Friday - Laid-back fun, but in a Va kind of way

I had two days in Richmond so I decided to hit up Richards. I’ve been there before about a year ago and it’s still pretty much the same. Generally, I had a pretty good and relaxing time - considering its Va. (i.e., Pasties).

If you’ve been to SCs in Richmond you probably have heard that all of them are owned by the same guy, except Richards. That means that the others are going to be all similar, and generally expensive. Richards cuts against the grain a bit by feeling more like a local bar and less like a club. It’s in kind of in a warehouse district recently turned into a trendy location for bars and breweries. So, it looks worse than it is and generally it’s safe to park around the building without concern.

I got there at about 9 PM on a Friday and paid, I think, a $10 cover. The layout is basically around a main stage in the middle with a bar at one end and pool table at the other. Wooden booths surround the stage on two sides with chairs around the rail. The bar-side has several rows of small tables as well. Generally, it’s a little dated but clean and kind of feels like a local’s bar - maybe oriented more to a bit older crowd. The bartender, DJ and girls are all friendly and comfortable and the music is a mashup of classic rock and all kinds of more current club fare. For the four hours I was there on a Friday night it wasn’t at all crowded but just enough other folks were around to make it entertaining.