I find this shop to be incredibly tacky and cheap, and the products just fall apart. The store is…read moreincredibly cramped and they appear to have tried to get as many products as possible squished in. The last time I came in here many of the jewellery was on the floor (would you really want to put earrings in that had been trampled on? Surely far from hygienic). On the topic of earrings, I can never understand why so many people decide to have their ears pierced here, it's incredibly busy, and on top of that a staff member does it in the shop window (each to their own I suppose). If you're under 14 you may like this place (pocket money would cover the price of most products), if not head to Accessorize (trust me you'll thank me for it.

A larger branch of the ever popular Clairs Accessories which is great for all your accessories…read more From hair clips and handbags to makeup and rings there is a style to match every outfit. Also offers a ear piercing service but I must say I dont like how its done in the window for all to watch. Staff here are always helpful and offer great styling advice.

I found the clothing on sale in Belle to be rather uninspiring, frumpy, and similarly to its…read moreneighbour Ginger's in that they reminded me of clothing that you'd see in the 1980's. To give credit to Belle the clothing available is slightly more upmarket than the pieces in Ginger's, many of the outfits seemed aimed at and suitable for the 'Mother of the Bride', or perhaps for someone over 50 attending a wedding. I personally however would not recommend the clothing in Belle. Though the English translation of Belle is 'beautiful' the clothes available in this store are far from it.

Belle is a women's clothing boutique in the Penarth area that seems to cater to a more mature…read moregeneration of female shoppers. These kind of shops are all clustered together in the centre of town, making it a bit more convenient to find a special occasion dress or suit. Belle is probably not one of the better ones though, I'm afraid. The clothes seem a bit on the dated side (circa early 90s): jeans in magenta, green and other colours didn't strike me as something many people could pull off. They seemed better suited to a store like Topshop, where the sorts of clothes that mark this era are now on display. Sale-rack shirts were priced as low as £8, which struck me as extremely reasonable for a boutique item. If you're looking for accessories, you're better off going to Ginger's a few doors down, as there's an entire wall dedicated to necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

This shop with its eye catching shoes caught my attention on a recent trip to Penarth. As well as a…read morestunning range of children's summer footwear the shop also sells a good range of school shoes. Having somewhat wide feet I often have problems buying shoes and was delighted to be able to find a good choice of sandals on offer. The staff were all very welcoming and helpful and seemed genuine in their wish to help me find the right pair of shoes. If you can't make it to Penarth the shop also provides an online shoe store which you can browse from the comfort of your own home.

Yet another shoe shop in Penarth! Phew!…read more When I returned from recent months of travel, the only footwear I had to my name was a pair of flip flops which had seen me well around South East Asia. When I then returned to snow in Wales, my toes took me time and time again to standing outside shoe shops such as this. I have a new appreciation for them. Ogam Igam is an exceptionally well presented shop just around the corner from Penarth Railway Station. They sell a good range of shoes which immediately strike you as a little bit different and fun. With shoes for tots to adults, this is a clean, polite and spacious place to keep toes happy in.

The Queen B is run by very glamorous young women who watch you with beady eyes as you touch their…read moreprecious merchandise. It's full of shoes, bags and accessories (incidentally, my favourite things in the world... and now you know) It's very glam without being garish and some of the wedges are so delicious you have to fight the urge to drool, but the atmosphere is a little frotsy. I want to go back there and have my pretty woman moment... "You work on commission right? Big mistake... HUGE..."

Unlike Tiffany, I'm not a fan of this shop at all. The products that they have to sell I think are…read moregarish and overpriced. I've been in this shop a couple of times now and have yet to see anything that I would consider buying for myself. However, I know the products, though not to my taste, are always likely to be to someone else's. But the staff are so odd that I think they'd put off most people from any real purchases. I think that 'The Queen B' says it all really. This shop is for women who think it's named after them. And unfortunately it's run by them too.

Cardiff Central Market is a real gem in the heart of the city. The Victorian building itself is…read morebeautiful, full of character with its glass roof and traditional ironwork. Inside, there's a fantastic mix of vendors... fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish other food traders, vintage clothing, books, unique gifts and much more. It has such a lively, local atmosphere and you can really feel the history while wandering around. There are plenty of food options too! Prices are reasonable, the everyone was friendly! Great experience!

If you find yourself in Cardiff, I'd recommend visiting the market (also known as Central Market)!…read moreIt's been around since the 1700s, and in the same Victorian-style building - with a big glass roof - for over 100 years. There's *a lot* to look at and take in, so heads-up if you're a person that gets overstimulated by noise (because that's what the market is: organized chaos of vendors selling anything and everything from coffee to clothing to walking sticks to fish). We enjoyed a bunch of food that we brought to the low, bar-style seating on the first floor, including... Tukka Tuk (5) - first floor, 219 - 223: Indian street food by a multi-award winning chef. And, yeah, believe the hype. This was one of the best things we ate in Wales (and it was vegan!). We did the Build A Bowl and chose 1) half pilav rice and half plain chips topped with 2) coconut dal and 3) cauli kemp. It was rich, creamy, and an absolute explosion of flavor! I regret sharing this with my partner, so - PRO TIP - get your own. Pierogi (4) - first floor, 213 - 217: Polish pierogis. These fresh dumplings prepared daily using their family's special recipe are DELICIOUS. We tried the vegan ones, which at the time were roasted buckwheat with onion and mushroom sauce. So, so good. There's usually five-ish flavors to choose from, and I think they come in two portions (small with four pierogies; large with seven pierogies). Cardiff Bakestones (4) - ground floor, 161 - 165: Known for their Welsh cakes (which are kind of like a scone or a biscuit; softer and slightly sweet, they're baked round with a crinkly edge. Cardiff Bakestones has LOTS of different flavors (like salted caramel, nutella, lemon curd, chocolate chip, etc.) and also vegan and gluten-free options. Definitely get a couple more than you think you're gonna want, because *trust me* you're going to want another right after the one you've just eaten!

This is Pulp's only store in Wales as yet. They stock clothing and accessories that focus on…read moremusical culture. The staff here are really friendly, I was at work one day and the buckle on my belt broke unexpectedly so I headed to the store to see what they could offer. I spoke to a girl named Emily who seemed glad to help me and she showed me a range of belts they had on offer. In the end I bought myself a studded belt but I couldn't help taking a look around the store at all of the other cult items on offer there. At the rear of the shop is a display wall of t-shirts. These are all band t-shirts and there are even more on the shelves below than what is on display on the wall. I had a good look through and was surprised that they had a t-shirt for virtually every band I could think of at the time. They also stock t-shirts with Banksy prints on them but t-shirts is not all they do. They have a cool range of sunglasses, bags and wristbands too and even some footwear. Before the store opened in Cardiff I had never heard of the shop so I'm really glad they decided to come here as this is my kind of retail store.

I'm sure this is where all the cool kids go, and when I say kids, I mean kids. The range of…read moreclothing here seems to be suitable for that teenage crowd of confused teenagers who try to create some kind of identity for themselves by all dressing in the same rock motif t-shirts. This isn't really my bag, the clothes are funky but you wouldn't catch me buying any of it. Maybe I'm a bit old, maybe I have taste or maybe I just haven't caught on to how cool it all is. Pulp is a large shop, I'm sure if you like to look like you want to be in a band, this is where you would go to have a vast selection of items to choose from. I do have a positive, some of the bags were quite cute and retro looking, I liked these, but not enough to buy any. Sorry yelpers, you won't find me in here, but I do appreciate that it will be the type of clothing some people like and I'm sure a lot of people will love this place.

Old fashioned looking shop but with some awesome shoes. I just bought a pair of white patent…read moreplatforms for my wedding :D Stocks wedding brand Rainbow and offers dying service. Also has With Love (which is what mine are). Staff are very helpful but the store's a bit cramped.

A G Meeks in St Davids arcade cardiff, sell a lovely range of womens shoes. From boots to sandals,…read moreto day footwear & high heels. Good prices & nice staff.

i Claudius is a vintage clothing and fancy dress shop, so you can go there to pick up a pair of…read morebell-bottomed flares, a full body bee costume, or accessories such as masks and wigs. When I last walked past the shop, the mannequin outside appeared to be a cross between a terrorist and a clown, with a sign strung around its neck saying 'Make peace not war'. Inside the window the mannequins were modelling a range of the shop's animal costumes. The staff are on the ball, and offer an alterations service if items on display don't fit you - but they can be a bit pushy at times. The shop's emphasis definitely seems to be on fancy dress over vintage, nowadays, whereas in the past (I think) it was the other way around.

Fantastic. First of all; a good fancy dress shop is hard to come by these days, and secondly; this…read moreis a brilliant one. I must offer a warning to start with; the models outside are terrifying. Honestly. They change from time to time, depending on the mood of the shop owner, but were sinister, nasty, horrifying models the last time I went. A peculiar, pale butler holding a tray with a model of a heart on it stood on the right hand side. On the left there was a freakish monster, all guts and entrails, that looked like a cross between Frankenstein's monster and Predator. I found it worrying that kids weren't at all bothered by these terrifying objects while I needed medical attention. If you do make it inside, the shop is brilliant. Not going for such a mainstream audience, the costumes are original and novel here. The Wolf costume particularly impressed me. This is what costume shops should be, quirky and original with a dose of the weird.

This store seems to be in a little bit of an odd location, off the Penarth beaten track, and…read moreprobably suffers because of it. If this clothes shop was on the main road, it would most likely be buzzing, but as it is, I've not seen all that many people frequent its premises. Sturff is a surf and outdoors clothing retailer, with a shop in Penarth and another in Monmouth. They sell all the familiar brands that you could ask for: Animal, Rip Curl, Weird Fish, Billabong, Quicksilver, Reef, Kangaroo Poo, Saltrock and O'Niell. The prices can be a tad extravagant, but this is the trend with these brands, and is to be expected. Although the range is actually pretty good, this is a very small shop that can tend to feel a little bit claustrophobic and amateur. But is you like this type of 'lifestyle clothing' it's a great place to check out.

With the large number of beaches within only a few miles of Cardiff and surrounding areas, Sturff…read moreprovides a number of essential products for surfing and other similar recreational activities. As well as practical goods like 'board wax', Sturfff is home to a wide selection of stylish garments for men, women and children. Whilst there are a number of shops in Central Cardiff likely to stock the same thing, Sturff possesses a more local and consumer friendly feel, with less intimidating volumes of stock and sizes. That's not to say the selection of clothes here is necessarily poorer, instead it is perhaps more true that Sturff selects its stock more carefully, providing a really nice range of products. Whilst it's fair to say Sturff isn't exactly brimming full of customers, even at the best of times, the friendly staff and nice selection of goods make this nice, authentic feeling retailer a good place to go.

This shop is fantastic for a simple and classic yet gorgeous pair of shoes that are exceptional…read morequality. They're expensive, but are worth every penny if you're looking for something to wear all day, every day without getting blisters. What I love most about Dune is their selection of boots which range from cute stiletto ankle boots to practical flats, and as they're good quality, you know they're going to last. This shop, hidden away in the Capitol Centre, is not large, but there are plenty of beautiful shoes to be found and there are plenty of staff available to help and give expert and friendly advice. Sadly, though, because of its size, this store tends to run out of the nicest things pretty quickly. So if you see something you like, get it quick because it probably wont be there next week, especially if you wear a popular size.

Dune is one of my favourite shoe shops in Cardiff. All of their shoes, boots, sandals, handbags and…read moreother accessories are of a very high quality, so you know they will wear well. While Dune stocks plenty of on-trend styles, it also has plenty of more classic looks that can stand the test of time. I have a pair of boots from here that I've had for five years, and have actually paid to have the soles replaced because I still love them so much! You won't find cheap shoes or bags here. Most items are made of good quality leather, and those that aren't (such as some of the fabric bags) are made of durable, hard-wearing man-made materials The shop is only small, but when there's a sale on it gets rammed in there while every Dune-lover tries to hunt out a bargain. Sadly, I never seem to find anything in the sales because being a size 5 it's such a popular size they fly out of the door - those with less common shoe sizes may have more luck!