Walk into Ellwood Thompson's on Thompson Street this month and you'll notice gaps where the produce bins and specialty aisles used to be full. Regulars have been posting about it for weeks. Recent reporting describes vendor-payment delays amid a broader financial restructuring. The store Richmonders think of as Carytown's original organic grocer, the one that survived Ukrop's selling out and the city's first Whole Foods opening nearby, hasn't been locally owned since 2023. Its current owner is in the middle of a financial restructuring that involves a data center company from New York, while reporting has described overdue invoices from the farms that supply Ellwood's.
The neighborhood markets itself as a stretch of independent shops and family-run kitchens, while ownership varies among businesses. Ellwood Thompson's is one local example of how ownership can vary among businesses on the strip.
Ellwood Thompson's Ownership and Vendor Payments
Founder Rick Hood sold Ellwood Thompson's in 2023 to Healthier Choices Management Corp, a Florida company that later spun the store off into a new entity called Healthy Choice Wellness Corp. That parent now owns 19 grocery stores across six states. Earlier this year, Healthy Choice reported a net loss of roughly $6.7 million over a six month period, and in August it disclosed in SEC filings that the losses raised what the filing called substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern over the next year.
The fix Healthy Choice landed on is a reverse merger with Host Digital Infrastructure, a New York based data center and AI company. Shareholders approved the deal on August 27, and the combined company is expected to close the transaction in mid-September, with Host Digital's leadership taking over as the new entity's controlling ownership. Healthy Choice's president, Chris Santi, has said the appeal isn't just capital. He's described wanting Host Digital's AI capabilities to help predict inventory demand across the store network, the kind of forecasting a single Carytown grocer never needed when it was independently run.
None of that explains the empty shelves on its own. That part comes from the vendors. Richmond magazine reported that Nicole Broder, co-founder of Shine Farms in Mechanicsville, has supplied Ellwood's since 2020 and that her farm's invoices are now more than 140 days overdue. Broder told the magazine:
"We have not received a single payment since February."
Other local purveyors have told Richmond magazine they're in the same position, and some have already stopped deliveries while others are deciding whether to follow. Santi has confirmed the payment delays are tied to the pending merger's effect on short-term cash flow, and has said the company remains committed to its local vendors and to catching up on what it owes them. Whether that happens on a timeline the farms can live with is the open question hanging over the store right now.
The Same Week, Three Doors Down
Ellwood's isn't the only long-running name on Cary Street seeing changes this fall. After 13 years in Carytown, The Daily Kitchen & Bar closed for good after its final brunch service on September 6. That closure was a business decision by parent company Richmond Restaurant Group, which is keeping the Daily's Short Pump location open and plans to turn the Carytown space into a new concept. Tokyo Market, which had been run by the family of late owner Chong Akiba since her death in 2024, has been sold to new owners who are reopening it as Haru. And Susie's, the Jewish deli on Cary Street, just extended its hours, staying open until 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and until midnight Thursday through Saturday starting September 1.
The table below places those changes alongside the reported developments at Ellwood's.
| Business | What changed | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Ellwood Thompson's | Empty shelves, unpaid vendors | Parent company's merger and restructuring |
| The Daily Kitchen & Bar | Closed Sept. 6 after 13 years | Richmond Restaurant Group's own decision |
| Tokyo Market | Sold, reopening as Haru | New local ownership |
| Susie's | Extended hours starting Sept. 1 | Existing owner's choice |
Carytown Businesses and Ownership Changes
The Carytown Merchants Association markets this district around independence, and the Carytown Watermelon Festival, now in its 44th year and one of the largest one-day festivals in Virginia, leans hard into that identity every August. That reputation is earned by plenty of the shops and restaurants that make up the strip. Ownership can vary among the businesses along the strip.
Ellwood Thompson's ownership changed in 2023, when Healthier Choices bought the store. The company's stated goal was for a twenty-year customer to walk in and see no difference. Ellwood Thompson's current parent company is now undergoing a financial restructuring, and vendors have reported payment delays.
What to Watch This Month
The Host Digital merger is expected to close in mid-September, which means the ownership structure behind Ellwood's is likely to shift again within the next few weeks. Whether that stabilizes vendor payments and restocks the shelves, or just changes who's cutting the checks, isn't something anyone in Carytown can answer yet. Richmond Restaurant Group hasn't said what's replacing The Daily Kitchen & Bar. Haru's opening date for the old Tokyo Market space hasn't been announced either.
If you shop at Ellwood's regularly, the shelves offer a direct view of current stock. Following outlets like Richmond BizSense and Richmond magazine's food coverage can provide updates about the store.
None of this changes what Carytown is on a Saturday afternoon, the Watermelon Festival crowds, the independent bookshops, the restaurants that have earned their loyalty the old fashioned way. Ellwood's ownership and restructuring are one part of Carytown's current business landscape.
If you're watching Carytown for reasons that go beyond where to get groceries this week, whether that's a home nearby, a rental you're weighing, or just curiosity about what a neighborhood shift like this does to property values on the surrounding blocks, Josh Harris knows this stretch of Richmond well and is easy to reach. You can also get your instant home valuation anytime, no obligation attached.
