Campus Emporium is one of the more well-known Hokie spots in Blacksburg. They're popular enough to…read morehave two locations, both on Main St. This particular location is the one on N. Main, just off campus. This venue is small, but it boasts a LOT of Hokie stuff. Going back to its size - this place is packed on football gamedays, so be ready to squeeze your way through the aisles. Also, since it's downtown, parking isn't readily available. You'll have to park at a nearby garage (or maybe be lucky enough to find street parking) and walk. Emporium's employees are nice. From what I can tell, their staff is mostly adults (i.e, non-students) - I didn't see any students working during my most recent visit. But all the employees I've encountered are friendly, helpful and professional. Their prices are competitive, based on like items (items that I also saw at Rally House), and Emporium boasts products that are bit more exclusive (locally made t-shirts, VT-specific shirts, things of that variety) and unique. Thank you, Campus Emporium! You're awesome! JV

We have been going to both locations for years. The variety of Virginia Tech merchandise is…read moreamazing, and new stuff comes in all the time. They even have Corps of Cadet gear! The prices are reasonable, and the people are nice. Once when I ordered something around Christmastime, they called me to tell me that the package would be one day late. Who does that!? A customer-focused business, that's who!

I initially came to the Valley View Mall to hang out and walk to a Vietnamese restaurant that was…read morenearby. Ultimately, I didn't walk there and ended up staying put. The Valley View Mall is a nice little commercial area that can entertain many individuals and families in the Roanoke area. I arrived here on a Friday morning in March 2026. The mall itself was one large building with 2 stories of stores, restaurants, and a small food court, which wasn't open when I was there. I arrived around 10am but it was semi deserted and nothing was really open at the time. Hardly anyone walking the mall on a Friday morning until it was closer to 11am. I walked around the mall to check things out and finally found restroom facilities that were open. 90% of the mall was non restaurant merchants, which is typical of these types of shopping centers. It is one of 5 major malls in Roanoke. I was happy to see two of them during my stay, including this one. The Valley View mall was large enough to walk around for about 15 minutes to get from one end to another. The mall itself was nice and the ambiance was pretty good. I don't know if there was any WiFi connectivity or that the air conditioning was on at the time. I did see the mall janitorial staff making their rounds that morning. Probably the only activity that morning besides me walking inside the mall that March 2026 morning. Outside the Valley View Mall had a handful of various restaurants including Panda Express. I ended up eating brunch over there during my time there. It was quite quick and convenient instead of walking to the aforementioned Vietnamese restaurant a mile away. Also in walking distance is the Regal Valley View Grande theaters, where it was a nice place to kill time and watch the latest movie title. The Valley View Mall is a nice place to spend time when you are on vacation, even if it was for a couple of hours passing through. The overall experience here at The Valley View Mall was quintessentially a quiet place to where you can shop and dine in Roanoke. This mall is one of a handful of shopping venues in the city. The mall itself has a wide but limited variety of retailers that offer a lot of options for your daily needs. It's too bad that the theater is not inside the mall where you could walk but needed to drive there, but other than that, there are convenient options for restaurants and food options within walking distance. There are not many seating areas here, so best bet would be to come prepared. Sitting in your car or maybe lean against the wall while you wait for your meal being prepared are a couple of ways to avoid sitting on the concrete floor if you can help it. The mall itself is very clean and maintained daily by the mall maintenance staff. Still, it was a cozy place to hang out in when you are not wanting to really go anywhere and you don't have a rental car. It's a place where you can enjoy yourself and not be too bored, unless you're not the shopping type. There's something to do here for anyone and everyone, residents and tourists alike. Recommended if you are looking for something to do while passing through Roanoke or have nothing to do on your day off of work. It really is a nice place to chill. Too bad about the theater being a far walk. At least it's walkable and have parking lots available. The Valley View Mall is located near the Roanoke - Blacksburg regional airport. It's actually 1.3 miles if you wanted to walk from the terminal out towards the mall. It's physically located at 4802 Valley View Boulevard NE. As far as parking goes, you have a lot of parking spaces here for y'all to park and enjoy the mall. As for me though, I took the local bus from Grandin Village to the mall, which took 2 buses with a stop at the 3rd street bus terminal. I got lucky enough to where when the 1st bus arrived and I got off, my connector bus pulled in 2 minutes later, so I didn't have to wait too long. Many bus routes seem to network to and from this 3rd Street Bus station terminal, so if you were to fly into Roanoke airport and want to come to the Valley View Mall, your 3 choices would be to walk 1.2 miles, uber, or take the bus all the way down to 3rd street and bus it north to the Valley View Mall. There's no bus that will connect you from the airport to the mall directly. For the most part though, the Mall is a good place with plenty things to do, but not before 10am in the morning. Roanoke tends to be a sleepy town before noon. Best thing to do is plan accordingly and come here when you can. It's a nice place to chill and grab your lunch and dinner here as well as do some shopping. 4.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! B

I wasn't in any rush to get home and thought why not get some retail therapy in before I did so. I…read morehadn't been to a mall for a while and it's always fun to explore one that isn't familiar to you. Pulling in I was excited to see there was an Old Navy, so I knew there would be at least one place to stop. As I was parking, and I may be making this up in my head, but I saw a guy walking out with and Express bag...it had been a minute since I was in one of those (spoiler alert, Express was going out of business). Made my way inside and was impressed by the size of the space. Even though malls are trending downwards, this one was holding onto tenants better than some malls I have been in. Yes, there were stores closing up shop, the aforementioned Express, but there were stores thriving in here, Old Navy. I did a lap around both floors, stopping in both that I mentioned. I do have to admit, since Express is closed and writing a review for it is null and void at this point, but I got some pretty good deals, up to 70% off. Oh, the nostalgia that came flooding back to me from my college days. I see this place holding on and changing like most malls are doing right about now. I just checked the website for this place and they do have some stores that have or are moving in. I did not venture to the outdoor portion of this mall as I saw no need to.

A very cool little excursion if you have kids - the old train depot has a used book store and a toy…read morestore attached. It's right by the tracks so you can watch the trains go by - very fun for the kids. The toy selection is creative and fun, and really quite reasonably priced. If you pay cash, you get a 5% discount. Definitely worth checking out for holidays or birthdays.

Loved the books I found--even happened to dig up one by my favorite author! Granted, he's an oldie,…read moreso I guess that makes sense given the selection. Walked out with a classic, too, all for under ten bucks!... The selection is supposedly extensive, however the selection on display was kind of outdated and appeared that it had not been changed out in awhile. Also, I would recommend you bring cash. I wish the owner would set up a Cash App or Venmo account for those of us who don't carry a lot of bills. She'd make a LOT more dough from all of the college students that wander her way! Every restroom was busted, which was irritating, so we had to venture across the street to the antique store. Pee before you go, I guess. Overall, left a little creeped out but the books I found have been great.

A few months ago we stopped by B&D to get a few comics for a road trip we were taking. Our nine…read moreyear old had been watching Miles Morales over the summer, and I wanted to prompt him to read more and watch less. We walked in and were warmly welcomed by everyone there, including other customers. I even picked up a Green Arrow and G.I. Joe for myself. Now we are frequent visitors and greeted by name as we walk in and have pull lists of current series that we are reading. While my son is learning about different characters that he's interested in, I've delved into the realm of Key Comic Collecting. What I've found here is their absolute desire to help every one of their customers feel welcome, validated in their style of collecting and appreciated for the time spent within those four walls. All in all I would say that when I open my wallet at B & D, the value in the book I'm purchasing is increased by the relationship we have with the B&D team. Happy Reading, Rob & Robert

There's a reason B&D is the oldest comic shop in the Valley... Terry and her comic shop crew care!…read moreIf you don't see something ASK! I am always welcomed with a smile and asked if I need help. If you are looking for a sprawling store full of far fetched prices this is not that place. They have a humble and smart business model built upon honesty and kindness topped by being informative about the comics that they sell. I follow them on Facebook for store news. EXCELSIOR!

Virginia Tech was one of my son's choices for college but since we live in Chicago, it's just hard…read moreto go to school here with no scholarship but to remember our trip, I've decided to get some Hookie fun magnet since we have a board of all of our vacation magnet collection and this adorable turkey ornament to remember our fun times. It's a bit more expensive than I'd like to pay for but who knows when we'll come back ever again. Service was good and it was a nice little Hookie shop. Unfortunately our son will not be going to VT but still, goooooo Hookies!!!

One of the multiple locations to get Hokie items. One thing they did have was a somewhat better…read moreselection of women's items (which of course are always expensive). Good service.

I've always had really positive interactions with these guys. It's sad to see the few ppl posting…read morenegative reviews, as im sure it's people who expect to bring their old crap in and be offered 10% less than what they paid for it 5 years ago. There are often some great deals, tools & instruments especially. Their stock is constantly changing, and the huge retro vid game collection is amazing.

Good stuff at fair prices I would definitely go there again. They have a lot of good stuff from…read moregames which I went and tools.

Great staff with amazing prices and deals as well as a true collector store for many type of…read moreenthusiasts.

When it is said that Star City Comics & Games is the largest dealer in trading card games, this is…read moreno joke. This is the place to shop if you are in the market for any TCGs. In particular, Magic: The Gathering is their specialty. They deal in box sets, booster packs, and singles. Their prices are reasonable for the going rates within the TCG market at any given time. In addition, their staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the various games they sell. If your inner nerd has a TCG itch to scratch, skip the big box stores and pay Star City Comics & Games a visit.

New location that the large sprawling store they moved from. The compact store offers many of the…read moreusual items, but without the risk of decision fatigue. The staff was helpful with questions and placing orders. Though there are nice things to purchase there, do not order anything. After waiting over a month for an item, without receiving call went in to ask about it. Then learned they have no control over what is shipped to them even if it has been ordered and prepaid (as their request). Though, be sure to notice some of the original features of the original train station. Nice to see a local business in a piece of area hostor

This is my favorite place to shop. When you walk in you are immersed…read moreinto a world of beauty. All of your senses are touched. Whether you want a one of a kind personalized wedding gift, a favorite addition to one of your collections or a rare gift for someone dear to your heart Steger Creek will have everything to fulfill your shopping list. I have literally shopped here close to a decade. Every Christmas I add something new for our personal decorations, something that will eventually be handed down and become part of generations of decorations into the future. The staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and the more you get to know them, they become more like family learning your tastes and being able to pick out your favorites before you even get to the store. Please do not miss an opportunity to give this shop a try. It has something for everyone.