Jumpin’J's CLOSING TODAY
Today is the last day for Jumpin’ J’s Java. They should be open through lunch and then that’s it. Stop by, get your last cup, and thank’em for having a go at it.
Today is the last day for Jumpin’ J’s Java. They should be open through lunch and then that’s it. Stop by, get your last cup, and thank’em for having a go at it.
What happened?
Thank you Je and Celestia for giving us a place to feel welcome for as long as you did. As creative and energetic as yall are, I know there will be other ventures in store down the road!
That is sad. When we first moved here two years ago that was our favorite place. Guess they couldn’t recover from their fine dining experiment.
Oh, what a loss for our hood! As Daniel said, this was a long-time favorite of ours. I start to drool when I think about some of the yummy food I’ve had there.
I live right down the steet from there, and although i only got caffeinated there, i’m very sorry to see it go.
This is terrible. It is such a great place with good food and great coffee. I really enjoyed the vibe of the place. I’m am really sorry to see them go.
Jumpin J’s is a cautionary tale for anyone with the desire to open a small business in the city of Richmond. Grant it, the fine dining sector is a ruthless affair to say the least, but one can’t help to think that the level of bureaucracy, ineptitude and hostility faced by small business ventures in most cities needs to change. Anyone familiar with Je’s list of travails with the myriad of city personnel and agencies she had to deal with should not be surprised by this unfortunate outcome. Sorry Je. And thanks for making our time in Richmond more pleasurable.
Very sad. Their appetizer pizzas were awesome.
:(
Thanks Je! We love ya.
This is another sad example of not following some basic business principles. The ill-conceived theory of “build it and they will come” does not really work in reality. If you want to maintain a thriving small business, you have to give your target customer what they want. Businesses follow bedrooms…plain and simple. And, if it is an upscale business, there better be plenty of upscale bedrooms in the immediate vicinity. Most businesses need footsteps…and lots of them to be successful. The City’s bureaucratic red tape did not cause J’s to go out of business. However, the concept did. If Church Hill wants to have viable, upscale businesses within footsteps of doorsteps, we need to focus on the core area of Broad Street and South to Cary. This is the largest concentration of upscale households–yet, critical mass in the area is still an issue. If J’s were located in this area, it probably would have been another story. You can’t force an area to be something that it is not. If J’s committed to maintaining a menu of nothing over $6….it would have been a success. Until business can thrive in the core area, there is little hope for any real growth further into the “hood”.
I think William said it well. I couldn’t afford to eat there, had the occasional cup of coffee and that’s it. I’ve set foot in it maybe twice in the past two years.
I’ve heard that Je has had a job running the 2300 Club for awhile, so this closing doesn’t surprise me.
Maybe someone with some business accumen will step in and make it work – I like William’s comment on nothing over $6.
This really hurts. Jumpin J’s was one of the wonderful things about living here. Those of us who have been here awhile waited so long to have a coffee shop within close proximity to us…and now its gone. Dayamm.
Thanks Je for hanging in there as long as you could–best wishes in your future adventures. Peace.
I disagree with william and anon. The food was well above average, but the published reviews were mixed. I think if the whims of the reviewers were better, the People would have come. The food was remarkable.
As was previously mentioned above, the restaurantr business is a bloodbath. Something like only 40% (or less) of new restaurants “make it” longer than two years.
Maybe she should try a bakery – I think that would work.
I only went to J’s a couple of times, but it was a little too expensive for me and the coffee really is way better at Buzzy’s (sorry Je). I did like having it around, though, and will be sad to see it go.
the postings on this topic reveal the true nature of the recently (re)developed neighborhood north of broad.
jumpin js was and is a positive for the neighborhood
now it is available to all of the critics and experts that likely do not have the balls to open a lemonade stand. the neighborhood should be thanking jj, and maybe kissing jjs’ ass for the positive contribution
So sorry to see you go, Je.
When I moved here, Buzzys was at the Market (forget the name tho’..Joes somethin), so when we got a coffee shop within walking distance, it was pure heaven. Missed out on the dinner experience, but another time and place I guess.
Best wishes to you, Je, and hope that the business to follow brings as many smiles as your coffee and danishes did.
East Side….exactly my point. We disagree on very little here. The food at J’s was great–the area was not ready to support the offerings of the business. As you can see from the postings here, many people have commented that they could not afford to eat there. This speaks to location, location, location and giving your target audience what they want. A business such as J’s will not draw from a large surrounding area. It will depend, primarily, on the residents in very close proximity to make it work. Anyone in the area that has been to J’s would agree that the customer traffic was light, at best. My point is that if the menu offerings were more aligned to the financial resources of the neighborhood…it would have been more successful. There are, of course, exceptions such as Mama Zu’s in Oregon Hill. However, it has a much longer track record than J’s and only 1 block into the “hood”.
Some advice to the startups in the “Hill”. Keep the offering very simple and remain focussed on who is coming through the door (and walking down the street)… Those are your customers. For anything upscale, NOB, you are taking a huge financial risk. Right now, there are few offerings SOB. Until the core is highly developed, there is no room for upscale offerings NOB. For, the record, this “critic and expert” has been in a very successful small business for many years. Pipe dreams won’t pay the bills.
Lower cost menu items is probably not the course that J’s wanted to follow but…condsidering the location, would have been the wiser road to travel. With the current housing situation, Church Hill’s pace of development has been set back a few years. Although more successful, I would be worried about the concept of J’s thriving SOB in today’s market.
If only they had stayed with their original vision- an eclectic coffee house, they’d probably still be there. All the employees knew what a stuggle the dinner thing would be, and the principals admit now that it’s what drove them down.
I recall the words of the great Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester III: “I do one thing at a time; I do it very well; and then I move on.”
They shoulda stuck with “Java” and mebbe those nice lunches.
Everything Je did was awesome. It’s unfortunate that dinner was not a financial success, if that is what led them to close.
Best of luck to Je, it was a great run.
Shame on you for making such crass speculation. You couldn’t possibly be aware of all the elements that lead to the closing of J’s.
Church Hill is amidst major gentrification, deal with it. Poor people out, middle class in. If you don’t like it, don’t be apart of it.
Remember that all these comments are aimed at someones personal venture, show some support and some tact and leave your politics to a more appropriate forum.
I’m sorry things didn’t work out Je. Good luck with whatever lies ahead.
dammit, we just got here and now you’re saying that we have to move?
Hmmm. M…..
Well it didn’t take an MBA to figure out what was wrong when you could drive by the place at 7PM on a Saturday night and see an empty dining room. This could be a valuable lesson for anyone hoping to launch a retail operation in the “Hill†right now. The fact is that Church Hill was in the middle of a gentrification. Considering the current state of affairs in real estate and finance, there will be very little movement forward for the next few years. So, what you see is what you’ll have for a while. Have a conversation with anyone trying to sell a property (for a profit) in the Hill right now and you’ll find that this is no speculation.
I am always sorry to see any small business fail, and especially one in an area that is trying so hard to revive itself.
I did hear they were serving dinner, but to be honest, that’s no place for a single woman to be at night! I rarely went in the daytime for the same reason. I agree with William…I would be more comfortable with more the centrally located areas of Broad or Cary.
I would argue that your perception of the area might be out of date.
My little wifey and I were conducting our own analysis of the situation last night (over dinner at a PACKED Mexican joint out on Williamsburg Road).
She allowed that it probably cost J’s over $10,000 for the liquor license they needed in order to provide those fancy beers and wines for the dinner crowd that never showed.
If the license cost anything *near* that, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize how that one move doomed them.
I don’t understand why anyone would try to change a business model from one where the margins are, say, 1000%, like selling cups of coffee, to one with the very less cash flow friendly margins of a high end gourmet dinner establishment, especially one located in a transitional neighborhood like Church Hill.
Sadly, when one takes into consideration the outsized plans of the people who owned J’s (outdoor dining, fancy dinners, the ill-fated “Church Hill Market” idea), it becomes pretty clear that from a business standpoint they totally misread the neighborhood and let Quixotic ambition run roughshod over the humility to simply “be.”
I’ve misssed the old J’s for a long time…
John M…. “perception” is reality to the consumer. Another business rule.
For the customer that J’s was appealing to…aesthetics cannot be ignored. The area still has a way to go to look less “hostile”. Hopefully, the City will get very aggressive with property maintenance and poorly maintained buildings. Then, we can move onto streetscapes. Those elements will make attracting and sustaining upscale businesses a lot easier.
I waited with such anticipation while they were getting ready to open, and it is sad to now see them go.
I did go there for dinner, and while the price points were a little high for a Tuesday when I just didn’t feel like cooking, they weren’t crazy. (Although I did miss buying funky purses and what not in there after the switch!)
The pricing didn’t keep me away, the neighborhood didn’t keep me away, and even the fact that I’m a woman didn’t keep me away! (But I must admit, good food won’t keep me away from anywhere. Keep on cooking Sondra’s Soul Food!!)
As members of the community, it is up to us to patronize the establishments in our community, if we want them and our community, to flourish and grow.
J, the whole family, even my extended out-of-town family, is sorry to see you go. You will truly be missed!
There’s no way the liquor license cost $10,000.
I am very sad to see a Church Hill business go especially when we are on the cusp of having Que Pasa finally open. Two restaurants in that part of Church Hill/Union Hill suggests a restaurant district.
Nonetheless, the last time I went to J’s on a Sunday for breakfast. I was disappointed. I really wanted their old breakfast burrito. The woman behind the counter scowled at me when I asked about it and peer pressured me into ordering something from the pricier brunch menu. I ordered eggs benedict, but with smoked salmon and it was marginal. Ice cold salmon, luke warm hollandaise and as expensive as Millie’s where it would have been much better.
I was disappointed, because what J’s was … was great. And while I wish Buzzy’s would improve their food, at least they remain true to their concept.
How sad :( What a loss for the neighborhood.
Wow – what comments. Its good to see there are those that love/loved JJ’s. I am one of them – a former employee for the first two years. The place was magical and such a meeting point for everyone. Je is a pioneer for going in and bettering a corner that may soon return to a boarded building. She helped raise the value of so many homes – many advertising when for sale that they were ‘just down the street from jumpin je’s’. Who knows what it will take to move that area forward, but God love Je for trying. I lived in Church Hill for 6 years and as far as restaurants: the hill cafe gets old, accapella – you must be a smoker to breathe in there – Je’s was a breath of fresh air and the people who worked there became a family. I am very sorry to see it go. It will be missed in my opinion. Thanks Je for stepping out on a limb and going for it!
I’ll avoid the post mortem and just say Je will be sorely missed. There are damn few decent breakfast places on the hill and down in the bottom. Je had a great one. The pumpkin waffles and chicken sausage were GREAT! Absolutely yummy. It was well worth the walk.
I used to frequent J’s every day, but my schedule changed and I wasn’t able to go as often and this news is crushing. I grew up in Church Hill and left for awhile but moved back when I got married. I really felt like the area was coming alive when J’s opened. I’m VERY sad to see J’s go. Miss you J!
I think smoking is only allowed in the downstairs pub at Accapella. I ate there last Sunday, upstairs, and there was no smoke at all.
hey william, are you such a success that you have so much time to be a pompous asswipe? why dont you take your pontiificating bullshit back to sob if you are all skeered of the nob vibe. by the way, what is your small business? can you really make a living being a knowitall or is that just your hobby?
It’s very sad to see you go Je. I did coffee and lunch on occasion and never made it there for dinner, though it was on my list. AND, more friends in the Fan went there to try it out before I got to go and now it’s closed. So people did travel from outside the neighborhood to go there, including a friend who took her parents there while in town.
Hey “buddy”…so sorry if relative success offends you. Maybe you need to peel back the layers and do some self-analysis re: your aversion to listening to an educated overview of the situation at hand. Successful business people get there through alot of hard knocks and discovering ways to overcome. Sounds to me like you’ve never ventured down the path…. I’m baffled that so many people remain in denial and can’t stand to hear the truth (even if it is for their own benefit). So be it. I don’t recall ever stating that I was “skeered” of the NOB vibe”. What I did allude to is that currently, NOB does not have mass appeal to fine diners. (Something very necessary for an upscale restaurant in a transitional neighborhood). Sorry if you can’t take that but then how many upscale restaurants do you see NOB? SOB, for that matter. Hmmmm. I wonder why that is the case smarta–?! The simple economics of it just don’t make sense at this time…in this area. As for “pontificating”… I do believe that I made a statement on this site that the concept of fine dining at J’s would not work when it was announced last April. Hmmm. Before any restaurant is a hit with outsiders of the area, it has to be a hit with the locals. The majority of the locals need dinner-menu items in the $6-10. range. Anything more would severely limit customer traffic–you can figure out the rest. Are you so offended by the demographics of NOB that you can’t stand to hear the truth? Most wise business folks will play to the demographics of the area. And…that being said, as a wise businessman, I prefer not to publicly associate my personal views to my business. As far as my business goes, everyone’s dollar is just as green–I’d be glad to take it. Isn’t the internet wonderful? Everyone gets to have an opinion yet you have no idea from who it flows. Oh, and for the record, I happen to own a few properties NOB. I love the area but it is what it is. Thanks.
No thread is complete without some good ole childish namecalling…
Je:
Good luck in your future endevours.
hey william, havig owned and operated several businesses in this area over the last 20 yrs i have developed some analytical people skills. these skills lead me to ascertain that your smug disection of jes demise is simply another example of those that can do and those who cant represent themselves as self proclaimed wise businesmen.lets not forget that a woman lost her dream and her livelihood.she didnt do it so you could enlighten us all with your 20/20 hindsight. i mean hindsight since you obviously talk out of your ass.
I heard a rumor that Je will be opening the doors in a couple of weekends to sell the beautiful chairs, tables, lamps, artwork, etc. left in the building. Can anyone confirm?
Unfortunately the one time I tried to go, we were turned away because they had just closed. (It was 2 or 3 PM on a Saturday??). I figured they could have let us buy the two coffees we wanted (there were at least 15 or so customers still inside). I’d always wanted to try Jumpin’ J’s, but was very disappointed. (I live in the west end, unfortunately). I can’t say I surprised, but I hope the owners have future success. ****And one final note, spell check is our friend.
When is Que Pasa going to open?
I know I will anger people with this post. The fact is Jumping J’s was not very good across the board. For six months, I ate lunch twice a week there.
The coffee was weak and the service was slow. I tipped well and never received any recognition past a blank “Hi”. I surveyed a large number of other folks and they said the same. Buzzy’s (I am really not a fan of their coffee either) owners always ask how I am and thank me for my business. Paul at Millies always calls out my name and hands me a drink w/out asking. Poes pub has phenominal service, and Hill cafe really tries. This was just a case of capitalism at work. The weak do not survive.The area is ready for a restaurant. J’s just really did not know what it wanted to be.
Okay ,let the arrows fly!
refering to church hill as NOB and SOB is one of the most snobbish things i have ever heard and really makes me vomit in my mouth a little.
funny that SOB also stands for something else…
GET A LIFE! ALL OF YOU!
is ‘william’ for real or is he just trying to give outsiders the impression his attitude is tolerated in this neighborhood? william is a dying breed and doesn’t speak for most of the people living NOB or SOB!!
OK…keep fooling yourselves. Time will prove that I am 100% correct on the viability of quality business ventures N-O-B. I’ll be so bold as to venture out 5 years from now…. “Tolerated” –go to hell…who’s asking for your acceptance?
Plebe!
I’ve been reading the comments about J’s since the closing and I have to agree with the rational comments by William about the failure of the business plan that Je had. It is a demographics issue and the success or failure of a business has everything to do with knowing your market. I was in the restaurant business for over 30 years, and had one of my own in Richmond in the past, so I speak from experience. William is right, even if some people feel he is not in touch with the neighborhood. How many of the people that are attacking him actually patronized J’s? Why don’t some of us get together and take over the space and start a new business and cater to the real needs of the neighborhood? Wanna step up?
I have heard that she is now the manager of the 2300 Club, so she’s got a regular ‘real’ job now (and has had for at least a month, if not more)(I’m hedging this, given that she might be either the cook or the manager) and I know for a fact that her daughter is working for her there. I don’t know what other employees she had, but I do wish them the best and hope they found other jobs. This is a poor season to throw employees out of work.
Other than that, my comments will remain – I couldn’t begin to afford her prices for dinner, and the brunch prices got too high for me too. Coffee was fine, I’m okay with paying the better part of five bucks for a cup, but not twelve bucks for a snack to go along with it. The one great thing she did was to clean up Jefferson Avenue by opening the shop.
Also post number 44, I agree with you – just about everything you’ve said.
Again, I think in the long run, the fact that she established the shop on Jefferson Avenue, along with all the other developments in Union Hill, has been a really serious positive development for that area. Maybe someone will follow and open something else in the same shop.
Bill Hartsock – agree with you, although I can’t afford to go into business with you. Perhaps someone (or several people) will try to take it back to a simple coffee shop, that seemed to work best.
OK… there is some humor here. Can somebody please tell me what it was in my prior posts on this subject that makes others so angry? Can someone outline the elements that I mentioned that are “out of touch with the ‘neighborhood’”?
Why not turn the building into a CO-OP coffee house? At one point a few years ago there was some talk about this.
For John M on 12/1, who says my perception is “out of date”…I’m sitting 8 blocks away from J’s as I type. I live here. And my experience here is not the same as someone named “John”. Live as me, and then we’ll talk.
For William- the truth hurts doesn’t it! You lent a lot of free advice here and I thought they were good observations. Pointy, maybe. But still on the mark.
I also agree with the critiques of Buzzy’s food. One thing I do regret seeing go are the lovely pastries and sandwiches J’s offered.
It takes balls and a deep purse to go out on a limb in a developing area, and I did enjoy J’s for what it was. They tried.
Better luck to the next entrant.
I’m very sorry to see J’s leave. I just moved to Church hill and J’s was quickly becoming a regular place for me. I do hope that Je will think about coming back and try again with the simpler original concept. I will gladly be the first in line.
Katherine states “live as me and then we’ll talk. Then states knowingly “It takes balls and a deep purse…”
Does anyone else see the humor in this.
Does someone named Katherine understand what “takes balls”? Walk in my tighty whiteys and then we’ll talk.
way too funny.
hmmm…i’ve seen way funnier.
sincerely,
a woman with balls
(but not the real ones, you silly goose!)
Jumpin’ J’s Java is having a huge yard sale! If it’s not bolted down it’s for sale! Saturday 8:30 AM – 1 PM 2306 Jefferson Avenue
My experience with Jumpin’ J’s was good. Several friends of mine from the fan and the west end made special trips to have dinner there. The food was good, the people were nice. I love that building. The loss of J’s is a blow to the neighborhood. Good luck to Je and the staff. I’ll miss you.
[...] late of Jumpin’ J’s Java, weighs in on the cumbersome experience of opening, running, and closing a small restaurant in Richmond in the Style Weekly BACK PAGE article The Aftertaste. Posted at [...]
Sorry, I couldn’t read all 60 comments, but I think I got the gist.
It’s all too easy to second guess the business decisions of others. Some people run a business by their MBA, and others run it based on instinct, passion and desire. Even the best of businesses can fail, but it is impossible to ignore the hope it brought to the neighborhood. A friend of mine had his first cup of cappucino there. How many great conversations took place in those cramped quarters. How many people moved or invested in the neighborhood based on this optimistic venture.
I agree, Church Hill needs more bedrooms. It needs better security. It needs a little bit of everything, but Church Hill itself is a bit of a miracle. It wasn’t so long ago that an investment around 25th and Broad took a big leap of faith and a little bit of foolishness.
I’m so proud of what Je Depew tried to accomplish. There is no shame in failure, only in not trying.
It was a good thing. It was a point of pride in Union Hill. I always said the Tricylce Garden, Jefferson Park and Jumpin J’s were three of the great things in our little neighborhood.
My friend Mel is nearly in tears missing Je’s crab macaroni and cheese, and Mel is one of those chicks who wears black t-shirts and doesn’t cry. I’ve lived in the City of Richmond for over ten years and have been eating here even longer. My husband and I eat brunch out every weekend and he declared Je’s vegetable frittata one of the best meals in his five years here. My Sunday brunches at Je’s were some of the tastiest and the service was some of the warmest. One Sunday, two girlfriends and I ate brunch inside (we drooled over the food, the coffee and the pillows)and then ordered a bottle of wine to share outside. I’d been waiting ten years for a really GOOD restaurant with outside seating. When I thought the experience could not be improved, an alarmingly charming blond man with a corkscrew and a bucket of ice escorted us to an umbrella table. At each visit to Je’s, I enjoyed seeing the diverse crowd who stood in line for brunch on Sunday, and I enjoyed NOT seeing a single table hussled out the door the moment they swallowed the last bite on their plate, as happens every weekend with Je’s less hospitable competition.
One thing I found curious was that advertising seemed to be largely word-of-mouth. So many people I told about Je’s hadn’t heard about it from another source and perhaps I would not have been lucky enough to know about it if I hadn’t met Je at a party. My time is divided mostly between working on my love handles and working in community development so the closing of Je’s crushes me twofold.
[...] as yet undetermined will be coming to the former site of Jumpin’ Js; rumor has BBQ coming to the former Rib Town USA; It Must Be Heaven has to open some day right?; [...]
[...] lament the passing of the coffee shop on Jefferson Avenue? Keep your eyes open for the grande opening of the Cabana at Que Pasa, slated to open Monday at [...]
So, is there anywhere in Richmond where one can have a taste of what used to be sold at J’s? I LOVED that place and was so sad to see it close. Don’t live in Richmond now, but I get back often and wish I could have some of the very inventive fare they created fresh daily. I always had great experiences there, and I still remember perfectly well all the dishes I had there. I really miss that place still.