Richmond's neighborhoods have a number of specialty shops, including those mentioned below. The visitor centers provide brochures that cover these and many other stores around the city and out in the suburbs.
For distinctive souvenirs, don't forget museum gift shops, especially those at the Science Museum, Art Museum, Museum and White House of the Confederacy, Valentine Richmond History Museum, and the Virginia Children's Museum.
There are upscale shops along East Cary Street in Shockoe Slip, but the best place in town for a pleasant shopping stroll is in Carytown, the 7 blocks of West Cary Street between Boulevard and Nasemond Street, which is lined with a mix of small stores and interesting cafes. The old First Baptist Church, 3325 W. Cary St., has been transformed into an inviting retail complex, with the high-fashion Annette Dean Apparel and the fine Acadia restaurant. Antiques hunting is good here, especially at Thomas-Hines Antiques, 3027 W. Cary St. (tel. 804/355-2782), and Mariah Robinson Antiques and Fine Art, 3455 W. Cary St. (tel. 804/355-1996). Ten Thousand Villages, 3201 W. Cary St. (tel. 804/358-5170), carries international handcrafts, with lots of baskets and primitive pottery.
You'll also find gourmet food shops, ethnic restaurants, secondhand clothing stores, and the landmark Byrd Theater, which shows second-run films at discount prices.
