Biz Buzz: Bombolini Pasta to open shop

Bombolini Pasta, the family-owned food manufacturer whose pasta products have become a staple at farmers markets across the region, is opening its first shop in November.

"We have a really loyal customer following" and want to continue growing it, said John Kreckman, who owns the company with his wife, Lolita.

The company makes a variety of fresh pastas in different shapes and flavorings.

Bombolini's new shop, at 1600 W. Main St. off of Lombardy Street in Richmond's Fan District, will carry pastas, vinegars, wines and pre-made meals.

The plan, he said, is to try to keep prices under $10 per item.

Kreckman said he hopes to become a neighborhood fixture in the Fan as well as with Virginia Commonwealth University students. He also hopes to capture customers leaving downtown Richmond who want to pick up a quick meal.

"One of the major reasons we wanted to be here is to catch people heading out of town and everyone that is already in the neighborhood," he said.

Kreckman knows quite a bit about the Fan. He grew up nearby and "loved this building when I was a kid."

He and his wife were looking at spaces farther west in the Fan when they found out the building on Main Street was for sale.

It had been occupied by earth-friendly redecorating and remodeling retailer Ecologic, which closed in April. The Kreckmans bought the building last month for $510,000 and are readying it for a November opening.

But opening a shop is only the beginning of Bombolini's growth, Kreckman said.

They plan to continue selling their products at several area farmers markets. The couple also hope to break into more grocery stores — they currently sell their pasta at Ellwood Thompson's Local Market.

"We'd love to be picked up at grocery stores," he said. "We're always looking for ways to make money and spread our name."

Yogurt & tea shop

A Richmond area-based frozen yogurt and tea chain is tripling its size.

Bobalicious Frozen Yogurt + Boba Drinks, which already has a shop on U.S. 360 in Mechanicsville, is opening three new shops in the next month or so and has plans for two more next year.

The chain expects to open in Chesterfield Towne Center's food court Sept. 15.

It then expects to open a shop at Southpark Mall in Colonial Heights on Sept. 29 and one in the Chattanooga Plaza on Hull Street Road near state Route 288 in Chesterfield on Oct. 6.

The two shops planned for next year will be in Henrico County, one in the western part of the county and the other in the eastern part.

Bobalicious sells frozen yogurt as well as Boba drinks — "sweetly flavored tea beverages invented in Taiwan" — which come in a variety of flavors.

Mall happenings

In other Chesterfield Towne Center news, rue21 is expected to opens its store at the mall Thursday.

The young men's and women's apparel retailer is opening near Champs Sports along the mall's main corridor. The mall combined two spaces for the 7,700-square-foot store.

Also, the mall is holding its third annual Denim Days. The event began this month and runs through Sept. 18.

During that time, customers can drop off used denim items that will be donated to Goodwill.

By going to the mall's website, donors can make the donations in the name of a Chesterfield school. The top schools will get a donation made to that school's PTA.

New clients

Richmond ad agency Big River has added two new clients.

The agency will create a website for Richmond-based custom motorcycle shop Classified Moto.

The firm also has been hired by Cudas Footwear to update the Hanover County-based shoe company's brand and create a social media campaign.

Big River clients include the Virginia Lottery, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the National 4-H Council.

Hotel remodeling

A $1 million renovation of the Residence Inn by Marriott in western Henrico has been completed.

Each of the 80 rooms at the hotel on Dickens Road at West Broad Street got updated flooring, granite counter tops, stainless-steel appliances, new beds, lighting, doors and artwork.

Residence Inn specializes in extended stays.

Ellwood signage

Natural-food grocer Ellwood Thompson's Local Market has won approval to install signage for its store near Washington.

Without the signage, the store would not have gotten the visibility it needed to attract customers.

The Richmond-based grocer is opening a store in the Washington suburb of Montgomery County, Md., at the Rockville Town Square, a community with restaurants, shops and apartments.

The center's property manager and Ellwood Thompson's had requested the signage, which was approved by county officials last week.

Even with the sign approval, the grocer has not yet signed a lease, according to spokeswoman Paige Bishop.

Locally, Ellwood Thompson's is expanding into space next to its store at Ellwood Avenue and Thompson Street. The space was previously occupied by Blockbuster, which closed the store this spring.