Formerly known as The Glory Hole this place's name always used to give myself & my friends a wee…read morechuckle...T-hehee! Childish I know...but back in the days of said GH I was often in here buying and selling clothes (this was the days before eBay kids) which was a brilliant idea. I'm not 100% sure they still do that now, but because of eBay (other auction sites are available) I very much doubt they still offer this service. Not a vintage shop as such, more a nearly new shop as I would guess 90% of their stock is (very) new/modern items & a lot appearing to be hardly worn. So I guess I would describe this as a sort of 'vintage' shop for folk that don't like retro styles. You'll find high street & fashion labels such as Top Shop, ASOS, River Island and others as well as the odd Karen Millen & more high end/designer items too. Everything is laid out very well & there's lots of space to wander & browse, it's also got great lighting too which is something some other vintage/2nd hand shops seem to lack. As well as clothes they sell shoes/boots, bags, belts & some jewellery too. Everything is a pretty reasonable price, especially considering the condition of the items. You can pick up some real bargains here if you can be bothered searching (Me = always!). Last time I was in I found 2 dresses I really liked but didn't have enough cash on me to pay for them (Note: they don't take cards here) so they nice lady serving said she would put them aside whilst I went in search of a cash machine (there's plenty on nearby Byres road) and when I returned she very kindly rounded down the price of the 2 dresses saving me a couple of quid! Such a lovely gesture. The staff here have always been super nice & friendly which is always a wee bonus. It's service like that that keeps folk coming back. For trying on clothes they have one small changing area which is better than nowt but can be a pain when the shop's busy, but good things come to those who wait...supposedly! It might be off the beaten (Ruthvern Lane) track but this wee hidden gem is well worth a swatch. Another example of a fantastic wee local Glasgow business.

Glorious has always been one of my very first stops when shopping in the West End for as long as I…read morecan remember. In fact, from way back when it was known as The Glory Hole. (I actually prefer the risque name!) The problem with Glorious is that that I NEVER leave without purchasing anything, and that's no exaggeration. If I can limit myself to a fortnightly visit and a maximum of two items purchased I'm doing well. The stock is always carefully selected- lots of on trend pieces, lots of items you missed out on first time round from the High Street, and a nice little smattering of vintage. There's also always a great selection of handbags. I think the prices are extremely competitive too. Its always possible to get two of three items for under £20 but equally you might spot a really special designer piece and pay a bit more for it but still get a bargain. The owners and staff are lovely and always enthusiastic about offering an opinion if needed. They all seem to take great pride in Glorious and subsequently all items for sale are of the highest quality; washed, pressed and ready to be worn. Often this can be a rarity from a secondhand store. Cant recommend this place enough and looking forward to my next pay day!

Jasmine is a lovely clothes and accessories shop on Hyndland Road. Although it matches the other…read moreclothes shop along the road in style and quality, as well as service, it is a little bit less pricey. Once inside Jasmine, you might think that everything looks a bit jumbled. Don't let this put you off, though, as it's just because there are so many clothes on offer that they all overlap a little! You'll find clothing ranging from cosy knitwear to party dresses, so it is worth having a bit of a rummage. Also in Jasmine you'll find a great costume jewellery range. I saw some really unusual pieces that would make great gifts (either for other people or yourself....). You'll also find a wide range of hats, scarves, gloves, belts and bags at Jasmine. The owner of the shop is friendly and more than happy to help find whatever you're looking for. Definitely worth a look!

The styles in Jasmine are I think a pretty mixed bag and while maybe not for the very young &…read moretrendy there is a fairly good cross section of designs. Rachel the owner is very accommodating and helpful without being pushy. Unlike some of the other stores nearby. The jewellery collection is interesting and keenly priced.... all in Jasmine is worth a visit.

How did I resist the lure of Oliver Bonas for so long?…read more They always have great window displays and I finally managed to pop in for a quick visit before dining at Ubiquitous Chip. They sell much more than books and dresses - there's also some body products, statement necklaces and accessories as well as selection of homewares. A while back I got two really sweet bowls from a friend and Oliver Bonas had similar ones so I got another couple to add to the set. On the way to the register I also glanced at the cards and saw a perfect birthday card for my Mum, so I grabbed that. Then, while waiting to be served I turned and noticed the Korres body washes were two for £8 (normally £8 each) so grabbed those as well. As you can see, I'm like a bull in a china shop when I go into places like these. There is simply too much stuff that I want (need) and I can't resist. The service was friendly (although possibly a little robotic as the staff member who was serving me asked me the exact same question the other staff member asked her customer), and the prices aren't too bad - for that haul it was around £20. Will I be back? Of course - I can't stop thinking about their great selection of dresses. Oh dear.

Having just met with a friend, I decided to take the long way home and stop in to a few shops along…read morebyres road. I absolutely love this shop and don't frequent it enough in my opinion. I want to buy everything I can get my hands on, and that doesn't bode well with my checking account, but I do it anyway! Today, however, I decided that I would simply be browsing, to kill some time before heading home, and that's exactly what I did. Not only do they have an amazing spread of dresses and socks (cute as anything socks) but they also have books, jewlry, cards, candles and a wee section of kids stuff. It really is a shop full of quality products at reasonable prices. The staff are friendly to boot which is a nice touch in little shops such as this. They make you feel like the want you in their stores, even if just to have a look. There was one girl in there who knocked over and smashed a mug. One of the girls working in the shop quickly came over to help clean up the mess and the girl was so beyond apologetic, it took nothing short of actually giving the girl the broken mug to convince her that it was ok and that these things happen. I love this shop for a quick gift when my brain can't come up with ideas, and I love this shop for decorating tips, as the always have the shop decorated so perfectly. Well, I'd love my home to have many things from this shop. Check this place out, you won't be sorry that you did!

My gym shoes were not cutting it anymore so I decided to invest in a proper pair, and because I…read moreneeded them, I popped into Achilles Heel, which is about 5 minutes from my flat, to find a pair. The staff were great - they seemed to find me the perfect shoes (not the most expensive), they were almost.... too helpful, if that's possible (?). I am not athletic in any way, shape or form, and they asked a lot of questions I couldn't really answer, but, the put up with me...Anyway, they have a HUGE selection of shoes - running shoes, walking shoes, etc - and sports clothes, all at very decent prices. I thought they'd all be quite pricey but I was wrong. The staff know what their doing, so if you need a good pair of trainers, or sports shoe-wear, I'd recommend a visit.

My son is starting the crosscountry team at school, so we stopped in to get him some running shoes…read more They really took the time to find him a pair of shoes that were comfortable and tailored for his gait. No, it ain't cheap, but I'm really glad we came here to figure out what shoes would be best for him. Now I regret not picking up some new running shoes for myself!

You've got to love Papyrus really. Occupying a prime corner location near the top of Byres Road,…read moreit's always there when you need it for a last-minute gift or eccentric knick-knack when you can never think of anything suitable to buy for that special (or even not-so-special) person. Papyrus are past masters at this game; they've been at it for much longer than any of the younger upstarts on Byres Road, and deservedly so. You're practically guaranteed to fulfil all your gift needs in here, including a nice card. After a fruitless search in the city centre for a particular item, I eventually Googled it and Papyrus came up right away, which was both satisfying (that my search was over) and irritating (I could have saved myself the £2.70 return on the subway into town). Yay Papyrus! As it happens (so I was told), they have a sister store called Illuminati in Princes' Square in town, which I didn't know, and they also had the item in question in stock. Too bad they didn't come up in the Google search I did when I was in Buchanan Street then - maybe they need to work on their SEO a little, hmmm? The other great thing about Papyrus is their downstairs collection of kitchenware. Now I can't profess to know what's in there these days as I haven't felt the need to indulge my kitchenware fetish for quite some time, but if you're the sort of person who can't resist the next 'essential' kitchen gadget, you'll love it.

I cheekily headed out to the West End on my lunch break, I was dropping off some leaflets though so…read moreI did kinda have an excuse. I wanted to get a card that was a bit different but that's me though I'm always looking for something on the whimsical scale. Papyrus is guarenteed to give you that something a little characteristic, although a little bit dearer than a normal card shop it's definitely worth the few extra pennies. As my best friend's recently gave birth to the most adorable wee boy I wanted a card to reflect that. I found a beautiful card by Five Dollar Shake that said it all, 'Beautiful Baby Boy, Welcome to the World'. It explained on the back how every card's unique and I was just so inspired as her little baby is a wonderful unique little person. Awww! I know getting a bit soppy but it hit the right note. I knew I would find what I was looking for in Papyrus. They also sell kooky kinda gifts so I thought they might have something a little offbeat for a wee present. Nothing was jumping out at me at first but I came across a cracking wee book 'Your New Baby: An Owner's Manual' by Martin Baxendale. It's so funny I'm going to check out more of his books as it's hilarious. I thought this is ideal and would be appreciated by my friends. I just knew I would get what I needed from here. It's a wee shop that's bright, cheerful and colourful with unconventional funky goods. Well worth the look around.

My partner and I stopped by Glasgow Vintage Co our last day in Glasgow. There are a few vintage…read morestores around this area, but of the bunch, this one definitely had the best selection. When you walk in, you clearly get the vibe that this is a university student's frequent haunt. As we shopped here, students came in and out, receive a discount, and generally have their needs met with the types of clothing available. However, the selection of clothes in the store isn't so student oriented that a wider audience won't be able to find something of interest. The first floor is more women's oriented, with tartan featuring prominently. The second floor is men's, which had some decent selections of Fred Perrys and the like. When we were there, the store was staffed just by a couple girls on the first floor, and they were pretty deep in conversation with each other. Didn't bother us at all, but perhaps don't expect to have staff catering to your every need here. But if you just like to do your thing and browse through the racks, you should be well sorted.,

TL;DR bad quality, overpriced, cheeky response. Would like…read moreto say the staff member on when I was in was lovely. However... I spent good money (too much) on trousers that had an irreparable defect that I did not notice until I put them on at home. I understand this is a risk with 2nd hand clothing, and places don't accept returns etc, but I do draw the line at paying ~£30 for something I literally can't wear. I messaged their instagram page about it and expressed my disappointment that they weren't willing to reconcile this in any way (I said I felt this was poor customer service) and the message I received back was so cheeky I am honestly in disbelief. So here I am doing the only thing I can do since I've literally wasted my money.

Nancy Smillie's is great for gift shopping, and it's usually as Christmas is coming up that I spend…read moreages in here seeking inspiration for that unusual gift. There's a great selection of stuff from small pieces of designer jewellery and knick-knacks all the way up to large home furnishings, all with bucket-loads of designer chic. Prices vary from cheap to very expensive, depending on what you're buying, but it's great just to mooch around in here and be inspired. It's much harder to escape without buying anything!

A pretty little shop in the west end, Nancy Smillie specialises in jewellery, but also sells bags,…read morecrafts and gifts. It's amazing how much they have managed to fit in here, and the tall glass cabinets combined with a central display table really showcase the jewellery well. There is also a small selection of gorgeous bags hanging along a low rail. The price range is huge, from pieces at around £500, right down to the £10 bangle I got for part of Maw's birthday present. There are so many lovely things in here, and with prices to suit every budget, I have already dropped a couple of hints now that the Christmas season is drawing near.