I think I may have been a little generous giving Boyes a 3 star rating, but it holds a special…read moreplace in my heart as it was the favourite shop of my dearly departed Nana. Boyes sells a bit of everything, it's bordering on being (dare I say it ) a 'tat' shop.. It's a bit of a jumble sale! The first floor as various things for making your own furnishings, such as materials, cottons etc and on the ground floor you'll find a wide range of products from cleaning materials, DIY, kitchen wares as well as clothes, kids, mens and ladies to sweets crisps and various confectionery. Boyes is always value for money so if you fancy having a rummage around the shop, which is always just a little bit tatty, I'm sure you'll find something you never new you needed!

Cheap and cheerful! My OH gets all the birthday pressies for friends and relatives from here, just…read morefor that little something. Since we have both been on very low incomes until recently, Boyes has made the difference between whether or not we could buy people gifts at Christmas, too. No-one we want to know has ever got snobby about it. Also if you have a sewing project I'd recommend going to Boyes (don't waste your money at Gillies Fabrics in town, at over £10 a metre you could get a train to Leeds and buy from a sari shop for less!) if you just need something for a party costume or for the kids' Christmas plays or any sewing accessories.

Blue Rinse is generally acknowledged as the first port of call for the city's trend-toting indie…read morehip-slingers. It's been this way for several years now but at one time, there was nothing to separate the several vintage abodes dotted around the city centre. Blue Rinse now stands head - and probably shoulders too - above it's competitors, not only because the quality of the goods is better (think original Lyle and Scott jumpers, retro Adidas originals gear and a mightily impressive selection of accessories) but because it's arranged and organised like a stylish boutique. Compared to a quest for treasure elsewhere, a treasure chest of desirable garments is presented to you. Open every day of the week, 10.30-6 (Mon-Fri), 10.30-7 (Sat) and 11-5 (Sunday), there's no excuse not go and have a peruse of every single floor. If you're not chasing a bargain basement belt (or any other item of clothing, I only chose belt for alliteration purposes) and are feeling just that little bit flush - payday? - then the Designer's Boutique on the top floor is well worth a look, showcasing some of the finest limited edition clobber local fashionistas have produced. And it does help when the girls that work there are so good looking, too. If they say I look good in something, consider it bought... They're not for me, but girls... the blokes behind the counter look a lot like an early Kings of Leon? Take your fancy?

I don't know if you'll have noticed this, but I have. Leeds is like some kind of Mecca for vintage,…read moreso how I've managed all this time without penning a few thoughts for the big boys at Blue Rinse, I don't know. But I have, so here are some mind-words. Blue Rinse is certainly one of the more long-standing places in which to purchase some great old goodies. They're like the vintage of vintage, having been about so long. And, as opposed to rather a lot of the shops, this place caters in equal measure to the boys and the girls. It's over a few floors, so there's a ton of clothing to rummage through, ranging from funky shirts, jackets, thick woolen jumpers, bright colours and more. It's almost overwhelming when you step inside as there is such a lot to browse through! But patience, friend. Good vintage comes to those who dig. The chaps in there are usually a friendly-ish lot, fash-ed up to the max in the latest vintage look, so if you're at a loss there's always the option to ask for advice. A bonus feature of the changing rooms is the poster collection: pretty much anything of worth going on in the city is plastered up, from gigs to club nights, so it's nice to get a bit of inspiration as you dress for a night out! As mentioned by others, prices are certainly that wee bit higher, but for myself I'd rather spend more and have a staple piece than buy something that will disintegrate in a few months. (I'm looking at you Primark et al.!) Either way, this is definitely another stop off to garnering the coolest threads in town, so pop in if you're after something genuinely old and genuinely cool. Pop in often though, there's a whole load that's one of a kind...

I love this place and go out of my way to go there. An…read moreAlladdins cave of treasures from shoes to fabrics..kitchen ware to religious icons..suits to saris.Balti trays and cooking utensils are very reasonably priced compared to any cook shop. This store is massive! It packs a lot of stuff all under one roof! Lovely sari fabrics from around £15.99. I often buy the plain white silk ones for £15 and cut into smaller pieces and dye for other things.Ornate saris make wonderful furnishing fabrics too. A great selection of haberdashery..lovely ribbons and trims. A bargain bin with short pieces of amazing fabrics at about 8 pieces a £1. Some stunning jewellery as well and indian cosmetics and hennabindis, henna tattoos and I also stock up on incense. The huge emporium is a gleaming bazaar with rolls of silks in every possible shade. Racks of spangled shoes and sandals seem to come straight from Bollywood. Yet there are also racks of little girls' organdie dresses like those worn by Shirley Temple in the 1930s. Indeed, something about Bombay Stores is very comforting for English people: it is as if time has stood still. For the Asian community is a taste of home. There is order and calm, no pressure selling and plenty of space to wander from the boutique, selling Bollywood pop hits and videos, to the cafe, en route to the fabrics, suits and shoes. I always keep carrying armfuls of stuff to the checkout but now they have also devised a new idea. In fact there's so much that the only way to shop for larger goods is to browse the store and pick up tickets for each item that you want to purchase, and when you're done you go to the checkout, give in your tickets and all your items will be ready to pay for and collect. I bought a huge, thick fleecy throw for about £20 and everyone wants to steal itit is so soft and luxurious! The brains behind Bombay Stores is 68-year-old Abdul Kader, who came to Britain in 1957. He knew nobody, and started with nothing, but there were jobs. He worked on the London buses and in the Bradford mills. By 1963 he had bought his first business, a former fish and chip shop. His capital was only £100 and his wife, Maryam, worked long hours in the shop making dresses while he drove buses on a double shift to pay for the enterprise. He expanded to the present premises in Shearbridge Road in 1983. Today, annual turnover is £10m and he employs 70 workers. Very efficient and helpful service. They have a cafe for wonderful samosas, coffee and good western style kids meals too. Bombay Stores in Bradford not only sells fabrics that attract customers from all over the world, it also brings together a multicultural community. It is the UK's largest Asian department store. They have a web site with a small online catalogue and various department goods. Opening times: Mon to Fri 10:00am till 07:30pm Sat 10:00am till 08:00pm Sun 12:00pm till 06:00pm

A great place to find interesting and colourful fabric/trims, Bombay stores has stacks of the…read morestuff. The wide range offers everything from simple plain white cotton to the most heavily embellished and luxurious satins perfect for wedding dresses. They have a dedicated bridal section and I believe they do custom made wedding dresses these do not come cheap but you get what you pay for. The extensive trims section offers glittering diamantes and a fantastic selection of buttons. They really do have everything you need at Bombay stores. The only thing that does start to get irritating after a while is the music as Bollywood tunes really aren't my thing but it's an INdian store so it fits well with the shop.

This place is a haven of beautiful furniture. I had a recent trip here with my Mum, after…read moreChristmas, and we ended up buying a hoard of items-they've just so many wonderful things! Basically, if you're after unique antique furniture, this is a must-visit shop for those fabulous writing desks, blanket boxes, retro lampshades and so on. I bought an absolutely gorgeous writing desk, which is part display cabinet, for only £60 and for an extra tenner they delivered it to my door. (Of course, I had to persuade the lads I live with to carry it upstairs, but they got paid in coffee and mince pies.) The staff were excellent, helping me to mark which items I wanted to buy, and even searching through a bag of keys to find the right one for my desk. They've a number of clothes as well, although typically I find them a little more hit and miss, but essentially if there's anything you need in the way of furnishings you should definitely visit here first. They've odds and ends as well, chimney pots, large doors, glassware, tables -you name it and you'll probably find it. Essentially, it's so cheap compared to quality new furniture and it's all in the name of charity. I'm so pleased with my purchases! Awesome.

I discovered Poverty Aid as a student living in Hyde Park in 2004. It was amazing back then and the…read moreamazingness remains! Some of my best purchases have come from poverty aid, including my legendary purple velvet sofa, 1960's cage dressmakers mannequin, and no end of random kitchenwares! they have a really good furniture selection, absolutely loads of bric a brac, vintage items, clothes, books, records - you can find all sorts hidden away in there! The prices are great, they like to do some bartering and they now do delivery of any item to anywhere in leeds for £10. When I bought my sofa the 2 staff lifted it into my living room for me. Poverty Aid, I salute you! (And will be visiting very soon on a mission for a vintage wardrobe!)

What a lovely charity shop! My Mum and I had gone for a wander in Meanwood on our return to Leeds…read moreand we nipped in here, drawn in by the delights in the window. They had a number of gorgeous tea sets, bowls and other things in the window so we nipped in for a proper rummage. I managed to pick up a huge coffee pot set for five pounds and a large fruit bowl for three pounds, all specially wrapped up by the lovely staff. It has to be said they were particularly helpful and friendly, which is wonderful given that I'm assuming they're volunteers. The shop was abuzz with folks looking for a bargain, and whilst the majority of the space is taken up with clothing, there's plenty of ornamentals, kitchen ware, games, and other oddments to pick up. If you've the patience to rummage through you're sure to find a fab new frock, pair of trousers, tea set and much more. A delightful find and I shall be back soon!

This is an absolute gem among Leeds' charity shops. A quick glance in the window revealed an…read moreamazing display of vintage china ornaments, crockery and trays with some very unusual and charming pieces. Darting straight in I wasn't disappointed as there was many an OTT vintage hat displayed high on the walls and a determined search through the rails and shelves yielded yet more bargainous finds. The Community Shop does have many average charity shop items, but within them you're guaranteed to find some lovely bits and bobs - a treat for any junk shop enthusiast!

This is my favourite charity shop in Headingley. I usually nip in to most of them if I'm walking…read morethrough and have a spare hour, but this one I will always check out. On first glance you could think it's a dead loss - inside there's not always a lot to see. But once you delve a little deeper the substance becomes apparent. For a start, their window displays are second to none for creativity. They always have wonderful sign writing on the glass, and change the visual management of the window area every week to something new, exciting and themed. It is always themed, halloween, christmas and even more specific things like harvest or autumn. They also have offers on, which in some ways is almost ridiculous since when it comes to charity people shouldn't squibble over a few pounds. Nevertheless often when I go in I notice they have the "All clothes £1" sign up - and I can tell you, when you rumage to find a MaxMara jumper for a quid, you are going to be pleased as punch. Finally, I think that this shop gives everything a nice personal touch. I went in once looking for beads to make some jewellery and found a bag of broken necklaces. I told the lady how useful it was and she said that she would tell the other volunteers and that it would be a regular thing - if the necklaces went unsold for an amount of time, they'd be broken up and put into a bargain bag that I should look for on a regular basis. How kind! And sure enough, they are still doing it. Of course, now I've given away my supply source, but hey. They are so awesome it was worth talking about it.

Until recently I'm ashamed to say I didn't even realize The Martin House Shop was a charity shop!…read moreAll the products in the window look so squeaky clean and brand new that a quick glance when walking past led me to believe it was some sort of gift shop. This shows the effort the staff put into the window displays - they take pride in their stock. The Martin House Shop is a great little charity shop with some interesting finds to be found! They have some unusual pieces of crockery and home ware and a large selection of picture frames of different sizes and styles. For anyone with babies soon to be appearing in their lives there's a whole rail of delightful hand-knitted baby jumpers and cardigans, each one unique! And much cheaper than a similar item on the high street (which would actually be pretty difficult to come by!). And in case you felt like making your own they sell loads of wool as well as various balls of cotton and craft materials. The Martin House Shop seems to sell all the usual charity shop items but with a bit of added character. They had a few vintage items in the clothing section and most of their stock seems just that bit more unusual than your standard charity shop. I think I'd agree with Rowena - Martin House is my favourite Headingley charity shop!

It used to be PDSA, I think, and it was a vintage charity shop before, but the guys at Sue Ryder…read morehave done an incredible job of making this charity shop a consistently excellent source of vintage goods. When ever I'm in Headingley I pop in, no matter what schedule I'm on, as there's always a quick, amazing bargain to be had. I love their window displays -- they always catch my eye, and more than once I've bought something from the mannequin. If you're in any way a fan of vintage clothing, this place has to be on your list of spots to have a browse. As well as great threads (often with really ace old school labels or handmade items) they have some really great antique bric a brac -- leather handbags, scarves, ornaments, crockery, records, sewing machines, and all sorts. The staff are always lovely too! If you're about town, pop in and have a rummage. It's a feel-good buy all round!

Ahh yes another one, if Pound World wasn't enough for you then there's Poundland! Woohoo! More…read morenon-pound busting budget basket fillers for your delectation. There are lots of various household items in here to be had, from de-icer for the car in those winter months, which seem to get longer and longer with each year. Really they do don't they?! Now Poundland is currently stocking a selection of character Easter Eggs, retailing at £1 each or £3 for four, with a variety of characters to choose from, be it The Simpsons, High School Musical or Peppa Pig, if they get a Glee one I am totally there! There are plenty of other branded home items to be had in here too, from body lotions and toothpaste, face wash, shampoo and conditioners, handwash, soap, baby food, baby juice, cold and flu remedies, seriously Beechams All in One £1, Boots, £4, Bargain! Pop, crisps, chocolate, stationary, colouring books, random car stuff and garden things that I need nor understand, but it's there.

Pound shops are always a winner. This one has all the usual stuff - deodorants, candles, kids toys,…read moretravel accessories etc etc. Typically it's a bit of a mess and the staff really don't want to be there, but you can't argue with the prices. Obviously not everything is good value, but if you spend some time you can really find some bargains. Often you'll find brand names at half the price. Definitely worth calling in if you're shopping in this area.