Shopping in London
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Marylebone High Street
Marylebone high St is now one of London's most interesting retail strips. So when coming to visit the following small selection of stores, leave plenty of time to investigate others along that road, including the Conran Shop (No 55), Calmia (No 52), Cath Kidston (No 51) and Shoon (No 94).
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D R Harris
Operating as chemist and perfumer since 1790 and the Prince of Wales’s royal pharmacist, D R Harris can supply your moustache wax or perhaps some crystal eye drops to combat the red eyes after a late night. You can also combine it with D R Harris’s own hangover cure: a bitter herbal concoction called D R Harris Pick-Me-Up.
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Daunt Books
An original Edwardian bookshop, with oak panels and gorgeous skylights, Daunt is one of London’s loveliest travel bookshops. It has two floors and the ground level is stacked with fiction and nonfiction titles; the lower ground is where to head if you’re travel focused
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Beyond The Valley
An original boutique, ideal to discover new fashion talent, with clothes, jewellery, accessories and artwork on display inside the lovely shop. The Side Room, at the back of the shop, is a conservatory-style gallery space where small exhibitions regularly take place.
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Riverside Walk Market
Great for cheap second-hand books long out of print, this is held in all weather outside the National Film Theatre, under the arches of Waterloo Bridge. In summer it helps the South Bank vaguely resemble Paris’ Left Bank. Occasionally, individual dealers set up during the week.
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Rough Trade
With its underground, alternative and vintage rarities, this home of the eponymous punk-music label remains a haven for vinyl junkies who get misty-eyed about the days before CDs (also on sale) and MP3 players. Check out the Covent Garden branch in Neal’s Yard.
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Shepherds
Suckers for fine stationery, leather boxes, elegant albums and exquisite paper will get their fix at this wonderful bookbindery.
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Rococo
This chocolatier sells the type of real chocolate that comes in glorious moulds and flavours. There are truffles, Swiss chocolates, organic bars, surprising vegan varieties and bags of assorted ‘broken chocolate’ so you can taste different varieties.
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Golborne Rd Market
During the week Golborne Rd is a busy shopping street for the local Moroccan community, but dealers in antiques, bric-a-brac and junk take over the entire street on Friday and Saturday – perfect if you need an empty picture frame or a mounted set of deer antlers.
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Pringle
Fabulously classy and somehow sexy at the same time (we’re talking golfers’ V-necks and knitted cardies), this traditional Brit brand turned slightly hip when London rekindled its passion for knitwear. An item will set you back at least £150, however.
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Koh Samui
It’s high-end fashion galore at this little boutique that prides itself on finding new designer talent and specialises in floaty pieces from Brit designers such as Chloé, Marc Jacobs, Clements Ribeiro and Julien MacDonald. You’ll drool over the handsome Chloé bags.
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Lulu Guinness
Quirky, whimsical and eye-catching British designs (the Japanese love them), from small evening bags resembling bright lips to fun umbrellas and cosmetic bags.
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Shop at Bluebird
This groovy boutique harks back to the way the King’s Rd used to be in the era of Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistols. One-off pieces by chic designers are casually displayed around a room full of art books, DJ decks and papier-mâché sculptures.
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Burberry Outlet Shop
This outlet shop stocks seconds from the reborn-as-trendy Brit brand’s current and last season’s collections. Prices are around 30% lower than those on the high street. Service can be brusque.
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Aquascutum
Despite the store’s modern look, Aquascutum’s mackintoshes, scarves, bags and hats remain traditional. For men, this means classic gabardine; for women, the look is straight lines, classic fashion and natural beauty, as worn by the super-rich.
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Rippon Cheese Stores
A potently inviting aroma greets you as you approach this cheesemonger with its 500 varieties of English and European cheeses. The list is sensational, from Black Bomber to Idiazabal, Isle of Mull Truckle and way beyond, all ripened on site (you can taste before you buy).
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Spice Shop
The smell coming from the Spice Shop says it all: from run-of-the-mill curry powder and herbs to much rarer spices and ready-made combinations (for fajitas, jerk seasoning, Cajun etc), this is a treasure trove of exotic flavours.
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Mulberry
Is there a woman in the world who doesn’t covet a Mulberry bag? They are voluptuous, soft and a massive style statement. The brand followed in the footsteps of its other British design brethren, Burberry and Pringle, and modernised itself in recent years.
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Do Shop
A great collection of quirky designer furniture, kitchenware and home accessories; check out the versatile tables that double as bookshelves or scrunched-up paper cups that are made of porcelain, really. Perfect for presents (to self, as well as others).
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Liberty
An irresistible blend of contemporary styles in an old-fashioned mock-Tudor atmosphere, Liberty has a huge cosmetics department and an accessories floor, along with a breathtaking lingerie section, all at very inflated prices. A classic London souvenir is a Liberty fabric print.
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Blackwell’s
Once a specialist in academic titles, this shop has now branched out into travel and other general-interest books. It is still, however, the favourite haunt for those hunting for academic textbooks and is perfect for anyone starting a new course.
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Kurt Geiger
Fashion, quality and affordability all come together at this superlative men’s and women’s shoe store, where footwear from the likes of Birkenstock, Chloé, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and United Nude adorns the shelves.
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Bermondsey
Reputedly, it’s legal to sell stolen goods here before dawn, but late risers will find this market altogether upright and sedate, with cutlery and other old-fashioned silverware, antique porcelain, paintings and some costume jewellery.
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Roullier White
Back-to-basics shop with wooden floors and Victorian-style display cabinets flogging hard-to-find household products and gift items from often long-forgotten manufacturers (slippers, glassware, towelling, cleaning products). Worth the trip and you get the chance to see massively up-and-coming Lordship Lane.
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John Lewis
‘Never knowingly undersold’ is the motto of this store, whose range of household goods, fashion and luggage is better described as reliable rather than cutting edge.
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