Home & Garden in Lakeside

Feathernesters' proprietors, Marc Goswick and Tony Turner, scour their local farmers' market for fresh produce and eggs they transform into elegant spreads that have earned praise from RVANews. Marc, an avid gardener and cook, draws on homegrown recipes handed down from his mother and grandmother to craft the tasty creations found in Feathernesters' bakery. Among these creations, the signature buttermilk pie reigns supreme, earning a mention in Richmond magazine for the care Marc takes when making each pie fresh by hand every morning. During afternoon tea, fingers emerge from their bowling-ball hiding places to pluck sandwiches and fresh scones from a two-tiered tea tray as loose-leaf tea blends steep in personal pots, peppering the air with floral aromas. Brunch in the tearoom plays host to a smorgasbord of all-you-can-eat goodies, including baked Virginia apples with cinnamon and brown sugar, seasonal fruit, and Southern cheese grits. After meals, patrons can peruse Feathernesters’ 5,000-square-foot shop laden with vintage jewelry, handmade folk art, and hand-painted furniture arranged in displays designed by Tony. Marc and Tony also welcome parties to the tearoom, with events for all occasions from bridal and baby showers to tea parties for children aged 5–10 and child-sized cornhusk dolls.

Inside Ashley Furniture HomeStore’s sprawling warehouses and showrooms, friendly staffers stock plush beds, sturdy end tables, and stylish home accessories. Expert designers craft these dwelling fillers, testing raw materials' durability and basic arithmetic skills before transforming them into classy furniture items that mesh with any decorating style. They build many tables and chairs to meet eco-friendly business standards, using recycled engineered wood to reduce landfill waste and slow down deforestation. Ashley also stocks nonwood items, including a selection of state-of-the-art body-cushioning mattresses from brands such as Sealy and Simmons. For an additional charge, Ashley Furniture HomeStore transports its furniture using its own fleet of semi trucks and fighter planes, which ensure that comfortable couches and slick dining-room tables are never damaged and always fresh smelling. Each location is locally owned and operated, meaning staffers are friendly residents who know which couches best complement regional design trends and indoor weather patterns.

Miniature humans are stylishly outfitted with transportation, premium car seats, and accessories at weebsworld, a boutique store specializing in "hip gear for cool babies." Friendly staff members offer numerous services, performing complimentary baby-gear consultations that help parents pick out premium baby gear. Certified car-seat-installation technicians supply customers with weighted, life-size baby dolls to try out strollers and car seats, and a patented storewide stroller track lets them test baby chariots or train for upcoming carriage-pushing marathons. The staff will also assemble strollers purchased in-store free of charge in addition to providing complete product tutorial at pick-up, allowing parents and their pride and joy to wheel out of weebsworld in their stylish new ride.

A Guild Commended Framer, Frame Nation employs certified framers who match existing frames and create special projects from scratch. Behind the shop's brick storefront, staffers help customers to make selections from more than 2,000 frame samples, including acrylic, steel-welded, and wood options. Combined with glass, museum-quality practices, and a tiny flux capacitor, these protective casings preserve everything from diplomas to wedding photos. To find inspiration for their own creations, visitors need only view the artwork lining the walls. Frame Nation regularly displays the handiwork of local artists; one ever-present exhibit includes a collection of frames and three-dimensional collages crafted from recycled materials.

Richmond Fencing Club has molded budding fencers since JFK was president and humankind had just turned its eyes to the moon. Today, three instructors—each with their own titles from the Virginia Division Championships—helm the educational efforts, overseeing a program that educates students as young as 6 in the foot- and bladework required to wield a fencing foil competitively. They teach in a no-nonsense facility, its cinderblock walls decorated only with pegs to hang fencing equipment, its smooth hardwood floors interrupted only by well-worn fencing lanes. The fencing-dedicated space keeps elaborately uniformed students cool with central air conditioning instead of replacing helmets with ice buckets like lesser establishments.

Short of creating physical clouds to hold people aloft, Mattress Warehouse stocks almost every imaginable furnishing to help customers catch a few Z’s. Rows of name-brand mattresses from Sealy, Simmons Beautyrest, Serta, and Tempur-Pedic entice customers to replace their worn pad for new bedding, such as a standard mattress, a fluffy pillowtop unit, or a memory foam piece that conforms to bodies. Beyond mattresses, the warehouse also carries an ample collection of box springs, full bed sets with rails and headboards, and even premium futon mattresses that revitalize foldable couches.