The Richmonder 25: Whether it's archery or baking, Amanda Robinson makes space for others

Amanda Robinson’s first core memory is overlooking the intersection of Jefferson and Marshall streets from the second-floor window of her nursery in Jackson Ward.

That space would eventually become part of Gallery 5, the performing arts center Robinson founded in 2005, but back in the early ’80s, it was where Robinson lived with her family. It was also the location of the Virginia Fire and Police Museum, an institution run by Robinson’s parents. Even after she and her family moved out to Varina in the mid-’80s, Robinson would spend many of her waking hours at 200 W. Marshall St. 

Now, Robinson has returned to the second floor of that address with Virago Alley, the nonprofit that staged the inaugural Richmond Ren Faire at Dorey Park this past April. The two-day event was a wild success, selling out all of its 17,000 tickets. In July, Virago Alley began renting the second floor of the Gallery 5 building to provide more indoor space for artists and collaborators; Gallery 5 still operates in the building’s first floor.

It seems that Robinson and her family are destined to keep returning to this address. 

“Literally every generation has been trying to save this building,” she said, reached by Zoom in July. “This building means a lot to me.”

Back in the day, Robinson’s uncles, grandfather and great-grandfather worked out of this location when it was a fire station. After the city replaced the fire station with a new facility around the corner, 200 W. Marshall St. became a community center, serving as a voting precinct and a food stamp distribution hub, among other uses.

When the city put the building up for auction in the ’70s, Robinson’s father bought the property for roughly $12,000 and Robinson’s parents turned it into a museum. Robinson taught fire safety at the museum as a youngster.

Desiring some new experiences, Robinson attended the Savannah College of Art and Design to pursue a bachelor’s in painting with a minor in art history. In the summertime, Robinson worked motorcycle rallies and sold clothing she had designed with her then-boyfriend on the Vans Warped Tour.

Robinson planned to move to New Mexico to teach art therapy after graduating, but upon returning home, she learned that 200 W. Marshall St. was in need of saving yet again. Since she had been away, her father had donated the building to the nonprofit that oversaw the museum. The nonprofit had gone bankrupt and was selling off property, including the building and heirlooms that Robinson’s family had donated, like fire badges and helmets. Her father had taken on debt to save the building from potential demolition, but was unsure of what to do next. Robinson proposed turning it into an arts center, initially as a fundraiser for the building.

And so, Gallery 5 was born. With the help of others — including a community service program where Robinson managed convicted felons to renovate the space — her dream came true. Early on, the space forged a close partnership with RVA Mag. Gallery 5’s grand opening on April 15, 2005, also served as the release party for RVA Mag’s first issue.

Other groups and artists soon approached Robinson, asking to use the space for their own ventures. Gallery 5 thus became the launchpad for the local burlesque scene, hosted the Coalition Theater for a time, and has served as longtime collaborators with All the Saints Theater Company. 

“I always feel this weird obligation to be the person to bring the community together,” Robinson said. “I don’t know why. It’s kind of a blessing and a curse.”

For years, Robinson was regularly working up to 80 hours a week with little pay. Feeling burned out, she resigned as Gallery 5’s executive and artistic director in 2013.

“I decided to leave and thought I would never come back,” she said. “I was completely removed from the organization for quite a while.”

Instead, she pursued Sweet Fix, a custom cake and dessert cake business. What started as a side-hustle in 2009 grew into a full-time gig, with a brick-and-mortar location opening in 2015.

Robinson hoped that the bakery would allow her to slow down, but that’s not what happened. Instead, growing demand led to a growth in staff; her custom designs were featured on the Food Network and Martha Stewart Weddings. Robinson had been invited to be a contestant on the game show “Is It Cake?” when the pandemic canceled those plans.

As her business grew, Robinson increasingly found herself sitting behind a computer screen managing others. Between her dissatisfaction with that and working in the wedding industry — as well as a shift in her interests and passions — Robinson decided to stop taking new orders last year.

In the meantime, she had also returned to Gallery 5 in 2023 after a 10-year hiatus. Now serving on the board and as the nonprofit’s exhibition coordinator, Robinson says she’s pleased to see that the arts center is on a much more stable footing than it was previously.

While Robinson had been away, local developer Bruce Vanderbilt had purchased Gallery 5 and spent $1.5 million on renovations, including a new roof. Part of the effort to get the space on a sound financial footing meant turning the second floor into office and event space while leaving the first floor for Gallery 5.

By this time, Robinson had also started an herbal apothecary supply company called Virago Alley that eventually blossomed into a nonprofit artisan collective.

“Virago means fierce, independent, female warrior, defies conventions and social norms,” Robinson explained, noting that it can also mean a loud, bad-tempered woman. “I liked the idea of being able to reclaim that word.”

In addition to organizing the Richmond Ren Faire and events like Warriors in Bloom — a two-day event at Agecroft Hall that will host more than 60 local vendors for historic combat, interactive quests and guild workshops this weekend — Virago Alley is developing educational programs in historic artforms, including leatherworking, calligraphy, printmaking and herbalism. The nonprofit will collaborate with the various guilds that sprang up through the creation of the Ren Faire.

Virago Alley also just inked a lease on a 6,000- to 7,000-square-foot warehouse space that will serve as a workshop. Robinson hopes the warehouse will let them make the 2027 Richmond Ren Faire even bigger than the previous one.

“Amanda’s really intense when it comes to projects,” said Bizhan Khodabandeh, Robinson’s longtime creative partner and vice president of Virago’s board of directors. “She puts 1,000% of herself into whatever she’s doing. She’s going to stay up late at night to make sure that everything is as perfect as she could possibly make it.” 

Ash Moore, managing director of Virago Alley, says that unlike some people in management, Robinson is always the first one to roll up her sleeves and help with any given task. They also say Robinson has a deep affection for sugar. In moments when Robinson’s energy is flagging, Moore gives her candy. 

“Her whole demeanor will change and she’ll get excited,” Moore said. 

Moore also says that Robinson’s habit of working herself to exhaustion means that she’ll often fall asleep in odd places, such as during a late night at the Ren Faire earlier this year: “I found her passed out in her dog’s bed on the ground in the middle of this massive dining tent that we had.”

This weekend, Virago Alley will hold Warriors in Bloom at Agecroft Hall. On Sept. 4, Virago Alley will host a grand opening of its new space in collaboration with Gallery 5 that will coincide with First Fridays.

Looking ahead, Robinson hopes to find a permanent location for the Ren Faire so that they can have structures built year-round, and wants to create an indoor archery range and historic combat facility in Richmond.

As someone who has trouble vacationing, Robinson is happy to have some projects on her hands.

“I can’t sit still. I’m a very hyper and energetic person,” Robinson said. “I don’t like being idle, so I’m very glad to be busy again.”

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