Edinburgh Shopping

2 more images

I came across this lovely cake boutique on my explorations and bought myself a hand-make cupcake. I loved the ambiance and decor of the bakery. There was a large choice of cupcakes to choose from which made my choice difficult. I decided to go for blueberry and cream cheese cupcake in the end. The bakery also specialises in cakes.

The cupcakes taste just as heavenly as they look!

The originally store is based in St Andrews but are opening stores across Scotland. The boutique is take away only but it's worth going in and purchasing a cupcake to accompany an afternoon tea (or coffee) later on in the day.

Please note the website is suspended for an unknown reason (October 2012).

What to buy: Cupcakes! I paid around 1.80-2.00 gpb (September 2012) for my Blueberry & Cream Cheese cupcake.

What to pay: From 1.75 for a cup cake.

1 more image

W. Armstrongs is rumoured to be one of the UK's largest vintage clothing stores... it is certainly one of the oldest, established in 1840!

This tardis-like store is overflowing with antique uniforms, vintage handbags, second hand hats and clothes from every decade dating back to Victorian costume. They have various branches in the city, including one in Clerk Street and another in Teviot Place. As we were staying in the Grassmarket we stumbled across their smaller shop here, and I just had to go inside... what a fantastic find!

What to buy: If you're in the mood for rummaging (and as this place is so crammed full of items, believe me, you'll have to rummage) this is the place for you and you may - like me - not resurface for the better part of an hour once you start getting into the vibe of all things vintage and retro!

The store carries men's and women's fashion and numerous accessories, from the dainty and romantic to the downright outrageous, you'll find pretty much anything unique and "anti-High-Street-boring-clothes" in this place. Be it a funny costume for a fancy dress party, or a gorgeous vintage gown, you'll find it here.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 10:00am - 05:30pm.
Fridays & Saturdays: 10:00am - 06:00pm.
Sundays: midday - 06:00pm.
*

What to pay: Prices can range from fleamarket-cheap up to the utterly absurdly expensive for some real antiques.

Jenners is a traditional department store on Princes Street, with a large skylight and an open interior court in the middle.

They say they have been at this exact location on Princes Street since 1838, and that the current building is over 100 years old. They used to pride themselves on being an independent, family-run organiz(s)ation, but now they seem to have been bought up by a big chain just like everybody else.

An Edinburgh institution. It used to be THE place to shop back when it was an independent. The Harrods of the North. Maybe now it’s part of House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols has opened around the corner, the snobs have moved on...

Well, I needed a new raincoat and it’s the nearest place to the railway station, so in we went.

I came out with an excellent specimen. Exactly what I’d been looking for. Even better - it was reduced by about 70%. I skipped all the way to the pub.

What to buy: Clothes, perfume, cosmetics - check the website.

What to pay: More than other places, unless you get a bargain!

Well, the Armouries used to have a shop to themselves, but they've since been moved to the top of the Royal Mile, inside the tartan weaving mill. As such, it's now more of a department within a shop, and has lost some of its character. This is made up for though in the knowledge of its staff (at the time of writing, i'm one of them :p), who will happily give you a history lesson dating back a millennium, and covering some of the most relevant Scottish battles, from Bannockburn (1314) up to Culloden (1746).

and they will ship your sword almost anywhere in the world.

What to buy: Well, Swords!! they've got everything from Scottish Claymores, to European Medieval, and Roman Spatha's, to classic daggers and dirks, helmets, even suits of armour.

What to pay: anything from 10 pounds up to 2000

1 more image

Its cheap cheap cheap. Women's clothes, men's clothes, children's clothes and toys. Stuff for your home. Shoes. Boots, Perfumes. Bags. Jewelry. Sport gear. Underwear. Pretty much anything you want and need. And the great part, its all expensive brands.

Hilfiger. CK. JLo. Bench. Golddigga. Playboy. Pepe. Chanel. Ralph Lauren. Dr Martens. Nike. Animal.
ETC ETC ETC!!!

What to pay: A lot less than normal!

Lidl is a cut price supermarket with a great range of food at very reasonable prices, much cheaper thaqn either Tesco's or Asda (Walmart for American's! Yes, there is a supermarket that is cheaper here).
If you want to not have to eat out all the time and are prepared to buy a few provisions and make sandwiches - this may not be so practical if in a B&B, but is not a bad idea if staying in a hotel, backpackers or a place like travelodge (my favourite :-) - then Lidl is a good place to shop.

What to buy: Dutch chocolate biscuits - 59p
Swiss Chocolate - 29p for 100 gms and tastes great
2 litre bottles of dandelion and Burdock ( a great tasting drink the colour of coke but tastes more like sarsparilla) - 39p
bottled water - not sure of the price but it's silly
loaves of bread, from about 23p a loaf
processed meats, - packaged and can buy a little at a time
fruit, - peaches and plums are reasonable as are nectarines in summer, or veges like lettuce and tomatoes for sandwiches

What to pay: I have bought enough to feed the family for two days for £7. Like I said, silly prices.

There are many great stores in the Princes mall, which is currently under-going a 'face-lift'. Stores to check out in the mall include: Kookai, The Body Shop, Quicksilver, Natural World, Gleneagles of Scotland, New Look, The Whisky Shop, Oasis, Xile Woman, Xile Menswear, and many more.

There is also a very large food court here that has: McDonalds, KFC, Baguette du Jour, Something Thai, The Coffee Stop and other food stores (both fast food and healthier alternatives are available).

Opening Hours
Mon-Weds, Fri-Sat: 9am - 6pm
Thurs: 9am - 7pm
Sun: 11am - 5pm

The website below gives a great overview of the mall, with details on each store.