Quirky Mementos in Charleston, WV

May 9, 2008 4:08 PM

Where can I find quirky West Virginia souvenirs in Charleston?

I am in Charleston, West Virginia until Tuesday. Where should I go to purchase quirky mementos to mark my time here. To give you an idea of what I'm looking for, I wanted a "West Fucking Virginia" t-shirt and I was willing to drive to Morgantown to get one, but I can't seem to figure out where such a thing might be available.

posted by fancypants to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

Tamarack is located in Beckley, about 40 miles south of Charleston, just off I-77, the West Virginia Turnpike. Take Exit 45 and you’ll find them on the right at the end of the exit. Arts, crafts, retail knick-knacks, "the best of West Virginia."

The WV Culture Center is on the grounds of the state capitol. There are many retail items for sale.

Charleston Town Center mall is in the heart of downtown. It is also near all the other non-mall shops in the downtown area.
posted by netbros at 4:55 PM on May 9

Also, when you are downtown, hit Capitol, Quarrier, and Virginia Streets. There are lots of storefront shops that may have what you're looking for. There used to be a head shop in the alley behind the Kanawha County Public Library on Capitol St. that had some, shall we say, very interesting trinkets. Don't know if it's still there. I moved away in 2002.
posted by netbros at 5:09 PM on May 9

The "West Fucking Virginia" shirts are probably only going to be available up around the WVU campus in Morgantown, which is a bit of a drive from Charleston. Tamarack is closer, but in the other direction, though all you have to do to get there is stay on the highway until you see the exit for it.

I'd try the mall in Charleston first, but your best bet is probably to find someone college-aged and ask them, or someone at a collegiate-apparel store in the mall.
posted by ubernostrum at 5:21 PM on May 9

i second the cultural center. i moved away from w.va. last year, but i'm pretty sure the cultural center still has some beautiful hand-crafted pieces of art/etc.

you could also drive about 40 miles west to huntington, home of marshall university (we didn't have couch fires). marshall and wvu have a pretty big rivalry, but there's a (albeit small) chance you might find your t-shirt there.

while you're in charleston, you should definitely make a stop at ellen's ice cream on capitol street. and if you're in the mood for a morning heart attack, tudor's biscuit world (i know quite a few people who have left w.va. and still lament over the lack of tudor's in their area. my favorite was the dottie.)
posted by kerning at 7:32 PM on May 9