Illustration by Aldo Crusher
Best Antiques
West End Antiques Mall
2004 Staples Mill Road, Richmond, WestEndAntiqueMall.com, 804-359-1600
One of the largest antique malls in central Virginia, West End Antiques Mall houses more than 250 individual dealers in 53,000 square feet. George and Jonnie Earle founded WEAM in 1993 and moved from their original Horsepen Road location to their current one in 1999. Dealers carry all different styles of furniture, from Virginia colonial to midcentury modern.
second place: Buckingham Antique Mall, Midlothian, BuckinghamAntiqueMall.com, 804-893-4056
third place: Sheppard Street Antiques, Richmond, SheppardStreetAntiques.com, 804-355-7454
Best Bicycle Shop
Carytown Bicycle Co.
3112 W. Cary St., Richmond, CarytownBikes.com, 804-440-2453
Staffed by cycling enthusiasts who ride every day, Carytown Bicycle Co. has been open since 2007. The shop offers several different types of bicycle repair and maintenance packages, and customers can enjoy free coffee or beer while they wait for their bike to be repaired. The shop sponsors a variety of group rides, as well as a donation-based Yoga for Cyclists class to keep bike enthusiasts limber for their next ride.
second place: Agee’s Bicycle Company, Midlothian, Agees.com, 804-794-6754
third place: Blue Ridge Cyclery, Charlottesville, BlueRidgeCyclery.com, 434-529-6514
Best Book Store
Chop Suey Books
2913 W. Cary St., Richmond, ChopSueyBooks.com, 804-422-8066
In addition to its selection of new and used books, Chop Suey offers readings and other events to help support local and traveling authors. This spring, the shop is to publish its seventh book, a collection of work by local poets called Lingering in the Margins. Chop Suey’s cat, WonTon, can often be found sleeping in the shop window.
second place: Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, FountainBookstore.com, 804-788-1594
third place: Givens Books, Lynchburg, GivensBooks.com, 434-385-5027
Best Bridal Boutique
Urban Set Bride
602 N. 29th St., Richmond, UrbanSetBride.com, 804-562-1212
“Urban set” was 1920s slang for a fancy new dress, and Christine Haines aims to offer brides the individual attention and personal service of a high-end bridal shop to help them find their “urban set.” Brides of all shapes and sizes can shop for handmade designer gowns from local and international brands at one-on-one or small group appointments in this boutique that has been styling Richmond brides since 2014.
second place: Annalise Bridal Boutique, Richmond, AnnaliseBridal.com, 804-649-3000
third place: Tiffanys Bridal, Henrico, TiffanysBridal.com, 804-273-6303
Best Car Dealer
Lexus of Richmond
9703 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, LexusOfRichmond.com, 804-323-8000
Shop for new or L/Certified by Lexus used vehicles at this Richmond dealer. Founded in 1989, it has grown from just nine employees to more than 155, with 75,000 square feet of facilities. The service department was one of the first in the nation to achieve certification as a Lexus Benchmark Service organization. For 16 years, the dealer has recognized talented local youth with the Pursuit of Perfection Leadership Award that awards college scholarships.
second place: McGeorge Toyota, Henrico, McGeorgeToyota.com, 804-655-0361
third place: CarMax, Glen Allen, CarMax.com, 804-762-8052
Best Consignment Shop
Clementine
3118 W. Cary St., Richmond, SweetClementine.com, 804-358-2357
Shoppers tired of seeing the same clothes season after season will enjoy the curated selection at Clementine, where the team individually chooses every item. The team works with a network of consignors across the country to keep their selection fresh and carry well-known brands like J. Crew, Lululemon, and Madewell. Though the shop is small, it also offers online shopping—customers can get free shipping on orders of $50 or more or shop online and pick up in the store.
second place: Next Time Consignment, Forest, NextTimeConsignment.com, 434-608-1200
third place: Revival Consignments, Richmond, RevivalConsignment.com, 804-750-2200
Best Fine Jewelry Store
Carreras Jewelers
121 Libbie Ave., Richmond, CarrerasJewelers.com, 804-282-7018
Since its beginnings in the 1960s, Carreras has specialized in engagement rings. William Carreras started his jewelry career as a jeweler’s sales representative, selling engagement rings to his classmates at the University of Virginia. Now, Carreras sells designer and bridal jewelry from a variety of high-end designers, as well as estate jewelry, and offers appraisal, redesign, and repair services.
second place: Schwarzschild Jewelers, Richmond, Schwarzschild.com, 804-355-2136
third place: Ulman’s Jewelry, Fredericksburg, UlmansJewelry.com, 540-373-9243
Best Florist
Coleman Brothers
2104 Dumbarton Road, Richmond, ColemanFlowers.com, 804-262-8681
With a fleet of more than 15 delivery vans crisscrossing the Richmond area, Coleman Brothers has grown quite a bit from the small shop with less than five employees that it started as in 1971. The shop carries Shari’s Berries, Mrs. Fields, and Starbucks branded gifts and treats as well.
second place: Strawberry Fields Flowers and Finds, Richmond, StrawberryFieldsFlowersAndFinds.com, 804-213-0232
third place: Vogue Flowers, Richmond, VogueFlowers.com, 804-353-9600
Best Gifts
Mongrel
2924 W. Cary St., Richmond, MongrelRVA.com, 804-342-1272
You won’t find gifts like coasters made to look like Richmond sewer covers at Hallmark, but you will find them at Mongrel. This shop on Cary Street specializes in artist-designed greeting cards and offbeat gifts from small companies. The shop also designs and produces its own line of giftware based on customer requests, and will be unveiling new products in the fall.
second place: Tweed, Richmond, TweedAtHome.com, 804-249-3900
third place: Tinker’s, Richmond, TinkerAndCompany.com, 804-359-3301
Best Independent Home Décor Store
Green Front Furniture
316 N. Main St., Farmville, GreenFront.com, 434-392-5943
There is so much to see at Green Front that some customers make a whole day of it, spending hours in the 13 rustic, converted tobacco warehouses to shop for rugs, furniture, and home décor. There is more than 1,000,000 square feet of showroom space, and Green Front has the largest rug selection in North America.
second place: Tinker’s, Richmond, TinkerAndCompany.com, 804-359-3301
third place: Bridget Beari Home Store, Richmond, BridgetBeariDesigns.com, 804-967-3103
Best Men’s Clothing Store
Franco’s
5321 Lakeside Ave., Richmond, Francos.com, 804-264-2994
Founded in 1972 by Franco Ambrogi, Franco’s has been a Richmond institution ever since. Its two locations are run by Franco’s children and son-in-law, keeping this local business in the family. Franco himself still oversees the in-house tailoring, and he can be found on the floor giving advice to customers.
second place: Peter-Blair, Richmond, PeterBlair.com, 804-288-8123
third place: Todd Goldsmith Custom, Richmond, ToddGoldsmith.com, 804-216-0195
Best Outdoor Outfitter
REI
2020 Old Brick Road, Glen Allen, REI.com, 804-360-1381
Recreational Equipment, Inc., began as a group of 23 mountain climbing friends and is now the nation’s largest consumer cooperative, known for its conservation efforts and sustainable business practices. Lifetime memberships to the co-op are $20, which gives members access to special events and discounts. The Glen Allen location offers bike shop services and outdoor gear repair, as well as a variety of classes and workshops.
second place: Green Top Sporting Goods, Ashland, GreenTopHuntFish.com, 804-550-2188
third place: Walkabout Outfitter, Richmond, WalkaboutOutfitter.com, 804-342-5890
Best Shoe Store
Saxon Shoes
11800 W. Broad St., Suite 2750, Richmond, SaxonShoes.com, 804-285-3473
This local chain began in 1953 by Jack and Gloria Weiner as a children’s orthotic shoe store and is still a family-owned business. The largest shoe store in Virginia, Saxon carries more than 200 brands. The staff will fit you for dress shoes or personal orthotics. In addition to shoes in a variety of styles for men, women, and children, the shop also carries jewelry, Brighton handbags, and items from the Vera Bradley line.
second place: Nordstrom, Richmond, Shop.Nordstrom.com, 804-364-6900
third place: DSW, Richmond, DSW.com, 804-290-4244
Best Shopping Area/Mall
Short Pump Town Center
11800 W. Broad St., Richmond, ShortPumpTownCenter.com, 804-360-1700
An open-air shopping mall, Short Pump Town Center is the place to go for name brand stores like Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, and Crate & Barrel. Fuel up for an afternoon of shopping at Cooper’s Hawk, or treat yourself afterwards at Godiva Chocolatier. Kids can ride the Short Pump Express, a trackless train that circulates through the mall.
second place: Carytown, Richmond, CarytownRVA.org
third place: Stony Point Fashion Park, Richmond, ShopStonyPoint.com, 804-267-2740
Best Sporting Goods Store
Green Top Sporting Goods
10150 Lakeridge Pkwy., Ashland, GreenTopHuntFish.com, 804-550-2188
Green Top aims to carry the best gear from the best brands sold by the most knowledgeable staff in the industry, who have decades of combined experience. Founded in 1947, it has grown to more than 130 employees and a 67,000-square-foot building. In addition to fishing, camping, boating and hunting gear, the outfitter carries locally made products like peanuts and fishing lures.
second place: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Richmond, DicksSportingGoods.com, 804-360-8165
third place: Disco Sports, Richmond, DiscoSports.com, 804-285-4242
Best Women’s Clothing Store
Levys
5807 Grove Ave., Richmond, Facebook.com/LevysRichmond, 804-673-0177
Levys was founded in the 1920s in Charlottesville and opened in Richmond’s Libbie and Grove neighborhood in 1991. This third generation family business’ mission is to bring accessible fashion to Richmond and help customers find the right clothing for their lifestyle, whether that’s career wear or cocktail attire—or both!
second place: Monkee’s, Fredericksburg, FredMonkees.com, 540-368-2111
third place: Frances Kahn, Richmond, FrancesKahn.com, 804-288-5246
Winners were determined by our Best of Virginia Readers’ Survey in January and published in our Best of Virginia 2019 issue.
