Join Our Local Small Business Collaborative | Richmond VA

Our History

Tap into a history that is more than 100 years strong.

InUnison’s roots go back to 1906, when nine locally owned businesses in downtown Richmond, Virginia, founded the Retail Merchants Association. Leveraging their collective power, the group’s first effort was to get the city to sprinkle the streets with water. This would help stop dust from getting into their stores, improving the customer experience. That was just the first of more than a century-worth of actions taken on behalf of our region’s small businesses.

Today, more than 115 years since our inception, the challenges facing local businesses are greater than ever. We’re competing in a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive marketplace, and we know we must continue to come together in unison to succeed. With that in mind, in 2021, we have restructured under the name of InUnison, to reflect the critical importance of collective support. And we stand united as one voice for a prosperous future, for the businesses that are the backbone of our community.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Who is InUnison?

InUnison is an organization dedicated to the success of locally owned, independent businesses in the Richmond region. With roots in the area’s Retail Merchants Association, our organization brings businesses together to learn, collaborate, be heard and advance as a whole.

Why the change from the Retail Merchants Association (RMA)?

Our organization has roots that are more than 100 years strong – but our name didn’t reflect the full scope of the businesses we support. While retailers are an important part of our community and a crucial local economic driver, so too are service industries and other locally owned businesses. Now, we are all InUnison!

What has changed – is it just a name change?

InUnison is a reimagination of our entire organization and its benefits. In 2019, the RMA knew change was necessary. We began evaluating our purpose, conducting research, and building a stronger foundation to support our local business community. As a result, we’ve become even more accessible, both in cost and in access to benefits. And our benefits align with what our business community wants – because they’re based on what you’ve told us.