Pontcanna Flea Market is the real deal. You are guaranteed to find a really good selection of…read morequality Kitsch, both for the home and garden, as well as loads of classic and retro clothing, antiques, electrical goods, records, books, and furniture... essentially all the kind of stuff that you'd expect at a flea market, but with the added bonus of this one being a particularly good one. I don't know where the traders get their stock from, but some of them must have an incredible address book! A lot of them seemingly have endless access to the most incredibly desirable objects. Their lives must be heavenly! I considered becoming a trader myself a few years back, but decided that it would be an overtly dangerous career choice. I'd be great at scouting out my stock, and have fairly well tuned haggling skills. So far, so good! But, the problems would arise when it came to selling any of it on. I know I'd want to keep everything! Those confounded attachment issues! They also hold regular auctions at the King's Road site. I've not been to one, but I hear that they are as much fun as the flea markets, and just as well stocked with eminently buyable stuff.

Cardiff Paint Supplies is looking a little care-worn these days, but it's important not to let…read moreexternal appearances deceive you in this particular instance... Cardiff Paint Supplies are weathering the recession pretty well! This is in no small part due to the fact that Cardiff Paint Supplies have been around since 1957, allowing Nicholas Chandler, the owner, to call into play a whole raft of experience at dealing with the current economic climate. Another benefit that comes with longevity is that Nicholas has diversified over the years, meaning that he doesn't have all of his eggs in one basket, like so many newer more vulnerable concerns. Being specialists in industrial floor coverings Cardiff Paint Supplies deals with the trade as well as selling decorating supplies on a retail basis. Cardiff Paint Supplies carries a really comprehensive range of stock, with everything from filler to wallpaper, as well as all the tools and ancillary supplies you need to give your house a make-over. As you'd expect, the prices compete admirably with the big DIY centres, but the level of service you receive here leaves them standing!

Why has this only just opened? Why couldn't it have opened last year when I was looking for…read morefurniture and was forced to go to Ikea instead? I was convinced that City Road/Crwys Road were populated with second hand furniture stores when I moved into my new house, but I was clearly hallucinating. So, I was so pleased to find this store had opened, next to that most ethical supermarket, The Coop. The shop has a vast floor and has a wide variety of new and used furniture, electricals and general stuff for the home. Sofa's a-go-go - ranging in proce from really cheap (and look it) to really reasonable three piece suites, leather and modern funiture. There is bedroom furniture from brand new pine stuff to more 'retro' good as well as a vast array of TVs from £10! We may not be talking plasma, wide screen HD TV here, but good enough for a games console or student bedroom to keep up to date with Corrie. Most pleasing was the appearance of reasonably priced and reasonable condition 1930s furniture including sideboards, wardrobes and dressing tables. When looking for this stuff before I was reduced to online and pseudo 'antique' shops which charged an arm and a leg. If you're a student, moving into your first house or generally want a slightly more retro look to your home then please check this shop out first before hitting the obvious!

Moving into a new place is an arduous process. You've got bills to worry about, bank accounts to…read morecontact and drain dry, boxes to move and people to buy beer and pizza for, parties to plan... Moving into an unfurnished place is even worse. Especially if you're of the studenty bent. Not only do you have all the previous issues to deal with, you've also got to source new furniture, gather funds to pay for said furniture, or buy and eat enough pizza to build furniture from the leftover boxes. You may think I'm joking about that last one. I'm not. I've seen it done. Wasn't comfy, but what you lacked in comfort you more than made up for in lots and lots of pizza. Here's where BHS steps in. Their second hand furniture and electrical store lets you furnish a house cheaply, and on top of that, you know your money is going to a good place, which appeals to all those kind-hearted students, and the cynical gits who are trying to hope on the good foot and do the bad thing with said kind-hearted students.

Home Zone is all about interior design for the kind of person that knows what they are looking for,…read moreand doesn't need to leave it all to a designer, (although I bet that interior designers use Home Zone just as much as we do, for both inspiration and ideas, as well as purchasing their products and services). Home Zone have only been around for five years, but have established themselves really quickly, and are generally considered to offer us a benchmark of what is both tasteful and innovative. In addition, Directors Jayne Bishop and Sean Kerr offer a full and attentive service, which has also gone a long way to augment their standing. Specialising in made to measure curtains and soft-furnishings, upholstery, blinds, and tracking with a comprehensive measuring and fitting service, they draw on their combined 40 years of experience, which puts them in the enviable position of being able to work with trusted people that they have had regular dealings with over the years. These days they have a dedicated, highly experienced team of sewers, upholsterers and fitters who work alongside them, as well as a network of crafts people who can be commissioned to make accessories when required. Some of the beautiful things that the crafts people make are amazing, and prove that everything is possible! Using every material imaginable, and every technique available, they are able to produce practically anything you could dream of for the house and home. Home Zone can do conventional as easy as falling off a log, but where they excel is when they are pushing creative boundaries and coming up with unique solutions for clients that have a real appreciation of what is possible.

From the owner: We are a small, local, team of specialist curtain makers, upholsterers and fitters and we offer a…read morefabulous service, providing you with made to measure soft-furnishings, upholstery, blinds, shutters and tracking along with a comprehensive measuring and fitting service, to make the whole process a bit easier for you!

A truly enormous garden centre on the eastern outskirts of Cardiff, conveniently situated adjacent…read moreto junction 29 of the A48M where it meets the old A48 Newport Road. It's a popular shopping destination in its own right, and is actually part of the large UK-wide Wyevale chain. As well as an enormous range of plants, seeds, gardening tools and gardening supplies, it sells all sorts of gardening-related merchandise, such as garden buildings, garden furniture, pet supplies, books, ornaments, greeting cards, toys, clothing etc. Their prices aren't the cheapest, but it's all in one place and the quality is not bad (and it is getting very hard to find independent high-quality traditional nurseries, these days). Many of the staff are not that expert in the plants, though - certainly not compared with the horticultural or botanical expertise that resides in parts of the British gardening fraternity. That said, they always seem to be pretty friendly and willing to help, and the whole experience is rather less intimidating than it can be in some traditional nurseries. For those living in hope of a dry summer, there is an extensive range of barbecues and barbecue supplies. (Note: worth getting in stocks of charcoal, as there is always a run on supplies at the first sign of Bank Holiday sun). They also have a hire service for a very extensive range of garden and building machinery, if buying your own rotovator or mini-digger seems something of an indulgence. Perfect for the would-be 'Bob the Builder' (or 'Bob y Bildar'). There's a decent sized cafe, which is quite pleasant outside the week-end peak times, although there's no escaping the warehouse 'architecture'. It's very popular with pensioners during the week. At week-ends, the whole place is packed by families on an afternoon out, which makes for a slightly more stressful shopping experience. The centre has toilets and is designed to be accessible for wheel-chair users. The Wyevale website is quite interesting for the novice gardener, with a 'plant finder' facility, which tells you what you can grow in the soil and aspect of your garden.

Blooms is a massive garden centre that's easy to get to from either Cardiff or Newport, with…read morehelpful staff (though not all of them perhaps 'experts') and a huge array of plants, garden furniture and ornaments, and gardening tools and accessories. The centre is also home to a decent little book shop and a café, and it sells jewellery, clothes, pet-related products, farm-style foods and even fresh Welsh meat, jams and chutneys! Blooms even offer an equipment hire service, so you can hire garden and building machinery rather than go out and buy it if you only need it for a one-off occasion. Some of the stock can be a bit on the expensive side, but I think most big nurseries are the same, and at least you can browse around lots of different departments under one roof here.

Great little bargain store! I love the repurposing of an old church instead of removal. (Sure it's…read morea bit 'musty,' but I think it adds to the character!) The products are a bit 'cheap,' but I've found everything to be quite reliable for a recent move-in; a few plant pots and compost, a large cooking pot, broom, etc. The prices are fair and the employees are very pleasant!

Do not go to this shop. The quality of items is horrific and there were birds flying around the…read moreplace. Then, a group of young children were falsely accused of stealing. They were forced to empty their pockets and were embarrassed in front of the whole shop. The security guard did not apologize and was extremely mean. Dirty place and mean staff. It's a no from me. -Sharon

Now that The Pier has sadly left our little Welsh lives forever, Habitat is the next best thing for…read morehigh street home furnishings and furniture. This is a giant and unmissable store located in The Hayes in the centre of Cardiff, near to all the new glory of St. David's 2, yet still I speak to local people who don't seem to know where it is. I'm sure you'll be fine though; Yelp is populates by sensible people. Habitat is great for items such as picture frames, vases, cushions and candle holders, as well as larger items and items that you didn't even know existed before. But now you must have it. They go in for quite a modern style; combining sleekness and practicality with traditionalism and ethnic designs. If The Pier and Ikea had a lovechild, it would be called Habitat. My mother is now pointing out that habitat apparently came first (?), but I'm sure you know what I mean despite her confusing the issue. Although Habitat can be quite pricey, it's a great place to go for cheaper frames and small items. If you're ever stuck for a mother-in-law type of present, this would be a great start.

I'm a big fan of interior design, so I have a real soft spot for Habitat. This furniture here is…read moretrendy with a capital T, if you like traditional items this is not the store for you. The pieces available for purchase are incredibly modern, I recently purchased a glass desk from here, and it really has become a key feature in my office. I must admit the prices are rather high, but the uniqueness and quality of the furniture in my opinion really justifies this. On the cheaper side of things they do sell a wide variety of clip frames (both glass and Perspex), which are often on sale and great for art lovers.

Homesense has a real hotch potch (proper phrase?) of household furniture and items available to…read morebuy; from the extremely tacky to the rather tasteful you never quite know what you're going to find. I was particularly impressed by their bedding selection; they had duvets by brands such Cath Kidston and Designers Guild selling for around only £30, which is quite incredible (though absolutely infuriating for me as I've just spent a fortune on Designers Guild bedding from the brands website). Additionally they had a massive selection of photo frames, in wide range of varieties, in my opinion these would make great gifts for those it's trick to by for. I wasn't to keen on the actual furniture available in Homesense (mainly just small chairs). The quality just did not appear quite good enough, and many of the pieces looked rather tacky. I was surprised to find that they also sell a small range of specialty foods. Nothing to grand, mainly pasta, olive oil, and Italian biscuits, but they're brands that you won't find in your local supermarket. I've really only touched the tip of the ice berg, Homesense just sells so much! It rather reminds me of TK Maxx, you need time and patience, but you could come away with some real bargains!

City Furniture is a recent addition to City Road, and has presumably arrived to take advantage of…read morethe student demographic in this area. It has stiff competition from A1 Furniture on Albany Road and The X Catalogue Shop and Star Furnishings a little further up City Road itself. City Furniture is smaller than the other outlets mentioned, but still occupies a sizeable space and they have rammed it to the rafters with stock. This doesn't do a great deal for appearances, but it does show you a good range of products. I would say that on the whole the furniture on offer at City Furniture is a little bit more upmarket than you'll get elsewhere in this area... some of the beds look really comfy and robust, and are clearly made with quality materials. I'm in the market for a bed, and called in to City Furniture a couple of weeks ago to see how good their opening sale was. Sajid, the Managing Director, was just about to close up shop, but still made time to talk. He' a really affable fellow, and promised to deliver me a bed anywhere I wanted. Double beds start at £90.00, which is pretty competitive! They also stock sofa's, dining furniture, bedroom furniture, including some Italian stock. In addition they have a limited range of ornaments and soft furnishings.

This furniture store is competing with the likes of Star Furniture at the other end of city road…read more The stock range is varied and full to bursting point so much so that they stack items. As with discount furniture you can benefit from very low costs, I'm not to sure of the build quality but with these prices I wouldn't expect hardwood material. Students and other temporary residents can get some bargains that are cheap enough to leave behind when they relocate. As with most home furniture stores they have beds, bookcases, draws, wardrobes, tables, chairs and many other types of stock as well as some soft furnishings.

Cobwood Bros Hardware Store is replaced by a second hand store…read more... The Second Hand Shop on Clifton Street is a recent addition to this struggling commercial road. It used to be Cobwood Bros. hardware store for as long as anyone can remember, but the one way system coupled with the recession saw it close its doors for the last time this year. This is a huge loss to Clifton Street as well as the owners. The Second Hand Shop doesn't actually have a name, but this is what the locals are calling it, and so I guess it will stick. It is likely that discount and second hand stores are the only types of business that will survive on this strangulated street since the councils decision to implement a questionable one way system in the area. The cafes and takeaways will also survive, but the level of trade that they will lose over time will mean that there are mean pickings from here on in... it's a sorry state of affairs! Although I rue the loss of Cobwood Bros. I have to admit to really liking The Second Hand Shop. It is full of my kind of tat, ranging from white goods to furniture and bric-a-brac.