Transitions

This is the documentary I made on two Richmond area Transgender individuals. I tried to show a glimpse of the seriousness and humanity of Ben and Kia. I hope I did them justice.

VCU Area Restraunts Suffer as Recession Deepens

Old and new restaurants near Virginia Commonwealth University’s Monroe Park Campus are trying to cope with a difficult economic climate.

Missy Wernstrom opened the doors of the Bagel Czar, a breakfast eatery by day and a music performance venue by night, in Sept. of last year. “It is always difficult to start up a restaurant. Now it’ll just be a little harder.” She said

It took Wernstrom over a year to gut out what remained of Nancy Raygun, the night club that was there before her. “The economy was in good shape when I started this, now at restaurants all across Richmond the checks are smaller and there are fewer of them.”

But it’s not a downturn in customers that is really hurting this new business owner, it’s the high food costs. In the “old” restaurant business model food costs accounted for 20 percent of operating costs, now Wernstrom says it’s closer to 30 percent.

Conrad Lewane owns the Stuffy’s sub shop around the corner from Wernstrom which has been open since 1975 and he agrees. His volume of customers and sales has stayed the same, but his income has dropped. “It’s not just the food prices that went up, it’s the butcher paper, the plastic bags, and the electricity bill.” Said Lewane.

One thing that business owners in the VCU area have going for them is a steady stream of potential customers from the university. Lewane estimates that 85 percent of his business comes from VCU. “The really loyal customers are the faculty and staff; as long as I have them I think I’ll be ok.”

Cliff Edwards, professor of religious studies, comes in to buy a sandwich almost everyday. “I love to eat here, and I’ll keep coming here till my wife tells me to stop.” He does admit though there is a price breaking point, and that if prices went up another dollar he’d have to start “brown bagging” it.

Business owners have to find other ways to cut costs. Lewane and Joseph Musgrave, the owner of the Harrison Street Café across the street from Stuffy’s, have found that the best way to do that is to do more of the work around the store themselves. “I have to come in a little earlier, and give my people a few less hours.” Said Musgrave.

Musgrave has seen a decrease in the number of orders that come to his all vegetarian restaurant, but says that it isn’t really hurting him. “Since we make everything that we sell here we don’t have to worry about excess supplies, if we get fewer orders then we make less food.”

Owners are the only ones whose pockets are getting squeezed. John Hewitt is a Sophomore at VCU and he has to pay for school with the money he makes waiting tables at Café Rustica on Main Street Hewitt has worked there for over a year and sees “a definite decline in our dinner business.”

“Not only do I have to work harder to make rent, I don’t have money to go out to eat myself.”, Hewitt said.

Not all students are hurting for money though, Caitlin Grohoviack is a sophomore in the design school at VCU. She is aware of the recession, but says that it hasn’t really affected her much. “I actually have more money to spend on food.” She says, because her grants got larger.

And maybe it is students like Grohoviack who will help keep VCU businesses’ heads above water in the months, and maybe even years, to come.

VCU goes to D.C.

Tuesday morning at 3 a.m. 41 people who live in Richmond, mostly Virginia Commonwealth University students, climbed aboard a Hall's Tours charter bus to join two million others at the inauguration of the 44th President Barack Obama.

The trip was organized by two VCU students who wanted a chance to attend the inauguration themselves. Josh Kadrich and Kathrine Rivara both worked as volunteers for Obama's campaign over the summer. Kadrich, former regional director of Students for Barack Obama, said that the trip was “something we just needed to do.”

Students were offered the chance to pay $50 for a seat on a Hall's Tours bus that would drive them directly to the capitol. This allowed them to bypass much of the traffic because only taxis and buses were allowed to cross the bridges into the city. Participants were also able to avoid using the metro sytem that was expected to be busier than any time in its history.

They arrived in Washington D.C. at 5 a.m. And were only 10 blocks from the national mall where the ceremony was held. But because of crowds and security check points it took them three hours to travel the extensive series of detours and closed roads on foot.

This years inauguration was the largest and most expensive in history. Some estimates have attendance at the event doubling the previous record holder. That inauguration was for Lyndon Banes Johnson and had an attendance of 1.2 million. It also cost four times that of the the previous record holder President George W. Bush.

Attendees had to deal with low temperatures all day long. Sarah Drake, a senior in the theater department, observed that it felt colder when the sun came up than when they arrived at 5 a.m. The high temperature for the day was 31 degrees, and when the inauguration ceremonies began the temperature with wind chill was 14 degrees. “I was cold, but it was worth it. Don't get me wrong.”, said Drake

“This is a once in a lifetime thing, when I one day have a family I want to be able to tell them where I was when we inaugurated the first black president... like Woodstock” said Kelly Vetter, a senior in photography.”

Student's favorite part of the trip varied. Stephen Rice, a junior in business, said that his favorite was when Obama finally put his had on the bible and took the oath. “It was like the beginning of a new era for America.”

“I feel a little bad about it, but my favorite part was when they introduces Bush and a boo erupted from the audience.” Said Rivara.

“I was so happy just to get back on that nice warm bus.”, said Drake.

The question for many of the students was what happens next? Most of the trip participants had an issue which they wanted to see addressed. Rivara who is most concerned with the environment wants to see new green jobs, and Vetter wants Obama to immediately resend the executive order making it legal to hunt wolves in Wyoming.

Rivara knows that she isn't going to agree with everything that the new president does. She already disagreed with his choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation. But she feels that Obama has earned her trust by speaking openly and honestly about complex issues. “As long as he continues to treat voters with respect he will keep engaging an encouraging people like me to show up and help him get things done. Rivara said.