Fountain Bookstore contains many books about Richmond and the surrounding areas that are hard to find elsewhere. Topics include Thomas Jefferson and other famous Virginians, slavery, life in the old South, plantation homes, and other attractions. Diaries and novels written by Virginians and other southerners before and after the Civil War are plentiful here as well. Greeting cards, art books, photography books and a good selection of contemporary authors are also available. There is a small secondhand section in the store as well.

Tucked away in a corner of Richmond's historic Fan district, Black Swan carries hundreds of used and rare books. The shelves are full, but not cluttered, and are easy to browse. The knowledgeable staff will help you quickly locate a particular author or title in the store or through an Internet search. Special orders are welcome. Antique couches and chairs provide comfortable places to sit and read discoveries before purchasing them. Cats curl up here, too, when they tire of prowling through the store.

Whether you are looking to sell your used books or buy new ones to delve into different adventures, Chop Suey Books in Carytown is for you. Here, you can get credit or cash back for your books and then peruse the spacious store for novels of all genres. There are over 45,000 books in the store, so you will never get bored!

Richmond's alternative music store, Plan 9 Music, specializes in titles, imports and small labels that are difficult to find. Discover what you are looking for on CD, DVD or LP, with every genre of music available. Used records and cassettes, a vast collection of T-shirts and posters are also on sale and decorate the store's walls, ceilings and aisles. Live performances by local bands are held in the store on occasion and usually their recordings are available for sale.

Carytown is a treasure trove of specialty stores and restaurants. Stroll down the sidewalks and explore antique stores, salons, vintage clothing stores, coffee places, bookshops and more. On and off-street parking is plentiful. The eateries represent many different kinds of food, from Mexican at Nacho Mamma's to French-Asian at Indochine or Indian at Farouk's. The shops include Premiere Costumes, The Compleat Gourmet and Leo Burke Furniture. These and other stores have sidewalk sales in the spring and fall and open houses on December Sundays. In August, the street comes to life with the Watermelon Festival.