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Our Favorite Shops, Restaurants, and Activities In Richmond Virginia

Exactly eight years ago today, Sherry and I picked up and moved from NYC to Richmond, VA together. Apart from the towns that we grew up in, neither of us have ever lived any place longer – and it’s the only hometown that Clara has ever known. So we thought it would be fun to commemorate this date – and this city that we love. Especially since you guys ask us plenty of “when in Rome Richmond” questions – the biggest one being “what thrift/discount stores should I hit up when I pass through?”

  RVA Instagram Grid

Three years ago we celebrated our 5th anniversary by sharing a quick post about our “Five Richmond Top Fives” – but that only mentioned two thrift shops – and we’ve definitely found other haunts, activities, and eateries since then. So we thought a more thorough guide was in order… complete with an interactive map and an itinerary (you know me – I love a good graphic).

And since Richmond was recently named The Best River Town in America and one of Frommer’s Top Destinations for 2014 (only one of three in the US, the others being Palm Springs and Hawaii!), well, we figured our eighth anniversary was the perfect occasion to break things down for you guys.

RVA Title

With the help of modern technology (i.e. Google) we’ve embedded an interactive map with a dozen of our favorite thrift and discount stores in Richmond (green dots), along with some other suggested spots for eating (blue dots), or otherwise having-a-good-time spots (red dots). You can click any of the dots below for more info on each one of them – including a description from us about what you’ll find, some tips about when they’re closed, etc. Note: if you can’t see the map, try clicking here.

And here’s a hypothetical itinerary. It doesn’t include all of the eating options or any of the red dots (those are other fun activities outside of shopping/thrifting) but if you click those dots on the map you’ll get more info on each of those.

Let’s hit the road, shall we? Assuming you’re starting somewhere near the city center, you can head either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the map – we’ll do the latter in this post. Either way, you might want to fuel up at Sugar Shack Donuts before you start shopping (check out Sugar Shack’s FB page for secret free donut deals like “recite an ode to your donut”). Most thrift stores don’t open ’til 9 or 10am, so you’ve got time to enjoy it. Oh and many are closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays – so try to avoid those days if you want to cram the most in.

RVA Dixie Donuts

Our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore is our go-to spot for donating, and is usually a good shot at finding building materials and fixtures. If you’re more in the market for furniture and accessory finds, you might want to start at Diversity Thrift. We got lots of stuff there over the years, including the glass and metal table in our first house’s living/dining room (we still have it in the garage with a plan for tweaking it for our back porch someday).

Final Living Room After 2

Next head north on nearby I-95 to Lakeside Avenue which has a few thrift and antique spots, most notably Consignment Connection. It’s got tons of little rooms full of things, and is sort of a mix between an antique shop and a thrift store. It’s where Sherry found her beloved whale globe.

Love Art8

If you want the inspiration and tools for revamping your thrifted finds – or just want to buy something that has already been made over, make the short trek up I-95 to Ashland and swing by Thrill of the Hunt which has great upcycled furniture.

RVA Thrill Of The Hunt

On your way back, don’t miss Class and Trash for lots of vintage and shabby chic stuff, including tons of metal signs and letters. We try to stop in a few times a season since there’s always a lot of stuff (both big and small) to see. If you’ve haven’t already needed a lunch break, you could pop down to the Short Pump area for a burger. We love Burgerworks for a casual but filling one built to your liking (I always get a fried egg on top). Burger Bach, a New Zealand-style gastropub, is also nearby for a foodie-r experience (it’s really good, but you might have a bit of a wait).

You may just need to go nap and call it a day by this point, but if not – head south on I-288 toward the river. Wait, but slip through HOPE Thrift on your way. It’s the newest store on our radar and we know we’re bound to find something cool there soon. Once you hit Midlothian Turnpike, you’ve entered our main drag of thrift stores. You can start small at RAL Reuse, which we love because it supports the Richmond Animal League. And also because its near one of our favorite cafes, Urban Farmhouse. Even if you’re not hungry, stop in for a coffee/tea and some pretty amazing design inspiration. There’s also a location downtown if you don’t have time to spare.

RVA Urban Farmhouse

Further down the road is a Salvation Army Family Center, which is one of the more furniture-heavy thrift stores that we’ve been into locally. If that’s not really what you’re looking for, you can skip it and head straight for The Decorating Outlet. It’s not technically a thrift store, but it’s too full of deals to leave off the list. We get tons of lights there, but we’ve also scored rugs and furniture there too – including our crazy discounted kitchen table.

Gold Clara Close

By the time you get to this part of the route, it means you’re nearing our #1 go-to spot for thrifted furniture: Love of Jesus Thrift Store on Midlothian. They’ve got tons of furniture, and we scored a bunch of stuff for our book there – including this dresser that we painted in a gradient back in 2012 (and still use in our bedroom today). Across the street is Family Thrift Center, which used to just be a convenience (i.e. pity) stop, but we just found this $9.98 headboard for the showhouse there, so it’s a new favorite.

Video Screen Shot9

If you still have time (admittedly, doubtful) – Caravati’s is also worth a stop. It’s an architectural salvage place so prices are much higher than thrift stores, but there are such cool sights that make it worth the detour. And once all the stores are closed, hit up the Proper Pie Company for dinner and dessert (yup, they’ve got savory and sweet pies) – along with one last dose of vintage decor inspiration.

RVA Proper Pie

Admittedly it’s probably a bit ambitious to cram all of this into just one day, especially if you like to take your time perusing like Sherry does (or take your time eating like I do). But maybe that just means you’ll need to stay the weekend. Or move here entirely. You know, either one works.

Now what about you guys? What are the best thrifting spots in your town? Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a city-by-city database of them somewhere with user rated reviews and a “print me a map” feature so you’d know where to go when you get to a new place? Somebody get on that. Or does it already exist and we’re the last ones to know?

Comments

  1. Megan says

    It’s fun to know what the top destination spots in the U.S. are! I live in Palm Springs, my brother just moved to Hawaii and I’ve always wanted to visit Richmond. Since my husband works (from home) for a company in Alexandria, VA, I’m hoping a visit is in our near future! Thanks for all of the tips.

    Reply

  2. Allison says

    Yay Richmond! I’ve been living in Richmond for about 3 years now and I fall more in love with it as time goes on. All the perks of a big city without the traffic (coughDCcough).

    Have y’all checked out Born Again Furnishings near Willow Lawn? They are a consignment store and get the most amazing furniture and their prices are awesome: https://www.facebook.com/ShopBornAgain.

    But most importantly, I have never heard of Sugar Shack Donuts or Dixie Donuts….I need to go there PRONTO.

    Reply

    • Karen says

      Thanks for the shout-out Alison :) We have the best customers at Born
      Again!

      Please stop by for a visit John & Sherry (and Clara & Burger too), we would love to meet you. Your blog is one of our faves.

  3. Heather says

    I LOVE you guys for this post! We live in Fredericksburg and mosey on down to Richmond from time to time for regular old non-thrifty retail therapy. Now that the weather is supposed to be nice-ish-er this weekend I have the perfect excuse to get a jump on some thrifting. And to shove donuts in my face. And pies. Thanks – really good post!

    Reply

  5. Ofelia, from México City says

    I knew about Richmond, Virginia, many years before YHL was born because Kay Scarpetta, Patricia’s Cornwell hero novels, used to live there, and I always wanted to come in town. Today, thanks to you, I got some hints of the city here and there. I always enjoys your post about your family activities through the city, about places to go, to eat, to walk… Congrats and thanks.

    Reply

  6. Nicole E. says

    There actually is a website for finding thrift shops in the area! Maybe there are others, too, but I use TheThriftShopper.com. :)

    I recently had a change in my life situation (end of relationship, resulting move) that has me considering any and every place I’d like to live as a real possibility. The wonderful things that you guys have shared over the years about Richmond have put it at the top of my list! Who knows if I’ll ever make that jump from Middle-of-Nowhere, Nebraska, but I really appreciate posts like these that open up the lines to different places in the world. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  7. kate says

    We moved to Richmond about two weeks before you guys from North Carolina.
    Thanks for sharing some of your favorite hot spots. Love RVA!

    Reply

  9. Tiffany says

    Urban Farmhouse in Midlo – – yumm! One of my favorite breakfast spots when home visiting my family! (although the Midlothian Apothecary’s diner-style/not-quite-as-healthy breakfast is a close second)

    Reply

  10. Sarah says

    Perfect! Now we know what to do when we come down from DC for Homearama! Maybe you should get these local businesses to donate gift cards for drawings on your blog leading up to the show!

    Reply

  11. Caroline says

    Have you guys ever explored Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke? I watch their show Salvage Dawgs all the time and would love to go check out their store because they have such unique stuff (but pricey!). It’s almost a 4 hour drive from Huntington WV and obviously further to Richmond, but I’d love to go check out BDS and all the places you guys mentioned when I become a homeowner!

    Reply

  13. KathyG says

    So I guess this is one of those days where you say – if you would have told me 8 years ago I would be … – and you just shake your head…right? I know the feeling. Just this past weekend, same kind of thing happened to me. It’s surreal, really. Enjoy your day!

    Reply

  14. Cat @ MaryMarthaMama says

    So I’m originally from Richmond (born and raised) but moved to the Midwest a few years ago and I don’t get home nearly enough so I love to live vicariously through the Richmond adventures that y’all have. I have never been to most of these thrifts, so I will have to check them out when I go home next time. Although I have been to the Habitat Restore, as I interned there one summer during college so I used to go quite a lot. It is so much better than the local Restore that we’ve got here. And I need to try one of those donut shops as well. Thanks for this!

    Reply

  15. Monique says

    Up in Leesburg (outer limits of Nova) we have the annual Ladies Auxiliary Board Sale which is 5 or 6 barns at Morven Park & crammed full of everything which is awesome – the sad part – it took me almost 9 years to discover they also have a fantastic thrift store in Leesburg (Twice is Nice).

    I have spent hours roaming the aisles of Unique and Value Village in MD & VA (the best one is in Silver Spring in my opinion) – but I prefer the church/hospital/animal welfare shops – they are usually not so picked over.

    Goodwill & Salvation Army are very hit or miss. I recommend Blue Ridge Hospice Thrift, Blossom & Bloom, Twice is Nice, SACS & Hope’s Treasures in the Leesburg/Purcellville area.

    If you are also looking for cool reuse – check out the Luckett’s Spring Market in May.

    Reply

  16. Sarah says

    First off love your blog, you guys are very inspiring and of course amazing! Unfortunately I am not from the area and I’m super jealous of all the amazing thrift stores you have and all the local restaurants sound delicious! As a military family every time we move I’m always on the hunt for a great new thrift store and so far here in Arizona in this small town no such luck :( Maybe someday we will end up in Virginia… sounds very promising for some good ole’ thrift shopping!! Which by the way I’m having withdrawal from haha!

    Reply

  17. Cassie says

    What sublime timing for me that you guys posted this list!! Being originally from NoVA, the Marine Corps has taken us all over the country the last decade. We are finally moving back and settling in Goochland (aka The Goochie Goo) (aka the Good ol’ Gooch) :) I was just trying to remember the name and location of half of the haunts you guys listed above to help furnish our new home! I’m particularly excited about checking out The Decorating Outlet. Thanks again!

    Reply

  18. Ang D says

    Wow! Thanks for the recap. We used to live in the forest hill neighborhood and walked to the farmers market in Forest hill park each weekend. We are hoping to move back in the next few years and it sounds like there are lots of cool, new (to us) spots to check out. We heart Richmond! Ironically we now live in Burke and our oldest child goes to Terra Centre which I believe is Johns alma mater, correct? Small world!

    Reply

  21. Sarah J says

    It’s about 25 minutes south of Richmond but I would add a few Petersburg hot spots to the list! My favorite place for deals is Kimberly Ann’s Petersburg Pickers on East Bank Street. They have a constantly changing stock and every other Sunday the entire warehouse is 70% off! There’s some great antique stores on Sycamore and Old Streets where I find great deals often. Don’t forget to grab a bite at Demolition Coffee or Saucy’s BBQ while you’re here!

    Reply

  23. em says

    Your many love letters to Richmond are really making me want to go for a weekend. There’s no way I will convince my husband to hit up a thrift store, but it sounds like a great little get away.

    Reply

  24. Maggie says

    My hubby and I moved to Silicon Valley last summer for his job – since I work as a decorator I’ve been trying to find “the good spots” around here but keep coming up short. I did find a chain of good home consignment places. Guess I’ll have to trek up to San Fran or the Alameda Flea Market for the other stuff! Or start driving east to Richmond ;)

    Reply

  25. Kelly says

    Love this! If possible, would you be willing to do this for other cities? I live in Denver and would love if you could gather feedback from readers to learn about these types of places in my new city. Not sure how this would work, but it would be incredibly helpful!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Wouldn’t that be awesome! We’d love to figure out some sort of application system where folks could submit places and we could do city-wide thrift posts!

      xo
      s

  26. Meredith says

    Hi John!

    LOVE your use of the new custom Google map tool! Your color coding inspired me to test the limits of it in a new way :)

    (the doughnut pic was also pretty sweet)

    Reply

  27. Jazmyn says

    Awe man, it would be so exciting to live in a place like Richmond! I live in Morden…Manitoba…Canada.

    We don’t have much here (or around here… Winnipeg is about 1.5 hours from us)

    We have…Morden’s Heartland (a little café/Christian Book store…) Olides & Goodies (an antique shop/home cooking.. no menu jus whatever soups they make and sandwiches)

    Go on google maps.. it’s not too exciting! I love the small town but I wish sometimes we could move away and have an adventure!

    Reply

  28. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Thanks for this post. You don’t know this but for years we (aka I force Michael) to randomly honk when we pass your Richmond exit on the highway when we do our FL to NY road trips to see family. It’s always a roll by because we have no clue what is good to eat or where to stop to stretch our legs but it’s always a great place to pass through scenery-wise. What about parks and stuff? I could see us grabbing some grub somewhere and wanting to squat awhile to let the kids get some fresh air. Any suggestions?

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  29. Darcy says

    Thank you to all the commenters who mentioned thethriftshopper website — I just looked and found a bunch of thrift stores in my area that I had never heard of!! Yeah! – Now I have plans for this weekend! LOL!

    Congratulations on your 8 years! We are coming up on our 9 year anniversary of moving to Colorado – I can’t believe its been that long! I love living here, but just wish it was closer to my Italian family (Colorado does not have all the wonderful italian foods you take for granted there on the east coast!)

    Reply

  30. Rachel says

    I know you guys don’t like to disclose too many specifics about where you live for security reasons, which I totally understand, so if you don’t feel comfortable answering this question then I get it! But I was wondering about how far y’all live from the main areas of town? My husband and I live in a suburb of Nashville and I know Nashville has so many cool places to eat and shop but we are about 30 minutes away from most areas of town so I feel like we never get out and explore!

    P.S. I remember when you and Katie Bower did the videos at the Hotel Preston which is right near where I work!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You’re so sweet Rachel! Richmond is a smaller city without a lot of spread. Where we live is around 15 minutes from downtown, so it’s not too much of a haul to get most places, although we do tend to favor the places right near us and only venture out to do a big loop or a longer “thrift run” when we have a lazy Saturday or something.

      xo
      s

  31. Susan says

    I’m from RVA and can’t wait to try some of these places. I’ve been partial to Family Thrift…especially the downtown one, but I”m usually looking for kids’ clothes. I don’t have the eye that you guys do for furniture that needs a little help.

    Reply

  33. ann says

    Hi John and Sherry ..

    Love looking at your site and the progress you guys make on your home and your lives… you both are amazing .. if you are ever in Chicago try this place.. you would love it.. it is a very fun place to visit .. my daughter and i discovered it one day and love to go and visit.. http://www.coyleandherr.com/

    Reply

  34. Susie says

    Hey, all — I hope I’m not repeating someone else’s comment here, but just FYI, Design*Sponge has a series of posts called City Guide. It has points of interest, hip shops, great restaurants, etc. in each of the featured cities. Some of the cities are the biggies — Brooklyn, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago — but some others are a little lesser known and even international. Not sure if they’ve done one for RVA, but perhaps — John and Sherry — you could do it as a guest post… That would be cool!
    Also, couldn’t leave a comment without telling you both how awesome you are — love YHL! xo.

    Reply

  36. Melissa @ReThreads Charlottesville says

    Yay! Thanks for such an awesome post about a topic very near to my heart: thrifting! My boyfriend and I go to RVA for Love of Jesus and Goodwill Outlet at least once a month. Always good finds! And it’s always fun that you share all your great suggestions with fans!

    Could I possibly use any more exclamation points?!!!!

    Thanks!
    Melissa

    Reply

  37. Leisa says

    I LOVE that you have a NZ burger joint on your list! Kiwis representin’.
    Who knew we were known around the world for our great burgers? (There is a whole chain of them throughout the UK)
    Fun fact: did you know “Bach” is the kiwi word for beach house or holiday home? Do you use that word there?
    Also, there is a great app called PinDrop which is excellent for mapping things and sharing with friends. You can even add pictures to your pins.
    I used to use it to map my clients and share with my colleagues.

    Reply

  38. Jessie G. says

    So happy you guys put of this post. I am heading to Richmond for the last weekend the show house is open. Now I have even more places to check out! Thank you!

    Reply

  39. KiwiKat says

    Woohoo for the Kiwi Burger Bach! Obviously set up by North Islanders (in the South Island, they are called a ‘crib’)…just a warning for folks coming to visit us in New Zealand though – a traditional Kiwi burger comes with slices of pickled beetroot on it. And the full-on burger also has a fried egg. Yum!
    Our thrift stores in my (small) town aren’t particularly great (prices tend to be a bit high on the goods), but garage sales and car boot sales are a great way to get good deals at low prices.

    Reply

  41. Shannon @ River City Reading says

    I always love to see these Richmond posts! Proper Pie is just hands down amazing, you can smell the delicious on the whole block.

    I there’s a ton of copies of your book signed at Fountain Bookstore, it’s a great place for people to stop after Urban Farmhouse!

    Reply

  43. Tammy says

    Great post. My husband actually bought the industrial cart pictured above in dilapidated condition from Caravati’s, completely restored it and then took it to Thrill of the Hunt to sell! It really turned out beautiful. One of his favorite’s is also Love of Jesus Thrift for picking. :)

    Reply

  44. Michelle McCormick says

    We live in Newport Beach, CA and everything is fabulous here! Actually, I’ve noticed since we moved here about 3 1/2 years ago that there aren’t many “chain” stores or restaurants. Everything is one of a kind so it’s pretty neat.

    Reply

  45. Kelsea says

    I LOVE this post! Thanks for highlighting all the great things Richmond has to offer. I’m moving into a new apartment in the Fan next month and you all inspire me to DIY some new items for the pad. Will definitely be checking out these thrift spots soon!

    Reply

  46. Jillian H says

    This is amazing! I love visiting the Richmond area with my girlfriends. We love thrifting and every time we visit we are on the search for new places to discover. So, thank you so much for this great resource!

    Reply

  48. Megan says

    This isn’t exactly what you seem to be looking for (not thrift-specific), but there are 2 sites that I’ve been using lately to create itineraries/maps of places to go.

    https://www.mosey.com/ and https://jauntful.com/

    It’s nice to be able to aggregate locations, have all the contact info handy, and include comments/notes. Plus, you can order the lists.

    Reply

  49. CJ says

    I just moved Southside and was not even aware of most of these. I now know what I am doing this weekend. I heard U-Fab opened an outlet on Midlothian as well,

    And I completely agree on the Urban Farmhouse!

    Reply

  50. Linda, says

    Have you looked into Ki Nassauer’s web site for flea markets. It is called FleaQuest.com The more people contribute the better it will be.

    Reply

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