Meet a Business is a series featuring the person behind some of your favorite locally-owned businesses.
What is your name?
Kena Yuille-Odrick & Reggie Odrick
What's your hometown?
Lynchburg, Virginia
What is your business name?
Hill and River Collection
How many years have you owned/managed your business?
Half a year
What is the most popular item you sell?
Our Winter Flights sold out multiple times. We have now made the decision to have seasonal flights so we can sell flights all year round.
What local business can you not live without?
River City Selections! It's an easy way for us to try quality local products.
In what ways has your business changed since COVID-19?
We started our business in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but COVID-19 has prevented us from being able to participate in some holiday markets.
What's the first thing you do every morning to set the tone for your day?
Make a fresh cup of coffee!
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
Canva has been great for our business. Music is also a necessity to us when making candles. It makes the candle-making process fun.
How did you come up with the name for your business?
Our hometown is Lynchburg, Virginia (nicknamed the Hill City) and we have lived in Richmond, Virginia for a decade (nicknamed the River City). That is how Hill and River Collection came about.
How did you get the idea for your business?
We got an anniversary candle that had a nice name on the label, but had no scent.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Being able to teleport!
What's your favorite thing to do in Richmond when you're not in your business?
Go to different festivals and markets, eat at different restaurants, and visit Carytown.
Who do you look up to and why?
We look up to any of our ancestors that have paved the way for us. They truly walked so we, and other small and growing black businesses, could run.
What do you love most about Richmond?
Richmond has so much variety and history! There is always something to do or learn.
What's the best thing about being a local business owner?
Getting to know other local businesses, their owners, and their stories.
Photo Credit: Emmi Claire Photography