The property at 1320 Summit Ave. is a palimpsest of Richmond history.

From horse stables to a horse-drawn cart and car garage to the home of artisanal cider producer Blue Bee—the first urban cidery in the state—the stone complex in Scott’s Addition has had many lives. And its foundation many before that.

“The cobblestones that make up the building were likely pulled from the streets of Richmond,” says Yellow Umbrella co-owner/operator Tucker Brown. “However, the origin of the stones dates back to the early days of transatlantic trade when they served as ballast in the ships coming to Richmond from Europe.”

The new Ballast development, set to open fully by June, encompasses multiple concepts, including the third Yellow Umbrella market (now open); sleek, Caleb Shriver-helmed seafood restaurant, Slack Tide Fish Co. (soft openings starting late May); and Cirrus Vodka’s new tasting room (slated to open May 1).

On a late winter visit, the property is bustling. Construction is wrapping up and the vision is starting to coalesce. A roughhewn fortress plopped in the middle of industrial chic, heavily trafficked Scott’s Addition, Ballast feels entirely separate from its surroundings.

It is not meant to feel like a stuffy enclave, though.

More like a “European garden” says Cirrus Vodka director of sales and marketing Tom Ellington. A stone-lined courtyard adorned with lush planters connects the various business suites. Brown says that while working within the confines of a historic property sometimes proved difficult, they ultimately wanted to maintain the original aesthetic.

The result? A seamless synergy—or at least, that’s the hope.

For Ellington, who has been with Cirrus since 2018, this new address is yet another step in evolving the vodka brand’s mission. Cirrus partnered with local branding and interior design agency Campfire & Co. (who led the company through a significant rebrand in 2019) to design the swanky, multi-faceted tasting room.

The new space includes ample indoor and outdoor seating plus a retail component with bottles and merch for sale.

The tasting room menu is extensive, with a separate martini section divided into “classic,” “dirty” and “retro.” Plus there will be cocktails, highballs, mules and “day drinks” available Saturdays and Sundays (think Ballast bloody, coffee-based and Arnold Palmer inspired), as well as spirit-free concoctions.

They’ll have all-day happy hours, too, with highball happy hour on Wednesdays, martini happy hour on Thursdays, mule happy hour on Friday, and cocktail happy hour on Sundays. Ellington says they plan to be open Wednesday through Sunday to start, with the possibility to expand their hours.

“We want this to be a fun neighborhood spot—look at all the apartments around us—but also as a destination for people who want to spend the afternoon and evening in such a unique property,” says Ellington.

After sipping on one of Cirrus’ signature cocktails—we’re ordering the “velvety and bittersweet” Strawberry Sour made with Aperol, strawberry oleo, lemon, egg white, Peychaud bitters and orange oil—guests will certainly want some snacks.

Across the courtyard, the third iteration of beloved local market, Yellow Umbrella, will serve as a snack and to-go meal oasis. At just under 2,000 square feet, Brown notes that this Yellow Umbrella will be the smallest location.

“However, from an offering standpoint it will be robust and efficient given the footprint,” says Brown. They’ll have a full-service butcher and fish counter, plus all the prepared (sushi, cheese balls, charcuterie!) and take-and-bake items patrons know and love.

To the left of the market sits Slack Tide Fish Co.

Design-wise, “It looks like a ship without being cheesy,” says chef Caleb Shriver. He’s right—the nautical accents, like a curved wooden ceiling above the bar resembling a ship’s hull, are tasteful, subtle. The space is open and inviting, with around 40 seats inside and the same outside.

On nice days, the interior and exterior will blend into one. If it’s blinding hot or freezing cold, Shriver says they’ll be able to enclose the patio and keep it temperature controlled.

Shriver’s Dutch and Co.—which was named Style’s restaurant of the year in 2014—focused on cooking with seasonality, an ethos which Shriver will continue here. The menu will be seafood-centric, with small and medium size share plates.

The jewel of the space is undoubtedly the small corner raw bar, where oyster professional Tyler Yates will shuck bivalves in front of diners lucky enough to score a seat. Shriver says that Yates is on his way to becoming an oyster sommelier (exactly what it sounds like), so trust that you’ll be getting pearls of wisdom along with your dinner.

Shriver says they’ll plan to be open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner service to start. The three Ballast businesses will open in phases. Once everything is up and running Shriver and Ellington note that they’ll be introducing two more concepts on top of their hat trick.

Adjacent to Slack Tide there will be an all-day café—think fried oyster baskets delivered to guests at Cirrus via QR code—plus an intimate speakeasy style bar above the restaurant.

The upstairs bar is designed to be the nightcap of the property—after guests have sipped, snacked and supped they’ll be able to enjoy a “more moody type of vibe” in the bar, says Shriver, with a Manhattan and an eagle eye view of the historic space.

“I like the idea of someone coming in from out of town and their friend brings them here,” says Shriver. “They start with a drink over there [Cirrus] and make their way through.”

Keep up to date with Ballast’s opening by following them on Instagram.