Arran
Arran is home to quite a few creatives making a wide variety of art and handicrafts. This trail maps out a couple of dozen studios that you can visit…
Must-see shopping in The United Kingdom
Belfast
Specialising in crime fiction (and even appearing in print in Colin Bateman's Mystery Man series), this small, independent bookshop run by friendly and…
Manchester
Besides the impressive range of casual footwear, this hip boutique also stocks a huge range of designers including A Kind of Guise, LA Panoplie, Nudie…
Jersey
Award-winning ceramics now sold worldwide. The durable tableware comes in several different designs, such as Sardine Run, Neptune (with puffins) and Wacky…
Scrivener's Books & Bookbinding
Peak District
At this delightfully chaotic bookshop, sprawling over five floors, books are filed in piles and the Dewey system has yet to be discovered.
The West End
The UK’s largest foreign-language bookseller with titles representing more than 100 languages is located on the 4th floor of Foyles.
Birmingham
Topped with a glass roof, this tile-floored Victorian-era arcade is a jewel filled with mostly independent shops.
London
Hoping to replicate the success of its Shoreditch counterpart, Boxpark Croydon provides a much-needed cultural hub just a stone’s throw from East Croydon…
Brixton, Peckham & South London
Despite facing potential demolition, this 90-year stalwart of the South London shopping scene continues to expand, most recently with a new area called…
Kensington & Hyde Park
Walking into Pickett as an adult is a bit like walking into a sweet shop as a child: the exquisite leather goods are all so colourful and beautiful that…
Cardiff
Cardiff's oldest arcade (1858), the Royal, connects with the Morgan Arcade via a series of covered lanes, forming a ritzy shopping precinct called the…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden design the witty laser-cut acrylic jewellery on sale in this small space. Their original creations feature flora- and…
Leeds
This swanky new mall, an adjunct to the historic Victoria Quarter arcade, is worth a look for its striking diamond-patterned design, intended to pay…
Leeds
The mosaic-paved, stained-glass-roofed Victoria Quarter shopping arcade, between Briggate and Vicar Lane, is well worth visiting for aesthetic reasons…
Cardiff
This independent shop is a dream come true for stationery enthusiasts, artists and craftmakers. Stocked wall-to-ceiling with thousands of paints, pens,…
Cardiff
The focus is less on Cluedo, and more on Dixit and King of Tokyo at this friendly independent gaming shop. It's stacked floor to ceiling with tabletop…
Notting Hill & West London
This fine, rather small, general bookshop – the inspiration behind the bookshop in Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts' monster rom-com Notting Hill – still sees…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
This much-loved shop sells a quirky collection of coffee-table books, magazines, card games and stationery, most on the themes of typography, graphic…
The West End
A whiskey shop that has achieved iconic status over the half century it’s been around. Every bottle is handpicked by the passionate staff, with prices…
Cardiff
While there's been a market here since the 18th century, the current iron-framed covered market dates to 1891. Stalls sell everything from fresh fish to…
Oxford
Originally built in 1972 on the site of Oxford’s medieval West Gate, this enormous mall expanded in 2017. Like Alice it seems just to keep on growing,…
The West End
Taking a commendable stand against tacky souvenirs, We Built This City sells locally themed merchandise that the recipient might actually want – most of…
Old Town
This is Edinburgh’s coolest jewellery boutique, sourcing quirky pieces by indie designers from all over the world. Necklaces, earrings, brooches, cards,…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
It's no longer directly associated with the legendary record label (home to the Smiths, the Libertines and the Strokes, among others), but this huge…
Oxford
The name says it all: this fascinating and quaint shop is piled high with useful household objects and tools to make each day easier. Everything is…
Cardiff
If you're after a properly Welsh souvenir that isn't too cheesy, this shop in the Welsh cultural centre is a great place to look. Named for the Welsh for …
Edinburgh
Annie Smith’s back-of-the-shop studio creates beautiful and original contemporary jewellery in silver and 18-carat gold, with beaten and worked surfaces…
Cardiff
St David's is central Cardiff's biggest and slickest shopping centre. All the famous chains you could name have a home here, along with a smorgasbord of…
Notting Hill & West London
All the recipe books from celeb and nonceleb chefs you can imagine are sold here – perfect for more adventurous cooks or for those looking for ‘exotic’…
Brixton, Peckham & South London
With its punning name you might think this charming garden centre, squeezed into a sliver of land alongside some railway tracks, would be happy to rest on…
Brixton, Peckham & South London
Tales on Moon Lane feels like it belongs in a fairy tale itself. Impeccably decorated inside and out, this multi-award-winning children’s bookshop has a…
The West End
The price tags might make you more dizzy than the alcohol content in this aptly-named fine wines and spirits boutique in Mayfair: its two floors are…
New Town
A quirky independent boutique on hip Broughton St, selling everything from art prints to jewellery, homewares, stationery and books. The focus is on…
Notting Hill & West London
This Notting Hill butcher shop, run by a Kiwi couple, prides itself on its quality, free-range meat – the beef is grass-fed and the lamb comes from the…
The West End
Specialising in lesser-known literature by mostly women writers from the mid-20th century, Persephone Books has carved out an interesting and valuable…
Cardiff
The world's oldest record shop, founded in 1894 (when it sold wax phonograph cylinders), Spillers stocks a large range of CDs and vinyl, and prides itself…
Leeds
The dramatic Corn Exchange, built in 1863 to house grain-trade merchants, has a wonderful wrought-iron roof that today shelters a fine collection of…
Notting Hill & West London
The heady smell emanating from the Spice Shop says it all: from run-of-the-mill curry powder and herbs to Sichuan pepper (£5.99), other rare spices and…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
This small bohemian bookshop grew out of community initiatives and has been a fixture on Brick Lane for more than 30 years. Among the usual popular titles…
Notting Hill & West London
Achieving an almost surreal level of quaintness, Biscuiteers is a Notting Hill cafe specialising in hand-iced treats, ranging from biscuits to cupcakes to…
