Ria Radio

Author, DC Family Biking, and Ward 5 neighbor

DC has a robust music history, particularly when it comes to jazz. Local jazz expert and Ward 5 neighbor Rusty Hassan joins us to talk about DC Jazz history, and what the music scene was like on Rhode Island Avenue NE.

With guests Bill Levy and Hadiah Jordan from DC Water

We are always happy to welcome Darryl Maxwell of DC Bar to the show - this time with more great resources for small businesses in DC.

Discussing all things Ward 5 with our Council Member, Kenyan McDuffie

Kyle Todd explains the Brookland Business Improvement District

Economic development is always about more than just giving out grants and education to businesses in a community. It's also about creating a climate where community members and community businesses grow together. Our very own Michelle Yancey, with her BFF Andi Fleming host a monthly happy hour at rotating locations throughout the Greater Ward 5 community. Learn how they got started, as well as some of the great stories that have come out of the happy hours. We also check in with Casey from Good Food Markets - summer deliciousness is is full swing. Listen now!

DC is full of exciting and diverse neighborhoods, and the Main Street program is an integral part of the success of these communities. Today we visit with Brianne Dornbush, the Executive Director of District Bridges. Her organization manages two adjacent Main Street programs - Columbia Heights/Mt. Pleasant, and Lower Georgia Avenue. We discuss the unique assets of these neighborhoods, and the programs and incentives that Brianne's team is working on to help the small business owners on their corridors. Listen now!

Jenny Crittenden is the Executive Director for the Gloucester Main Street Preservation Trust and the Cook Foundation in Gloucester, VA. She was a speaker at the 2017 Main Street Now conference, and we just had to have her join us to talk about 21st Century Marketing. Listen now to get your business marketing on point and maximize the wide breadth of style and resources available in the digital age to lock in sales 24/7!

We've had several of their members in to chat with us, and now it's time to visit with the founder of Tastemakers! Kirk Francis has not only expanded on the food incubator concept to create an amazing (and delicious!) food "mall" right here in the neighborhood, but he walks the walk as the guy behind Captain Cookie. We check in with Casey from Good Food Markets, and then we visit with Jon Stover of Stover & Associates for a wide-ranging chat about market research to grow your business.

It takes a strong public/private partnership to grow a city into a vibrant economy. The District of Columbia is a perfect example of solid, multi-agency economic development teamwork. Deputy Mayor Brian T. Kenner joins us to talk about the role his office plays in supporting the economic growth of DC, from housing and small business support, to strategies for luring industry giants like Amazon to our city. Listen now!

There is an adage in economic development: "Roofs Before Retail." Meaning, of course, that savvy entrepreneurs will choose to locate in communities that not only want their retail services, but also contain the right mix of residential density and spending power. And as we are all aware, creating affordable housing in DC is always a challenge. In this episode, we visit with Cheryl Cort, the policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. Cheryl addresses the need to create compact, walkable communities to increase housing opportunities in DC via "accessory dwelling units." We also visit with Casey from Good Food Markets - summer produce is rolling in. Listen now!

Summer is just around the corner, which means ice cream season! We're excited to visit with Brookland resident and entrepreneur Brianna McCullough about Brookland Creamery. She makes ice cream the old-fashioned way, and the results are amazing. Listen now to hear about how she got started, and for how to get your hands on some of her fantastic ice cream.

We're back! In honor of National Small Business Week, we visit with Lamont Lee, Supervisory Program Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) Small Business Technical Assistance program (SBTA). Lamont talks about the role of DHCD in helping small businesses grow and thrive in the District. Next: Access to external financing is critical to business success, but when is the optimal time to start thinking about it, and what are the steps you need to take to get it? Ben Thorne, Business Banking Relationship Manager at M&T Bank talks to us about all things related to business financing. Subscribe and listen now!

All you need to do is take a look around the neighborhood to see how much RIA Main Street neighbors love their dogs! But sometimes you need help with that extra walk during the day, or an alternative to boarding your beloved pooch while you are on vacation. Enter Mark McInerney and Leah Gage from Brookland Dog Walking (https://www.brooklanddogwalking.com/)! They take all the worries out of providing the best care for your dog for those times when you need an extra set of hands to help out. Next, we chat with Jennie Light from Bluebird Sky Yoga (http://www.bluebirdskyyoga.com/). Jennie has created an amazingly peaceful space on 12th Street NE, full of programming intended to bring "yoga, art, joy, and a community space" to the neighborhood. Listen and subscribe now!

In this special episode, we visit with DSLBD Director Kristi Whitfield, Liz Anderson-Cadogan of Cadogan & Associates, and Elisse Scott of Pearl Fine Teas. While we visit with Liz and Elisse about their businesses, we also chat about the state of women-owned businesses in the District. Director Whitfield joins the discussion to talk about the resources available through the Department of Small and Local Business Development. Of course, we check in with Casey from Good Food Markets, and hear about some of the early spring produce coming in to the store. Subscribe and listen now!

This week, we are honored to be joined by DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson. Chairman Mendelson joins us to talk about the state of small business in DC, and the role of government in supporting a healthy economy. He's recently introduced legislation to split off a new agency from DCRA and create the Department of Buildings to streamline and improve all matters related to building permitting and inspections. Subscribe and listen now!

Have you noticed? The historic emergency call boxes on RIA Main Street are getting facelifts! Neighbor and artist Charles Bergen recently won a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities to restore the 6 fire and police call boxes along the corridor. After working with a DC-based historian, Charles has created designs for each box that will capture important history moments relative to the geographic location of each box. Check out our website (http://www.riamainstreet.org) for the designs he's putting in place. We also check in with Casey from Good Food Markets to hear what's new in the fresh grocery scene this week. Subscribe and listen now!

It's our 100th episode! We are celebrating by interviewing some fantastic guests, and also by giving away presents! We start off the episode with #DeNews from neighbor Aaron DeNu. What RIA Main Street history lesson would be complete without a mention of Bo Diddley? That's right... he lived right here in the neighborhood! Then we chat with Shani, the neighborhood blogger behind Brookland Bridge. Shani does an amazing job of rounding up the news and updates that folks throughout Ward 5 look forward to reading. Casey from Good Food Markets calls in with the market update - and yes, they will have flowers for Valentine's Day! Next up: we've talked about his delicious products before, but today we get to talk directly to David Knowles, creator and baker extraordinaire of Lord of the Pies. Talk about a sweet success story! Listen now for the great discussion AND for details on how to win some fun RIA Radio prizes.

There's nothing more gratifying that watching a creative business vision come to life... Except perhaps to watch that same business grow and thrive! In this episode, we visit with David Burton, owner and creative visionary behind Capital Candy Jar - http://www.thecapitalcandyjar.com/ . Dave has recently grown from working out of Union Kitchen to his very own brick and mortar location at 201 15th St. NE. Listen now to hear Dave talk about his delicious confections - and more importantly, where to find them!