RICHMOND, Va. — Two sisters are returning to their old Northside stomping ground to let their food bridge the gap between the neighborhood’s past and its future.
Kristin and Kia Player are turning a former auto repair shop at 400 W. Brookland Park Blvd. into the block’s newest restaurant – Dixie Bell’s.
The eatery, which should open in September, is named for the Players’ late great-uncle, Richard Bell, who family and friends affectionately called Dixie.
“Everybody just called him that,” Kia laughed. “We don’t know why … everyone around him called him ‘Dixie.’ When we were growing up, he did so much for us; it just seemed fitting that we name the restaurant after him.”
It’s the first restaurant venture for the sisters, who grew up a couple of blocks away on Lancaster Avenue. They’re investing about $40,000 of their own capital into the business.
Kia works full-time as a mental health consultant, while Kristin is putting her job as a registered nurse on hold to oversee day-to-day operations at Dixie Bell’s.
