A home-kitchen coffee roasting operation that started in the mid-2010s is finally getting its own storefront on Lakeside Avenue. Ricky and Luci Baugham have signed a lease for 5404 Lakeside Ave., where they plan to open Dentwood Coffee Co.'s first retail cafe in early 2027, serving coffee drinks, tea and pastries in a 900-square-foot space roughly double the size of their current roastery.
The Baughams founded Dentwood Coffee Co. as a business in 2022, years after they began roasting beans at home, according to Richmond BizSense. The company takes its name from Dentwood, the indoor faux-plant business Luci's father, Ted Dent, ran in the 1990s. Today Dentwood sources beans from Colombia and Nicaragua and sells them online, at pop-up events, and in area shops including Union Market in Union Hill, Outpost Richmond in Westover Hills, and Perk! Coffee and Lunchbox in Bon Air.
The couple currently roasts out of a shop at 6219 Lakeside Ave., which they rent from a local midwifery business, and they'll give up that space once the new cafe opens. Luci told the outlet that opening a cafe had been a dream since Dentwood began, and the decision to finally pursue it came after she was affected by layoffs at her last job this year. “We realized, just like launching a roasting business, that no time is a good time to start a business, especially with a family,” she said. “You just kind of have to do it.”
A Storefront With a Rough Recent History
The address the Baughams chose comes with baggage. The space was previously home to Lakeside Burgers & Fries, which was set on fire in February 2024. Former restaurant owner Tiara Black was later acquitted of felony arson and fraud charges by a Henrico County jury, after two former employees admitted to setting the blaze with gasoline jugs and road flares, as detailed by GoRVA.
Former restaurant manager Shelby Castaneda was sentenced to 10 years' probation and her brother Jordan Castaneda received three months in jail for felony arson tied to the fire, with Henrico County Circuit Court ordering each sibling to pay more than $191,000 in restitution. After the space sat damaged, neighboring streetwear and sneaker boutique Dames RVA expanded into the 1,500-square-foot unit in mid-2025 to double its footprint and focus on sneakers. But owner Damien Chew put the space back up for lease a few months before this story published, citing double rent costs and a downturn in the sneaker market. Chew said he hopes Dentwood will bring the same kind of foot traffic into his neighboring shop at 5402 Lakeside Ave. that the former restaurant once did.
Picking the Spot for Square Footage and Location
Ricky and Luci Baugham say they chose the storefront for its square footage, rent price and other factors, and the location has advantages beyond the lease terms. It sits close to the Fall Line Trail and Bryan Park, and it's just half a mile from the couple's own house. Ricky said the cafe could become a hub where bikers, runners and walkers stop for coffee, and the design will lean into that: a vintage-camp outdoor theme, warm colors and a bike rack out front.
The timing lines up with a wave of public investment nearby. A 13-mile continuous section of the Fall Line Trail connecting Ashland to Richmond, including the segments running through Henrico County and Lakeside, is scheduled for completion by 2027, according to project updates from the Fall Line Trail initiative. Henrico County's Department of Public Works is separately designing the 2-mile Lakeside Community Trail segment, running from Spring Park to Hilliard Road, in three phases, with construction contracts advertised in mid-2026 and overall completion targeted for 2028.
An Active-Living Corridor Taking Shape
Nonprofit Sports Backers has already relocated its regional headquarters to 4921 Lakeside Avenue, establishing a public trailhead with parking and restrooms alongside a community active-living hub. Spring Park itself, near Lakeside Avenue along the trail alignment, dates back to the 1890s as Henrico County's oldest public park, giving the corridor a historic anchor along with its new recreational infrastructure.
Ricky and Luci will keep roasting coffee at the cafe itself and may pare back their wider distribution to focus on the retail operation. Luci said she'd like to eventually add a window where customers can watch the couple roast, and the two see potential for small coffee-roasting workshops down the line. The cafe will likely open four days a week from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the Baughams using other hours to fill distribution orders and, eventually, run those workshops.
Simple Menu, Outside Pastry Supplier
The planned menu stays simple: hot and cold coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, cold brew, tea and seasonal homemade simple syrups, likely made with an espresso machine. Baked goods will come from B-Side Bakehouse, which opened its first permanent retail location at 707 N. Sheppard St. in Richmond's Museum District in November 2024 after previously operating as a wholesale and pop-up vendor out of Hatch Kitchen, per RVAHub.
The Baughams are currently undergoing the permitting process, and Ricky noted that the cafe falls within the boundaries of the Henrico Investment Program, which could provide grants and architectural assistance for the buildout. The county's Board of Supervisors expanded that program to four new commercial corridors, including Lakeside Avenue, this past September, giving tenants and property owners access to grants for building design and capital improvements plus fee waivers, according to Henrico County. Since its 2022 launch, the program has awarded 27 grants and incentives to 19 local businesses, leveraging an estimated $28 million in private construction value across the county's mature commercial corridors.
Ricky and Luci plan to keep working other jobs while getting Dentwood's cafe off the ground, though Ricky has already left one of his jobs to devote more time to the business. They expect to hire help once the cafe opens its doors.
