From CFO to Venue Owner with Nadia S. Anderson of Lavender Hill

Hey, friends.

Welcome.

And welcome back to noseyAF conversations about art, activism and social change. I'm your host and your friend Stephanie Graham.And right now we're in the middle of the 31 days of black business where I'm in conversation with the black business owner. You should know every single day. So today's guest was a CFO who left for lunch one day and never came back.Nadia Anderson is an event planner in Richmond, Virginia. And during the pandemic, she bought a 1934 brick Colonial and turned into a venue and co working space named after a scene in the movie Boomerang.But I'll let her tell you that story herself. Let's play our theme music and then we'll talk to Nadia. Welcome to noseyAF.

Gotta get up, get up to the whole world. You will win a winner vision of a star with a mission in the cause. What you doing, how you doing, what you're doing and who you are.Flex yourself and press yourself. Check yourself, don't wreck yourself. If you know me then you know that I be knowing what's up. Hey, Stephanie Graham is nosy as Nadia.

Welcome to noseyAF.

Thank you.

You know, I was clicking around on your website and I was like, oh, my gosh, what a dream space.And I feel like when I was so interested in having this project, I wanted to talk with business owners that had a place that, you know, listeners could actually visit. Like a listener in Richmond could come to Lavender Hill. So I just love it, getting started with our conversation.You started your career in accounting, became a cpa, and then you worked your way up to cfo. At what point did you realize your creative side needed more space in your life?

Um, I don't think that that was a conscious decision. I think my creative side had always taken up space.

Yeah.

So the story that I tell is that I was always using, like, the creative outlets and doing those sorts of things. But I took a baking class, a Wilton baking class, like a cake decorating class. And that got me, like, creating some things, like, in a different way.And I would make those things and share them with people at work.

Okay.

And that baking turned into a catering business. I partnered with a girlfriend that went to my church. I asked her to help me with my grandmother's 80th birthday party.So can you help me, like, lay out the food and, like, do the stuff? Cause we would do stuff together at church, but not outside of that. So I asked her to help me with that.And then more people in the church started asking us to do things other places. So the baking turned into catering, which turned into event planning.Because I would be annoyed as the caterer or the baker if I was ready to go and the DJ was late. And so I was like, if I'm the event planner, then I'm gonna pull together all the details, choose the best people, make sure everybody's on time.I'd rather do that.

Yeah.

So myself and the catering partner and friend, we actually split. She opened a restaurant cause she loved cooking like, you know, on a griddle and like doing all those things. But I was more into event logistics.But when we were working together, I would always say that business was the best kept secret in Richmond. Cause we both had full time jobs and we didn't want to tell anybody.But that was my creative outlet and I needed that as a full time, like working somewhere else for someone else as a cpa. And so I didn't want that to be disturbed or disrupted.But how I found myself doing that full time was that there was a shift in the leadership at the organization I was working for at the time. So about 10 years ago, where I was working, I was a CFO. We got a new CEO. She and I were like oil and water. We just did not mix.And so I was like, you know what, you got this. I'm gonna go do something else. So I literally like left for lunch and never came back and started the event planning business.

Wow, you just really left and did not come back after lunch.

So I have to tell you, I mean, there was more leading up to that.

Sure, sure.

Of course there was a lot that was going on. Like legal counsel had been involved, we had some HR things that were in place.And so I knew that my end was coming soon and I was looking for another job, but I didn't have another job lined up. And I certainly did not intend to be an entrepreneur or to like start this business.But on that day, I felt that I heard very clearly, like, you know, this isn't your fight, like you can walk away. And so I did.And I had been slowly taking things out of the office anyway, so like, I left, I went to lunch, I called one of my coworkers and I was like, there's two pictures like on the wall. Can you just grab those, put them in your car and I'll meet you eventually one day to get those things back. But yeah, I just left.

Wow, that's wild.And especially because, like, how did, like, what was the transition from like leaving that to saying, okay, I can bet on Myself and start my own business.

Uh, so I left. It was actually September 11th of 2015. And at that time I. Here I go. Taking another class. Like, I just like to learn different things.

Yeah.

You know, and I like to put more tools in my toolkit, around things that I'm interested in. So at that time, I was taking a class that was like a continuing education certification in wedding and event planning.

Okay.

Not with a plan to start a business, but just because I was beginning to do more things. And again, I wanted to have more tools in my toolkit and know more about what I was talking about. So I was taking that class.And so that class ended in December. It was like a 12 week thing. And so it ended in December. And so if I'm not mistaken, I don't know why, I oddly remember dates.I believe it was December 9th was the last day of the class. And then on December 10, 2015, I woke up with this business name and this business idea. So often there are things that are divinely inspired.They're not.

Absolutely.

Because if you want to hear from me as the accountant, like, I always have a plan A, B, C through G. And like, none of that was in my plan. I didn't know that in September I was actually continuing to interview and look for other jobs.But what I found was that I would find myself in the same situation that I was in at this particular job in terms of being supervised or managed by someone who didn't have the technical expertise that I had, who didn't appreciate what I was bringing to the table. And I was working at nonprofits.And so a lot of times all of our gifts and skills are pulled in when we're working at a nonprofit that's under resourced and you don't have someone to do something specifically.So I had another job offer, but the writing on the wall sort of said, you're going to be in the same position that you're in, you know, in the last job that you just left. And I was like, well, that doesn't feel like the thing to do. So I didn't, you know, take that job.And then again, like, I finished this class and then I get this business name. And so I'm like, okay, guess I'm gonna try this. Let's just see what happens.

Wow. And like, so you've been in business, like, is it already 10 years or is it coming up to 10 years? Wow.

It was 10 years that I started Virginia Grace Event Management, which is my event planning company. And then Lavender Hill is now Five years. Wow. So, yeah, I'm breaking, you know, statistics and stuff.

Yeah. That's amazing. What feels most different about Nadia today compared to Nadia who started this journey?

What feels most different? I think. I guess Nadia 10 years ago was very concerned with stability and the certainty.And Nadia today is very much uncomfortable or is more comfortable with the. I'm still gonna say instability or the uncertainty. Like, now I'm in a place of.I don't really think it's my job to know how things are gonna work out, but I know that they will. And that is a place I have arrived to, like, over this time. Cause I used to be.I mean, there are still stressors, of course, but, like, I used to grind my teeth, like, back to. Lots of things come to me when I'm sleeping or Dr. Screaming or whatever.And I couldn't sleep soundly because I didn't know, like, how I was going to pay my bills and, like, what was going to happen. And so I still don't know how. Yeah. But I'm okay with that. So I think that's most different from before.

Yeah.

I got to tell you, that's really encouraging to hear. Especially, like, I freelance in film, and it's just like, the. The film industry has just been so, like, up and down these past few years.And so just even hearing you say, like, back to me, just being like, it's not really, like, my job to know that is just like, phew. Like, I feel like it's like a Care Bear cloud that, like, let me, like, lay on it, like. Yeah, that's right.

I mean, you know, faith will find its way into this conversation, like, as we continue to talk. Like, I'm a woman of deep faith, and I think it's a Martin Luther King Jr. Your quote.That's like, faith is taking the first step when you can't see the staircase. Like, I believe it is my job to be obedient. I believe it is my job to make space and to listen and to be open.But, like, after that, like, if God told me to do it, then I'm just gonna go, like, whatever the next step is. Like, I'm gonna move with that. And I don't think it's my job to see all the way out and the how and all the mechanics.And so that's something I'm comfortable with now that I wasn't ten years ago before.

Yeah.

Yeah.

How does Virginia Grace and Lavender Hill work?

Yeah. So they're separate LLCs. And anytime I'm planning any event, it's under the Virginia Grace arm.And so Lavender Hill is the LLC that owns the building, and it is the physical space. And so sometimes there are events that happen at Lavender Hill that play in Virginia Grace.But sometimes, like right now, I'm on the second floor down on the first floor, there's a dinner that's happening. I didn't plan that dinner. That woman just rented space. Okay. She had no. Like, there's not the interaction with me as a planner.So sometimes the two, you know, intersect. And also, like, legally, the way the structure is, Virginia Grace rents space from Lavender Hill.

Okay. Okay.

Because Lavender Hill owns the building. So Virginia Grace pays rent to Lavender Hill, and that's how Lavender Hill pays its bills.

Okay.

Also, when people rent space here, they are renting space under the legal structure that is Virginia Grace. So Virginia Grace is earning money by planning things and by renting this space.And then Virginia Grace rents or pays rent to Lavender Hill in order to be here and occupy this office and have the space to rent.

I see. Yeah. It's like a big, like, circle. Yeah, I like that. Yeah. It also sounds, like, confusing. Does it ever get confusing?

Not to me. Yeah, not to me. That's that cfo.

That's that cfo, right? Could be.

Could be. Yeah.

I just love the aesthetic. How did you. Can you talk about the aesthetic of Lavender Hill? It's just so pretty.

I'll tell you. Just, I guess the whole origin of lavender. Hip, please.

Yeah, please.

So through Virginia Grace, as a wedding planner, I've always heard, well, shoot, even in my work as a cpa, people are like, oh, that's stressful. And I'm like, not for me. And planning weddings, people are like, oh, that's so stressful. I'm like, no, it's not.Not for me, but for my clients, I developed some gifts that were gifts that I would give at different milestones along the planning journey. And many or most of those gifts had lavender in them. Like, lavender has calming properties, like reset your nervous system and that sort of thing.So I was giving gifts to people with lavender, so there was always an association with me as a planner and calmness and lavender. So that's a piece of the lavender story. But also Lavender Hill specifically is a direct reference to the movie Boomerang.So Boomerang was released in 1993. I was not allowed to watch R rated movies. I couldn't go to that movie. But I spent the night at a girlfriend's house and her parents took us.Oh, and that was my favorite movie.

Yeah.

And it was like, when I grow up, I want a boomerang job. Because everybody was creative and they were operating at the top of their game, and the clothes were fly. And they got to go on a trip.I think they went to New Orleans. They got to go on a trip with their job and wear fancy clothes.And I was like, I want a job, you know, like that, where everybody is just displaying black excellence.

Yeah.

So that really stuck with me. There's a scene in the movie Eddie Murphy goes to Eartha Kitt's house, and Butler opens the door, and they're like, welcome to Lavender Hill.So Eartha Kitt's house in that movie was called Lavender Hill. So that's the direct, like, name. But Lavender Hill to me means black excellence. It means black opulence, like everyday luxury finery.Like, we deserve those things. And also a creative space, like, for me to be in work that I wasn't able to find elsewhere.So I made that space, like, for myself, but also welcome others in.

You talk about creating spaces where people can celebrate and collaborate with ease. What do you think people are really looking for when they gather together?

I mean, right now especially, I think it's important for people to find a space where they can just exhale, like, show up as your full self and be welcomed into a space and feel like you have some real point of connection, like, with the folks that you're gathering with. And so just trying to create space for that.

What has owning and growing Lavender Hill taught you about leadership, faith, and perseverance?

So, so, so, so much.

Yeah.

Let me also share. Lavender Hill is a house. It's a brick colonial house. It was built in 1934. I have bought houses before. So I saw this building.There's actually an old 711 right next door. I can look out the window and see it. So I toured the 711 first. I was looking at that space because it had a parking lot.

Okay.

But a 711 is just a big rectangle. So I walked in and I felt uninspired. It felt dark. Like, there's only windows on the front, not windows in the back.And so I walked in and I was like, I don't really like this. And then as I was turning out of there, I saw the for sale sign here. Here at Lavender Hill.And at the time, it was listed as a residential property because it's a house. But it was operating as a real estate office. So for 40 years, nobody's lived in this house since 1985, for 40 years, it's been a Commercial space.It was a real estate office, like I said when I bought it. And so I saw it. I walked in. There's windows in every room. Like, it's very bright. I just sort of came alive when I walked into this space.And I was like, oh, I could see how this could be it. And it's a house. I bought a house before. Like, it's not a big deal. Right?

Yeah, house.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Because. Because it's a commercial building. There's so much other bureaucracy, like red tape, just stuff that was going on.And also, I bought this building in the middle of the pandemic. So it was 2021. The people at City hall that I needed to go and talk to to get permits, like, was very much antiquated.Like, they kept stuff in file folders. And Earl isn't here today. He's working from home. So he took the file folder with him. And I can't talk to him.Like, it just took a lot to get the permits that I needed. I didn't do a lot of renovations. I did very light renovations. But I still needed, you know, to get some paperwork in order.And that was much harder and much different than me doing something at a house that I own.So I've learned a lot about our city system and how they work and the inefficiencies that are there and how many of the people who work for the city are not and have not been small business owners.So there's not a lot of empathy or understanding for what it takes to full time, like, operate a business, trying to run a building and then still have to run downtown to city hall. And yeah, get. Be here all day for eight hours for y' all to stomp these papers and push them around.So I've learned a lot about our process and just how they work. And if anyone will listen, I have recommendations for things that could make things more efficient. But it's been. It's been really challenging.And I'll also share. Zoning is different for commercial buildings than it is for residential buildings.And the zoning for the building where I am changed after I purchased the property.

Oh, wow.

And so the city doesn't send you a notice to say, hey, the zoning has changed, and here's what the new rules are. So almost immediately or shortly after I bought it, the zoning changed. But nobody told me that.And I was already working to get some things up to code or up to the previous standard. And those things take time and money. So I was pulling together money to satisfy.And then as soon As I satisfied the requirement, they were like, well, actually, the zoning changed, so you don't have to do that anymore. Now you have to do this. And I'm like, I just spent $3,000 putting up a fence to hide my trash can, and now that's not required. Or I just spent.You know, I think I paid $600 to have the parking lot behind here restriped because they said the lines, the white lines weren't dark enough. People couldn't see them. What?

Oh, my gosh.

To satisfy the zoning, I had to make the lines more. So I had to pay somebody to, like, seal the parking lot, put these lines down.And so then as soon as I did that, they were like, actually, we changed the requirement. You don't even need any parking spaces anymore. It's like, what?

Yeah, it's like, you guys need an email program and some docusign going on.

But I'm like, you send me my water bill every month. You couldn't have stuck something in there to say, hey, people, with this address, you're now under these requirements.Like, you're already communicating with everyone. So it's the same. It's a different department, but it's the same entity.But very much I'm finding out the right hand don't know what the left hand is doing, and nobody's talking to each other. And that has created a lot of challenges.And actually, I'm still in the middle of a challenge because the new zoning created a rule that says that you can't gather people outside within 100ft of a residential zone. So I'm in a commercial zone,.

But.

About 40ft away from my property line begins the residential zone. And about 80ft away from my property is a house. And so because I'm within 100ft of a house, they're like, you can't gather people outside.So that is a zoning requirement that I am actively still fighting.

Yeah, currently. Yeah. That's really frustrating. Cause it's like, how are you to stop somebody's uncle from, like, a wedding?From, like, walking down, you know, with a cigarette or anything like that? Like, give me a break. Yeah. I'm so sorry. And so you've like, are you, like, sort of like learning all this as you go too? Yeah.

And from day one. From day one, I'm like, can you give me a checklist? Like, can you tell me all of this? Yeah, I'm good at following instructions. Right.So give me the instructions and I'll follow em. But. But each step I take back to this not seeing the whole staircase. Each step I take, there's some new information that's revealed.And then I have to be like, oh, okay, so how do I find my way around that?

Wow.

Yeah.

Well, I'm so sorry. It's so frustrating.

Yeah.

You know, it's like, beauty is pain. Because it's such a beautiful place.

It's tough. It's tough.

I hate that. Yeah. When you plan events, what's your favorite events to plan? Is it the weddings? Is it, you know, debutante balls? Like, what?

I. I like a good love story. So I love to participate in and help people with weddings.But I will say that for me, I really just like to help people deliver on what their vision is.Or the best events for me to plan are when I'm working with clients who can, you know, articulate what it is that they want, and then they reflect back to me what they see in the event. So the best, I guess, a story that comes to mind is I planned a wedding for a young woman. Well, actually, the couple got married in St. Louis.

Okay.

And at the time, the groom was studying in London, and the bride was living in California, and I live in Virginia, but they were getting married in St. Louis. And so we're making lots of decisions. We're doing zoom calls across all these different, you know, time zones.We have to figure out what time we can talk. But there were some final decisions that we needed to make.Like a few days before the wedding, before we all get to St. Louis, when we're in town to set things up. And the bride was like, you know what? She's like, I trust you. And at this point, like, I just want the day to be magical. So fast forward we go.The wedding is beautiful. That was very much like Black Excellence. We had ballerinas. It was at a theater. Like, it was a beautiful thing.And then one of the guests, like, comes up to me after, and she's like, today was so magical. And I was like, she didn't participate in that conversation, but to have it, you know, reflect back.Yeah, I'm like, we did what we set out to do, and that feeling is everything.

I love that she said that to you, because it was like, you, like, hit the goal. So that was gonna be my next question. Is, like, Virginia Grace available for travel, or is it just, like, in Virginia?

Uh, nope. I will travel.

Hello.

Yeah. So, yeah, I've done weddings. Like, I said that one in St. Louis. I've been to Malibu. I've been to New York. I've been to Jackson, Mississippi.So all of those are like relationship based, meaning, you know, folks that I knew through somebody else or something like that. But I'm open to travel.

Okay, good to know.Yeah, I want to quickly just pivot to talking about the coworking that's available at Lavender Hill, because I feel like there are some co working spaces here in Chicago that just really don't feel like they give this home vibe, beauty vibe, you know, black excellence vibe, no shade, you know, but it's so pretty. So can you talk about, like making this sort of space available to cowork?

Yeah. So again, I mean, I created a space that I wanted. Right. Cause I couldn't find what I wanted someplace else.And again, I bought this building in the middle of the pandemic. And we did. I guess you alluded to the fact that I'm also a cpa. Like, that was my accounting was my primary discipline.And for the three years where there were no events because we weren't gathering, then I was back to being an accountant, like working independently, but helping people understand, you know, all these new regulations that were coming out during the pandemic. So PPP loans and like, grants and assistance, like helping people, other small business owners, get their books together.And so when I moved into this building, I had accounting staff that was working with me.But intentionally, as the pandemic, you know, faded away and we started having more events, I turned off much of the accounting, like arm, so that's a separate business, and dialed up the events piece. But I had space because I didn't have staff anymore. I had space for people to work. And I was like, I don't need to be here by myself.There's more space than I need. So began to open it up to allow people to co work here. But I don't know, I like to sit in comfortable chairs.And again, there's windows in every room in here. And so there's bright light that comes in and that's inspiring and beautiful and wonderful.So I wanted people to feel comfortable, like when they come in. And then again, because it's a house, like, aesthetically, there's already gonna be this cozy vibe.You know, we were talking before we started recording about other coworking spaces that you might go into. Also.I think this a lot of times when we talk about co working, what we really have is independent business owners who are working in their own office. So many other co working spaces, the model is to sell office space to like one person or a small team.And then there are, like, gathering Spaces or places where people can generally come and work. But that's not what pays the bills. What pays the bills is the individual people in their own office.And often those people who are working in the office, in my experience, I have found they are men and they are, you know, kind of closed off.

Yeah.

And it's kind of like, I don't know, bro culture, like, around. And so the furniture represents that, and just the aesthetic is a different thing. So I have been told.You know, this place is just comfortable and cozy, and also it's a feminine vibe.

Yeah, that's the word. Yeah.

Yeah. So, yeah. But also, I mean, this is a space. It is an intimate space. So you gotta want to know your neighbor.You gotta want to talk to the other people who are around you. And, like, my desire is to build community so that people can lean upon each other, like, finding out what the other disciplines are.And so also, here in this space, currently, I don't have any private spaces. Like, all the workspaces are shared. So there are places that you can peel off and go, like, take a call if you need to.Like, I call them telephone booths that I've created. But. But generally, when you're working, you're sitting at a table, like, near to someone else.And so I want you to get to know that person and what they're working on and what's important to them. Of course, focus when you need to.But you want to know people here, and you want to feel comfortable around the other folks that you're working with and not go isolate in your office that's in, you know, a shared space next door to somebody else else.

Right. Or maybe even be at, like, a coffee shop. Which coffee shop?You know, work culture is a big thing, but it is nice when you could be someplace cozy and not have to worry about, you know, like, girlfriends catching up at the table next to you while you're trying to, like, type up a proposal or something.

Yeah, yeah.

You describe yourself as both creative and analytical. A lot of people think those are opposite. How have those two sides of you worked together in building your business?

This is a good question that I haven't considered. I will tell you. The first thought that comes to me is that when I was working as an accountant, I often heard I've never met an accountant like you.And I didn't take that as a compliment. I was young and wanting to do good in my profession and fit in with the people who are around me.

Yeah.

And so I tried to.I mean, and back to, like, that creative stuff was always sort of seeping out, whether it was in, like, my eyeglasses or how I wear my hair or, like, what my clothing was like, right? So, like, I never met an accountant like you or just curious questions, you know, that other folks might have.And so I tried not to let that stuff show up. Up too much. But I think. I don't know, age and maturity and wisdom and somebody making me mad, like, realizing I just kind of am.That I am analytical and creative. And I think the creative helps with. Helps to get through, like, some of the problem solving that's in the analytics.So finding another way to do it or also just making stuff look beautiful. Like, if we're thinking about, like, being an accountant and, like.Like, I don't know, in those days, dragging around, like, a briefcase with all of these papers or, like, sitting in a cubicle that, again, not a lot of sunlight coming in. All the desks are gray. Like, finding some stuff to pin up that made it feel like my space, that would give me some energy plants.I'm always dragging life into spaces. So if you go downstairs in Lavender Hill, there is, like, I like to say, bringing the outside inside.So, like, there's something living in every room. But that creativity, like, fuels all of the work. So it, you know, got harder and harder for me to try to distance, you know, from that.And so I feel like, you know, that's a lot of what led me to quit, you know, trying not to show. Like, if I can't, you know, be me, then let me. Let me. Y' all had this. I'll go find somewhere else.

Do you.

Your partner, who you started with, who now has the restaurant, do they ever cater your events?

Yeah.

Oh, cool.

She has. It's funny.I am hosting a gathering here on Wednesday, and I woke up thinking about her this morning, really thinking about chicken salad, because that was one of the things that she made that I really enjoyed, and I could make it myself. But I woke up this morning, like, I should call her and ask her if she'll make me some chicken salad up. But, yes, she has catered stuff here before.

What is one way that, like, you know, we can support your business outside of, you know, booking your services and renting out the. Is it appropriate to call it a house? Renting out the house?

Yeah.

Renting out the space.

Yeah.

Yeah. How. How can. How else can we support you?

So, of course, like, just amplifying the story, like, yeah.You come across me and you think it's cool, like, let other people and just as you shared, like people do travel so you don't have to live in Richmond, tourism is big here, so a lot of people come to Richmond or pass through Richmond, and so there might be opportunity for you to find your way here. But I will also share this fight that I'm in with the city about the zoning. I could use some support there so I can share this with you.Like to put in the show notes. But there's.

Yeah, please.

A nonprofit that I've partnered with that people can.If you can't come here and rent the space, which obviously helps to give me revenue, you can, like make a donation through this nonprofit in order to pay the legal fees that I have to pay in order to. Because my business is not yet turning a profit. So, like, I think something else. So, I mean, it would be helpful to have support in that way.

Yeah.

Because it's kind of crazy for me to be a property owner and be told that I can't gather people outside.

Yeah. Like, that's like one of the whole points that.

That is the whole point.

Yeah.

I asked these questions up front before I bought the building, and then the rules changed. And also, I mean, I'll throw this in there because this is the podcast that we're on and what we're talking about.While this building has been commercial for 40 years, to my knowledge, I'm the first black owned business to be in this space. Also, the demographics of the neighborhood that I border statistically, I don't want to misspeak, but let me say this.I'm not aware of any black families that live in this neighborhood. And so while the zoning changed, how I became aware of the change was because I had a band that came.I was doing an event series called Beats and Blockbusters where I would have two hours of live music and then the sunset and then show a movie. Of course, Boomerang was the first movie that I showed.

Right.

I think the movie this night was Brown Sugar. But I had a band who was playing, like, some of the music from the soundtrack. It was a great night.It was in May, and so it wasn't too hot, but it was warm enough and it was a vibe. And let's say there were like 60 black people enjoying music in a space where perhaps they had not previously.And so neighbors started looking over the fence and complaining about the gathering. So that was one gathering. Two neighbors came over and said, hey, you know, the music's too loud. I said, you know what? I won't have bands anymore.Maybe it was Maybe it was. I could see how a drum kick could, like, you know, spike and be a little loud. So I was like, okay, we won't have bands anymore.So the neighbors came over, I responded, and, you know, took action to change that. But the story that grew out of that one time with the band spun out of control.

Really?

Yeah. And so many neighbors started writing letters about, we don't want this business in our neighborhood. It's going to, you know, attract.I mean, some letters were like, oh, it's gonna attract alcohol and drug use and rats and all of these things. And so that fed into this conversation that I'm in with the city about not being able to gather people outside.So all of this started from the question of, how can you support me if you're not in Richmond?We can link you to the nonprofit to be able to help with the legal fees, to defend my right as a property owner to gather guests outside of our property.

Oh, my gosh, Nadia, I'm so sorry that you're having to deal with that. That is frustrating. Af.

It is frustrating.

Oh, my God.

AF and unbelievable.

Yeah, it's.

It's. It's kind of unbelievable.

Yeah, we're just trying to make black excellence beautiful times and memories here, and.

Music is very important.So, like, we're having conversations, and when I say we, I mean with the city council person that represents this area and also represents the neighbors. So we were trying to negotiate about how many events I could happen outside and how many people and whether or not there was amplified sound.And so the neighbors wrote up this. I'm gonna say, list of demands. And so they were like, no drums, no bands, no.And you have to have security every time you gather people and, like, all of these things. But I'm like, music is so important to me, and music is healing. You can't take away the music.So I'm not agreeing to anything that doesn't allow me to have music. Also because I'm in a commercial zone, not a residential zone.Also because in the residential zone, you could have your daughter's graduation party without restriction. So what makes my property, like, different? And how can you impose restrictions only on me? There is no hoa.So I was like, okay, if we come up with community rules that say all of these things and everyone in the community agrees, absolutely. I will abide by that. But you can't impose restrictions only on me and my property.

Right. You don't like it? Yeah.

Yeah.

Not cool.

Not at all.

Yeah. That's really angering. I'm like, sitting here thinking, like, yeah, please send me that information, because that's just not cool. Because I.What I love that you're doing too is that you're like, creating events.Like, I could think of this one particular banquet hall that's not a house, it's like a hall it doesn't have unless you're having like a specific event, you don't go there.

Yeah.

And so it's cool that, you know, Lavender Hill is like a third space where people can come gather, have, like something else to do, you know, get outside and enjoy. And it's just being like beaten down because I feel like our communities definitely need more third spaces. Our neighborhoods need more third spaces.

Definitely need more third spaces. And as you see, I'm someone that creates the things that I want, so couldn't see a place to do the kinds of things I was doing.And also there's power and value in being outside.

Yeah.

So, like, what we're now in discussions about is outside. They're like, you can do whatever you want inside, but don't come outside. I'm like, no, my feet need to be in the grass when I hear the drums.Because there's something ancestral and, like, connecting about that. And there aren't other spaces that are privately owned.And if we wanna, you know, be specific about it here in Richmond that are black owned, that have grass or green space, there's restaurants that have patios that are hardscape. But I'm like, where can I go, you know, and host something or attend something and put feet in grass, like.

Yeah, right. That's not like the first common.

Right, right. Or like a public, again, a public park, which is the same as like working in a coffee shop. Whoever shows up, whoever drives by.Like, my space is fully fenced and enclosed.

So.

Yeah. So it's, it's, it's a good thing, it's not a bad thing.

Yeah.

You know, after 10 years of Virginia Grace and five years of lavender Hill, what does sustainability look like for you now? I mean, I know we're working with the whole zoning situation.

I just need to break even, like, specifically on this building. This building is perhaps to date, like, the biggest dream that I've had that I've seen come to fruition.And while I did the work to acquire the building, there is still the work to keep the building.

Yeah.

And so Virginia Grace has to stay active and busy.And Nadia, the CPA is a different brand that has to stay somewhat active and busy because they gotta make the money to bring to this building that is sucking up up all of the money. So still, you know, desiring growth, like, to get to the place where there is sustainability, you know, for this building and for this place.

Yeah.

In the middle of, you know, trying to, I guess, just share what the value is and represent myself accurately. Because often what has been shared has not been accurate.So trying to tell my own story, to be able to get to a place where more people are aware of Lavender Hill, where more people come here and have a great time and invite other people to come and have a great time. And so, yeah, I'm still striving for that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You've built businesses around helping people celebrate important moments in their lives. Has that changed the way you think about celebration in your own life?

Yes. I will say I serve others so much that sometimes I forget myself. So I try to, like, celebrate little things or, like, create milestones.I have a journal where I'm like, instead of writing a to do list, I write a done list. So the things that I did. Yeah, I celebrate.And I also, this year, first time, like, I always make, like, do an exercise to, like, review the previous year and, like, look ahead for the next year. Like, pick a word, do a vision board, like, do all of that stuff. But this year, I did a bingo card.

Okay, cool.

And so when you get, like, bingo, like, in any particular way, like, having a celebration moment, then. Because I did, you know, some things that I wanted to do. So trying to be intentional about celebrating myself.

Yeah.

But also I think about. So my next milestone birthday is 50, and I think about, what does that look like?And because I've seen so much and done so much for other people, then I have grand ideas of what that should be.

Yeah.

I don't know that I'll be able to achieve those things back to. I'm still not profitable, and I'm still throwing all of my money at this building.So maybe my 50th birthday is actually going to be here at Lavender Hill.

Yeah.

But my birthday's in January, and I prefer to travel somewhere warm instead of being in Virginia in an ice storm. So we'll see.

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Before we call our conversation complete, is there anything else that you want to share about running Virginia Grace and Lavender Hill?

Um, I think it's funny that you asked. Like, does it get confusing?

Mm.

Because to me, the delineation between the two is clear. And to me, this progression of starting these businesses is just organic. Like, it's just, here's the next natural thing to do.And so I have always kind of just been flexible and open in that way, like, in entrepreneurship, to be able to follow the steps, to get to what the next thing is. Um, and I do feel like very early on, so let's say 10 years ago, eight years ago, I felt like I had to do a lot to explain.Well, I do a little of this and I do a little of that, but I'm like, they all compliment each other and go well together.Like, certainly the accounting piece is the undercurrent for all the businesses and knowing the numbers and what's going on there, and then being able to have the experience of walking into several other venues to then be able to create a venue and say, well, what do I need? Like, what. What's missing? How should things be set up and organized? Because I've seen, you know, how to work through logistics in different spaces.So everything, to me, like, feels like, you know, it complements each other. I do think. I didn't. I didn't anticipate that buying this building would be as difficult as it has been.

Yeah.

So, I mean, I thought the hard part was, you know, saving the money to get the downtown. And that was hard. Right? Like, Right. And that was hard. But we keep going through levels of hard. So now the hard is to maintain, to be able to.

To.

To stay in this space. Yeah, yeah.

And it just keeps challenging your faith.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's like, even though, you know, like, to trust God, you're like, okay, God, but you're also like, okay, God.

And.

And also, what I find, like, right now in this season, like, people who know me and people who love me are like, are you sure it's worth it? Like, we see you, we're with you, but is it worth it? And I'm like, you know, again, I haven't received any instruction to do anything different.I'm following, you know what I mean, the guidance that I have received. And perhaps the. Is it worth it? Like, perhaps the end goal is not profitability for Lavender Hill. Maybe that's what I thought the end goal was.Maybe that's not what the end goal is. Maybe the end goal is to expose the inefficiencies in the city.Maybe the end goal is to have a black business in this space outside of where we would historically or traditionally be. Cause that's something else that I keep hearing is, well, why don't you go someplace else? Like, why do you want to be over there?And I'm like, this is 2026. I should have the option to choose to be wherever it is. Allegedly, I can be wherever I choose to be. So is that true or not?And so maybe the end goal or what success looks like is not what I thought it was when I got here. And maybe I won't know the answer to that question until sometime later from now on.

And I know that these folks love you when they ask is it worth it? But is that a helpful question?

Is it a helpful question? I don't think it's helpful, but it's not hurtful either.

Okay.

And it opens space for me to also display my faith. Like, again, so to say.Like, you know, if I had a menu and if I were able to choose the challenges that I would be faced with, I would choose this shit. Like, yeah, but it ain't about me or it's bigger than me. Like, I'm a part of it.But I think it's also very clear to me that again, I think we started this conversation with, I'm on divine assignment. Right.And so I don't, you know, I'm, I'm looking and leaning and I just last week, a week ago, like, submitted some more information and filed a petition, like, with the city to get them to review or like I'm trying to get them to appeal this decision that they've made about the property. And so I filed that on Tuesday of last week and I. On Wednesday, I started a fast. Like, I'm doing a 40 day fast.Like, I need to hear what, what, what, what's up? Like, so, you know, is it worth it? That question is not at this time.Like, for me to answer, like, the, the answers are still coming and I'm making room to hear, to hear from God on what those answers are.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, if, for what it's worth, it's very encouraging to hear you talk about your journey and what all is going on. You know, I have, like, ideas for projects that include, like physical spaces.So even thinking about what all that could be and what the surprises could be, you know, it's helpful to hear for sure.

As much as you prepare, you're still, it's still a learning journey, right? Yeah. Because there would be no way for me to anticipate all that has happened. Yeah.

So it does seem like entrepreneurship doesn't seem like there's ever a space to rest.

I would agree with that to this point.I have a girlfriend who is a hairstylist and a salon owner, and she, you know, she and I talk a lot about business challenges, but let's say she's been.She's had her salon for 15 years, but let's say she's been, like, you know, independently, like, doing hair, not working for someone else for like, I don't know, 33 years or something crazy like that.

Yeah.

And so to hear her reflect back some of the things that I'm thinking, I'm thinking, oh, well, she already got to the point, like, when she got her building, then I was like, oh, you're comfortable. You know what the clientele is, you know what it's going to be like, cool.Like, by the time I hit year X, I'm going to be, you know, have a different experience and rest and not have to create, you know what I mean, these new things to respond. But that's not the case either. Like, she's been my model of long term, you know, I guess, growth and change in the entrepreneurial space.And I've not yet met the person who is like, you know, it's cool, I'm on cruise control.

Just reminds me that Instagram is only a highlight reel, for sure.

And you can't believe everything you see, or maybe you do to a point. But know that it's curated. I told you what I wanted you to know. Know for sure.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, thank you so much, Nadia, for bringing your expertise, your wisdom, your experience, and sharing your services of Virginia Grace and Lavender Hill. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for asking thoughtful questions like, oh, thank you.I mean, I'm in it, you know, every day and don't really pull up to think about some of these things, but you asked some good questions, so I appreciate it talking with you today.

Hey, y', all, before we do the outro and all that other fun stuff, I wanted to share that Nadia is looking for a land use attorney. If this is you, if this is someone in your network who could work with Nadia in Virginia, please get in touch with her.Get in touch with me and I'll put you guys in contact. I would really love to make sure that Lavender Hill is around forever and definitely want to help her.I really enjoyed having the conversation with her. I really love the work that she is doing in Richmond.And so, yeah, please check your Networks, check your LinkedIn, check your family, check your friends, whoever you know that might be able to help Nadia. I would love to do it. So thanks again for listening to noseyAF. And yeah, talk to you later, gator.That concludes another episode of nosy AF, 31 Days of Black Business. I'm your host and friend, Stephanie Graham, I hope you took something away from today's conversation and had a good time hanging with us.Be sure to check out the show notes to learn more about today's guest and consider supporting their work. You know how it goes, whether you're making a purchase, hiring them, or simply spreading the word. Listen, who doesn't love a referral?It truly all makes the difference.Quick thank yous go out to Queen Lex and Freddie Bam Bam for the no cozy AF theme music and Emma McGo who hooked me up with the COVID art and branding. Shout out to the partners and supporters for this series. You could check them out in the show notes as well. Super grateful for a partner.Hello, that's the show Friends until tomorrow. Stay curious and take care.

Bye.

Sam.