around Charlottesville? Great question. How would they be paying their bills and affording to live here? Great question.

And just like that, you watch the gentrification of industries happen. If you don't have people to staff the restaurants, how can Charlottesville stay as one of the top cities per capita when it comes to restaurants? And when Charlottesville starts falling off a list like most restaurants per capita, when does it start falling off the list of best places to live? And like that, we have a domino effect. That's the Monday edition of the talk show. If you like the show, put in the comment section, good show,

and spread the gospel. His name is Judah Wickauer. He wears the scarf better than anyone I know. His dog Liza is right next to him. Is Liza in the screen? Can you get Liza on the screen somehow? Maybe she jumps on you without tearing that fine leather chair that you're sitting in. Provided by your very generous boss. There's Liza. Liza, get up there. Liza, can you get...

This is the only time I've ever seen her not do that. Liza, come here. Get Liza up there. Come on. Jump on your dad. Jump on your dad. Come on. Jump on your dad.

Jump on your dad. Come on. Get up there. Jump on your dad. Okay, I'll stop talking. All right, no, go. Go. Let's make this happen.

Liza, come here. Come here. Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing? Come on. Maybe you have to stand. Do you have to stand? Liza. It's the only time I've ever seen her do it. Come on. Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing? Come on. Maybe you have to stand. Do you have to stand? Liza.

It's the only time I've ever seen her do it. Come on. She doesn't want to be a star. She doesn't want to be a star. Why won't she be a star? She's walking out of the shot. She's gone. Oh.

Liza. We're trying again? This is anticlimactical is anti-climatical. Anti-climatical. There she is. Liza. Liza. I love you.

There we go. I shall go, bro. I shall go, bro. You shall go, dog. You shall go, dog. You shall go, dog. Come here. Come here.

Come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's my girl. That's my girl. Monday edition of the talk show., yeah, yeah. That's my golden rule. Monday edition of the talk show. So long, everybody. Oh. That's so good, girl.

That's so good, girl. That's so good, girl. That's so good, girl. I know, I know, I know. That's a good talk. I know, I know, I know, I know. Why is that? All right. Thank you.