Day trip: Hit Carytown in Richmond for shopping, culture
August 11, 2014 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Well, it is quite different.
Located off of Interstate 64 about an hour from Busch Gardens, Carytown is often referred to as “The Mile of Style,” according to the Carytown Merchants Association. An eclectic grouping of more than 300 local shops and dozens of unique eateries stretches along nine blocks of West Cary Street, dotted along the way by street vendors and musicians.
On the corner of West Cary Street and Dooley Avenue, a handwritten cardboard sign propped against a streetlamp announced sidewalk chess lessons. A bearded gentleman and his competitor sweat in the July heat, contemplating their next move. Across the street sits the high-end lingerie shop, Fiamour, where bachelorette parties and bridal showers are the norm.
My friend and I spent five hours walking West Cary Street, popping in at least 50 different stores. And, yet, those we talked to along the way mentioned favorite spots that we had not even seen.
“Did you go to Mongrel?” a saleswoman in Short Pump Town Center’s Express store asked that evening. “That’s my favorite store. They have the coolest stuff!”
Mongrel, a boutique whose tag line is “cool stuff for all breeds of humans,” seems to signify the flavor of Carytown, featuring a collection of quirky items from funky greeting cards to posh bottle openers to a drink recipe book titled “The Screaming Orgasm: 69 X-Rated Cocktails.” Just shopping in this store makes you feel a little bit more hip and a little bit more edgy, in a Park Avenue kind of way.
The collection of stores along West Cary Street is just as diverse, situating thrift stores next to high-end home décor stores, like Ruth Ollie, where crocodile heads sit on tabletops and couch pillows cost $100.
For me, the Clover children’s consignment shop was one of my favorite spots to shop. Featuring both high-end brands and mall brands like Gymboree, Clover’s pricing and selection is right on point, according to this heavy consignment shopper. Moms can also bring their kids along, a large chalkboard will keep them busy while you shop.
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Carytown is also the home to the historic Byrd Theatre, which was recently selected as the “one thing you must do in Virginia” by Huffington Post Travel. The Byrd shows second-run movies for $2 and hosts various film festivals throughout the year.
For those who want to mix in a little culture, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is just a short walk from the Carytown shops. The museum’s permanent collection features more than 33,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years of world history, according to Erin Bagnell, a spokeswoman for the city’s tourism alliance.
