A Local Guide to Women-Owned Businesses in Richmond, VA

There is no shortage of incredible women-owned small businesses in Richmond VA. From the coffee shops that know your order to the boutiques where you always find something you didn’t know you needed, so much of what makes RVA special comes from the people building businesses here.

And there are plenty of women behind them.

In honor of National Women’s Small Business Month, we put together a guide to spending a day supporting women-owned businesses in Richmond, VA. But here’s the thing: this list could have been much longer.

Think of it less as a definitive directory and more as a starting point for your next day out in Richmond. Grab coffee, take a class, shop somewhere local, book a little self-care, meet a friend for dinner, and find something fun to do afterward, all while putting your dollars back into Richmond’s small-business community.

Ready to make a day of it? Here’s where we’d start.

Women-Owned Businesses in Richmond VA: Where to Start Your Day

Every good day starts with coffee. At least, we think so.

Richmond’s coffee scene gives you plenty of reasons to skip the drive-thru and make your morning caffeine run a local one.

Richmond Coffee Spots to Add to Your List

Start downtown with Sefton Coffee Company or make your way to Urban Hang Suite, where coffee and community go hand in hand.

If you’re headed toward Carytown, Sugar & Twine makes it very easy to turn a quick coffee run into coffee and a pastry. You can also add Café Synai, Riverbend Roastery, and Afterglow Coffee Cooperative to your RVA coffee list.

Whether you’re meeting a friend, settling in to get some work done, or just need a latte before the rest of your day begins, choosing a local Richmond coffee shop is one of the easiest ways to support the city’s small-business community.

Coffee stops from our Richmond guide:

And yes, ordering a pastry with your coffee absolutely counts as supporting local. We don’t make the rules.

Move, Recharge, and Prioritize Wellness

Coffee acquired. Next up: a little movement, recovery, or self-care.

One of the best parts about supporting local businesses in Richmond is discovering just how many options exist beyond the big-name studios and chains.

Richmond Wellness Studios to Explore

Depending on what your ideal morning looks like, you could book a class, try a new workout, or make time for something restorative at one of the wellness businesses featured in our guide:

You don’t have to completely overhaul your routine to support a small business. Sometimes it’s as simple as trying the Pilates studio you’ve been following on Instagram, booking the class your friend keeps talking about, or finally making an appointment you’ve had saved for months.

And if you find a place you love? Tell your friends. Word of mouth can make a real difference for a small business.

Shop Local at Women-Owned Richmond Boutiques and Shops

Now for the dangerous part of our itinerary: shopping.

Richmond’s independent shops are part of what makes exploring neighborhoods around the city so much fun. You can walk in looking for a birthday present and somehow leave with a book, flowers, a new outfit, something for your house, and absolutely no regrets.

Richmond Shops Worth Browsing

Book lovers can make a stop at Fountain Bookstore, while Richmond’s boutiques and specialty shops give you plenty of opportunities to find something you won’t necessarily see everywhere else.

Add these local businesses to your shopping list:

Shopping locally isn’t only something to think about during the holidays, either. Birthdays, hostess gifts, flowers, new clothes, books, celebrations, or just a completely unnecessary Tuesday treat, are all opportunities to check a Richmond small business first.

Book a Little Self-Care at a Richmond Beauty Business

If your version of supporting local includes leaving with fresh hair, glowing skin, or a little more confidence than you walked in with, Richmond has you covered there, too.

Beauty and Skincare Businesses Around RVA

Our Richmond guide includes salons, skincare specialists, aesthetics businesses, and beauty professionals, including:

Beauty and personal-care businesses are especially relationship-driven. When you find a stylist, esthetician, or beauty professional you trust, supporting them can go beyond simply booking your next appointment.

Leave a thoughtful review. Refer a friend. Share their work. Save and engage with their social posts. And when someone asks, “Who does your hair?” or “Where did you get that done?”—tell them.

Those small actions can have a meaningful impact on a local business.

Grab Lunch, Dinner, or Drinks at a Local Richmond Restaurant

By this point, you’re probably hungry.

Luckily, eating your way around Richmond might be one of the easiest ways to support the local community.

Richmond Food Spots to Try

Whether you’re planning lunch with a friend, date night, dinner before a show, or drinks to finish the evening, add these spots from our guide to your list:

Make a reservation, invite someone who hasn’t been before, and try somewhere new.

Supporting women-owned businesses in Richmond, VA doesn’t have to feel like a special occasion or a once-a-year initiative. It can be part of the everyday decisions you already make—including deciding where to grab lunch on a Saturday.

Make It a Night Out With a Women-Owned Business in Richmond VA

Who said supporting local had to stop at shopping and restaurants?

Richmond has plenty of creative businesses and experiences that can turn an ordinary night out into something much more memorable.

Richmond Experiences and Entertainment to Check Out

For your next date night, girls’ night, creative afternoon, or “we need something different to do this weekend” moment, check out:

Take a class. Make something. See a show. Try an experience you’ve never done before.

It’s a good reminder that when you’re searching for things to do in Richmond, VA, some of the best answers aren’t necessarily the biggest attractions. They’re the businesses, studios, makers, creatives, and gathering spaces that make Richmond feel like Richmond.

Meet Brand Gloss: A Women-Led Richmond Creative Agency

There’s one more Richmond business we know pretty well.

Because it’s us. Hi! 👋

Brand Gloss is a women-led branding agency based right here in Richmond, Virginia.

What began with founder and lead photographer Chelsea as a branding photography business has grown into a full-service creative team helping business owners build brands that people notice, remember, and trust.

Meet Brand Gloss

At Brand Gloss, we work across branding, website design, branding photography, and Instagram marketing to help businesses create a more cohesive presence.

In other words, we’re here for the business owner who has grown, but whose brand hasn’t quite caught up yet.

Instead of treating your logo, website, photography, and social media as completely separate pieces, our team looks at how everything works together. Because your brand shouldn’t just look good in one place. It should feel like you everywhere your customers find you.

And being part of Richmond’s business community makes posts like this especially meaningful to us.

We’re not simply talking about women-owned businesses from the outside. We’re building a business here, too.

We know how much goes into it.

The long days. The big ideas. The scary investments. The “is anyone actually going to buy this?” moments. The wins that deserve to be celebrated. And all the tiny decisions nobody sees behind the scenes.

That’s one reason women supporting women is an important part of what we believe at Brand Gloss.

There’s room for all of us to build something we’re proud of.

And sometimes supporting another business really is as simple as buying the coffee, booking the appointment, sharing the post, leaving the review, or telling someone, “You have to check this place out.”

Your Guide to Supporting Women-Owned Businesses in Richmond VA

We could have made this list so much longer, and that’s exactly the point. There are so many incredible women-owned businesses in Richmond VA, and this guide is only a starting point for discovering them.

The next time you’re grabbing coffee, shopping for a gift, booking an appointment, or planning a night out, consider supporting a local business. And when you find one you love, tell somebody about it. Leave a review, share their post, bring a friend, or recommend them to someone new.

Small businesses grow when their communities show up for them, and Richmond knows how to show up.

Find more favorites on the Brand Gloss Instagram, save our guide for your next RVA day out, and let us know which Richmond business we should visit next.

Where bold brands begin