Hilton Village Main Street (HVMS) recently welcomed Bird Girl Bottle Shop, a new indoor / outdoor bottle shop for both traditional and non-alcoholic beverages and artisan pizzas. Bird Girl offers carefully curated craft beer, wine, a rotating selection of pizzas, and outdoor seating on a large deck for nearly 50 guests.
Owners Britt and Derek Lapiska relocated their family from Wilmington, NC to Hilton Village, a historic neighborhood commercial district on the James River in the City of Newport News. They purchased a house on the corner of Warwick Boulevard and Hopkins Street that turned out to be both residentially and commercially zoned. The couple turned around and hired a local architecture firm, PMA Architecture, to help transform their new home into the bottle shop of their dreams.
Britt, who had supported the local Main Street program in Wilmington, was very excited to support Hilton Village’s Mobilizing Main Street (MMS) efforts and attended the organization’s very first merchant meet up. HVMS quickly hopped on board to support Bird Girl and provided a myriad of services to help them navigate the process of opening a business in the city.
HVMS helped streamlined Bird Girl’s pathway by identifying points of contact for each step in the process. And, by attending meetings alongside Bird Girl as an advocate, HVMS established relationships with key decision makers, absorbed important information, and identified opportunities for the organization. HVMS’ Economic Vitality committee looks forward to documenting all that was learned and creating a guide for future, new businesses.
“This process of relationship building has taught us so much. Because of the timeline that Bird Girl was on, so early on in our Main Street program, this really became an opportunity for us to learn and listen to the small business owners and the city departments working to get this across the finish line.”
JB Crowley, HVMS Executive Director
Throughout the process, HVMS connected with Elizabeth McCoury, Redevelopment Manager, and Shakir Johnson, Business Retention Coordinator at the city. These connections have ignited new conversations between the two organizations, as they work collaboratively to support local businesses in a cohesive and comprehensive manner.
While HVMS is working on their piece of the puzzle, The Newport News Economic Development Authority recently revamped their website and launched a refreshed one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs looking to open their business in Newport News. The website now features a step-by-step guide that includes points of contacts, tools, and resources to help a new business plan, permit, and launch. This is a great resource that’s already simplified the path for new businesses.
Photo Credit: Bird Girl Bottle Shop’s Facebook Page
Virginia Main Street 