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“We went into Downtown Richmond where storefronts were boarded up,” Regional Director Tim Russell recalls. Each vacancy was more than an eyesore—it was a missing piece of the local economy, vital to the dreams of residents, the strength of the community, and the future Richmond deserved.

“We set up shop there. We put our name on the window and started to have classes and workshops,” Tim explains. The community’s response was cautious. “They asked if we were going to stay,” Tim remembers. Other organizations had come before, promised help, and then left. Richmond needed economic recovery—and proof that promises would be kept.

Staffed in part by locals, Renaissance became a fixture at 1500 Macdonald Ave. Working with Richmond Main Street Initiative, they ran eight small-business workshops that year, plus informal lunchtime sessions they called “Richmond Business Bites”—making support accessible to entrepreneurs who couldn’t take time off during the day.

The community soon saw that Renaissance’s commitment was unwavering. Storefront by storefront, workshop by workshop, Richmond’s entrepreneurs began to respond.

What started as a few new shops created momentum—other business owners who had been watching took notice. By the end of 2014, 11 new businesses had opened within a few blocks of Renaissance’s shop, creating 56 new jobs.

Now, 11 years later, Renaissance continues to serve the community just a block from its original storefront, working every day to empower new business owners, create local jobs, and keep the neighborhood vibrant. “We transform lives because we stayed,” Tim says.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​