Shops and cats in Carytown

Southern Living, Jun 1997 by Thomas, Les

It's hard to say whether it's the books he likes or just the comfortable ambience of Carytown, Virginia, but Gus the cat hasn't ventured out of Carytown Books in years. Most of the time you can find him sitting in the store window or lounging on the magazine rack.

"A bookstore has been here since 1935. Gus was part of the deal when we bought the place," says co-owner Trent Nicholas. "Even when we leave the door open, he never goes out."

Carytown is definitely a friendly cat-in-the-window kind of place, filled with shopping surprises. It stretches for nine blocks along West Cary Street, about 2 miles west of downtown Richmond. "The shops here are eclectic. And I think that's what makes Carytown so neat," says Scott Williams, owner of Strictly Southwest, a store that specializes in decorative items from Arizona and New Mexico.

On a recent afternoon, I browse among treasures as diverse as rustic wrought iron Cassidy West lamps ($200 and up) from New Mexico at Strictly Southwest and hand-carved chess sets from Kenya (under $70) at Ten Thousand Villages. At Carytown Coffee & Tea Company, I linger over a cup of fresh brew and inhale the delicious aroma of bulging bags of coffee beans imported from Kilimanjaro and other exotic places.

We figure it takes about three hours to walk the whole area," says Tammy Rostov, president of Carytown Inc., the area's merchants association.

There are more than 100 stores and close to a dozen restaurants. The rest of the afternoon gives me just enough time to scan some of the funny greeting cards at Mongrel and admire a few of the fine antiques at Martha's Mixture.

At the back of Martha's store, a repairman slips a Gershwin medley on a perforated roll of paper into a 1930 player piano. When I stop to listen, he begins a half-hour dissertation on player pianos, now being manufactured again. "But I have no love for the new ones," he says. "They don't have the craftsmanship of the old ones."

At dinner, I climb the stairs to the cozy dining room at Amici Ristorante, an establishment that specializes in Northern Italian dishes. I arrive in time to order the pretheater menu, a three-course dinner priced around $20. This evening it features their signature 10-bean soup as well as a delicious baked fillet of salmon in a red pepper sauce with roasted leeks.

BAG A SHOPPING TRIP

Carytown, Inc.: P.O. Box 7088, Richmond, VA 23221. The merchants association for Carytown provides brochures listing shops and restaurants in the area or call toll free 1-888-742-4666 for a visitors guide. Hours: Most shops are open daily, but some close on Sundays. Saturday draws the biggest crowds. Directions: From downtown, take Main Street west. Main Street changes to Ellwood. Follow it until it ends at Thompson. Go left one block to Cary Street, where the Carytown area begins. Parking: Free parking is available at decks near each end of the shopping district.

Theater on Cary Street means the Byrd, a lavishly ornamented 1928 movie house. On Saturday nights, audiences take their seats beneath the starburst of the theater's massive chandelier. When a Wurlitzer organ plays before the evening's movie, they sing along and savor the end of a great day on Cary Street. Les Thomas