Here’s a recap of the top stories for the week of May 1, 2026:
Richmond International Airport eyes lounge renovation plans
Reported by BizSense’s Mike Platania
RIC is planning to open a VIP lounge within a year. Space for a lounge is earmarked in plans for the airport’s upcoming consolidated security checkpoint, a $253 million project that’ll significantly transform RIC’s main terminal.
During a meeting with the Capital Region Airport Commission, RIC’s Chief Growth Officer Martin Rubinstein said that the airport has had discussions with a third-party company that builds lounges for Capital One.
The US banking firm operates its own branded lounges at seven domestic airports: New York City’s LaGuardia and JFK airports, Dulles International and Reagan National airports in Northern Virginia, Las Vegas, Denver and Dallas.
An eighth is planned for Charlotte, North Carolina.
Construction of the security checkpoint is planned to begin in late 2026, but may take years to complete.
Richmond’s Common House falls under new management
Reported by BizSense’s Mike Platania
A major transition is underway for one of downtown Richmond’s most recognizable social venues as the former Common House prepares to shed both its name and management structure.
The members-only club, which has functioned as a hybrid social hub, coworking space and event venue since opening in 2020, will officially drop its branding on May 19.
In the interim, it will operate under the placeholder name “303 West Broad” while ownership works behind the scenes to redefine the concept and leadership.
The shift follows the abrupt closure of its Charlottesville counterpart. While details about the new identity remain limited, the reset signals more than a cosmetic rebrand — it reflects a strategic pivot aimed at preserving the space while distancing it from recent turbulence.
For members and visitors, the physical venue remains, but its future experience, management philosophy and cultural identity are all in flux as a new chapter begins to take shape.
Farewell to a retail icon as former Best Products HQ falls
Reported by BizSense’s Jonathan Spiers
Roughly 200 former employees, community members and local leaders recently gathered to honor the legacy of Best Products ahead of the demolition of its longtime headquarters.
The event served as both a farewell and a celebration, giving attendees a final opportunity to revisit a workplace that once symbolized innovation in catalog retail and architectural design.
The aging complex 93-acre site has been vacant for decades, and is now being cleared to make way for a large-scale redevelopment that could transform the site into a hub for business, entertainment — and potentially an arena-centered district.
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