Another one of those great second-hand game and video stores…read more This one, as the name of the shop suggests, specialises more in games, everything from your Wii's, PS3's & Xbox 360 to your Nintendo Ds, Gameboy Advance, and even retro PC and console games. They have a small selection of pre-owned consoles and controllers. Be prepared to be looking for quite a while if there is something specific you are after as everything is a little ramshakle The selection of DVD's is ok, with some good boxset and even some VHS's! I know... how very retro!

Long gone it would seem are the days of catapults, tipping cows and throwing eggs. This is the…read moregolden age of digitalisation where games are played not on bicycle around the estate (council not country) but across the Google-sphere - on the games consoles. Whether it's racing cars, building virtual cities or leading teams of commandoes through the Middle East (propaganda anyone?) there's a game for everyone these days. Due to the high expense of many high street retailers, places like Game Scene have set up to provide more affordable, pre-loved numbers - and fair play to them. This shop is absolutely stacked from wall to wall with games for all sorts of consoles and devices. It's not really my forte so I can't specify which ones but judging by the huge array of colour and shape I'm guessing they're pretty well stocked. There's also a really good choice of DVDs to choose from, with some blockbusters for a mere quid or two. Game on.

I do adore bookshops and this one is a real treat for the eyes. There are paper cuttings directing…read moreyou to the fiction section and even free cake offerings! This place is almost my perfect bookshop (more comfy sofas to sink in to please)! I think they even have gigs here which is just a thing of dreams! Can't wait to return to actually purchase something, as last time i got extremely distracted with photographing every corner of it.

Rare and secondhand books are my thing, so I was bound to like it. I didn't know that it would be…read morelove at first sight though. Off the beaten track from the city's main shops, Colston Street is rapidly becoming the new cool, lined with retro boutiques, classy bars and one-off jewellery shops. The perfect location for a super cute second-hand bookshop, with a few other interesting kitsch bits and bobs thrown in for good measure. The space is compact, but I am drawn across the smooth wooden floors by the magnetic appeal of ALL THE BOOKS. For a mish-mash of different subjects (fiction and non-fiction) they're all well organised and some costs just a few quid. I suspect the selection is so good because of the proximity to a. University of Bristol English Literature department and b. University of Bristol Drama department. The quality classics, playtexts and poetry anthologies stand testament to that. The proprietor is too cool for school and is heard to blast out Dylan or Joni Mitchell from his laptop whilst reading and drinking coffee (exactly what I aim to do when I own my second hand bookshop). Saying that, he's enthusiastic and helpful (despite his nonchalant demeanour) and has been known to offer you a free slice of cake with a purchase.

There aren't many branches of Foyles, so when you see one, grab a book, take a seat on a very…read morecomfortable chair and wile away a slow day with a cuppa. When the upstairs cafe first opened a few months ago, it felt like a trial, with takeaway cups and little else in the way of snacks. There's now more on offer, and if you're a coffee snob (like me), you can enjoy drinking from a bit of crockery rather than a cardboard tumbler. You would think a bookshop is a bookshop, but I've found books here I haven't seen elsewhere. I confess, most of my books are on my iPad these days, but this is a great place to find giant coffee table books that would look great on the giant, industrial-looking coffee table I wish I owned. Local books are here, too, and there's a space for authors to do talks and book readings, plus a modest gallery. And if you're looking for unique cards and wrapping paper, though sometimes pricey, look no further.

The Here Gallery is such an assuming little place. They are fully stocked with tonnes of inspiring…read morearty things; books, posters, wallpaper, stickers and lots more, that always makes me really smiley when I'm here. There is a gallery downstairs which exhibits interesting work, from local and international artists. They always welcome submissions for their consideration, and you can tell they are quite select with the work they choose, as the work shown always is quite spectacular. If you're a little down in the dumps or facing a mind block with your own artwork, this place will really help re-jig your mind.

Stokes Croft's got a few flowers poking through the grey concrete, the Here Shop is one of them. A…read moregallery and bookshop, they've got an often changing range of contemporary art. They do exhibitions by visiting artists, with pen drawings of slightly alien looking organic shapes (that description's ripped off their website) by a Yugoslav-American Yellena James currently on display. Whatever is being shown the gallery is always a warm and quiet respite from the traffic on Stokes Croft. The bookshop side of things is similarly left-field and varied. They have loads of children's books, as well as books on graffiti, manga, and an eclectic mix of other subjects. You really have to go along to get a proper sense of the sort of thing they have. It feels like one persons just taken their personal interests and made a shop around it. I like this about the shop, you get exposed to things you might not otherwise get exposed to. The Here shop is kookish and neat, a nice play to wonder round for half an hour or so.

With park street, and indeed alot of the top of town, you will somewhat surprisingly find that…read morethere are not that many places to pick up a paper or get some chewing gum (or even some sweets if you need to satisfy your sugary craving!) Lexie's gives you the option to get those everyday desirable things, without having to walk all the way down to the tesco's at college green. Unless you live near the bottom then it would make more sense for you to go to tesco unless you want a bit more excersize! A nice clean shop, and stock's everything you would expect it to, very friendly inside.

Paint the picture - It's a warm day, you have spent most of the afternoon shopping and your hands…read moreare raw from carrying so many bags. The sun is beaming down as you face the dreaded walk up Park Street. You are nearly at the top. The Will's Memorial building is shading the sun from you, yet you are starting to feel faint from all this exercise. No worries, Lexi's is here! Pick up a sweet treat, a cheap and cheerful sandwich or a ice cold drink all for a fraction of the price that any other shop would sell. Fantastic.

This was where I bought my copy of Dark Side of the Moon years & years ago! I went home, shut my…read moredoor and put the record on, and I don't really remember much after that. But this shop symbolises everything the Independent Record shop should be; the staff will always chat to you about music and ask you what you like so they can recommend stuff to you, or keep music behind the counter for when you next go in. If you're lucky enough to find this shop open you are in for a treat, they are always playing something you won't have heard before, and my advice is, buy the music they recommend to you. But finding this shop open is a game in itself, I had the misfortune of stopping by earlier today to find they have shaved even more opening hours from their week. So now it's just Fridays & Saturdays, which gives it more of a market stall feel. I hope by doing this they will get the business they need to stay open. So stop by at the weekend and start digging into the boxes of old records they have in the back! You'll find a Zeppelin album you didn't even know you needed.

An independent second hand record shop on Cotham Hill, The Beat Goes On is a rare find nowadays…read more Specialising in vinyl, they've got a big collection of second hand music, both on wax and on cd. Their range isn't massive, but there's definitely a few gems in here and it's worth really taking your time and having a peruse. Like the hardware store just around the corner, they've managed to cram an awful lot of stuff into a small premises, and it gets really crowded with just a few people in here. It's got a nice feeling to it - a bit messy and untidy but in a good, hippy and shambolic way. Definitely a shop that's well worth supporting, come and find a gem and spend a happy Sunday afternoon in musical bliss.

Just a minute's walk down from Maliks (who I've also written a review of), is United Supermarket…read more From the outside, I'd say they have a less welcoming feel compared to Maliks, but upon actually going in, I realise that this is probably for a good reason. For me, the main reason Maliks look so welcoming is because of the fruit and vegetables that they display outside the shop which causes them to wilt and get dry under the weather, whereas the fruit and vegetables of United Supermarket are kept in the shop itself and their selection is hence very much more fresh! Aside from that, they have the usual fare of spices, ice cream, meat and fish, drinks, alcohol, bread, canned food and etcetera, etcetera. All good selections for stocking the kitchen. I think from now, because fresh fruit and vegetables are really important to me, United Supermarket is going to be my go-to store for that and everything else, and set aside Maliks to be the place where I get my fish and meat instead.

This is my favourite shop to got to, they have lovely staff and the best service. They have…read moreeverything you need at brilliant prices.

I love this place. I really wish waterstones would follow this shops example!…read more The stock usually rotates, but I have found quite a few steals here!!! It used to be the £2 book shop and now the £3 bookshop. But again, that's still a steal. On occasion, they do stock rare editions, but you will probably be in there for a couple of hours before you find one :p

Nothing to do with the similarly named film studio, 20th Century Flicks is a small independent DVD…read moreand video rental shop. It's better than Blockbusters for so many reasons, the chief one being that they have dedicated staff who have an encyclopaedic film knowledge. You can go in, say something along the lines of 'I want that film, I think it was Hitchcock, made 1961 or maybe '64...' and they will usually be able to work out what you're looking for. They also go to the trouble of writing little cards with their opinions of the movies, which I think is a nice touch. Their library is as comprehensive, I've always been able to get what I want and kept up to date. They do a good line in ex-rental, so it's worth going along even if you don't rent much. Walking past this morning I saw Atonement on DVD for £5, a bargain. 20th Century Flicks is a good place to find a film and has a bit more of a personal touch to it, which I always appreciate.

This is quite simply the best video rental shop in Bristol. Unfortunately I live a bit too far away…read morenow, but I used to go here all the time when I was in Clifton. Why? Well, it's independent for one, which is a bonus in any walk of life. Also, the staff know what they're talking about and are all encouraged to write cards and lists recommending their faves new and old, with art house and cult hits very much to the fore, not just the latest crap from Hollywood. It's a little bit expensive but you certainly get what you pay for. And if they don't have what you want on their heaving shelves, ask at the desk as they can dig pretty much anything, however obscure, up for you from their back-up warehouse.

I've lived in Bristol all my life and always enjoyed going in BOTL. Although it smells of mould and…read morehas had many of the same books on the shelves for years, the prices are very reasonable and there is a wide selection of material. The owner is always polite and helpful, which made it rather depressing to overhear him enjoying a tediously racist and homophobic conversation today with a friend at the front desk. Once they'd set the world to rights about the perils of representation in media of 'ethnic minorities' and gay people being able to live openly, they went in for trans folk. 'Middle aged men dressed as women' was the sneering phrase. As I paid for my copy of the NRSV Apocrypha, thanked the owner and wished both gentlemen a good day, I thought 'what a shame, I suppose they don't want my type or our money here'. In the interest of balance, I should repeat that this is a lovely little bookshop, and a Bristol classic. Perfect for those who have a soft spot for out-of-date and unloved items

Whenever I go to a second hand book shop, I am reminded of Helen Hanff's philosophy in 84 Charing…read moreCross Road. She believed it was selfish to keep hold of books that you'd read and were unlikely to read again. You were better to pass them on to friends or give them to shops like Beware of the Leopard. So whenever I look through the crates and crates of books I think how fantastic it is people have paid their books forward. It's worth taking your time to search every nook and cranny of this shop to find the hidden gems. Because there's a complete mix of genres in Beware of the Leopard, I love going iin with an open mind and coming out with something completely unexpected. Beware of the Leopard is spread over two sheltered units so don't miss out by forgetting to pop across the walkway.