Meet a Business is a series featuring the person behind some of your favorite locally-owned businesses.
What is your name?
Ames Russell
What's your hometown?
Richmond, VA
What is your business name?
AR's Hot Southern Honey
How many years have you owned/managed your business?
4
What did you want to be as a child?
Cowboy
What is the most popular item you sell?
Our Hot Southern Honey (Hot-Hot). Spicier version of our Hot Honey products.
What's the first thing you do every morning to set the tone for your day?
Review the to-do list I made the night before, and select the shoes and shirt to wear based on my schedule (customer interaction).
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
Packaging tape.
How did you come up with the name for your business?
Long story. It includes my initials, and three trending elements - Hot (spicy), Southern (especially as related to food) and honey.
How did you get the idea for your business?
I grew up putting honey on my fried chicken. As I've gotten older, I like spicy, so I started adding hot sauce and red pepper flake to the honey, to the fried chicken. One night, we were having fried chicken and I was doing my thing, with the honey, hot sauce and red pepper flake, and my wife said "Ames, every time we have fried chicken, you make such a mess, why don't you figure out how to make a hot honey and find a bottle you can neatly put it on whatever floats your boat."
What does the world need more of?
Balance, perspective and knowledge.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Ability to fly in space.
What's your favorite thing to do in Richmond when you're not in your business?
Supporting local businesses, especially restaurants and breweries with family and friends.
What's your hidden talent?
Spelling expert!
What was the first concert you ever attended?
Dave Mason, Montreal, CAN, 1972
Who do you look up to and why?
My Mother - Jeanette, incredibly strong (emotionally and spiritually), resilient, passionate and loving.
What do you love most about Richmond?
Small town livability with big town elements; rich and diverse history; access to the Tidewater, Washington, DC, and Blue Ridge Mountains, James River...
What's the best thing about being a local business owner?
Opportunity to define my destiny.