The Kickstand is Richmond’s newest and most unique coffee bar brought to you by the people that brought us Lamplighter Roasting Company and the only place in Richmond serving pour-over coffee. I was able to chat with co-owner Noel Archibald about The Kickstand and talk about what the new spot is bringing to the coffee table of Richmond while she prepared me a cup of coffee by hand. At just a over a week old today, I think you will see why they stand out amongst the many local coffee shops around town (all of which we still love and support ;).

What spurred the desire for a place like The Kickstand?

Noel: We wanted a place where people could sample the coffee and taste the coffee, and this is something that eventually we would really want to be doing at a roastery. We are looking into options to move into a bigger building and expanding the roastery and we’re looking to keep it in this neighborhood. But we wanted something now; a space that we could use that’s a little bit away from the hustle and bustle of Lamplighter. Lamplighter is busier than we ever could have dreamed it would be, which is amazing and it’s wonderful, but has held us back from some of the stuff we hoped to be doing over there because now  there really isn’t space for it since the food has been so wildly popular. Granted, it’s a great problem to have but it’s made it harder to expand what we’re doing with coffee. It’s really just trying keep everything as efficient as we possibly can at Lamplighter.

What is The Kickstand?

Noel: It is a coffee bar. Not an espresso bar, but a coffee bar. We’re really focusing on different coffee preparations, we’re selling a small amount of pour-overs and methods for people to make coffee at home, and it’s here you can really look at what we have roasted. All the beans we have at Lamplighter are amazing, but we pick the very best, what we love, and highlight our favorites here, monday through friday. So we will have around four varieties here and you can try a cup, you can try a Chemex; there is nobody in Richmond doing pour-overs and Chemex right now.

Yes! I was stoked to hear that and consider that a huge answer to prayer for coffee in Richmond.

Noel: Yeah! It’s a way we love to drink coffee, it’s a way we taste coffee when we get a new bean when we wanna know how the roast level came out. We roast things how we think they are going to be good and you’re basing it on sight and smell, but the first time you roast a bag of coffee, you’re kind of nailing down your roast level. And sometimes the bean is going to be great at different roast levels, but when we’re trying something new that we’ve roasted, we brew it using a Chemex, because it gives you the best clarity of flavor. The paper filters filter out a lot of the oils and fats, which are the parts that can make coffee taste the most bitter, and so the actual flavor of the bean, especially if you’re at a medium roast, which a cupping level for coffee, you’re really tasting the bean. For a lot of preparations, you taste the preparations more than you taste the bean. At darker and darker roast levels, you are tasting the roast more than you are tasting the origin. So with a light to a medium, maybe into a full city range, is where we want to keep it for the purpose of tasting the origin. We also only have our four best and most knowledgable baristas from Lamplighter work here.

(As she’s making a pour-over cup for me)

This is my favorite bean right now.

Yeah? The Uganda…

Noel: Uganda Bugisu AA Double Picked. So it’s hand picked, instead of being mechanically separated, so it has some variation in sizing which can give you a wider variety of flavor, even though it’s a single origin. One bean, one place. Because the beans are different sizing, you’re getting the benefit of a blend with a variety of flavors. It’s not just hitting your tongue and dying away, it’s different flavors, one coming after the other, because within the single roast level, the single bean, your getting different things from it.

Wow, it’s rich, but super smooth.

Noel: Yeah it’s very rich.

So how conscious are you about the details of the beans you are bringing in?

Noel: Very conscious. We deal with three different brokers, and we have specific people within those brokers that we deal with that we look to for recommendations for us for what’s cupping well. With organic coffees, they’re not as consistent from year to year as non organics would be, because weather and natural climate factors effect them a lot more. So something that we had, that tasted really great last year, might not taste as good this year. So we look at cupping scores and ratings that our brokers give the beans before we look at what we want to try. Then we will order a bag of beans and try it for ourselves. Everything we order is either organic fair trade certified, or we know that it is, but the farm hasn’t paid for the certification. So we order from some farms that aren’t certified, but we know what’s going into it; how the workers are being treated and that it’s up to our standard even though they have not chosen to pay for that certification.

A lot of people that I have told about The Kickstand are unfamiliar with the terms “pour-over” and “Chemex”. How would you describe these methods and what makes them special?

Noel: Well most people are familiar with drip coffee, it’s the most common way in America that people prepare there coffee at home. It’s simple: ground coffee, hot water goes on top, coffee drips down to the bottom. So the pour-over method is really not different in most ways than a drip coffee maker. The main difference is that you are preparing it fresh for each cup; You grind only the amount of beans for that individual cup, you’re choosing how hot you want the water to be, and then manually pouring it over, so it’s always going to be better. It’s fresher, it’s made at the time you are going to drink it and you have more control. Could you flip the record?

Yeah, totally! I was just about to ask.

Noel: Another problem with home coffee pots is a lot of the times the water will be too hot or not hot enough, and anytime your pouring into glass that’s been sitting on a heated element, it’s going to be heating coffee after it’s been brewed, so it may taste fine after it comes out but five minutes later it becomes stagnant and then burnt. If it goes into an air pot, it’s gonna stay fresher but whatever you are about to immediately drink is always going to taste fresher. You want to brew it within two minutes of grinding.

Oh yeah?

Noel: Yeah. The CO2 and oxygen is being released while it’s being ground. And same with the roast, you want to drink it within seven days of being roasted. So ya know, buy local, buy fresh, buy smaller quantities.

Chemex is just another pour over method and it was designed by a chemist and it gives the best clarity of flavor of any of the pour-overs I’ve tried. It’s also really great with how round it’s shape is, so you get a really even extraction. A lot of people are familiar with Melitta cones but they don’t give as even of an extraction.

With the amount of time it takes to prepare a pour over cup is it intentional to be able  talk and nerd out about the coffee beans and everything having to do with coffee with customers.

Noel: Haha, yeah, exactly.

Anything you would like to set straight or educate as far as maybe a general misconception that people have about coffee right now?

Noel: I think people think that technology can make coffee better. There is a huge trend of all these gasket bags and canisters that is going to let off-guessing take place and big expensive Kurig machines… Even the Clover coffee machine that costs thousands of dollars to buy… Ya know, coffee is a simple product, its a simple item and I think the most simple preparations can give you the best results. I think people really underestimate their ability to make good coffee and their ability to get a good result, simply. So that’s one of the things we wanted to do with The Kickstand; educate people how you can do this at home and how you can get this same experience. In my opinion, coffee at home should be better than coffee at a coffee shop, with the exception of espresso, because you are making what you like, the way you want it, when you are going to drink it. So that should be better than most coffee shops. And I think people think they can’t do it at home so they go to a coffee shop because it’s going to be better than what they can do at home, and I wanna show them that they can do it better. No canister, container or bag in the world is going to stop the degradation of roasted coffee. If it’s roasted, it’s already on it’s way out.

Oh, and we’re cash only.

Haha, nice. Thanks so much for your time.

The Kickstand: 1717 Summit Ave. Richmond, VA

Hours: 8am-1pm M-F

Photos by Will Godwin

The wonders of space, mater, solar systems, the earth, mountains, waters and atoms that hold it all together will more than likely always be a constant and ongoing question until the end. All it takes is one clear night, a quick glance at the sky and more questions can fill your head than you can handle. These days, of course, we could look up and see the stars (go figure), or we can turn to the internet for high definition images of galaxies far away – which in reality are hundreds of millions of light years away. Which then really means that what we’re actually seeing is hundreds of millions of years old and the fact is that it might not even be there anymore. Crazy, huh? It’s a lot to think about and a lot to take in.

Fortunately for us, there are people like Bill Bryson who ask themselves these same kinds of questions, then decide to dedicate years of time to understanding all of this with intention of generating a book that explains just about every question we might want to ask. What’s even better, is that Bryson does it in a comical and very understandable sense. Bryson has once again figured out a way to explain things (in this case the universe and our home planet) in such a way that’s anything but boring, not hard to understand, and yet, not dumbed-down.

A Short History of Nearly Everything includes a long list of well written facts including just exactly what an atom is to where the tongue twister “She sells seashells…” came from. If you end up liking this book, Bryson has a long list of other creations that are all worth your while. Try, A Walk in the Woods, or In a Sunburned Country.

Our 2012 Calendars are rolling out in all orders placed online and stacked in our store front (free!). Printed on Williamsburg offset 50lb uncoated white paper, this is 18″ x 24″ piece is one side poster, one side calendar. As you will see at the bottom of the calendar, we’ve thrown in a few ideas for you to really make this year a good and memorable one. Let’s keep it posi make it a good one!

Fonts provided by YWFT.

In the wild word of sports, there are those few that are born for the spotlight then there are those who create the spotlight. It takes a very particular caliber of man or woman to perform at these levels while remaining true to themselves. Call it what you want, hate it or love it – their expression of “showboating” still puts up numbers that no one can ignore. This past weekend at Winter X 12 was no exception. Here’s a little love for those that perform and promote.

For the DOCUMERICA Project (1971-1977), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hired freelance photographers to capture images relating to environmental problems, EPA activities, and everyday life in the 1970s. David Hiser chose his areas of coverage for his DOCUMERICA assignment, intentionally picking areas familiar to him. His photographs capture the striking landscape of America’s Desert Southwest.

Hiser’s photographs of Michael Reynolds’ “beer can” houses in Taos, New Mexico, document positive innovations in recycling and reuse of common discarded materials to construct Earth-friendly homes. You can see the full set here.

In the past couple of years, Richmond has seen an incredible growth of new restaurants. From coffee shops with lines out of the door to upscale southern tappas bars, this city has birthed new culinary creations that are all worth trying. But let’s take a second to look back at a gem that never once got the spotlight it deserved. As you pass by the glam and grit of Richmond’s Shokoe Bottom and start to head out of the flood zone, nestled just under Church Hill is Aziza’s on Main. Here, chef Caleb Shriver and pizza chef, Chris Dowhan, have found their sweet spot.

Aziza’s is a delicate balance between European control and Southern creative improvisation. Jason Alley of Comfort says:

“Aziza’s is an awesome place downtown that blends a lot of different identities together well. The owner’s name is Rusty and she’s Lebanese, but you’ve never heard a more Southern accent in your life. For lunch, there’s a great wood-burning oven and the pizzas that come out of it are fantastic. You can get shit like bottarga, which is really pretty sexy. It’s by far the best pizza in the city.”

Caleb has lived in Richmond for around a year and a half now and has been cooking at Aziza’s for just under that. Chris is the opposite. He’s lived in Richmond for 24 years and been at the restaurant for just 6 months. Their combination and communication is awesome. We had the chance to sit down with two for some questions on food, opinion, and this great city.

NS: What’s your culinary experience before Azizas?

Caleb: I have been in kitchens since I was 17. In 2003 I graduated at The Coach House, a classic french style restaurant that also runs as an apprenticeship owned and operated by chef Kurt Flieschfresser in Oklahoma city. I moved to Chicago in 2008 and worked with chefs Homaro Cantu and Daryl Nash at Otom Restaurant. I then worked under chefs Jimmy Sneed and Geoff Rhyne at Sugar Toad in Naperville, IL.

Chris: Aside from cooking at home for myself and friends, I had no culinary restaurant experience before working at Aziza’s.  I worked in one other restaurant as a server but had little more than my culinary experience at home as a starting point.  Luckily that included a lot of time spent making pizza at home for friends, so working the brick oven at Aziza’s was a perfect match.

NS: What does Aziza’s represent to you?

Caleb: A small family owned restaurant with diverse styles and good food.

Chris: It’s a family owned, local business that supports a lot of other local purveyors.  They love the food they make and it shows.

NS: What does food mean to you and how do you celebrate it?

Caleb: Food is a vital source to life, and I celebrate life with food.

Chris: Food is not only something that sustains us, but something that brings us together.  Food is a reason to get together with friends and enjoy something made by either a friend or by someone at a restaurant that you love.  I try to buy local as much as possible, which makes food also a celebration of the area and the hard work that the farmers have put into growing vegetables and raising animals.

NS to Chris: I know the passion that you have towards cooking, especially towards breads and baked goods. How do you translate this passion for bread into your work at Aziza’s? Aziza’s has an amazing brick oven.  Over the past couple years I’ve really been drawn into bread baking, however there’s something unique and special about baking the way that Old World bakers did.  Being able to try out different techniques with the oven has only made me feel more passionate about the process of baking breads and cooking in general.  In many ways I feel as though passion was one of the only qualities I had that allowed me to have this job.

NS to Chris: What is it about breads that intrigue you so much? The process of making bread is an elegant one.  Every detail counts. And no matter how precise I think I’ve been, the results always vary. I love that.  No two boules or pizzas ever come out the same.  I think that having such an endless number of variables and outcomes leaves me in awe of the process.  Changing the tiniest measurement, temperature or time can significantly change the outcome.  Learning how to manipulate the four or five ingredients in bread to get what you desire is challenging but fascinating.

NS: What is your opinion on the current trend of eating locally?

Caleb: From a economic and health stand point it’s great. I’m looking forward to it becoming less of a trend and more of a life style. It’s also more than just eating local though. We need to know that it comes from an honest source with morals of good husbandry, Organic Farming and more.

NS: How do you incorporate seasonal eating into the menu?

Caleb: It’s easy. The food comes into season and we source it and cook it.

NS: Do you see Richmond being an underrated food city?

Caleb: That depends on who’s rating it.

NS: What do you love most about Richmond?

Chris: Stepping away from food talk for a minute, my favorite part of Richmond has to be the outdoor activities it offers.  Nestled in on the edge of the river are great mountain biking trails and an old bridge buttress set up for rock climbing.  Richmond is just big enough to have some unique and interesting things going on, yet small enough that everything is accessible.

NS to Chris: What pie would you serve your friend if they came in to visit tonight? If they were vegan or vegetarian, I’d make them a black garlic, kale and caramelized onion pizza.  For the others, I’d probably make a prosciutto and arugula pizza topped with chili flakes and parmesan.

NS: What do you see for the future of fast food in this country?

Caleb: Fast food will always have a clientele, and they will adapt to the trends (eat local).  So it’s also good to know that the people cooking your food, have you in there best interest.

Aziza’s is located in downtown Richmond, Virginia at 2110 East Main Street. ph.804.344.1523  They also have the biggest, baddest, and best creme puffs we’ve ever had. Yes, they do carry-out.

Photographs by Cameron Lewis.

Burton Kramer is a huge and influential force in the design community. He is a designer rich in accolades and achievements, ranging from a lifetime achievement award to having work in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian and Library of Congress. Most notably, in Canada as an ”advocate of fully integrated design at a time when such an approach was virtually unknown in Canada. As a functioning part of this advocacy, Kramer was one of Canada’s first graphic designers to courageously promote the use of Helvetica type, organizational grids, symbols, systems design and other visual manifestations of the “International style” in a Canadian design environment that was then steeped in a different tradition and often hostile to this radically new approach.” -burtonkrameridentities

This spring, a documentary produced by Greg Durrell will be releasing and will reveal an intimate look at a designer who I think will be (if not already) a staple in design history. The documentary will be a sort of extension of Mr. Kramer’s retrospective book, Burton Kramer Identities, which documents his prolific career spanning over fifty years as a leading designer, painter and educator in Canada. Currently Mr. Kramer practices as a painter, displaying regularly across the globe.

I think Mr. Kramer is part of a rare and passing breed of designers that are unfazed by the coming and going styles and trends, but have been trained and focused on making work that is first good and then timeless.

With all of the new arrivals coming in, we’ve decided to get our staff member Molly Szkotak, to choose some her favorite new items as well as some items that keep her going throughout the winter. Not sure what it takes to survive a cold winter in Richmond, take a look.

1. D’Angelo Returns: Richmond’s own reclusive R&B legend recently announced his first tour in years and upcoming album and people are rightfully freaking out about it. Although he may not be at his “(Untitled) How Does it Feel” video prime, his soulful voice and production by ?uestlove should make it worth a listen. The bad news is all the concert dates are in Europe. Be right back, booking a ticket to Paris…

2. Instagram: I know everyone and their mom has this app now, but that makes it more fun! This addictive photo-sharing platform makes all your photos looks cool and its fun to see the world through your friend’s eyes (and vintage filters.) I follow many fashion, food, and nail-art enthusiasts which makes for a constant stream of inspirational eye candy. Make sure to follow me at “Mollywho” and Need at “needsupplyco”!

3. Hot Yoga: This is one of the few workouts I actually enjoy when stuck in the dark and frigid winter doldrums. Some may think deep stretching and sweating profusely with strangers in a small room heated to 90 degrees sounds like torture but it’s actually heavenly. It’s cathartic and gets you in shape, not to mention heating your core temperature fights colds. One of my favorite studios, Om On Yoga at Libbie and Grove, also doubles as a cute boutique.

4. Miansai Bracelets: Without fail warm weather has me itching for anything that makes me look like I summer in Cape Cod or Martha’s Vineyard, and these nautical rope bracelets do just that. These charming, Friendship-style bracelets are a unique and colorful addition to any burgeoning arm party (and they’ll look even better with a tan.) Get one here.

5. Leonard 2 in Safari: Anyone who knows me is aware of my sick obsession with animal prints that puts any Real Housewife to shame. These beauties by Illesteva (the ILLEST EVA) have been on my short list the second we got them in stock. The large, round frames give them a vaguely Golden Girls vibe which can’t be beat. Get them here.

6. VMFA Elvis exhibit: One of the best cultural institutions Richmond has to offer currently has a great photo exhibit running called “Elvis at 21” that’s not to be missed. It features 56 (all taken in ’56) black and white photos by Alfred Wertheimer of the man at his youthful, snarling best (a.k.a. pre drugs and sequin jumpsuits.) The candid shots are an interesting peek into a young man’s life pre-stardom, and several were taken in Richmond. Did I mention he’s really, realllly good looking?

7. Flea Bag in Normandy: Several stylish ladies in the office carry Fleabags and I’ve always admired the bags for their vintage frame and perfect not-too-big size. This one comes in a utilitarian surplus wool Italian army blanket with leather trim that could easily take you from winter to spring. I’m not one for trendy bags and this one is classic and useful enough to last years. The best part is it’s also on sale! Get it here.

8. Cookout: Sometimes you just need a cheeseburger and milkshake, and this place is my standard when I need a fast and cheap fix. You can find the chain only in a few select states south of the Mason-Dixon which has given it a cult-like fame. Dare I say it’s better than In-n-Out? Yeah, I said it. They also have 46(!) milkshake flavors. Try the peanut butter banana.

9. Patrik Ervell shirt: A collared shirt fetish has swept the Need office like wild fire, and this one is a favorite. 100% silk with super authentic men’s styling, this is a solid addition to any woman’s wardrobe. Fresh and clean navy + white is always a winning combination. Get it here.

10. Dolce Vita Jax: The fashion bloggers favorite finally hits the site this week in soft, summery, taupe suede. This classic ankle boot will look just as good with winter tights as it will tan legs come summer. The signature zipper tassel gives it extra sass appeal and the heel height is un-intimidating enough for everyday. Get yours here.

Based out of Richmond, Virginia, Soulcraft is an exploration in hand-crafted and sustainable design. Embracing the philosophy that working with one’s hands nourishes the soul, pieces are crafted one at a time by  Sarah Herdrich and Tristan Campbell from reclaimed materials until they realize a second life. No one piece is perfect, and no two are alike. Here are some photos of Sarah crafting a few pieces in their studio.

Get them in your size in copper or steel in two different widths here. Enjoy!

The concept is relatively simple: Spots. Simple and varied in size and color, thousands upon thousands of spots span together to make one of the worlds largest paintings. And thanks to the Gagosian‘s arsenal of galleries, 331 of Damien Hirst’s “spot” paintings are on display right now across the globe – 11 galleries in 8 cities on 3 continents. But what does the worlds highest paid artist mean behind these canvases? Why has Mr. Hirst and his many assistants spet countless hours making lots and lots of spots?