I've become quite a fan of Clinton Cards over the past year. I visited this branch today and was…read morevery impressed with the wide range, and good quality, of the greetings cards on offer. The categories are labelled well so it's easy to find what you're looking for. Besides cards and wrapping paper, there are all sorts of little gifts to suit all ages, from personalised mugs and key rings to little iced cakes (with 'Mum' or 'Dad' etc on top), pens, novelties, toys, picture frames and many more things. I was particularly interested in the CDs and DVDs with music or news clips from different dates, to match the year of someone's birth. (I bought the 'hits' of 1931 for my father-in-law!)

Its just your basic Clinton Cards shop, nothing special about it. Prices are rather expensive…read morecompared to other card shops in the town centre.

Only open between Thursday and Saturday, Jacob's Market (aka Jacob's Antiques) is a collection of…read morevery small specialist collectors' shops under one roof. Mostly it's second-hand stuff though there is also brand new furniture to be had. There's a certain novelty to it- such as the stuffed badgers in the entrance (will anyone ever buy those?) and the sci-fi stall upstairs with its sort-of-full-sized TARDIS. All kinds and eras of 'retro' are covered, old clothes (a bit dusty), old signs, old kitchen appliances, old military memorabilia (there's quite a bit of this and some of it's quite scary). It's worth a browse round, though I would say you could have done it all in less than 2 hours, it won't take all day. Prices vary but some things are not as cheap as you'd like them to be, as some sellers are adamant that there is an 'antique' value. The cafe is a small anteroom, seating about 20 people, where one person will knock up cooked brunches on demand using a little oven and grill. The prices are dirt-cheap and the portions very very generous, the only problem is that since it's cooked from scratch when you order you may have to wait a while, not too good if you've just popped there for lunch.

This indoor market sprawls across several floors in an old red brick building at West Canal Wharf,…read morenear Cardiff Central Station, and for the last couple of decades it has been creating a welcome distraction for Cardiff's lovers of antiques, vintage and novelty goods. It is a great place to spend a lazy few hours browsing around aimlessly. The 50 or so different stalls sell a huge array of different wares, including antiques and collectors' items, vintage household goods, second hand clothes and books, jewellery, and all sorts of other knick knacks. When you walk in through the entrance, for example, you're faced with some rather alarming and fusty-looking stuffed badgers; carry on and you might stumble across vintage Bakelite phones, military memorabilia, or leather jackets - while an exploration upstairs will offer you an encounter with a full-sized Dr Who tardis. Some stalls have more reasonable prices than others, but for vintage and antique items with a higher price tag you really need a bit of knowledge to know whether it's good value. The café, on the other hand, has very reasonably priced food and HUGE portions!

As convenience stores go, this one really isn't bad…read more I couldn't park anywhere near my beloved 'best one' down the road so I had to resort to using the bigger and more yellow, Lloyd's news. Inside there's a pretty good range of things you might need at the last minute and most impressively the booze selection is really very great. Lots of wine and most amazingly, lots of offers on that wine. The till had lots of strange and abstract American candy dotted around it, which I scooped up with both hands, like an obese child. The man serving me was polite, very polite. So polite in fact that when he turned away so I could enter my pin number he moved with such force he almost gave himself whiplash.

This is THE BEST hardware shop in town. They sell everything - the kitchen sink and the kitchen…read moresinks mother! Clarence hardware is a proper old fashioned shop, a family business that has been open for the last 50 years. The hardware and DIY shop offers something that very few other shops do these days, they offer a one to one service. Their staff are friendly and knowledgeable and are more than likely to crack a good humoured joke or two. They don't have a website because they just have too many varieties of things to list. To give you a picture they stock 11 types of florescent tube and 80 different types of light-bulb. This isn't spatially a huge shop, but they manage to fit a massive amount in...In fact their stock is so extensive that it spills out onto the street, tin baths, bonfire bins, compost and more are stacked by and even hung up on the wall outside. ...Oh and they are extremely reasonably priced. Tip: Clarence hardware offers a brilliant value key cutting service (only a few quid) and free local delivery of large goods. Open 9.45-5.15 Monday - Saturday

I have used this store more times than I can remember they carry everything and if they ain't got…read moreit they will get it for you Martin and the guys are so helpful and nothing is to much trouble and as a Grangetown boy I saves a lot of bother looking elsewhere' Keep up the good work lads Mike C Avondale Crescent

God, it's been a long time since I've been in a store like this; brings back memories of teenage…read moreyears spent chasing boy skaters on the boardwalk of Hollywood Beach. Sigh. Back to reality: Route One packs a wide variety of stock into its tiny shop. They have it all; everything from boards and shoes to branded T-shirts and skates. If you need any and all associated gear, I'd probably stop by before shopping online. Bizarrely, they even have a small wall of boxers - Route One is like a one-stop aggressive skater shop. Thankfully, they have stuff for aging hipsters, too - I squealed when I stumbled upon a pair of retro-style roller skates for only £44.99. I've been looking at purchasing a pair online, so it's great to finally be able to try them on in store. Even with speakers pumping out some substandard white rapper of the moment, Route One is a throbbing energetic haven and probably the store of choice for skaters of kinds in the South Wales area.

Ahhh, Route One. I remember you from my days of yore…read more People are always a little bit shocked, a little bite surprised, and really, really tickled when I tell them I once had a dalliance with the skating world. It lasted about two years before I finally decided that all this hopping about on a plank of wood was something better reserved for people with more time on their hands. My video games weren't going to play themselves, after all. And Route One was where I collected my very first skateboard. For shops like this, there's not a lot of variation given in Cardiff. You've got this, and then maybe Animal. It's a bit of a monopoly. It's helpful then, that the staff of Route One seem to genuinely care about the propagation of the sport. Rather than use their status to squeeze every droplet of coinage from the customer, there is a thread of care that runs through the store that guarantees you impartial, helpful advice. They're looking to sell you the equipment you need to buy; not the equipment they'd like to sell. And that's a refreshing outlook.

As a student I went to many charity shops on the look out for books for my obsession with reading…read more The shop has a lot of interesting second hand stuff and I would have a browse to see if there was a bargain. Unfortunately it's hit or miss whether you'll find something you want, or you may go in and end up getting something you rather didn't buy. Either way it for a good cause so has more intrinsic value when you buy from here.

This is by far the best charity shop in Cardiff. The friendly staff welcome you into their…read moreAladdin's cave of goodies and gifts. The walls tower with books and games, and outfits and handbags hang from the ceiling. There is always something new and interesting to find... and if you can't find it? You feel relaxed enough to ask. And gather round, lend me you ears if you want to hear the best part. I will only say it once as it is a secret I keep close to my heart.... If you ask nicely and use the code word "upstairs" there lies a hidden room with all the magical treasures a young fancy-dresser or vintage queen could ask for. Words cannot describe how you have not, and never will, truly experience my love for Cardiff without this adventure. Reasonable Prices Good Cause My Best Buy: a vintage badminton racket for £3. Top that... I dare you!

There aren't many toy shops in the city centre since Toys 'r' Us moved so I am quite glad that The…read moreEntertainer is still here because it makes Christmas shopping that much easier. The Entertainer has a good range of toy from pre-school up, including lots of board games, lego and more specialist toys like Hornby trains and Scalextric's. The people who work here really know their stuff too. I was totally lost about what to get a four year old, and they were more than happy to give me a few suggestions in different price ranges. I really like that you can see what your buying here and get a feel for it. Its a really good place to shop, I only wish it was even bigger!

Ahhhh, The Entertainer…read more Do you remember that scene from Home Alone 2: Lost In New York when the kid goes to that really boring looking toy store, and is given the chance to choose any toy he wants from that place? I still haven't gotten over the fact that the stupid brat picked a turtle dove. How is that even a toy? How is it suitable for any kind of fun at all? I always assumed that whilst the part of the toystore we saw was pretty lame, the part out of shot that the Macaulay Culkin could see was even worse. Probably filled with Transformers knock-offs and those really racist black dolls that my best friend's nan used to collect and saw nothing wrong with. That's why he picked the turtle dove; because it was either that, or be labelled a horrible little racist. ... the point of that is, The Entertainer is like someone watched that scene over and over and over, Clockwork Orange style, and then at the end went "I'mma make the best toy store ever, just to make extra sure that no poor child has to play with a turtle dove ever again!" The Entertainer is that store.

A great card shop, quite large and well stocked with good quality greetings cards. Something for…read moreevery occasion! There is a large variety of wrapping paper, gift tags and boxes and bows too. Also great for gifts of various kinds, from teddy bears, mugs and glasses to miniature birthday cakes and decorative pens and key rings. You can buy gift cards here as well to use in many different stores and shops.