The Future of Carytown

Carytown is where you’ll find some of Richmond’s longest-running, and iconic, local businesses, starting with the historic Byrd Theatre, a restored grand movie palace built in 1928. The centerpiece of the district is Cary Court Shopping Center, the first strip mall in Richmond, which officially opened in 1938 as Cary Street Park and Shop Center. 

Bordered by Thompson Street to the west and Arthur Ashe Boulevard to the east, Carytown is traditionally known for its bustling activity and its cascade of shoppers, diners, buskers and people watchers.

My Richmond Magazine overview of this celebrated "Mile of Style" has been rendered somewhat moot by the COVID-19 crisis. But I think that this expanded feature article still offers up a vivid snapshot of a place that was already undergoing changes and experiencing growing pains before the coronavirus struck. Richmond Magazine has provided a link in the piece to an updated piece on the area. 

Click here to read "Onward Along the Mile of Style." 

(Photo of Tom Roukous, owner of Coppola’s Deli by the mighty Jay Paul)