In 1982, Biff founded Biff's Carytown Bookstore, in the trendy, upscale shopping area in Richmond, Virginia called Carytown. Carytown is to Richmond as Georgetown is to Washington D. C. Biff owned and operated the bookstore for twelve years. During this period it was often selected as the best independent bookstore in Richmond by Richmond's Style Magazine.

Biff's Carytown Bookstore, known to locals simply as Biff's, was known for it's eclectic selection of books, magazines, out of town and foreign newspapers, European magazines and artsy New York style greeting cards. It had the largest selection of gay books in Virginia. Fresh cut flowers were always at the checkout counter. The decor was art deco in shades of gray, with books providing the color. Local art adorned the walls and local sculpture was scattered around in the nooks created by the herring bone placement of the bookshelves. The ceiling was of blocked tin, original to the building, with white ceiling fans and an exposed brick wall was behind the checkout counter. Nineteen-year-old artist and model Gary Michael, who was Biff's roommate and significant other at that time, designed the interior. Gary later became a male prostitute and died of AIDS before he was twenty-one.

Biff's was also known for it's creative window displays, using the talents of local artists and friends and winning some awards for their creators. The bookstore was located next to a coffee shoppe and bakery and outside tables and chairs in front of both stores provided a meeting place for friends and a haven for people watching. It was the only bookstore in Richmond that offered this big city or European type ambiance.

And then there was lovable Gus, the big emerald-green-eyed, gray and white, bookstore cat. Abandoned at the Carytown Veterinary Emergency Center and rescued by adoption before he was sent to the "Cathouse in the Sky".

The history of Gus took five years to resolve.

The cast of characters working at Biff's was as colorful as the books they sold. They were not like the clerks that worked in the chain bookstores. They were individuals that voraciously read books and could discuss them at length. Since Biff's had a large gay clientele, all staff was gay friendly. It was not necessary to be gay or to have sex with Biff to work there, as was widely rumored.

There was John Alspaugh, drop dead good looking, strawberry blond, tall, with a body, six-packed stomach, and biceps that the women and gay men died for. He was a writer, poet, and part time teacher. On a grant he taught pre-schoolers "creative writing". He always went "commando", displaying lots of meat and potatoes, to the delight of the male gay customers, and moonlighted as a male stripper and construction worker.

John Spencer, the store manager, was often mistaken for Biff. Many did not know that there were two different persons serving them. Others thought that he and Biff were lovers, or at the very least, brothers and some even thought they were identical twins. John always dressed "preppy", mostly wearing khakis, tan bucks or loafers and bow ties. Once he and Biff made a commercial for the Virginia State Lottery, doing a gay parody of the Smothers Brothers. A savvy Washington Post reporter, who had once shopped at Biff's, wrote an article on how progressive Virginia was by showing a "real" gay couple in their Lottery adds. John's wife was not amused. The commercial ran for two years in five states and got Biff and John membership into the Screen Actors Guild.

John Alspaugh, Biff, John Spencer

Anner Whitehead was a spinster and very marriage hungry. Her one goal in life was to be a Mrs.. Anner (pronounced Honour) had flawless, very white, porcelain skin and a beautiful face. High arched eyebrows and bow lips dramatized her face. Her thick, wavy, auburn hair was waist length and she wore it piled in a bun, secured by two chopsticks. Her body was very Rubenesque with wide hips and a small waist. She was an expert belly dancer, seamstress and cook. She also painted religious Greek icons and was the daughter of an extremely eccentric psychologist who commonly wore a cape and beret. Once, she said, Roy Orbinson sang "Pretty Woman" to her while holding her hand. She had no tolerance for ignorance or ill manners of any kind and would tell you your shortcomings in a heartbeat. Anner finally married.

Hunter Armstrong, the gentle giant, was a bouncer at the Bamboo, a local watering hole. Well read and very gentile at heart, he had a degree in English and a masters in English literature. He worked the evening shift.

Michelle Turner was brassy and bold and had a wild wavy mane of hair. She was often compared to "Elaine" on Seinfield and was a waitress at the Bamboo. Michelle had one of those Kathleen Turner (no relation) smoky voices that made people melt on the phone. She lived with her boy toy that was 15 years her junior. In addition to books, she had a hearty appetite for sex, booze and drugs.

Biff paid this staff well, and the store never made a profit in its twelve years of operation. After depleting his entire savings, home equity, and stocks, Biff sold the store.