If you’ve seen a vehicle resembling a Batmobile zooming through your neighborhood, it’s most likely a normal citizen driving a Polaris Slingshot, not the crime-fighting superhero.
Identical twin sisters Dashia (left) and Destiny Oliver, 24, launched RVA Hot Wheelz. “We decided to start renting Slingshot vehicles since they’re unique and eye catching. You don’t see anything else on the road that looks like it.”
The Slingshots have gained a larger presence in the Richmond area due to a startup rental agency called RVA Hot Wheelz. The Black-owned company rents the three-wheeled two-seaters to people for all types of events, including bridal showers, weddings, video shoots, homecomings, graduations, parades and business meetings.
“As soon as you see it, you’re like ‘What is that?,’ so it automatically catches your attention,” RVA Hot Wheelz co-founder Destiny Oliver said.
RVA Hot Wheelz was launched in June 2022 by identical twin sisters Destiny and Dashia Oliver, 24, who have embraced running a small, Black-owned business.
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“I love seeing the kids who look just like us run up to us and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to have one of those too,’ or ‘I didn’t know we can do that,’” Dashia Oliver said. “I can see how we’re impacting the younger generation and how they’re looking at us for guidance and mentorship.”
Dashia, left, and Destiny Oliver rent Polaris Slingshot vehicles by the hour or for the day.
Growing up in Richmond, the twins were always business-minded, even selling candy at Hermitage High School between their studies. They inherited that entrepreneurial mindset from their grandfather, who owned a store on West Broad Street more than 50 years ago.
“We’ve always been entrepreneurs,” Destiny said. “We’ve always had that mindset.”
Dashia and Destiny share many traits as twins, but also venture down their own personal paths at times.
To rent the Slingshots, hourly and daily rates range from $50 for one hour to $399 for 24 hours.
“If she thinks something, I’ll end up saying it,” Destiny said. “We feed off each other, which is great, but we also have our own individual personal beliefs on things.”
Between the two, Dashia is the creative one who comes up with the ideas, while Destiny is typically the one who puts those ideas into action.
The duo graduated from Old Dominion University, with Destiny majoring in accounting and business management and Dashia studying cybersecurity and criminal justice.
“You can definitely tell the difference from being in a Slingshot and another open vehicle like a convertible,” Destiny (right) said. “You just feel like you’re in the spotlight having the wind in your hair and the sun in your face. You’re riding around, the speakers are really loud, you can feel every twist when you turn; it’s just a great experience overall.”
After college, Dashia wanted to start a luxury car rental company similar to Turo, but pivoted to the Slingshots after figuring they could provide a more unique experience to Richmonders.
“I would notice the Slingshots in Miami or other big cities and I was like, ‘Let’s bring the Slingshots out here,’” Dashia said. “We just tapped into it, and we were like, ‘Yeah, we’ve got something.’”
According to Polaris, the Slingshot can reach a maximum speed of 125 to 130 miles per hour at around 28 miles per gallon on average.
Most states, including Virginia, classify them as autocycles, meaning a person only needs a standard driver’s license to operate them. However, helmets are still required while driving or riding in them in Virginia.
Customers posing with the Polaris Slingshot rented from RVA Hot Wheelz.
The exotic look and sporty feel of the Slingshots provides customers the opportunity to spice up their events.
“You can definitely tell the difference from being in a Slingshot and another open vehicle like a convertible,” Destiny said. “You just feel like you’re in the spotlight having the wind in your hair and the sun in your face. You’re riding around, the speakers are really loud, you can feel every twist when you turn; it’s just a great experience overall.”
The sisters hit the ground running to promote their business and gain support, winning two pitch contests in Richmond through the Metropolitan Business League and Pitch RVA.
RVA Hot Wheelz also placed in the top five in a pitch contest sponsored by Black Girl Venture and Black Ambitions and held at the Something in the Water music festival in Virginia Beach.
To rent the Slingshots, hourly and daily rates range from $50 for one hour to $399 for 24 hours.
The monetary prizes and exposure helped RVA Hot Wheelz gain an initial customer base in Richmond and beyond.
“It’s just showing that it’s possible to create that opportunity and that space for others that look just like us,” Destiny said. “The same way we’re seeing Black nurses and doctors, we’re showing young, Black individuals that it’s possible to be able to get into this field.”
To rent the Slingshots, hourly and daily rates range from $50 for one hour to $399 for 24 hours. Customers from ages 25 to 70 have driven the Slingshots to places like North Carolina, Washington and Virginia Beach.
The minimum age to rent from RVA Hot Wheelz is 25 for liability and insurance purposes, but the company is exploring options for the 21 to 24-year-old age bracket to rent on special occasions.
RVA Hot Wheelz has three Slinghsots with different color schemes available for rent, but is looking to open up a storefront next year with at least double the number of vehicles. Currently, customers make a reservation and are then provided with the lot location.
The sisters are the only staff members at the moment, but they have enlisted the help of three Virginia State University interns and are preparing to expand their team to help with administrative work, customer service, and vehicle maintenance.
The Black-owned company rents the three-wheeled two-seater Slingshots to people for all types of events, including bridal showers, weddings, video shoots, homecomings, graduations, parades and business meetings.
With a promising start to their company, Destiny and Dashia have found it rewarding to be young, Black women in the business world.
“It feels great just having that impact on our community and also showing to others and ourselves that it is possible,” Destiny said. “You can dream big but you can also accomplish big as well, no matter the age.”
The twins have also found great meaning in sharing this experience with each other as trustworthy business partners.
“It’s powerful,” Destiny said. “We already share sisterhood, now we can partake in business together and continue to grow as we do this.”
“Building that generational wealth and leaving a legacy for our family is definitely important,” Dashia added. “Doing it together speaks volumes with having a good business but also having someone to share it with.”
From the Archives: Old Richmond buildings
In May 1959, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway announced plans to move about a third of its workforce from Richmond to Huntington, W.Va., by 1961-62. Many employees worked in the First and Merchants National Bank building at Ninth Street downtown, which was partially owned by C&O. The building has been converted to First National Apartments.
This July 1947 image shows the new Curles Neck Dairy plant at 1600 Roseneath Road in Richmond. The building, which cost more than $200,000, gave the 13-year-old dairy modern features including a refreshment room that served up to 50 people, ice-cream-making facilities and curbside service. The building is now home to the Dairy Bar restaurant.
This March 1987 image shows the Independent Order of St. Luke building at 900 St. James St. in Richmond, which was the new home for the city’s Head Start program. The building, which today stands empty, was built in the early 1900s and was expanded between 1915 and 1920. It was home to the benevolent society under Maggie Walker’s leadership, as well as the first location of the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank that she ran. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
This May 1935 image shows Herbert’s shoe store at 419 E. Broad St. in downtown Richmond. The store advertised itself as “the first air-cooled shoe store in the entire South.” A fall sale that year offered women’s shoes as low as $1.77.
This May 1957 image shows the Woolworth’s at Fifth and Broad streets in downtown Richmond. The $1 million building opened in September 1954, and it housed several departments for the nearby Miller & Rhoads, which had an earlier store on the site in the late 1800s. An ad for the Woolworth’s Easter sale offered handbags for $1, records for 99 cents, and cowhide and plastic belts for between 39 and 98 cents.
In February 1968, the National Theater on East Broad Street in Richmond was about to undergo a $150,000 remodeling to make it suitable as a movie theater – the building, which opened in 1923, was designed more for vaudeville and other live performances. In June 1968, the theater reopened as The Towne and operated until 1983. It has since been restored again and now hosts concerts.
This July 1955 image shows the building, at Madison and Grace streets in Richmond, that once sat downtown and housed First Presbyterian Church. Completed in 1853 at the current site of Old City Hall, the building’s outer shell was moved to Madison and Grace in the mid-1880s to make room for the city building. In 1943, the Acca Shriners, who had lost the Mosque (now Altria Theater) during the Great Depression, purchased the old church building. They used it until the mid-1950s; the building has since been torn down.
In May 1977, this 150-foot smokestack came down, thanks to Controlled Demolition of Towson, Md. The smokestack stood behind what used to be Broad Street Station in Richmond; the demolition was part of a contract with the state for removal of the stack and several buildings in the area.
This April 1951 image shows St. Andrew’s School in Richmond’s Oregon Hill area. Noted philanthropist Grace Arents founded the school in 1894 and was a key supporter of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. The school offered a wide range of programs, including sewing, music and physical education. It still stands today, serving low-income children.
