Anyone who has traveled with a 14-pound baby knows that although the child weighs almost nothing, the accouterments seem to weigh 200 pounds.

With a car seat, a crib, a stroller, a diaper bag and all the other paraphernalia needed, a cross-country jaunt is done easier in the back of a moving van than a jet plane.

One Richmond couple is trying to change that.

Although Ursula and Matt Woolman can't cut back on how much a child needs, the couple started Baby Travel Rentals Inc. to help parents lighten the load. The company provides parents visiting Richmond with the equipment they need and allows them to leave items such as car seats and playpens at home.

"As parents, we know how much kids need," said Ursula, a mom of three children under age 7.

The couple planned to launch the company this month, but an anxious customer found them on the Web and called early in June. Coincidentally, the Woolmans were on a family vacation at the time.

Matt came home and was able to supply the customer with what she needed.

They are running the business out of their home in a tree-lined neighborhood off Huguenot Road in Richmond.

Matt, a 40-year old computer designer for marketing companies, runs the Web site and marketing. Ursula, 37, is president of the company and runs the day-to-day operations.

Olivia, 6, Emelia, 5, and John, 21 months, run pretty much everything else.

The Woolmans keep the merchandise in their garage. They will move it into a storage unit as the company grows.

The Woolmans started the business with about $10,000 and are buying equipment as it becomes necessary.

For now, most of the money goes toward getting the word out. Their primary audience is grandparents and people visiting the area for short-term stays.

And, though not a tourism Mecca, Richmond draws enough visitors to give the company a steady stream of customers, Ursula said she believes.

But although their beginnings might be auspicious, the Woolmans have lofty ambitions for Baby Travel Rentals.

They have hired an attorney to help start selling franchise licenses within three years. One potential market is an area with a large medical center where people come for long-term visits.

They won't discuss revenue, but they said they do expect to raise the average total rental by $100 to $150 during the same time period.

Matt said they can do that by finding a distributor from whom they can buy discounted merchandise.

And they plan to hire a part-time delivery person -- because even they don't want to lug all that stuff around.

Bogart's set to reopen

Bogart's, once a Fan District jazz club and restaurant, will open in a new location in the next several weeks.

The new, slightly smaller Bogart's will be in the 1800 block of West Cary Street. Property owner Ron Nixon said it should open next month.

Bogart's was at its Lombardy Street location since the mid-1970s but closed in April when its lease expired. It is not affiliated with Bogart's in Henrico County.

Steak & Ale closes

Steak & Ale on West Broad Street near Glenside Drive in Henrico County has closed.

Parent company Metromedia Restaurant Group is cutting underperforming restaurants.

The group would not say how many employees lost their jobs at the closed location but said it would try to find them work at other restaurants it owns or with another area restaurant.

The group's only other Richmond-area restaurant is a Ponderosa Steak House in Ashland.

Metromedia operates about 800 restaurants in the U.S. and overseas, among them Bennigan's Grill & Tavern.
Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or LLLovio@timesdispatch.com.