Support Charged Up: Protecting Our Brand & Empowering Our Community

At Charged Up Entertainment, we’ve spent over two decades building a movement—one rooted in Hip Hop, fashion, and community empowerment. What started in 2002 as a group of childhood friends seeking an alternative to the streets has grown into a vital force in Richmond, Virginia. Today, through the Charged Up Flagship Store and our many initiatives, we continue to uplift creatives and provide tangible support to vulnerable individuals in our city. But now, we need your help.

We are currently engaged in a legal battle against the Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company LLC, which has challenged our right to trademark a brand we have built since 2015. The United States Patent & Trademark Office has approved our trademark request, yet we are now facing a costly and prolonged fight to defend what is rightfully ours. As a small minority-owned business operating in Richmond’s inner city, we do not have the financial resources of a Major League Baseball team—but with your support, we can continue our mission while securing our legal rights.

Why Charged Up Matters

Charged Up Entertainment and the Charged Up Flagship Store have become cornerstones in the Richmond creative community, providing opportunities, resources, and a safe space for Black and Brown youth to express themselves. Our impact includes:

  • Empowering Local Creatives: We’ve operated Charged Up Recording Studios, promoted monthly events launching the careers of artists and producers, and partnered with Black-owned digital art and NFT platforms like RVA NFTs and GSG.

  • Providing Community Resources: Every day, we give away free clothing, toiletries, and non-perishable food items at our shop. We also offer discounts to customers who bring in donations, mobilizing our community to help one another.

  • Supporting Small Businesses: We’ve opened our store to small, minority, and women-owned businesses, allowing them to host pop-up events at no charge to highlight their brands.

  • Creating Opportunities for Youth: We recently helped grow the business of Tsunamizzi, an 18-year-old Black computer coding student, who sells NFC technology bracelets and stickers in our store as well as 15-year-old Dustin Anderson owner of Sheephill Coffee a Richmond, VA based coffee brand.

  • Honoring Our Cultural Legacy: Our store’s baseball-inspired design tells the stories of Chris Aguila, one of Major League Baseball’s first Filipino/Pacific Islander players, and Kleph Dollaz, a Virginia-born artist and producer signed to a major label.

How You Can Help

This legal battle threatens not only our brand but the work we do every day in our community. We have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal fees, which start at $295 per hour and could stretch on for years. Every dollar raised will go toward securing our ability to continue serving Richmond and beyond.

🔗 [Donate Now] https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-charged-up-ent

If you believe in the power of community, creativity, and small businesses standing up for their rights, please contribute whatever you can. If you’re unable to donate, we ask that you share our story and help connect us with others who may be able to support us in this fight.

With your help, we can continue to be a force for positive change, defending our brand while ensuring that Charged Up remains a beacon of hope in Richmond. Thank you for standing with us.

NOAH-O