Top Rated Shopping in Richmond

Shockoe Slip is the city's oldest mercantile district and was once the site of the State Capitol building. This area has been a bustling hub since the 17th century. Though the earliest buildings here were destroyed during the Civil War, original cobblestones and structures dating from 1868-1888 make this beautiful and historic area a perfect place for sightseeing. Shockoe also offers shopping - there are antique and book stores and a variety of clothing boutiques - and a ton of dining options, such as a Japanese steak and sushi restaurant and Morton's Steakhouse.

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.

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.

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.

Where do all of the beautifully carved mantles, doors, iron gates and fences go when ancient houses are torn down? They come here. Governor's specializes in architectural materials and contains over a million antiques. If a door is just too much to take home, stop by anyway for fascinating browsing or to find Civil War relics, glass, jewelry and furniture. A free brochure is provided on request.

City Market, also called Farmers Market, is an octagon shaped building constructed in 1878. Local produce is sold at the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings between April and October. It also doubles up as a visitors information center for helping tourists with detailed information about the city landmarks and so forth.