I adore this shop - I wish that my house could look like this with all fine furnishings and…read moredelicate glasses and jewellery strewn about with glamourous abandon. I would have to have genetic modification to stop my clumsiness though and, as the lady looking after the shop pointed out, I probably wouldn't want to do the dusting! A two-storey treasure trove of vintage items but displayed with finesse. I came looking for some champagne saucers and the lady was very helpful in showing me some (the wrong decade for me, but they were beautiful Edwardian cut glass). The prices are astonishingly reasonable verging on cheap so if you like quality items in your home and kitchen then I highly recommend coming here and finding bits and bobs.

This second hand shop on Gloucester Road is a maze of bargain furniture. I managed to pick up a…read morebeautiful old mahogany table for £40 (granted, it took a bit of negotiation, but at least he was willing to talk about the price). The shop has got 3 rooms and a large back yard. In each you can find anything from tables, chairs, wardrobes, to odd metal brackets, mirrors, and general rare items that make each second hand shop unique and an experience to peruse. The man who runs it is averagely friendly - ask him what you're after and he'll take you to some corner of the shop where he might just have the exact thing you were looking for - that sure happened in our case. He'll only get a little bit grumpy when you start haggling the price, but it's worth a try. They also buy furniture - he'll give you a good price for it, but as above, it's always worth talking about the price to make it more appealing to which ever side you're coming from. A furniture shop that's well worth a browse.

This place is a bit of a hidden gem, but it's well worth a visit. They sell pretty much everything…read moreyou could want in here at a pretty decent price. The best bit of advice I was given was that you can haggle your socks off with them and get it for even cheaper! They openly promote you to hand in your unwanted furniture, which means I will most definitely be using when I have to move out of my student digs and back into my parents house! Just be careful where you tread in here as there is literally things scattered on the floor and on every flat surface.

Wessex Reclamation moved to the St Werburghs trading estate a couple of years ago. It's run by a…read morecouple of reasonably talentless individuals, one of whom has a more winning personality than the other. Not nearly as well stocked as some of the other architectural salvage and reclamation yards, and often more pricey, I would strongly recommend that you ring first to see if they have what you want in stock before going to the trouble of going there in person. Being in a difficult to access location during times of heavier traffic (before 10,00am and after 3.00pm), with displays that are nothing to look at, there's no point in visiting the place unless you can guarantee that they have what you are looking for. It's advisable to ask really probing questions over the phone to be certain of this, failure to do so may result in being fobbed off with questionable information designed to get you to the yard where you are more likely to buy something, even if it's not what you wanted.

As a lad my dad would spend hour after hour dragging me reluctantly round scrap yards, junk shops…read moreand reclamation centres. 'One man's rubbish is another man's gold' I learnt, and the reluctance slowly turned to interest, to an un-quenchable thirst for tat. Nowadays my house is full of wonderful knick knacks from around the place and indeed from Wessex Reclamation. In this wonderful rabbit hole of once loved items you can find so many great finds. Most things are on the larger side such as antique fireplaces and door frames but you can pick up some vintage crockery, cutlery and more. My favourite find to date in this place was a Victorian lavatory hand sculpted and painted like a British countryside scene. So beautiful it was that the thought of using it as a loo filled me with horror and I let it be. Perfect for nosing around on a rainy Sunday afternoon this place comes highly recommended to any amateur antique hunter.

Potters is an independent antiques and coins store located near the Christmas Steps and the centre…read moreof Bristol. It is a really cute, old shop with a huge variety of goods inside. It is a little crowded in there and I was a little overwhelmed with all the products, and it did seem as though too much was crammed into a small space. However, it was not busy when I visited, therefore I could easily navigate around the shop and I wasn't hurried out when I didn't buy anything. The shop window (as in the photograph) is a good indication as to what to expect in store.

This shop is what it says on it's sign, thousands of old coins, notes, antique ceramics, paintings…read moreand tonnes else all crammed into every nook and cranny in this tiny shop. Despite its lack of space, it is this factor that makes it so endearing. I was nervous about knocking anything down by accident with my big bag! The gentleman at the counter won't pay much attention to you while you're browsing around, but is very happy to help should you have any questions about the items. A truly quirky, enjoyable shop to dig around.

On a street dotted with shops that although they're fascinating and individual, they could really…read morebe from any road in Bristol (or indeed the UK) it's refreshing to see such a well found little number. As though it has always been here this timeless little beauty is Cotham Antiques. Various shop frontages and signs about the place hold different by-lines of wind-up gramophones, unique gifts, crystals and jewellery. Not one is a lie for this shop is very diverse indeed. On one hand it could be a shop for tourists, eager to find something unique from this fair city. Yet on the other it is a veritable treasure trove for the jeweller, the gem stone healer and the student alike. Think all things fine, pretty and delicate - this is a very special place indeed.

Walk through the doors of this antique shop and you'll feel like you've gone back in time, and…read morepossibly down a rabbit hole, as everything is so small! The cabinets at the front of the shop hold what I imagine were once parts of a dollhouse - miniature tables, farmyard animals and even English dictionaries. Dotted around the store there are also several violins, including bows and cases, many of which are children's violins which are half the size of regular violins. Miniatures aside, this place is a real treasure trove and reasonably priced - I spotted an old Singer sewing machine for just £65. There are also areas for jewellery, ornaments and the odd camera accessory too. The owners know their stuff and also sell greeting cards too. I'm not sure where they get their stock from but if you're looking to sell some of your own antiques then this might be a good place to enquire.

If you're looking for original features or interesting architectural and decorative antiques for…read moreyour home, this reclamation and salvage yard is an emporium of fascinating items such as furniture, doors and fire surrounds. It has a particularly large collection of church antiques, too, ranging from pulpits and lecturns to confession boxes and choir stalls. It's an Aladdin's cave of a place, with glittering chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and items stacked almost wall to ceiling. You'll find yourself stumbling across antique rocking horses, carved wooden panels, gothic church fittings, stained glass windows and all sorts of fascinaqting old things that are difficult to identify. For the garden, you can pick up decorative fountains, statues, chimney tops to use as planters, carved stone sinks and troughs, and bird baths. One thing to remember: these reclamation yards are never cheap, and Robert Mills is no exception!

One of the best second hand/antique shops that I have ever seen - you name it you can probably find…read moreit here. Its huge inside with brass instruments, old signs, big tin statues of laurel and hardy etc. Modern furniture, antique furniture, bikes, brass ornaments etc. Prices are very reasonable - I bought 2 oak bedside cupboards with drawers in for £40 each which was a lot cheaper than anywhere local. There is a downstairs reached by a rickety staircase or you can go down the side of the building past the gates and garden furniture and statues and get into the downstairs that way. Its packed from floor to ceiling with everything for the home and garden and has some very unusual items too. Good for film sets in period style or for a play Altogether a great place to browse allow plenty of time there is so much to see. If you can find it anywhere it will probably be here

The guys working there clearly didn't want to be. They were rude. I'm sure if we were spending more…read moreon their over priced second hand furniture they may have managed to crack a smile. I can't believe the prices they charge for dirty broken pine furniture! Some of the stuff is lovely but good luck loading it in to your car! No parking on a main road with double yellow lines outside.. So that was nice. Won't be returning, but I'm sure they won't care! Customers seem to be their biggest problem!

They say one man's junk is another man's treasure and in a world of mass-produced MDF and Ikea in…read moreevery home, reclamation sites like this one are a blessing for unique and environmentally sound finds. I'm normally used to having to trek or drive for ages to find a decent reclamation store since the closure of the one on Coronation Road but the Gloucester Road location of this place makes it a lot easier to source antique and vintage furniture. Wander down the narrow alley, lined with garden furniture and stone art and let your imagination run riot as you wander past boxes of door knobs, old iron signs, wooden fireplaces and old books. Soak up the old, musty smell as your run your fingers over beautiful painted dressers and wardrobes and then recoils slightly at the price tag. As with most other shops like this, the price for unique, one hundred year old items does not come cheap. If you can't stretch your budget past a £50 note then all you'll be taking away with you is inspiration. If you have the finances or are moving/remodelling your home then you should definitely give this place a look. If you're just looking for a cheap table, chair or wardrobe then try your luck at the Marie Curie shop towards the bottom of Gloucester Road - while perhaps not as hardwearing this items are far more budget-friendly.

This querky little collectable collection of crazy and curious clodder creates a cavern of crammed…read morecomponents compiling in a cool cosey ... shop! As well as all the wonderful items they have in stock they also offer a service of stripping and restoring items. Ideal for all those collectors and die hard enthusiasts of specific styles, and who wants to see a prized item returned to it's former glory. Be prepared to spend a little, but you are spending wisley. Definatley worth a browse, a smashing super shop!

Great little antique and home clearance shop on the back road between Downend and Staple Hill. You…read morecan give items here for a 30% commission but it is best to have a pootle round here to buy. They have a lot of gardening tools and fishing equipment in particular as well as bigger furniture from house clearances.

This antique shop is a little further out than some of the ones I've visited, however, not being in…read moreClifton means that the prices are lower, granted to quality of stock is probably a bit lower too but who needs a dining table with thousands! A bit of a hit and miss please really but you can get some right bargain if you check in semi-regularly.

When my mum lost her jade ring we bought her on her 50th birthday, I was at a loss of where to buy…read morea replacement. She'd read they were great for promoting healing and was convinced that without a new one she was destined for disaster. So you can only imagine my elation when I stumbled across World Gems and Fossils in St Nicholas Market. Tucked away behind the crystals and birth stones were a basket of green and amber rings for the bargain price of £3.50 each. Not to sound like a complete nonsensical hippy, but I love having a walk around this market stall, reading about what all the gems can do to improve my life and completely buying every therapeutic word of it. As the name suggests they also sell many fossils which date back hundreds of thousands of years and are at the very least fascinating to see. If you have any questions, or need an explanation, the ever-so-helpful staff are fully equipped with answers.

There are other crystal shops in Bristol that seem to be very expensive, World Fossils and Gems is…read morehappily reasonably priced. It was some pretty amber jewelery which doesn't cost the earth and it has of course, a fine collection of pretty rocks. I used to flatshare with student geologists so while I may know what Trilobite is, to me its still very much a case of 'oooh look at the pretty rock'. I also don't know much about the healing energies of crystals either, though I like the thoughts of crystal energies - it makes me feel a bit like a Transformer with a piece of Allspark!! I heard once from someone who seemed to know what they are talking about, that crystals should be given as gifts not bought for oneself, so it is a nice gift to give someone. Even if you're not a geologist or into crystal healing its a great store to come and have a browse around as its an interesting store or to find a nice present.