The store at 3348 W. Moore St. on the ground floor of the Otis complex.

A local retailer is opening its ninth and largest store to date, this time in Scott’s Addition.

Shop Made in Virginia, which sells homemade products from local vendors, plans to open in October at 3348 W. Moore St.

The store, located on the ground floor of The Otis multi-use building, will be the company’s second location in Virginia and eighth overall. The other stores are in Washington, DC and Maryland.

Co-founder Stacey Price said the Richmond location was four years in the making. After she launched Shop Made in DC with co-founder Michael Babin in 2017, many Virginia-based merchants vieted for a spot on their DC shelves.

As of 2020, she decided to branch out and look for space in Virginia, with Alexandria and Richmond in mind.

Stacey Price

“We’re so impressed with the creative community there,” Price said. “We wanted to be in Richmond before we even wanted to go to Northern Virginia because we knew the community had a base there. And we knew from our DC beta test that that really helps make the magic happen.”

Price and Babin founded parent company Shop Made Brands to help artisans generate consistent income and provide customers with a convenient place to shop locally.

She first noticed the foot traffic in Carytown, but had a hard time finding a lease in the area, so she shifted her focus to Northern Virginia and opened her shop in Old Town Alexandria in 2021.

The Alexandria store allowed her to build a relationship with Richmond retailers before opening her store in the city. About 30 percent of the manufacturers represented in the Alexandria store are from Richmond.

The Scott’s Addition shop will be the largest store without a cafe at 2,500 square feet. The shop will feature an open classroom with seating for up to 24 artisans to hold workshops and a “Make it Bar” where customers can order crafts and drinks.

Price said she plans to offer a program at the store daily or most days of the week. Taqueria Cochiloco has already announced it will offer tortilla-making classes.

With its large store, Shop Made in Virginia’s new location can house products from about 175 suppliers, 30 more than usual. Price said they aim to have 70 percent of suppliers come from Richmond, while the other 30 percent come from other parts of Virginia.

Price said applicants must be “sale-ready,” meaning their products must have a consistent delivery time to help her keep shelves stocked.

“They see it as more than just a hobby. They see it as a business,” she said of the sellers.

Those already selling at the Richmond shop include Ancient Truth Investigators, a jewelry brand by VCU graduate and local artist Rachel Rader, and People Via Plants, which sells ceramics by Matt Spahr and Val Molnar.

Local artist Billie Claire will paint the store’s windows.

“We want people to be able to walk into the room and say, ‘Holy shit.’ Look at all the talent in this city,” Price said.

Shop Made Brands’ stores operate on a commission basis and sellers are paid after the sale. She said about 99 percent of sales go back to sellers.

Price said the company also hosts meetings for suppliers to share information about financing and grants, as well as panel discussions and workshops.

The shops also provide opportunities for local college students. Modeled after the Shop Made in UMD program, they will sell products made by VCU students, according to Price.

She said she also hopes to collaborate with VCU’s fashion design department to offer locally made streetwear at the new location, a unique selling point for the Richmond store given its size.

“I can play in a different way than in our other rooms,” she said.

Promotion for the store is already underway. Price hosted a happy hour at Väsen Brewing Co. across the street earlier this month.

And for the second Saturday in September, a “teaser market” with local vendors is planned on all the sidewalks around The Otis.

“The Richmond community feels like a big hug,” Price said. “And that’s why I know we can help grow this very talented, creative class there.”