Richmond Shopping Tips by gipper84 Top 5 Page for this destination

Dave's Comics: Childhood Favorite Dave's Comics Review

Dave's Comics is a childhood memory that is still as I remember it. It is located in the back of the Village Shopping Center on Three Chopt Road in Richmond's West End. My grandfather and I would come here to buy comic books for me. Most of all, it was just hanging out with my grandfather. I hope it will still be there so I can take my children.Comic books of all types.

What to buy: I was interested in X-Men and Batman.

What to pay: I guess it depends on how old the comic book is. My grandfather would buy me current issues, but I'm sure the collectors items go for more.

Address: 7019 Three Chopt Road #F, Richmond, VA 23226

Phone: (804) 282-1211

Theme: Hobbies

The Shops at Willow Lawn: The Shops at Willow Lawn The Shops at Willow Lawn Review

The shops at Willow Lawn used to be a real nice place to go, but over time alot of the larger stores have since gone else where with the opening of Regency, and Short Pump. There used to be a J.C. Penny's and a Target there, but they both left over time. Now the only real anchor stores are Old Navy, which is a cheaper version of The Gap. Williow Lawn also has Tower Records which is the only one to my knowledge in Richmond. Willow Lawn has restaurants like Padow's and Ruby Tuesday. There are some other small local shops like a nail salon, a barber shop, a hallmark, and other odd and end stores. If you are really looking to do a great deal of shopping than Willow Lawn isn't where you want to go, you will find the newer shopping centers down the road to be more useful or just Regency Mall or Shortpump. The one good thing about Willow Lawn is its location on Broad Street. It is located real close to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, and other restaurants on Broad like Bills Barbecue, and Arby's.

What to buy: Mostly made up of local stores, and you can expect to find a variety of things from magazines and books at Tower Records to clothes at Old Navy. There is also a Friedman's Jewelry there, and a pharmacy of some sort.

What to pay: The prices are pretty reasonable considering the area in which it is located which is a very low income area.

Address: 1601 Willow Lawn Dr., Richmond, VA 23230

Directions: Just west of downtown at the intersection of Broad Street and Willow Lawn Drive.

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.shopsatwillowlawn.com

River Road Shopping Center: River Road Shopping Center River Road Shopping Center Review

The River Road shopping center is more of a upscale shopping center and has high end stores like Talbot's which is a women's apparal store and Harold's which is a men's casual and finewear store. It also has the usual Starbucks, and a few other restaurants like Azzuro which is an Italian restaurant. Another clothing store found here is the Pink Palm which is supposed to be really nice, but also really expensive. There is a furniture store here called Kellog Collection, and there is a salon here to get things like pedicures, manicures, and haircuts.

What to pay: You can expect to pay more than you usually would at most of these shops. The shops are located near some of the most expensive homes in Richmond and therefore cater to those individuals.

Address: 6200 River Road Richmond VA 23226

Theme: Other

The Village Shopping Center: The Village Shopping Center

The Village is a really nice shopping Center found in the west end of Richmond, located near the University of Richmond. This is a typical university shopping center. It has a Ukrop's which of course has a great cafe, as mentioned in my Ukrop's tip. The shopping center also has a Starbuck's which is good for midnight studying and good coffee. Other places to eat in this shopping Center include a Lebanese restaurant, The Grape Leaf, and Moe's Southwest grill, which is a all out avoid unless you most definetly have to eat here. See my Moe's tip in the near future. My favorite shop here, is on that plays to my childhood, and to comic fans all over. There is a store called Dave's Comics here which has everything comic fans could ever want. I will describe this briefly but in the future I will be putting up a seperate Dave's tip. The Comic store has all new comics, but also alot of the collector's comics like the old Batman's and Superman' s and X-Men for those comic fans out there. This shopping center is usually jumping and is quite busy on a typical weekend. If you visit Richmond make sure to stop here. Oh, and there is a toy store here, which actually is a real toy shop carrying home made toys rather than the typical Kay Bee Toys.

What to pay: This is a west end shopping center so expect prices to be alittle higher than usual, but not much more expensive than usual.

Address: 7000 Three Chopt Rd. Richmond VA 23226

Theme: Other

Westbury Shopping Center: Westbury Shopping Center Westbury Shopping Center Review

Westbury is actually not one store but a collection of stores. The shopping center has some pretty good restaurants like Mio's which is a pretty nice italian restaurant. The food is good there and the price is reasonable. I will have a Mio's tip up in the future to refer to. The store that I shop at the most in this shopping center is Disco Sports, which is a sports store with a wide variety of sporting goods. I bought all of my baseball equipment from there, because I played baseball for 10 years. I also buy all of my golf equipment there, and my sister buys her softball equipment there. The store is reasonable on price and has some of the best equipment you can find in the Richmond area. The shopping center also has a lot of necessity shops, such as a shoe repair store, a beauty salon, a nail place, and other shops along those lines which are used on a daily basis. There are about 15 or so shops there, and they are great quality shops. There is a men's formal wear store there which I am in the process of visiting in the near future.

What to buy: You can find most anything in this shopping center if you need to, and whatever you can't find, Regency Mall is just a mile down the road, and will definetly suit your needs.

What to pay: You can expect to pay a reasonable price for things here. They may be alittle more expensive than usual, but nothing compared to the far West End prices such as Short Pump Mall and that surrounding area.

Directions: At the intersection of Ridge and Three Chopt

Theme: Other

Short Pump Town Centre: A feat for a day! Short Pump Town Centre Review

I must say starting off that Short Pump Town Center is probably my most favorite mall in the Richmond area. I literally go there about once a week, and hang out with friends and go shopping. This outdoor mall is definetly an architectural feat, and if anything must be visited just to see the layout of the mall. The entrance to the mall is like crossing an old moat going into a medival castle. The entrance has a moat, and adajacent restaurants galour. Once in the mall you will be blown away by the gigantic size of the mall itself. The mall has about 120 shops, and is spread out into 3 sections. Each section has a real pretty fountain and a wide court area to sit on benches. The anchor stores are Hecht, JC Penny's, and Sears. ( They are in the process of adding a Lord & Taylor) You literally could spend a half day in this mall. You could enjoy a good lunch in the enclosed food court, then go shopping at the numerous stores that flood the mall. You could take a rest in Bose, and check out there home theater system. Trust me this is a must do, it will blow you away. Then you could go to Brookstone and relax in one of their reclining chairs, or enjoy one of their foot massagers. Lastly you could enjoy a good mix of icecream at Cold Stone. The mall is just amazing, and the restaurants there are great. Restaurants in the mall include Maggiano's(a upscale italian restaurant), the Copper Grille (a fancy steak restaurant which is for more formal occasions), Baker's Crust, Firebirds, and California Pizza ( all 3 of which are reasonable and really really good. As a matter of fact I took Jessi out there to Baker's Crust recently and she loved the restaurant. If I could rate this mall I would give it a 6 out of 5. Now I know that is not possible but you wait and see. One last note on the mall is that if you make it out there on a Friday or Saturday night you will find some live music out in the main courtyard in front of the food court, and Dick's Sporting. The mall is 2 stories and outdoor.

What to buy: This mall has literally everything. I think it is just awesome to tour some of the shops out there like the real fancy furniture stores, or even the Bose store and Brookstone. The mall has everything your heart and mind could desire or imagine.

What to pay: You should expect to spend alittle bit more than at a normal mall, but the quality of the clothing is really nice. This is an A mall which means it gets the best of all the stores merchandise.

Address: 11800 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23233

Directions: Detailed Directions

Phone: 804-364-9500

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.shortpumpmall.com

Regency Square Mall: Regency Square Mall Regency Square Mall Review

Regency is a pretty nice mall that has been around for about 30 years. The mall over the last few years has lost alot of its stronger name-brand stores like Gap and Banana Republic to the newer Stony Point mall. Regency I think though is still a pretty nice mall. It has good anchor stores like Hechts, J.C. Penny, and Sears, and it has some pretty good stores on the inside like Brooks Brothers, and Abercrombie and Fitch. Recently the mall has gone under some remodeling and they have really done a great job on cleaning the mall up, and expanding the food court. Unfortunately no remodeling is going to help the fact that this mall is slowly deteriorating. Eventually this mall will turn into another Willow Lawn Shopping Center because it won't be able to compete with Stony Point and Short Pump Towne Center. If you get the chance check the mall out because it really is a nice mall, even though it is on the downturn. I have some really fond memories of the mall including Sergeant Santa. Overall the mall is a great place to go shopping and waste a good night away. It still has some really good shops and I would recommend it. Maybe not over Stony Point or Short Pump, but I would still recommend it.

What to buy: The mall basically has anything you can think of. It has clothing apparel stores, home decorating stores, a Godiva chocolate shop, and anything else you could want out of a mall. You can find almost anything here.

What to pay: The prices are pretty reasonable especially compared to Stony Point. If you are looking to save alittle but still get a good quality Regency is the place to go.

Address: 1404 Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23229

Directions: In Richmond's upscale West End

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.shopregencysqmall.com

West End Antique Mall: Antique Shopping West End Antique Mall Review

West End Anitque Mall is one of the larger antique malls in the Richmond area. You can find basically any anitque you are looking for here in this shopping area. There are many different vendors, with very different antiques. You can find a cd vendor, a book vendor, a furniture vendor, and a vendor of most glassware antiques. The shopping center is a nice place to spend a few hours, especially if you are a fan of antiques. This is a must do if you like antiques or are a collector of some sort. My friend Bill found the mall very interesting and really enjoyed himself mostly because he is a collector of older money and found a few pieces there that he could add to his collection. I found some political buttons from campaigns that I kept, because I am a huge collector of political buttons for both political parties. This mall is a great place to go and spend some time. Oh by the way don't forget the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop right near here. This is definetly a good plan. Doughnuts then Antiques!

What to pay: This mall is really resonable and you might even be able to find a few snags here which are quite cheap.

Address: 2004 Staples Mill Road, Richmond, VA 23230

Theme: Antiques