Lucretia Jones stocks House of Lukaya with independently produced bags, clothing and accessories. V. Lee Aulick photo
You may think a day trip is re-quired in order to discover new stores. Think again. The magazine's shopping blogger mapped out five excursions you can take without leaving Richmond. Try one and we bet you'll discover new favorites and rediscover old ones.
The West End
Start with the selection of pajamas, laminated cosmetic bags and luggage (all of which can be monogrammed) at Atlantic Embroidery Works (7027 Three Chopt Road, Suite 201-B, 282-5027 or atlanticembroideryworks.com) and continue westward, stopping at Tuckahoe Shopping Center for Impulse Boutique (419 N. Ridge Road, 288-7300 or impulselive.com), a consignment shop with a great array of furniture alongside jewelry, art and accessories by local artists.
Next up is Westbury Gallery (8905 Three Chopt Road, 285-4733 or westburygallery.com), which carries eclectic home accessories and gifts, and the adjacent Westbury Pharmacy (8903 Three Chopt Road, 285-3428 or westburypharmacy.com), where you'll find an in-store diner.
Gayton Crossing (gaytoncrossing.com), at the intersection of Gayton, Gaskins and Quioccasin roads, features many boutiques, including upscale consignment shop Baggio (9744 Gayton Road, 754-1163). Don't miss the shoe rack that often houses pairs that have barely been worn.
Drop by Cupertino's New York Bagels and Deli (3621 Cox Road, 747-4005) for lunch. Continue toward Short Pump Town Center, stopping to browse the cocktail dresses at Bella Rosa (11114 W. Broad St., 360-8120 or bellarosabridal.com) before swinging through the shopping plazas across from the mall, where you'll find stores like J. Fenton (11635 W. Broad St., 364-8490), a gift shop with handmade papier-mâché clocks and a distinctive selection of jewelry. If you've still got energy to spare, cross to Short Pump Town Center (11800 W. Broad St., shortpumpmall.com), and browse locally owned shoe mecca Saxon (285-3473, saxonshoes.com) and the locally crafted jewelry and home accessories at Cocoanut Jewelry (360-9634).
Lakeside
Spend an afternoon along Lakeside Avenue. Pick up a treat for later made by Biscotti Goddess at Consider the Lily (6943 Lakeside Ave., 262-3200 or considerthelily.com), then browse the vintage and antique shops in The Hub shopping center nearby. Next hit The Shoppes at Lakeside North, where you must check the designer bags behind the cash register at My Closet Your Treasures (5524 Lakeside Ave., 525-4256 or mycloset-yourtreasures.com). Gift shop Straw & Feathers (5520-A Lakeside Ave., 262-7234) sells handmade goodies like crafty bowls made from old records. Hit Lakeside Towne Center, where you'll find shabby-chic antique shop Hunter Lange (6920-C Lakeside Ave., 627-0001), and break for lunch at Feathernesters (6118 Lakeside Ave., 262-7305 or feathernesters.com). After some chicken salad, browse their shop for items such as Richmond-made oilcloth Modern June aprons. Dig for discounts down the street at the always-crammed-full Consignment Connection (5517 Lakeside Ave., 261-3600). Worth a detour off the main drag is Nicola Flora (1219 Bellevue Ave., 261-1060 or nicolaflora.com), a floral shop that also carries gifts like locally made Row House Soaps. Also not to be missed is Embellish (5105 Lakeside Ave., 622-7770 or embellish-yourhome.com), with home-décor essentials and Richmond favorite Rebecka Boyd Jewelry. If you finish early, stop by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (1800 Lakeside Ave., 262-9887 or lewisginter.org) and browse the treasures in its gift shop.
Midlothian, Bon Air, Huguenot
Start your day at Shades of Light's Decorating Outlet (9912 Midlothian Turnpike, 320-3695). Check the color-coded price tags as you browse: Each color means an extra percentage off the marked price. Make your way to Huguenot Village Shopping Center and the beautiful fabrics and "rooms" of home furnishings at Williams & Sherrill (2003 Huguenot Road, 320-1730 or williamsandsherrill.com), along with one-of-a-kind accessories and seasonal décor items. Confetti (2005-A Huguenot Road, 560-9012 or confettishoppe.com) is the hidden-gem gift shop next door with home accessories like locally hand-painted wineglasses. Break for a soup-and-salad combo at Huckleberries Tea Room (2003 Huguenot Road, 320-1990), then browse a quaint selection of gifts and furniture made from architectural salvage. Stop by NYFO (11400 W. Huguenot Road, No. 117, 794-0777) for sophisticated twists on current trends. Up the road, the Stony Point Shopping Center at Forest Hill Avenue and Huguenot Road features more accessories and home-décor shops. Don't miss the selection of sterling-silver-and-semiprecious-stone jewelry at Alchemists (3066 Stony Point Road, 323-5563 or alchemistsbooksandgifts.com) or Melanie Bentley Shockley's necklaces fashioned from found objects, art images and resin at Fandangle Beads (3028 Stony Point Road, 327-9992 or fandangle-beads.com), where you can also design your own jewelry. Finish at River Road Shopping Center and River Road II across the Huguenot Bridge. You can browse ultra-exclusive lines like Christian Louboutin shoes at Coplon's (6235 River Road, 288-3699 or coplons.com), as well as upscale children's clothing and gifts at Rattle & Roll (5003 Huguenot Road, 282-0141 or rattleroll.com).
Downtown/Fan/Carytown
Begin by browsing galleries along Broad Street. Must-stops for buying include the gallery shop at Quirk (311 W. Broad St., 644-5450 or quirkgallery.com) and the Visual Art Studio (208 W. Broad St., 644-1368 or visualartstudio.org) for handmade jewelry. You'll find many pieces of iconic artwork reproduced in poster form at Great Graphics (105 E. Grace St., 649-1576 or greatvintagegraphics.com). Heading west toward VCU, stop at a café for lunch and then browse vintage clothes and home décor with a hipster bent at Exile (935 W. Grace St., 358-3348). Nearby at Rumors (404 N. Harrison St., 726-9944 or rumorsownsyou.tumblr.com), the selection of clothing from European designers has been carefully chosen to appeal to a wide age range. Break for pedicures at Nesbit (2311 W. Main St., 355-8775 or nesbitsalon.net), and while you're there, shop the cosmetic line Smashbox, skin-care line Dermalogica and hair-care line Bumble & Bumble. Next, head to Strawberry Street and stop at Strawberry Fields (423 Strawberry St., 213-0232 or strawberryfields.us) for jewelry by Karyn Shonk. Up the road is Halcyon (117 N. Robinson St., 358-1311), a vintage clothing store. And west of the Boulevard lies Carytown with its mile of retail.
Shockoe Slip/Bottom
Travel down Cary Street and duck into locally owned Fountain Bookstore (1312 E. Cary St., 788-1594 or fountainbookstore.com), which sells best-sellers as well as many books by Virginia authors. Head inside the James Center II for Very Richmond Gallery & Gifts (1051 E. Cary St., 644-3613), where you'll find accessories, prints and books created by a host of Virginians. Farther down the street, browse a furniture collection from around the world at These Four Walls (1401 E. Cary St., 622-6201 or thesefourwalls.com) and the equally international selection at La Différence (125 S. 14th St., 648-6210 or ladiff.com). Also peruse the selection of smaller items near the register: You'll often find handbags and gift items that aren't sold elsewhere. Break for lunch at one of the nearby cafés, and then hit Shockoe Bottom. At House of Lukaya (1717 E. Main St., 377-3380 or houseoflukaya.com) you'll find independently crafted items such as soy candles and owner Lucretia Jones' bohemian selection of patchwork bags and patterned skirts. Walk along 17th and 18th streets for more shops such as Kulture Clothing (2 1/2 N. 18th St., 644-5044), where purses made from old skateboards are definitely worth a look. Finish by relaxing with a latte and picking out a book at Café Gutenberg (1700 E. Main St., 497-5000 or cafegutenberg.com).
