United Kingdom
A monthly market (held every first Sunday) which takes place either inside or outside the Milgi bar on City Road (an eclectric bar/bistro with video art, squashy sofas, chandeliers and a good line in cocktails and homemade pop).
It's a bit of a hotchpotch of jumble, young designers, live music, DJs, the odd random performance artist, maybe a BBQ, maybe some nice hot soup...
It's genuinely really great for hand printed tees and pumps, jewellery, second-hand books, vinyl, vintage-rummaging, people-watching, cake-eating, cocktail-drinking... And sometimes it happens at night too, which can be very, very good.
Milgi, 213 City Road, Cardiff, www.myspace.com/northcotelanemarket
Five victorian shopping arcades which run off St Mary Street and High Street. The arcades are shopping centres as Jules Verne might have imagined them; beautifully ornate yet ever-so-slightly ramshackle. Full of interesting independent shops and cafes.
Walk along St Mary Street and High Street and you can't miss them!
Spillers Records in the Hayes is the world’s oldest record shop, founded in 1894 when it sold phonographs and sheet music. It’s still going strong despite the decline of vinyl, the growth of the CD market and the HMV and Virgin Megastores which have taken over the high street. It’s the best place to get less mainstream, more independent music and worth going into the tiny shop just for a look. Staff are friendly and more than willing to help you find that rare record or obscure title. Make sure you get one of the famous red biodegradable plastic bags, which the shop has been using as long as anyone can remember.
Bring this back as a great holiday souvenir or present. The tradition of carving and giving wooden lovespoons began hundreds of years ago in Wales when young men gave them to their sweethearts as tokens of affection. Different designs and sizes convey different messages: a cross means faith, a horseshoe symbolises luck, a knot signifies everlasting love, and so on.
Search Been there