Richards Variety Store
Categories: Party Supplies, Costumes, Toy Stores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Buckhead2347 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305 (404) 237-1412
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sat 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sun 12:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
19 Reviews for Richards Variety Store
It's the bastard child of an old time general store and well-traveled, gift boutique: full of useful necessities and random tzotchkes. They have neat, vintage metal shopping baskets in which to place your curious finds. Their card selection is impressive, ranging from established lines to Indie labels. I bought an airplane attachment for my bicycle, greeting cards, gangbanger bandanas, a flyswatter, and a harmonica. You figure it out.
Walk the aisles and find some fun.
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I fully realize that I am both being redundant and preaching to the choir here, but . . . best place to get cards - birthday, I'm Sorry, Bat Mitzvah, no reason at all, whatever kind! - EVER! Why do I ever get lured into schmancier places? Richard's makes me want to buy five years' worth at once - and figure out later to whom I'll send them!
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The owner is a great guy, I use to do office sales and the experience was always delightful.
I ended up leaving with a rubber chicken for a party a while back ( the events I do!) It looks like a hardware store on the front, but has all sorts of knickknacks
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I've been going here since I moved to Atlanta five years ago for all my greeting cards. They have the best selection I've ever seen. I still go here now that I've moved across town.
As a bonus they have all the toys I liked as a kid!
I even applied for a job here when I was a student. Richard (is that really the owners name?) prefers hand-written applictations... I think that is interesting.
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Everytime I need something completely random, and am not sure where I might be able to find it, Richards is my first stop. Flamingo watering can? Check. Clothespins? Check. Mardi Gras beads? Check.
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This store is amazing. You can buy anything in the world and I do mean anything. A grecian urn, a funny magnet, a cap gun, and a christmas card. Be serious, this place is the sh*&.
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Richard's Variety Store has an amazing selection.
Coming here on other Yelper's suggestion, I was impressed with the variety of items ... wandering down the first row you've got Dobie scrubbers next to face filtration masks across from sewing thread spindles. I was boggled.
My wife and I enjoyed the kid's section -- wandering up and down the aisles and going, "Oh, I had that as a little kid!" and "Oh! We've gotta get one of those for our soon to come nephew-or-niece."
We got to the greeting cards on our way out and after having just spent 15 minutes in the massive children's toy section -- were shocked at the adult nature of some of the cards. Not "shocked" in a _bad_ way, more like ... the cards belonged in Junkman's Daughter's -- not across the aisle from the stuffed animals. Not a biggie.
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Another place I could spend an entire day cruising up and down the aisles. I've walked out from one trip with a good quality cast iron pan, monkey head key covers, gag gifts, a cute bag, and vintage inspired cards for under $50. This is a gem.
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Being in Richards Variety Store makes me nostalgic. From mini toy cars to fake plastic pearl sets, the store is filled with numerous old-school toys. I'm also guilty of spending too many hours here, just checking out their toys and other goods - and impulsively buying them for my childhood sake.
Like many Yelpers said, Richards Variety Store is a great place to shop for unique gifts, especially for kids. I know many kids prefer playing their Nintendo or other computer games, but come on! There is a charm to these old-fashioned toys!
When I have kids of my own, I would love to bring them here and share a piece of my childhood with them. I'll show them what I played with and how much I loved it. Hopefully, they won't think I'm outdated.. sigh
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I stumbled upon this place by accident while feverishly looking for party supplies for an office birthday party. Overwhelmed with their inventory of nostalgic toys and quirky drink napkins, I vowed to return after work to shop at a more leisurely pace. This place quickly became one of my favorite gift stores and I always find things in there that I've never seen anywhere else, like Salvador Dali stickers and vintage matchbox tins. I told my Mom, a huge fan of Woolworth's and any other 5 and dime, and she wants to move to Atlanta just to be closer to the store. In addition to their kitsch collection, they also have kitchen and home items like butter dishes and hammers AND they cut keys for 99. Oh and I found my party supplies...
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My mother bought all of the stocking stuffers I recieived as a child from this store. Enough said. :)
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Where else can you get a jigsaw puzzle, fart machine, a flower pot, board games, sewing supplies & kitchen gadgets, the old school way in atlanta?!! It reminds me of the old Woolworth's on a smaller scale but no diner! It's total randomness and i love it. great for children- lots of stuffed animals and junk for them :) I also learned about my favorite stain remover here. seriously i put it in everyone's stocking at Christmas. It's called GONZO. buy it. it's magic. they have little spray bottles of it at the register.
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I love Richard's. I grew up right down the street from the Peachtree Battle Shopping center and we used to go there as a special treat after school. I love that it hasn't changed silly putty, and monkeys with the symbols in their hands are sold next to china plates and lamps. Now I go in there with my nephew to get him a treat. My most recent trip was to pick up some greeting cards and they have a lot of hilarious ones. I like there selection because the cards are not cheesy greeting card humor, it is more like you read it a couple of times, say to yourself "what the..." then comes laughter.
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If you're looking for a toy from your childhood they've got it here. My parents love this place because they even have toys from the 50s and 60s. The rest of the merchandise is incredibly eclectic and sometimes a bit weird, but you'll have fun wasting time browsing the aisles.
The big draw is the selection of greeting cards - you can always count on finding a funny and unique one at Richard's.
Nostalgic, memory recall, reminiscent ... think Koosh balls, Hot Wheels and Pez dispensers.
Not to mention the fact that Richard's also houses the most eclectic selection of household appliances, office supplies, children's toys/puzzles and an outstanding greeting card selection.
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I always try to support independent businesses because they offer better service and they tend to support smaller, more unusual manufacturers instead of the middle-of-the-road crap you find at Wal-Mart, Target, CVS and Ace. At Richard's you don't even have the trade-off of higher prices! They are viciously competitive with the big boxes on price. But they have merchandise you will never find at the chains. There are always marvelous little gems to be discovered at Richard's. Even though it's small, it somehow beats Toys R Us for little kid presents.I don't know how. Great for Halloween costumes. Kitchen gadgets, BEST greeting cards (including "adult" selection), sewing notions, party supplies, cleaning stuff, who knows what else? Just go and browse. If they had a candy counter with a scale, and a comic book rack, it would really be a dime store. (Sigh.)
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Richard's is so eclectic (and cheap) that it's crazy. It's got an old-timey feel to it, & you almost expect to see a soda fountain in the back.
The last time I went, browsing through their *tremendous* card selection, I overheard another customer say, "I travel 25 miles to buy all my cards here!"
I've bought gag gifts, trendy toys (think Archie McPhee), classics like Potato Head, wind-up toys, mini cars, hardware, socks, drinking glasses, & Halloween costumes here.
Richard's is an Atlanta must-see.
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I love this place. If I'm ever at a loss over what to get for someone's birthday, I go to Richard's. They have it all... board games, toys for kids, toys for big kids, kitchen supplies, tools, lunch boxes, holiday stuff, and the best selection of cards I have ever seen.
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