Juice bar to move once-controversial parklet to new Jackson Ward spot

The honeycomb-styled parklet in front of Ms. Bee’s old location on Brookland Park Boulevard. (Google Maps image)

While she’s finished relocating her Ms. Bee’s Juice Bar to its new location in Jackson Ward, owner Brandi Battle-Brown hasn’t forgotten about the custom-designed parklet that remains in front of her old Northside storefront.

Battle-Brown is planning to move the once-controversial parklet from Ms. Bee’s old space on Brookland Park Boulevard to its new location at 323 N. Adams St.

The restaurateur, who also owns the adjacent Hive Bar & Grill at Adams and Marshall streets, has secured city approval to relocate the parklet – a parking space-sized patio intended for outdoor dining – to a spot right in front of the Adams Street storefront that previously housed Saison Market.

The parklet will take up the equivalent of one parking space in front of the Adams Street storefront. (City documents)

The honeycomb-styled structure will take up the equivalent of one curbside parking space, with temporary plastic safety bollards placed around it, as was the setup at its Brookland Park location. In all, the parklet and bollards will fill a length of 30 feet, leaving enough room for two vehicles to park between the parklet and the stop sign at Marshall.

The parklet is one of seven that popped up in Richmond as an open-air dining option during the pandemic, when indoor dining was restricted. A city-funded program provided five parklets to qualifying businesses that applied for them, while two other parklets – Ms. Bee’s and another at Jackson Ward gallery Art180 – were funded separately with grants and private funds.

The parklet outside Art180 in 2021. (BizSense file photo)

The Art180 parklet, which is just around the corner from the new Ms. Bee’s, was part of a larger project to enhance Marshall’s intersection with Brook Road and remains placed beside the gallery at 114 W. Marshall St. In her application to the city, Battle-Brown noted the proximity of the parklets and said hers would help promote and facilitate activity in the neighborhood.

“The (Ms. Bee’s parklet) represents our commitment to enhancing the vibrancy and inclusivity of the Jackson Ward Art District,” Battle-Brown’s application stated. “This parklet will transform a portion of the street into a lively, green oasis where people can relax, socialize, and participate in various activities, thereby enhancing the neighborhood’s cultural and social fabric.”

City planning staff agreed in their review of the application, finding the Adams Street location “to be excellent for encouraging greater street activity and greater small business success in the Jackson Ward Neighborhood.” The review by the city’s Urban Design Committee was approved by the Planning Commission in November.

Last month, Battle-Brown said she is planning to move the parklet to Adams Street this spring, following some refurbishment to address weathering that has occurred to the wooden structure since it was placed three years ago.

She said she expects the parklet to get more use than it did on Brookland Park Boulevard, where opposition from some nearby business owners resulted in a redesign and reduction in size of the original structure, which was two parking spaces long and included a canopy. Battle-Brown said the refurbished parklet would include umbrellas.

Brandi Battle-Brown outside the old Ms. Bee’s on Brookland Park Boulevard in 2021. (BizSense file photo)

“I think that it will have better use in the Jackson Ward area. It’s a lot more traffic in that area,” she said. “I have a lot of traffic from VCU students and more student life in the area overall.”

Battle-Brown said she’s looking for a company to help her with the move and is in talks with several firms about assisting with the refurbishment, potentially pro bono. HKS Architects designed the parklet pro bono, and the structure was funded with private donations and a $20,000 grant that Venture Richmond helped secure.

Meanwhile, Battle-Brown said business at the new Ms. Bee’s and next door at The Hive has been going well. She opened The Hive two years ago in the former Saison restaurant space and had planned a market next door before deciding to use that space for Ms. Bee’s.

As for the five city-funded parklets, three remain in their original locations: in front of Stir Crazy on MacArthur Avenue in Bellevue, Hot for Pizza on Leigh Street in Carver, and Scoop on Strawberry Street in the Fan.

The two others were placed in front of Church Hill restaurant Nile, which closed last year, and at Fan restaurant Joe’s Inn, which gave back its parklet after a few months. The locations of those parklets could not be confirmed with the city in time for this story.

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