Swish, Damn Swish - no, not a famous line from a swashbuckling James Bond rip off, this arcade is…read moreincredible. A whole Victorian street in the shopping heart of Leeds enclosed by a wonderfully modern glass covering. OK, so the shops are all designer, the ones everyone loves to look in, sometimes go in to have a look at just how much some people are prepared to pay for t-shirt....but boy the designers have designed a perfect place for designers to come sell their designer bits 'n bobs. little bubbling fountains, coffee and bagel huts for that quick pit stop and belly filler. I sat in here for about an hour, just sipping my cheap filter coffee and commoner's bacon and egg bagel getting a good view of how the other half live. I didn't mind, I was content, in such a place I find it hard to believe anyone could feel otherwise.

The Victoria Quarter is the Leeds hotspot for chic shopping. I'm sure it would object to being…read moredescribed as such but that's tough, cos it's be that's writing it so ner. In all seriousness, The Victoria Quarter is the opulent home to some of the more high end brands of the Leeds shopping arena, and with it comes certain prestige in being housed here. The little independent stores like the French Revolution and Rose & Co gain a little kudos in being located here, as that is the effect the Victoria Quarter has on a business here. It is really rather easy to get lost in the annals of the walkways, be it through gawping at all the lovely shopping enticements, or be it from the identical high vaulted ceilings and archways criss crossing across one another, identical fountains, and sympathetic shop signage so that it doesn't interfer with the original features and feel of the Victorian decor. Depending on which entrance you take you will find fountains tinkling delicately, or small tables with coffee service, or even a small but assuredly delicious pattisserie. Benches are also dotted around and if you take the time to perch, and knock your head back you'll see the bizarre yet beautiful glass decoration. A worthy attraction all on it's own.

It's funny to imagine categorising these sorts of places, but if one were to attempt such a feat,…read morethen I'd say that Claire's is the up-market version of Extras. Or, in the very least, the more tame and slightly more tasteful version. Perhaps it's because Claire's really is a shop aimed towards teens and younger, as opposed to twenty somethings and upwards. I suppose that means, given my age, I ought to move on from merely using hair accessories and take on some more hardcore items, such as 'sexy' devil horns and the like. No thanks. Even if Claire's is for the childs, it's way more up my street. Even so, for every funky item in Claire's there is something so uber trying to be 'girly' that it makes me cringe. (Calling on the wisdom of Naomi Wolf here.) My visits usually go something like this, Crossgates being no exception: Ooh, cool scarves. Oh. Pink bunny ears. Ooh funky earrings! Oh. Super pink girly hair bands. Ooh cool necklaces! Oh. Day-glo pink leg warmers. You get the idea. I suppose, sigh, it's what the masses of young girls have been swayed towards. It also amused me to find a selection of Alice in Wonderland themed items - just in time for the release. Clever. Still, is it wrong to have considered a Johnny Depp a la Mad Hatter purse? Maybe. But I admit it, *want*. I guess the thing is that Claire's may well be the perfect haven for young fashion accessories, and those older types who don't want to go trashy, but it's still all a little predictable and a little bit too encouraging of the no-brainer-be-pink-be-a-girl type shopping that I'm simply not interested in. Shocking. I'm female, and yet, I don't feel the need to dress everything in pink. Who'd-a thunk it?

This lovely ladies-wear shop situated just five minutes or so from the Cross Gates arcade shopping…read morecentre. I discovered it on a recent outing to Cross Gates, having heard about the arcade here I decided to check it out. I had some time to wander around and so stumbled across this little store. As soon as I wandered in I realised that the clothes weren't particularly suited to me, but this isn't a criticism. It's just that the fashion inside is very much suited to a more mature lady. They had some lovely dresses and jackets to make up the perfect 'mother-of-the-bride' style outfits, all priced in the region of £150, and lots of accessories. They had some Radley bags, lovely knit cardigans, little shrugs, vintage rose style clutch purses and much more! There was even a very reasonable £10 and under sale rack which had quite a lot of items on it. One of the best bits about this lovely shop however is the welcome. As soon as I wandered in the two ladies who were serving greeted me with some really friendly banter - one of the ladies asked me about my camera which was hanging from my neck. She asked me what I liked to photograph and so I told her I liked taking portraits, to which she responded - "I've a friend who likes photographing the ups vans." I smiled, not knowing what 'ups' was, and she explained - "You know, the parcel delivery guys - ups vans!" I smiled, getting it and said, "Oh! You mean the UPS vans! I see. How strange!" She agreed with the classic - "Well, you know what they say, there's nowt as queer as folk!" And we had a right laugh about her friend and her ups/UPS obsession. They didn't once go for any kind of hard sell, it was completely relaxed and friendly, and a totally lovely experience. I didn't buy anything, of course, but I shall certainly be recommending it to any friends/colleagues who are in need of something nice and occasional. Lovely!

I 1st visited Joans's last year, when searching for an outfit for a special party. Although I…read morefound many of the items in the shop over my budget, I managed to find 1 dress which was reduced to just £20. I am very conscious about my 'slightly larger' size so didn't feel too confident about buying however, both my sister who was with me at the time & the assistant commented it really suited me. I bought the dress (a very ritzy style) as I love glamourous dressing!. at the party I received so many positive comments on how amazing I looked. That was the 1st time for years I have worn a dress so 'thank you' Joan's for boosting my confidence. It will now be my regular shop when I am in need of a special outfit. I have actually seen another dress there this week, for a very bargain price of £10!!! I am aiming to go back for it.

My daughter and I visited Herbert Brown jewellers for our ears piercing. Staff there were very…read morehelpful and friendly. It was a very enjoyable experience.

West Yorkshire Jewellers is a rather large jewellers situated along the main shopping road in front…read moreof the Crossgates shopping centre. From the signage and design I assumed that this might not necessarily be the kind of jewellers for me, but then that was somewhat of a flip judgement. On closer inspection there was plenty there to entice me inside for a quick browse! Cleverly, they had a lot of the second hand deals on display on the outside window. Loads of vintage-looking rings with beautiful stones, all for between £50 and £100, stared out at me temptingly. Most especially pleasing were the garnets, but then that's my personal taste! Along to the other window display I went and saw a lot of items that were perhaps a little more contemporary, sovereign rings and large hoops etc, which although reasonably priced were of less interest to me. Inside they had their more high end collections, displays of some really lovely contemporary items by Fiorelli, Silverline, Fluid and more. They had those ever popular charm pieces too, which don't really pique my interest, but I know a lot of people who buy into them. Interestingly enough, I spotted some 'dog-tag' necklaces for £47, which I thought bizarre and there was also a large range of watches, clocks and timepieces on display too. All in all, a pretty all inclusive range of jewellery, with truly something for everyone! Not bad.

I actually rubbernecked when I saw this stall, and that's not something you get to do a lot of…read morethese days. Aesthetically, it is beautiful. Although the stall is diminutive in size, it is so colourful and vibrant; a mix of feathers, netting, ribbons and pizazz. There are many different styles of hat to choose from. The couture hats are extremely elaborate, definitely worn to make a statement. Whether at a formal wedding or ladies day at the races, you would guarantee some serious head-turning when sporting one of these creations. The range of fascinators is fairly impressive. For the weddings I have been to in the past, I have opted for this alternative. A bit more quirky and trendy than a traditional hat, it accessorises the hair elegantly. The stall also sells many items online, the products varying dramatically in price. As I already have two weddings to attend this Summer, I will be keeping an eager eye on Love Hats.

Love Hats is an eye-catching little shop full of wonderfully flamboyant hats and fascinators…read more Brimming with feathers, flowers and bows it stands out a mile among the many disused stalls in this part of the market. The stall owner sits lovingly hand-stitching a weird and wonderful creation- in-the-making surrounded by the impressive evidence of her skills. The headgear is a mixture of fantastically OTT hats that might be worn to the races or a wedding, wildly striking fascinators and unusual vintage-inspired winter hats. Prices vary from between £85 and £850 for the more flamboyant hats, £60 to £170 for fascinators and £32 to £48 for winter hats. Love Hats is an example of a shop in the market really taking pride in its presentation, displaying its wares lovingly and making sure its sign is visible and provides the necessary information. Love Hats is exactly the kind of shop that is needed to breathe life into the Leeds Kirkgate Market, making it appeal to a broad range of people and reflect the creativity and passion that the small businesses of Leeds have to offer.

PC Friend is a computer and electricals store situated within the Crossgates Shopping Centre. I…read morenipped in there on my last visit for a brief look around, have a quick scan of their prices and such, and was fairly happy with what I saw. They seemed to have a few good deals on their computer accessories, with some fairly decent speaker sets at £50 roughly. The printer ink was really quite cheap, something of a godsend, since I know that it costs so much more in places like PC World and such. They had tons of things like keyboards, monitors, usb sticks and more - enough bits and bobs to satisfy any basic computer need. The chap in there became really friendly the more I browsed, asking twice if there was anything in particular that I wanted - to which I patiently responded both times "No thanks, just browsing." I know what it's like, having worked in sales, so I don't mind being asked. I stopped to browse over a mini laptop which retailed at £229, it was a PC which I don't really do, but my boyfriend's Grandma really needs one so I wanted to see what kind of budget we would be talking about. I guess that's not a bad price, but I didn't really check the spec so to speak so can't really be more particular than that I'm afraid. Essentially it seems that this is a handy little shop for any sort of accessories, certainly the staff are friendly, and perhaps worth comparing prices over their larger pieces of equipment!

I'm sorry Claire's Accessories, I hate you. This shop makes me feel sicker than 20 ice creams…read morefollowed by Space Mountain. If pink were a poison for your eyes all customers to this monstrosity would be dead. They sell tacky jewelery that would sound like Vicky Pollard if it could talk, hair accessories made of barbie dolls old trimmings, and various bits of fake nails or cheap plastic stuff you are meant to stick to yourself in an attempt to look nice. I am not a hater of the younger generation at all. I have a younger sister and can completely relate to the love of random cheap stuff you can get from places like this. But I just wish they would go away. So many embarrassing memories and photographs could be avoided if it weren't for this place. Plus, loads of the customers are adults. God help us.

I have to say, Claire's Accessories is not my usual place to shop. I dislike the way everything is…read moreso close together, and essentially it is all tat. However, recently I had to get my ears re-pierced ahead of a wedding. I briefly flirted with the idea of shoving some piercing studs through myself (ah, to be fifteen again!) but in the end common sense prevailed and I decided to go to Claire's and get them done. Evidently ear piercing is a very serious business nowadays. I had to fill out a form and discuss how to clean my ears. However, I have to say they took great pains to make both sides match and three different members of staff checked them to match sure they were fine. It cost 26 pounds, which was more than I had anticipated, but I have no real benchmark. They are clearly more used to doing children's ears as two people did the piercing simultaneously, presumably before I realised it hurt and started to cry. I must say, I've had no problems with my ears at all since then. Given that I allowed the holes to grow over in the first place because they kept getting infected, this overcomes any horror I felt at being displayed as an official Claire's Accessories customer as yes, they do pierce you in the window. If you can cope with that though, here is a perfectly adequate place to be pierced.

This shop radiates style. Already in the chic atmosphere of the Corn Exchange, The Hidden…read moreWardrobe's sophistication and originality more than matches its surroundings. The clothes seem to mainly consist of neutrals with splashes of colour throughout the shop. They seem to really experiment with textures of colour and varying hemlines. It is the perfect place to discover an outfit which will set you apart from a crowd. Although they aren't show stopping, the garments are all really interesting pieces, the Monkey & ELF label is particularly intriguing. Dresses flaunting cowl and ruffle necks, and beautiful sweater dresses with batwing sleeves fill the space. There is also a range of bags, belts and various other accessories. The decor is understated, but elegant, just like the clothes. The woman who ran the shop was very pleasant, eager to answer any questions. If you've never visited The Hidden Wardrobe before, I would advise you to go and discover its creative, sumptuous contents immediately.

The Hidden Wardrobe showcases the collections of independent designers in this minimalistic…read moreboutique. Most of the clothes are GORGEOUS, really inventive, quirky, and cool. Think draping, unusual shapes, cool prints, assymmetry...but not too pretentious! Most pieces are completely unique and would make a great gift. Prices are reasonable, expecially considering these are small up-and-coming designers and you would be buying something unique that you wouldn't find in a high street chain store. I saw a skirt I absolutely LOVE priced at £50, a top for £45 and a coat for £95. They also have regular sale items so you could find a bargain! If you have unusual taste and shudder at the thought or another high street chain store you may well love this place! Check out the website for more info and products.

Great car shop with helpful friendly staff…read more They don't always have a full stock of everything but can get it the next day for you. They have a wide range of car accessories.

Took my car here to be fixed firstly it had a diagnostic check to find the fault then told me it…read morewas a wheel bearing and would cost £150 to fix so I agreed to pay this and after doing the work supposedly the car was worse and I feel I had just thrown £150 down the drain . On confronting the owner he said I've done wheel bearing but other needs doing (alarm bells start ringing a garage that makes work to earn more money) the owner wasn't interested in fixing my car but for more money which I refused and then he told me to get out of the shop and not come back . I have spoken to 4 other garages who have today told me I have been RIPPED off as a bearing costs maximum £100 fitted so more money ive wasted all customers BEWARE that the service you pay for is the service you get because I certainly didn't will never use these again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone stay well clear of these they will soon be on the tv as rogue traders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!