Dharma Kotini was searching for a business to operate.

He already was running a restaurant (he has since sold it) and a small grocery store off Hull Street. He wanted an industry that was popular.

He looked at the coffeehouses -- and chose to become a Saxbys Coffee shop franchise owner.

"I had my son study the coffee business and Saxbys. . . . It is one of the reasons why I decided to get into the coffee business," Kotini said.

He and partner Palaniappan Ilakkuvan opened their first Saxbys shop a week and a half ago on the first floor of Monroe Towers residential building at West Franklin and Belvidere streets in Richmond.

They will open a second one in midto late February in the Short Pump Station shopping center along West Broad Street.

Saxbys is a budding national chain, offering more than 40 specialty coffee drinks, pastries and wrap sandwiches.

The company has about 30 locations, with plans for hundreds of franchise locations to open in the next four to five years. The only other one in Virginia is in Fairfax.

The newest Saxbys is close to Virginia Commonwealth University's academic campus, which Kotini believes should attract students, professors and college employees to help boost sales. "It's a good location."

Jack Egle, who, along with his brother, are the area developers for Saxbys in Virginia, Washington and a part of Maryland, said both locations are good starts for Saxbys in the Richmond area.

"We love to be near college campuses," Egle said.

The Short Pump shop will have a drive-through. It will be one of a couple of drive-throughs that Saxbys has.

That shop is on the south side of Broad Street, meaning morning traffic will go right by it en route to Interstate 64, Egle said. "Hopefully we will get some folks going through the drive-thru before they get on the interstate," he said.

Egle said he is evaluating several other locations in the Richmond area for sites, but nothing is finalized yet. "We want to ramp up for 2008 and beyond," he said.

His group is concentrating on finding franchise owners in Northern Virginia and the Richmond area but would look at other parts of Virginia. The franchise fee is $30,000.

Trader Joe's coming?

Trader Joe's, a fast-growing specialty food store, might be coming to Richmond.

The California-based chain is close to signing a deal to put a store in the Short Pump Station shopping center along West Broad Street. The center recently opened with Petco and Longhorn Steakhouse as key tenants.

Trader Joe's had looked at Richmond in 2005 but backed out of the deal.

The privately owned chain has more than 250 stores, including eight in Virginia (seven in Northern Virginia and one in Newport News).

Abercrombie gone

Abercrombie & Fitch has left Regency Square mall.

The popular men's and women's apparel retailer closed its store there this month because the lease ended. The 8,300-square-foot store opened in the fall of 1996.

The chain has a store at Short Pump Town Center.

Outlets expanding

Look for Prime Outlets Williamsburg to expand this spring.

The outlet center will add about 115,000 square feet of space, or about 30 new stores and a food court. The addition should open in April.

New tenants include outlet stores for Adidas, ALDO, Disney, Burberry, Lucky Brand Jeans, True Religion, Journeys, Pac Sun, Tommy Bahama, Sketchers and Bath & Body Works. Coach Factory and BCBG Maxazria stores will relocate from the existing center to the newly expanded area.

Columbia Sportswear will open in the existing center.
Contact Gregory J. Gilligan at (804) 649-6379 or ggilligan@timesdispatch.com.