The Shops at Willow Lawn: Richmond, Virginia's Most Historic Shopping Center

Richmond, Virginia has a ton of malls, but the one with the most character is the oldest one: The Shops at Willow Lawn. This is actually one of the first malls in the south, period (the first being in Atlanta). She's been close to shutting down several times over the past 20 years or so, but somehow always pulls herself out and survives. Ya gotta admire that.

Willow Lawn is probably the best located mall in the Richmond area, being on Willow Lawn Drive between Broad St. and Monument Avenue. It's only 5 minutes away from VCU, Downtown, The Fan, Cary Town, and the West End. Behind the mall on Monument is a grand old neighborhood of gorgeous civil war houses.

Willow Lawn is rather odd looking, being really a couple of strip malls connected by a covered strip. This is what gives it so much character though.

Old Navy, on the inside, is their one remaining anchor store at the moment, with Dillard's having pulled out recently. Old Navy moved in about 5 years ago and has been doing a fairly brisk business with the VCU crowd.

Tower Records is outside on the Broad Street end and has been there forever. It's a popular gathering place for the local teens and young adults who like to grab a coffee from Starbucks next door then browse the latest music selections. Tickets for area concerts can be bought here also.

The Food court has Chick-fil-a, Sbarro, Burger King, Blimpie, Dominics of N.Y., Hunan Express, Bill's Barbecue, and Cinnabon, with Full O Beans across from Bombay offering coffee creations that I like better than the Starbucks outside.

Bath and Body Works is outside the main mall entrance next to Picture Parts, which is my favorite shop in town to get things framed. They have some great old antique frames in one section that I adore.

Bombay Company, while not technically termed an anchor store, really is one. They are a main draw to this mall being the biggest Bombay in the district. Folks drive from over an hour away just to shop in this store. It's a gorgeous store. Bombay sells period reproduction furniture and accessories. Most of my house is Bombay stuff. heh. It's about the middle of the enclosed part of the mall.

Victoria's Secret and Coconut Jewelry are down the way a bit from Bombay and compliment each other nicely. I think we all know what Victoria's Secret specializes in, Coconut Jewelry is rare and unique jewelry pieces and clocks and whatnots. It's a fun shop to browse in at any rate.

Island Tobacco & Gifts is just what the name implies. They have cigars, pipes, lighters, cigarette cases, and all that kind of stuff. This one is family owned and they are always changing their window. They come up with the cutest displays. They don't want folks to know it, but they will haggle. heh.

Another fairly unique shop is the Aquarian Bookshop. Not only is it a neat spot to look around, but they will read your palm or your Tarot cards if you ask. They have all sorts of mythical things like dragons and unicorns, some clothing reminiscent of the old hippie days, new age books, and just a myriad of cool stuff.

Willow Lawn also has a host of familiar stores such as Claire's Accessories, Dollar Tree, Matthew's Hallmark, Sunglass Hut, Verizon, Lenscrafters, Payless Shoes, Footlocker, Radio Shack, Kay-Bee Toys, Lane Bryant, Wet Seal, Zales, Suncoast, CVS Pharmacy... quite a few of the places you see in any mall.

You can get your hair done at Regis or Supercuts and your nails at Red Nails.. or everything done at once at the day spa called Blades. Blades is the bomb, I'm tellin ya. I won't let anyone else touch my hair when I'm in Richmond. I tried Regis one time and they ticked me off.. but Blades gets it right every single time, and I really like everyone who works there. You can find out more about them here:
http://www.blades-day-spa.com/

Outside the main shopping mall are a few things you won't find in any ol' mall though. The Barksdale Theater puts on some excellent plays. We've seen two there and love the place. They attract the best of Richmond. They've been around for 50 years, but you can read more about them here:
http://www.barksdalerichmond.org/

The Graywolf Grill is one of the best places to eat in Richmond. They serve Mongolian Barbecue and is a great spot to dine before seeing a play next door.

Monday through Saturday at 8AM Willow Lawn has what they call their "Walkabout Club". They give Milestone Awards at 100, 250, 500 and 1000 miles. These are presented at Quarterly Award Breakfasts and New Member Socials. They describe it as a non-competitive walker program that provides you with individual incentives, as well as an opportunity to take part in local and regional walker events. It's not a pledge walk, it's not a race, it's pure and simple fun and relaxation.

Every Thursday from 5-9pm is Chess night, they have periodic fashion shows, An annual breakfast with Santa, and even have occasional dances at night in the food court. They're trying really hard to bring this mall back to what it once was.

Willow Lawn is not the fanciest mall in Richmond, but it is the one with the most history. They don't have near as many stores as the others so I'm giving them 3 stars, but do go check them out. As a mall they may not stand up to the new boys in town, but as a place for unique browsing, they can't be beat.

1601 Willow Lawn Dr
Richmond, VA 23230
Mon-Sat 10:00am- 9:00pm
Sun 12:30pm- 5:30pm
Tel: (804) 282-7710
Fax: (804) 673-3110