Photo courtesy Mongrel
Multicategory Winner
2924 W. Cary St.
Opened in 1991 by Mark Burkett and Stan McCulloch, Mongrel gift shop has become part of the bedrock of the Carytown shopping scene. “It’s a balancing act,” McCulloch says. “You need the stuff that people expect, but at the same time, there’s got to be new, exciting stuff. So that’s what we really strive to do.” While Burkett is now retired, McCulloch and Mongrel’s three other co-owners continue working to find uncommon gifts and cards for any occasion.
Best Local Gift Shop
2. Tweed
3. The Shops at 5807
Best Shop with Richmond-made Goods
2. Lineage
3. Tweed
Best Local Sporting Goods Store
1400 Starling Drive
Disco Sports owner Gail Held says the key to their 53 years of success is the honest advice and personal attention they provide. “I’ve got the best team around,” she says, adding that customers have long been able to rely on the same people who know what athletes need.
2. Green Top Sporting Goods
3. Play It Again Sports
Best Bike Shop
As its catchy radio jingle goes, Agee’s Bicycles has been bringing out the best in you since 1910. Today, the fourth-generation business boasts three stores in metro Richmond. “I think our customers appreciate our wide selection, very competitive pricing and our paying attention to the details of great customer service,” says owner Bill Agee.
2. Carytown Bicycle Co.
3. Outpost Richmond
Best New Store
10030 Robious Road
Redemption Thrift’s new location in North Chesterfield, which supports the Richmond Center for Christian Study, has been complimented by customers for its cleanliness and low prices, says store manager Emma Claire Nipper. “We keep things fresh, we keep our inventory turning, and we try to keep it nice and clean and easy to shop,” she says.
2. Odd Bird
3. Mattie’s
Best Shopping Center or Mall
11800 W. Broad St.
Shoppers have flocked to Short Pump Town Center for over two decades, and adapting to their changing needs has been paramount, says Senior General Manager Marvin Snyder. “We continue to look for new and inventive stores that customers are asking for,” he says, citing two forthcoming tenants: Dry Goods and EVEREVE.
2. Chesterfield Towne Center
3. Stony Point Fashion Park
Best Locally Owned Toy or Game Store
World of Mirth owner Thea Brown (Photo by Jay Paul)
3005 W. Cary St.
“People need a lot of fun and joy their life right now,” World of Mirth owner Thea Brown says, “and we can be that welcoming place for everyone, where they can tap into that inner child and play and have fun and spend some time here, to drop your shoulders and just let that stuff go.”
2. One Eyed Jacques
3. DawnStar Video Games
Best Fair-trade Products
3201 W. Cary St.
Since 1995, the nonprofit has been a pioneer of the local fair-trade movement, store manager Aisha Eqbal says. “Every staff member and volunteer knows those products and countries and can tell you about it,” she adds. “I think that really creates a totally different and unique shopping experience, and I think that’s what’s kept us here so long.”
2. TIE: AlterNatives; Ellwood Thompson’s; One Little World; World Market
Best Art Gallery
2016 Staples Mill Road
Beyond a large, diverse selection of artists, Crossroads Art Center owner Jenni Kirby says accessibility has also been vital to its over two decades of support. “We are excited that we can help people that don’t have as much means find a gift that’s unique and different,” she says.
2. Reynolds Gallery
3. TIE: Artspace; Pamplemousse Gallery
Photo by Justin Chesney
Best Record Store
3017 W. Cary St.
Owner Jim Bland posits that Plan 9 Music’s support of the local music scene has played into its 43 years in business. “I think we’ve managed to make the younger crowd new to buying vinyl feel welcome, as well as keeping our longtime customers happy digging through our ever-changing selection of used records and CDs,” he says.
2. Deep Groove
3. Vinyl Conflict
Best Florist or Flower Shop
2104 Dumbarton Road
Coleman Brothers Flowers has provided unique floral arrangements to the Richmond area for over 50 years. “With 40 employees,” owner Lowell Coleman says, “we are able to provide each customer with the attention that is necessary to turn their ideas and thoughts into beautiful, one-of-a-kind arrangements.”
2. Strawberry Fields Flowers & Finds
3. Vogue Flowers
Best Locally Owned Bookstore
Fountain Bookstore (Photo by Jay Paul)
1312 E. Cary St.
Fountain has stood strong for more than four decades despite massive technological changes by focusing on finding customers new favorites in a noisy book landscape, owner Kelly Justice says. “We strive to provide a joyful, meaningful and/or fun time whenever they visit us in store, online or see us at our 150-plus author events and book clubs per year.”
2. Shelf Life Books
3. Bbgb Books
Strange’s has served as Richmond’s florist, gardener and landscaper since 1947 and today boasts two garden centers in Henrico County. “We have recently reintroduced our free public classes, kids’ club and private workshops,” says HR Director Meg Gouldin. “We are looking forward to introducing more services that better connect people with plants and florals.”
2. Sneed’s Nursery
3. Cross Creek Nursery
Best Comic Book Store
819 W. Broad St.
“I and everyone on staff loves comics,” Velocity Comics owner Patrick Godfrey says. “It’s baked into us, and our enthusiasm for the medium, we hope, is contagious.” He also gives several other reasons the store has a loyal following: “We know our product, we know our customers, we’re nice, [and] we’re local.”
2. Paper Tiger
3. TIE: Alpha Comics & Games; Third Eye Comics
Best Locally Owned Women’s Clothing Store
Photo courtesy Dear Neighbor
2415 Jefferson Ave.
Nestled into a small shop in Church Hill for the better part of a decade, Dear Neighbor offers a range of women’s clothing, jewelry, accessories and more. In June, the shop expanded to the Northern Neck. “We truly love what we do and love making people feel good,” says co-owner Kristy Cotter.
2. Rosewood Clothing Co.
3. TIE: Clementine; Penelope
Best Place to Buy a Formal Dress
3018 W. Cary St.
The selection at Lex’s of Carytown is constantly rolling over to match the current season, says President and owner Lisa McSherry, ensuring that the store is always relevant with carefully curated attire. “We try to cater to everybody, even the mothers of the brides and grooms,” she says.
2. TIE: Levys; Tiffanys Bridal
3. TIE: Frances Kahn; Roan
Best Locally Owned Place to Buy Eyewear
3343 W. Cary St.
Owner Cynthia Allen sums up how she has created a loyal and lasting customer base over 35 years in two words: good vibes. “We are providing this amazing collection of eyewear from around the world for them to touch and feel, and it’s fun and delightful,” she says, “but we’re also here to give information and to guide.”
2. TIE: Patterson Eye Clinic; Virginia Eye Institute
3. TIE: Brooks Optical; Grove Eye Care
Franco’s Fine Clothier (Photo by Megan Irwin)
Multicategory Winner
5321 Lakeside Ave., 11800 W. Broad St.
For half a century, Franco’s has earned the trust of Richmonders by providing old-school service and old-school tailoring, says Kevin Reardon, owner and son-in-law of the store’s founder, Franco Ambrogi. Though they boast a range of inventory at their Lakeside and Short Pump Town Center locations, he adds, “we treat the customer, no matter their price point, the same.”
Best Locally Owned Men’s Clothing Store
2. Homme Essentials
3. Peter-Blair
Best Place to Buy a Suit
2. TIE: 707 Fine Clothing; Alton Lane
3. Better Menswear
Best Consignment Shop
Photo courtesy Clementine
3118 W. Cary St.
There’s no “secret sauce” to Clementine’s success since 2008, says owner and partner Lyn Page. “We would not be who we are without the clothes we receive, and I mean that in a very genuine way,” she continues. “We just believe we’re able to curate an amazing collection of clothes for women, and that’s it.”
2. Ashby
3. Indigo Avenue Clothes
Saxon Shoes (Photo by Jay Paul)
Best Locally Owned Shoe Store
11800 W. Broad St., Suite 2750
“It means extra to us” that Saxon Shoes is still a local favorite following its sale to Northern Virginia-based Comfort One Shoes, Saxon director Amanda Weiner says. “The makeup of Saxon, the fabric, the people have all stayed the same, other than [former owner Gary Weiner] retiring. We were just blessed to have this new backbone.”
2. Fleet Feet
3. Lucky Road
Best Fine Jewelry Store
Photo courtesy Schwarzschild Jewelers
Founded in the late 19th century, Schwarzchild today boasts three Richmond-area stores, including its new flagship location in Carytown. What sets them apart from other jewelers, says Chief Operating Officer Kiley Schiffman Storrs, is their sales associates. “They really, truly care about each and every one of our customers,” she says, “and I think that shows.”
2. Fink’s Jewelers
3. Lustre
Best Maker of Custom Jewelry
Photo courtesy Emily Warden Designs
2225 Hanover Ave.
Emily Warden, who in 2023 made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Art & Style list, says she has worked hard to build a neighborhood jewelry shop. “I also enjoy designing new and creative collections that bend the traditional norms of big-brand jewelry to create truly unique, everyday heirlooms that you can’t find elsewhere,” Warden says..
2. Sun & Selene
3. Vera’s Fine Jewelers
Best Thrift Shop
1407 Sherwood Ave.
Shopping at Diversity Thrift is not just about finding a bargain; it’s also about supporting Richmond’s LGBTQ+ community through its parent nonprofit, Diversity Richmond. “The frequent feedback we receive from customers is that our staff are friendly and we have great prices,” says Robyn Bentley, Diversity’s director of retail and warehouse operations.
2. Hope Thrift
3. Furbish Thrift
Halcyon Vintage (Photo by Farrah B. Fox)
Best Vintage Clothing Shop
117 N. Robinson St.
Halcyon Vintage’s consistently high-quality clothing for men and women has fueled the store’s popularity since it opened in 1983, owner Didi Chisholm says. “It really kind of has stayed pretty much the same except for, obviously, the clothing that comes in and out,” she adds. “You never know what we’re going to get because it’s literally one of a kind.”
2. Bygones Vintage Clothing
3. TIE: Blue Bones Vintage; Rosewood Clothing Co.
