Carytown Square
Saturday in Richmond started out at Boychik’s Deli again for breakfast. We decided to head in to Carytown. Carytown is an urban retail district along Cary Street in Richmond. There are more than 230 shops and restaurants, and is home to the Byrd Theatre. The area was developed in the 1930’s and the first strip mall in the area was opened there in 1938. Carytown is a popular destination for locals and tourists. We found a some shops we loved, but there was entirely too much walking for me. Fabgrandpa was getting winded, too.
The first shop I went in was Penzey Spices. I love to try new rubs and herb seasoning combinations, so this place was a treasure chest! I spent way too much money in there. I got some Vietnamese Cinnamon, some vanilla, some Tuscan Sunset, some Sunny Paris, some white peppercorns, and I can’t remember what all else.
I didn’t bring them home with me because I did not have any room for them in my suitcase, and I was afraid that the security people would take them away from me at the airport. So, Becca is shipping them to me. I can hardly wait for them to get here! I’ll be grilling every day.
My favorite shop of all was the AlterNatives Free Trade Shop. They sell crafts and products made by indigenous women from Central and South America. I bought a pretty blue necklace that goes with the outfit I was wearing that day that was made out of nuts. I am amazed at the quality and craftsmanship of the piece. There were also home decor items, clothing, shoes, mirrors, and more. Fabgrandpa bought a Jaquar vase that was handmade in Nicaragua.
If you find yourself in Carytown, you have to go in there. I love that they support women’s businesses and empower them to be able to support themselves and their families. They have a shop online, but it doesn’t have nearly as much merchandise as there is available at the physical location on Cary Street. Here are some pictures I took of things I really liked:
I want this metal wall scupture for my living room. It is so beautiful, hand crafted, and unusual.
These items are typical of what is available in the store. There are so many unique hand carved or hand crafted items from which to choose.
I love tree art, so this metal tree wall sculpture appealed to me.
These woven shoes are so cute. Becca tried a pair on. I didn’t because I did not have an inch of space in my suitcase to be able to take them home, but I can tell you that if I could have gotten them on the plane, I would have a pair. Please go look at the website. These women are just to talented.
After leaving Carytown, we went to downtown Richmond to The Hard Shell Restaurant for dinner. I was wanting to get steamed blue crabs while I was in Richmond, but we could not find a place that served them at a restaurant. The only places we found were like seafood shops where you could buy them by the bushel basket or by the dozen. Since we did not want to stink up Becca’s house with crabs, we chose the next best thing and went to a restaurant that had crab legs on the menu. I forgot to take pictures because I was busy talking and enjoying the company of Becca and Ken. I have never been to a restaurant where they had a combination plate of ribs and crab leg, but since I love both of those things, that is what I ordered. I wasn’t disappointed. That is probably why I didn’t take pictures, too, because my hands were full of crab legs and barbecue! It was a very satisfying meal. My entree came with asparagus and a potato croquette. We finished off dinner with key lime pie.
That was a great ending to a busy day. We all enjoyed the shopping and the eating, but Fabgrandpa and I were ready to drop Ken and Becca off at their house and get back to our comfy bed at the hotel.
Kimberly Flickinger says
It looks like you had a really great time in Richmond. Richmond is one of my favorite places to visit/vacation.