As I said to a friend upon returning to my first and last trip to Dave's, ""I wouldn't describe the environment as actively hostile, but it was distinctly uncomfortable."" The first thing you notice about Dave's is that roughly half of the floorspace is taken up by a gigantic cubic pile of cardboard boxes reaching almost to the ceiling. The huge pile of boxes makes navigating the store an aggravating process; one person can't squeeze past another in the ""aisles."" It also means that there's no way to search for back issues yourself. The comics aren't well-organized; Vertigo titles sit next to mainstream Marvel books. Much of the store's stock consists of mundane, overpriced regular children's toys, like cheap little wind-up toys. I would go to any of the other comic stores in Richmond or Charlottesville before visiting this one again. There's just absolutely no reason to shop here.
Pros: good selection of DC Archive Editions
Cons: bad service, bad selection, bad organization, bad prices
more