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$200+ giveaway by Point 5: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSOCSAxDwm6/

10% OFF your next purchase at Point 5 in Carytown:
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Richmond in winter, past to present. We open with reindeer lore and RVA snow-day nostalgia, then move through local holiday markets and simple gift philosophy before an on-air exchange. Midway, we taste non-alcoholic holiday picks from Point 5 and talk how to host with zero-proof options. The back half dives into Virginia history and winter folklore—Jamestown Day, Washington’s Delaware crossing, Krampus, St. Nicholas/Sinterklaas, Yule and evergreens—then lands in Richmond with Benedict Arnold’s raid and why local history is endlessly fascinating.

Quick interjection to invite you to Vera House Studios. If you are a local Richmond business, entrepreneur, brand owner, or service provider—and you know you need to create better content to get your products and services in front of the right people—we can help.

Get more info about our studio here.

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri

Got thoughts? Throw them at us by sending a text here

10% OFF your next purchase at Point 5 in Carytown:
https://verahouse.co/point5

In this episode we unpack the Browns Island closure and the proposed 2026 riverfront “boardwalk,” what it could fix, and where projects tend to stall in RVA.

We visit the recent viral drunk raccoon story and how it jumped to national outlets. The story of a raccoon busting his way into an Ashland/Hanover ABC store, ransacking its shelves and passing out drunk in its bathroom on Friday, Nov. 28 has garnered national attention. It’s inspired Virginia ABC advertisements, themed cocktail recipes, a mass scavenger hunt and even a pet election.

Most of all, a limited-time merchandise campaign has raised over $200,000 for the Hanover County Animal Protection Shelter as of the time of reporting.

Then: CoStar’s planned “digital skin” and the broader AI billboard debate in an arts town.

We zoom out to connecting downtown districts, Shockoe street upgrades, and the tension between adaptive reuse and clashy infill (including the Fairfax addition fight).

Then we take a nostalgic turn with Rewind Vintage (VHS, retro gaming) and a quick look at attention economics: why we still make long-form and how big shared moments fade. We close with the typical moon-landing debate :)

Keywords: Richmond VA, Browns Island boardwalk, CoStar screen, AI billboard, Shockoe street improvements, Fairfax addition, non-alcoholic options, Point 5, Rewind Vintage, VHS, retro gaming, long-form podcasts, moon landing debate.

Quick interjection to invite you to Vera House Studios. If you are a local Richmond business, entrepreneur, brand owner, or service provider—and you know you need to create better content to get your products and services in front of the right people—we can help.

Get more info about our studio here.

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri

Got thoughts? Throw them at us by sending a text here

10% OFF your next purchase at Point 5 in Carytown:
https://verahouse.co/point5

Richmond then and now: how Black Friday shifted from a one-morning scramble to month-long sales, what that did to malls, and why shared cultural moments faded (with Barbenheimer as a recent exception and GTA 6 on the horizon). The episode looks at Richmond’s growth vs. preservation—think Scott’s Addition then vs now—and why local brands should publish consistently if they want to matter.

There’s a Richmond history detour into The Valentine museum and its Victorian-era remedy, Valentine’s Meat Juice, plus a practical segment on non-alcoholic holiday hosting (how to stock simple zero-proof options and why it reduces pressure, keeps mornings clean, and includes more guests). A late-night door-knock story leads to basic city safety and common-sense reads.

Topics include: Black Friday history, dead/dying malls, event culture, 1990s nostalgia, Richmond growth and neighborhood change (Scott’s Addition), local media and publishing strategy, The Valentine museum, Valentine’s Meat Juice, natural vs. Western medicine, sober-curious hosting, and urban safety.

Keywords: Richmond VA, Black Friday then vs now, dead malls, event culture, 90s nostalgia, Scott’s Addition, The Valentine museum, Valentine’s Meat Juice, sober curious, non-alcoholic holiday drinks, local media publishing, Richmond growth, city safety.

Get more info about our studio here.

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri

Got thoughts? Throw them at us by sending a text here

10% OFF your next purchase at Point 5 in Carytown:
https://verahouse.co/point5

In this episode we talk about how the Vera show has grown into locally recognized media, then get into a weird story about nine burglars jumping out of a Hyundai Sonata in Warrenton, and what it says about choices and consequences. We cover dog-poop etiquette and why online shaming rarely changes behavior. There’s a quick comparison to Japan’s “carry your trash” norm and a lost-bag story that shows how culture shapes outcomes. We taste a non-alcoholic tequila from Point 5 and share sober-curious options for the holidays.

We close with the Shockoe street projects — two-way conversions, cycle tracks, roundabouts—and why details like paving and finishes affect whether people actually want to walk, ride, and spend time in a place.

Quick interjection to invite you to Vera House Studios. If you are a local Richmond business, entrepreneur, brand owner, or service provider—and you know you need to create better content to get your products and services in front of the right people—we can help.

Get more info about our studio here.

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri

Got thoughts? Throw them at us by sending a text here

10% OFF your next purchase at Point 5 in Carytown:
https://verahouse.co/point5

Follow Conditions:

https://www.instagram.com/conditionsband

https://www.facebook.com/conditionsband

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5CdtIKatJJJuXXjjxRtT8X

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/conditions/275764015

Richmond made them, the world loved them. In this episode, Brandon Roundtree and Alex Howard of Conditions; both veterans of Richmond’s vibrant music scene, take us from Canal Club nights and storage-unit rehearsals to national tours and records that still hit millions of streams every year — Fluorescent Youth and Full of War.

We get into the writing that’s melodic on record but explosive in the room, the mechanics of a true breakout from RVA, and why coming back to Richmond for a reunion mattered more than anything else.

Conditions absolutely dominated the mid-2000s and helped put Richmond on the national stage. This month we are all celebrating 15 years since their debut album Fluorescent Youth. To this very day, their music has a cult fan base, receives millions of streams, and their final reunion show coming up this weekend sold out almost instantly.

Brandon is a father, a husband, and the insanely talented vocalist and core songwriter behind Conditions. He took his influence and experience from previous metalcore bands like Scarlet, and later when Conditions formed he became known for his melodic, emotion-driven songwriting and vocals.

Alex has been the guitarist alongside him since the very beginning — one of the engines behind so much of the melodic, driving sound that defined the band. Today, he’s taken that same talent to an even bigger stage. Alex now plays bass guitar for Jelly Roll — a Grammy-nominated and award-winning country music artist currently selling out arenas and headlining festivals worldwide.

Conditions were a huge part of the late-2000s, early-2010s pop punk wave. They signed with Good Fight Music, released 3 full length albums, 2 fan-favorite EPs, and spent years touring nonstop. From Warped Tour to SXSW — and sharing the stage with bands like Paramore, New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, and many many more - today they’re on the eve of their reunion show here in Richmond and they just dropped their brand new single, “Belong Foreve

Quick interjection to invite you to Vera House Studios. If you are a local Richmond business, entrepreneur, brand owner, or service provider—and you know you need to create better content to get your products and services in front of the right people—we can help.

Get more info about our studio here.

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri

Got thoughts? Throw them at us by sending a text here

Join RVAx – the Richmond fan club you didn’t know you needed to be a part of:

https://www.therichmondexperience.com

Follow RVAx:
https://www.instagram.com/therichmondexperience
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How does Richmond decide where to go this week? Paige Poprocky and Kelsey Heintz pull back the curtain on ⁠The Richmond Experience⁠ — an independently owned, women-led, queer-owned local media brand that turns curation into what to eat, drink, see, and do in Richmond, Virginia. In this episode we have a fun chat about what it takes to run a lean, community-centric operation that locals deeply trust.

Kelsey and Paige run one of the largest local media outlets in Central Virginia.

We get into boundaries and burnout in entrepreneurship, evolving beyond basic content, how their paid vs. organic calendar actually works, and why their membership site stays member-first and ad-light.

We talk neighborhood shifts from Scott’s Addition to Brookland Park, the Carytown chain debate, and how social media allows Richmonders to figure out what's happening around town.

Get more info about our studio:

https://verahouse.myflodesk.com/info

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri

Got thoughts? Throw them at us by sending a text here

Richmond entrepreneur Hayden Mater sits down with us to unpack the ethos behind Mater Made — a watch brand built for real life, not glass cases. Hayden Mater is a serial entrepreneur, father and husband, and an explorer making timepieces that inspire curiosity, endurance, and a life well-lived.

Shop now at Mater Made:

https://matermade.com

Follow Mater Made:

https://www.instagram.com/mater_made

https://www.youtube.com/@MaterMadeofficial

https://www.instagram.com/haydenmater/

In this episode of Vera House we trace Hayden's arc from commodity trading and early door-to-door hustles to field-testing prototypes in harsh environments.

By day, Hayden is a department head at an international commodity trading firm, where he focuses on market strategy and operational leadership. But beyond the desk, he’s a modern renaissance man — a designer, athlete, and storyteller who believes business is a sport and life is meant to be explored.

What began as a fascination with functional design evolved into Mater Made, a brand that merges innovation, exploration, and well-roundedness — three principles that define both his watches and his worldview. Each Mater Made watch is more than a product; it’s a companion built for environments that test the limits of body and mind.

From the middle of the desert, to the middle of the ocean, and even to the racetrack and beyond — Hayden has taken Mater Made around the world to prove one thing: time is only valuable when you’re truly living it.

In this episode, Hayden lays out why he chose spec over status — movement choices that matter, materials where they count, and pricing designed to over-deliver. We dig into the idea of entrepreneurship as a sport (train the mind and body, compete daily), how to handle a launch that doesn’t sell out, and why documenting the adventure is part of the product and the journey. If you care about design that earns its keep — rugged × refined—this one’s for you.

Get more info about our studio:

https://verahouse.myflodesk.com/info

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri

Got thoughts? Throw them at us by sending a text here

10% OFF your next purchase at Point 5 in Carytown:
https://verahouse.co/point5

Less buzz, more clarity. We open with adaptogens over caffeine—Kin, L-theanine, lion’s mane—and why “awake” doesn’t have to mean jittery. Then we launch Boyfriend iPhone Bootcamp: turning a running joke into basics that actually matter—angles, light, distance, framing.

From there, a tour through Richmond’s layers: 18th-Street throwbacks (Tiki Bob’s, Alley Cats, On The Rocks), the Altria/Mosque pool that used to exist, underground water and hidden rooms, and why rooftop pools never quite stuck here. We break down what works now—Black Olive’s tucked-in rooftop energy—then talk service as product with a candid Coalescence debrief.

We close on resilience (doing the hard thing when the numbers pinch) and a real community moment: RPD vs RFD charity boxing at River City Roll, training at Vintage Boxing, and why shared rituals beat hot takes.

Keywords: Richmond VA, adaptogens vs caffeine, Kin Euphorics, L-theanine, lion’s mane, Boyfriend iPhone Bootcamp, Richmond nightlife history, Altria Theater pool, rooftop pools RVA, Black Olive rooftop, Coalescence coffee, River City Roll boxing, Vintage Boxing.

Quick interjection to invite you to Vera House Studios. If you are a local Richmond business, entrepreneur, brand owner, or service provider—and you know you need to create better content to get your products and services in front of the right people—we can help.

Get more info about our studio here.

This podcast is produced by Vera House — a creative club and premium media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion local brands, creative expression, rva culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern businesses.

Follow the movement:

instagram.com/verahouse.co

youtube.com/@verahousepod

verahouse.co

Hosted by Myke Metzger & Perri Young:

instagram.com/mykemetzger

instagram.com/planetperri