Chesterfield marketing firm becomes Google partner

Chesterfield County-based WebStrategies Inc. is going into business with Google.

The online search engine giant last week named the Midlothian marketing firm as one of its Google Analytics Certified Partners.

WebStrategies is one of only about 130 companies in the world to receive the designation — 48 of those are in the United States with one other in Virginia, Viget Labs in Falls Church.

The partner designation allows a marketing firm to consult and train clients on Google Analytics — which helps a company track consumer behavior on its website — as well as implement it into the clients' systems.

"Getting certified is a pretty rigorous process," said Neal Lappe, president of WebStrategies.

Lappe began the certification process about two years ago and was rejected the first time.

Applicants must show they have at least two people on staff familiar with Google Analytics.

The applicant also must present case studies and then sit with Google executives to defend the study, like a doctoral student defending a dissertation.

Being certified as a partner opens up a wealth of opportunities to find new clients, Lappe said.

"It brings us more visibility and opens us up to work with larger companies," he said.

WebStrategies deals with advertising agencies, web marketing companies and marketing officers at major corporations.

Aside from analytics, WebStrategies also does website development, social media marketing and search engine optimization.

Lappe, a former Circuit City executive, started WebStrategies about seven years ago.

"I had never run my own business before. It was one of the hardest things I've done in my life," he said.

The firm now has nine employees, and its clients include the Pearson Auto Group, Green Top Sporting Goods and Bank of Virginia.

Peking replaced

A new owner has taken over the former Peking Restaurant on Grove Avenue.

The restaurant's owners, who also own Osaka Sushi & Steak and Wild Ginger, are currently building out the space and expect to open in the middle of June.

The restaurant will be called The Blue Goat and will serve European comfort food.

Peking Restaurant had been at 5710 Grove Ave. since 1978 but closed that location in July 2009.

Short Pump openings

High-end athletic apparel retailer lululemon athletica is opening a store in the Richmond area.

The store will be at Short Pump Town Center in western Henrico County. It is scheduled to open May 6 on the lower level next to Cache.

Canada-based lululemon, which sells "yoga-inspired" apparel, has more than 100 stores in the United States, Canada and Australia. The Short Pump store will be its third in Virginia.

Also coming to Short Pump Town Center:

•The Yankee Candle Co. is opening a store on the upper level in space previously occupied by Caribou Coffee. The shop will be the fifth company-owned store in the Richmond area. It is expected to open near the end of May.

•Destination Maternity is opening a store on the upper level next to Cocoanut Jewelry. It should open in the next couple of weeks.

Bill's back downtown

Bill's Barbecue has opened a downtown Richmond eatery.

The new restaurant, on Fourth Street between Franklin and Main streets, opened last week.

Bill's previous downtown location, on Main Street near Seventh Street, closed this year and was replaced by Geno's Deli.

The new downtown restaurant is the company's eighth location.

Shop reopens

Maternity retailer It's Hip to be Round reopens the day before Mother's Day.

The maternity retailer, which shut down late last year, is coming back in a new location and with a new owner.

Shortly after closing her store in November, Anne Kennon sold the company and remaining inventory to Christa Donohue, a former customer.

Donohue has moved the store a few blocks east to the Cary Court Shopping Center on West Cary Street in Carytown.

Under the previous owner, It's Hip to Be Round at one point had two locations — in Carytown and in the West Broad Village development in Henrico.

But lagging sales and low customer traffic forced Kennon to close the Henrico location, which eventually led to closing the Carytown store.

Cupcake growth

A few months past its first anniversary, Pearl's Cupcake Shoppe on Grove Avenue near Libbie Avenue has made some changes.

The shop's owners have turned to iPads for order-taking. They also have bought a delivery van to accommodate the growing number of large orders.

The moves were made in response to rapid growth and increased demand in the catering business.

"We needed to add a more efficient method for the volume of order we had going out," co-owner Laurie Blakey said.

With the iPads, the process becomes paperless as employees punch orders into the system from handheld devices.

To help in the store and with catering, Pearl's also hired two pastry chefs — Sana Aziz and Mary Kathryn Bannister.