Biz Buzz: Local firm designs iPhone app for tourism

A Richmond-based design firm is working to bridge the gap between old and new.

Riggs Ward Design has created an educational, tourist-oriented iPhone applica tion called CuraTour. The app allows visitors to museums, attractions and heritage areas to access background and educational information on the sites. It also has a feature for tourists to build itineraries and share reviews.

CuraTour is expected to launch in the spring.

"This is a way for organizations to get information out that is more than a sign giving people directions to and fro," said Brent Ward, managing director at Riggs Ward.

The firm does graphic design, strategic planning, research and content analysis for museums, visitor centers and cultural institutions. Its clients include the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Library of Medicine and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Ward said creating an interactive app was a logical step for the firm.

"We have the software to create something where people can get real-time directions and information," he said.

Ward said CuraTour acts as a guidebook but with the added benefit of allowing users to plan itineraries and access information via video and audio. Ward said the app allows organizations to control content and create brand recognition, something they don't get from standard travel guidebooks and apps.

"We're offering a much deeper sort of content, a much richer experience than you can get from other sources," he said.

The app could work for several organizations at once, bringing all information to one source. But Riggs Ward also will be able to create specific apps for institutions and business.

Cost of the apps will vary depending on the group offering it.

Riggs Ward has signed South Carolina's National Heritage Corridor as its first client. The corridor is a 240-mile stretch showcasing the state's historical, cultural and natural resources.

Riggs Ward is also working to develop CuraTour for BlackBerrys.

A temp train store

Train Town & Hobby will open a temporary store in Williamsburg for the holiday season.

Jim Donlon, who owns Train Town on Railroad Avenue in downtown Ashland, has been looking to open a store in Williamsburg for a while but hasn't found the right spot.

The temporary shop will be in the Village Shops at Kings Mill on Pocahontas Trail.

"We liked the old-world look of the center," Donlon said.

The 1,800-square-foot store is set to open Nov. 15 and will remain open until mid-January.

Train Town's Williamsburg location will carry about the same merchandise as the Ashland store. It also will offer layaway, a popular feature at the current location.

Law firm moving

Sands Anderson Marks & Miller will move into new digs three blocks down the street.

The law firm has leased the top two floors of the Bank of America building at 1111 E. Main St. in downtown Richmond. It has hired Evolve Architecture to design the space.

The firm made the move to be closer to the city's courts and businesses, said M. Pierce Rucker, president of Sands Anderson.

"It gives easy access to our clients and attorneys and puts us in the heart of the financial district," he said.

Rucker hopes to move from the firm's current offices at 801 E. Main St. by May. Sands Anderson signed a 10-year lease and has an option to expand to other floors. About 122 attorneys and staff will work in the new office.

The firm has three other offices in Virginia -- Blacksburg, Fredericksburg and McLean -- and one in Durham, N.C.

Station Café opens

The Station Café is expected to open today along the railroad tracks in Ashland.

Station Café is the former Club Car Ice Cream Dessert Bar.

Owner Bartlett Shaw bought the Club Car and did some renovations to the kitchen area. The shop closed for about a week.

Station Café will continue to serve ice cream but also will devote a considerable amount of energy to coffees, Shaw said.

Shaw formerly worked at Ashland Coffee & Tea, also in downtown Ashland.

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or . Follow him at http://twitter.com/RTDBizBuzz.