 | London Shopping | Tips 21 - 30 of 956 |  |
I basically wandered around window shopping, and if something looked interesting, I went inside to further investigate. I had fun just looking in some of the fancy shops that I knew I could not afford. I thought of it as 'wishful dream' shopping.
Of all the things I could bring back from England, my best friend collects marbles! I found this marble dispay board for her that is ancient, and beautiful (for only 2GBP!) The shop owners thought I was surely daft, asking them if they might have any antique marbles! Some even said they lost their marbles, years ago! I actually found this Solotaire board at the car boot sale in Wisbech, but I wasn't about to show you a pic of some marbles. My best friend has found marbles worth up to $1000.00!!! She just thinks they are pretty, and her unique, new antique ceramic display board is now one of her most treasured possessions.(New Antique ... An oxymoron!)
Going through airport security, I had this item wrapped up in a few towels and shirts to protect it in my carry - on baggage. Right next to it was a small ancient Harrod's tin I found that I filled with antique and precious marbles. Apparently, it appeared 'suspicious' going through the X-ray, as I had to send it through twice more! Finally, I had to take it out to prove it was no threat to anyone, and certainly not a bomb!
You will be pleasantly surprised at the prices at the charity shops, and especially at a car boot sale. You could even haggle with them, although not really necessary, as I found that many times, they would offer a better price, or say, "Make me an offer" if they thought you were interested, but walking away from a sale. Leave a Comment Theme: OtherAddress: ANY City Centre
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We really enjoyed the Spitalsfield Market in the East End of London, which we visited Sunday morning of our trip. It was inside, rather than on the street, and had a huge variety of things to buy, from antiques and collectibles to clothing to baked goods to crafts to posters to whatever you can think of.
I bought a small wooden box (for my small wooden box collection) which had a 1928 Irish coin (a 1/2 d with a picture of a pig on it)and a key inside and a couple of unusual (fabric patterns with "jewels" on them pinback buttons for my collection.
I paid about 4 lbs for the box (originally priced at 6) and a pound or so apiece for the buttons. All price ranges. Leave a Comment
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Jubilee market (next to Covent Garden) is a covered area with dozens of stalls selling all kinds of mostly handmade crafts including, clothes, wooden objects, jewellery, soap, leathergoods and picture frames to name a few. There are a couple of stalls selling tourist tat but not too many. There are a few fast food stalls selling bacon butties and hotdogs etc. If you want anything posher go to Covent Garden.
I was looking for bootlaces but ended up with pretty shiny things ~ a necklace and earrings ~ there really was so much choice it was hard to decide.
I paid just under 10 GBP for them. Leave a Comment
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Berwick Street Market is located on Berwick Street (not surprisingly!) in the heart of Soho. It is central London's only surviving fruit and vegetable market, and it dates back to the 1840's.
Here you can pick up some fresh produce - all the usual fruit and vegies, along with herbs and spices and even house hold goods. There are stalls selling cheeses, fish and flowers.
There are also some cool shops on either side of the market - several record stores selling old and new vinyl and cds, and a couple of interesting clothing shops. Oh, and make sure you pop into Flat White café for one of the best coffees in town.
The market is open Mon-Sat from 8am-5.30pm Leave a Comment
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This is a shack that has been here forever selling tourist tat - It was here when I was a child - I remember asking my dad if I could buy something and he told me then -"no-one buys that overpriced rubbish" - but obviously someone does - 'cos 30 years later it's still here.
Well - at this place you will find all kinds of souvenirs - they probably still have mugs with "Charles and Diana" on them!!! T, shirts, hats, scarves, the list is endless. Whatever you buy will have "London" plastered all over it - just in case your friends and family might forget you've been.
Waayyy more than it's worth!!! Leave a Comment Theme: GiftsDirections: Just outside Embankment tube near Cleopatras Needle.
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Virgin Megastore - all the film, music and games CDs, DVDs etc etc you could possibly want. We wanted the Embrace Live in Leeds DVD - and we wanted the whole band to sign it! So we turned up at 6pm for their in-store appearance and queued up next to other die-hard fans (I'm not - but my friend is).
People had travelled for miles, lied to their employers about having urgent doctors appointments etc, just to be there. So while my friend had her dream come true and met her idols I took a couple of pics. Oh and I nearly forgot to say... the first 200 people in the queue got a free ticket to their gig in Alexandra Palace worth ?25!
CDs, DVDs, etc.
There are various offers available - check the net first to see if you can get them cheaper before paying out hard cash. This particularly applies to *World* films (foreign language) which are around £20 in store but cheaper on the net. Leave a Comment
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Being a Charles Dickens's fan, as well as a VERY distant relative of his, I found it imperative to at least investigate The Old Curiosity Shop, which is mentioned in his works.
Much to my delight, I discovered that there really is a second-hand clothes shop that claims to sell "antique & modern art" on the very site of Dickens's Old Curiosity Shop. It was supposedly built in 1567 and was Dickens's model for the birthplace for Little Nell.
From the looks of it, "ancient" certainly fits its description.
It's location leaves much to be desired. But this shop's weirdness is somehow attractive. If you have breathing problems, you'll surely have trouble with the mustiness and the dust. But, just think, it's stood here in Portsmouth Street for over 400 years!
If you like resale shops, this is for you...with its bric-a-brac, clothing, shoes, and hats, it's a blast to peruse and to buy unusual items.
The prices vary from less than a pound to several hundred pounds. Leave a Comment Theme: AntiquesDirections: Portsmouth Street
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Portobello Market is the ultimate tourist's place to get some idea about antiques, collectibles and suck things in London.
It might not be the cheapest place to buy this stuff, but it's definitely a lot of fun searching through all the little shops in the buildings and on the streets around.
Go there on Saturday morning to get the most out of it (and the biggest crowd around you...:)
Whatever catches your attention :) Leave a Comment Theme: AntiquesAddress: Portobello Road and aroundDirections: Near Notting Hill Gate station
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covent gardens, in the heart of london, is an excellent place to pick up handicrafts and the weird n whacky! the markets are undercover, and attract many people for their items, as well as the entertainment of the nearby buskers. a great place to stroll and pick up something of interest.
alot of silver jewellery, british souvenirs, artworks, collectables Leave a Comment Theme: Local CraftAddress: tube stop - covent gardens
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Stanfords, whose motto is"Explore Discover Inspire" is by far the best travel bookshop I have ever been in.
The three floors are packed with travel guides, maps and literature on every country on earth. They also do specialist maps, climbing maps and books, kid's stuff and globes.
The ground floor also has a very large world map embedded on floor - so you can "walk around the world".
Staff are also excellent, and on their website you can find a kind of 'mini-VT' where Stanfords staff write about countries they have visited and which particular maps and guides they used.
As Del-boy would say : "The world's your lobster" Leave a Comment Theme: BooksAddress: 12-14 Long acreDirections: Long Acre runs between Leicester Square and Covent gardenWebsite: www.stanfords.co.uk
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