I visited this place for the first time on Saturday 8th October. You have to pay a small fee for…read morelifetime membership which I didn't mind. The stuff inside is amazing. It varies from genuine antiques to curiosities from your childhood. And there's so much of it. There's even a cheap cafe that serves reasonably good snacks. So, why the one star review I hear you say? That's because the man on the security desk was bigoted, rude and deliberately upset me. I saw something a friend might like but it was in a broken box. There were plenty of others at the same price so I asked if I could swap the plastic case. The security man referred to me using male pronouns while speaking to his colleague then called me sir. At 6' I am tall but I'm not a man and this was just plain rude. Later on I passed him in another area and I held his gaze. He didn't apologise but stared back as though he'd done nothing wrong. If you're physically within the average range for your gender and you want an afternoon of interesting things to look at then go - I bought lots of things to decorate my apartment - though I won't be going back because of the attitude of the security man. What's worse is that after he'd said those things the other two security guards stared at me as though trying to decide if I was a man wearing a skirt!!! If Botany Bay is a sister company then I won't be going there either. It seemed as though these people have never seen a tall woman before.

An old mill converted to a high class shopping market/mall. Unusual gifts and furniture. A sister…read morecompany to Botany Bay which is similar. Only disadvantage is that you have to pay to get in but definitely worth a look especially if you're decorating your house.

This is a great place. They have recently moved accross the road to 6 & 8 Portland Street Southport…read morePR8 1JU tel 07714 32 22 52

Junk Again is another fantastic furniture place that doesn't require you be to snobby and rich to…read morepurchase their goods. I like Habitat, don't get me wrong, but really, why bother when you can get good quality furniture for much less. Especially if you are a student! Which is perfect for this area. Flocks of students come and go through Leeds, moving every year and needing to get rid of or attain furniture every time they do. Junk Again are aware of this and have cleverly positioned themselves not far from the postcodes that are predominantly student populated. If you are looking for a cabinet, a table, or arm chair, or are looking to get rid of, a fridge, a freezer, or chimney pot, Junk Again is a great place to go. They are slightly chaotic but that just adds to that old fashioned feel of shops of this type. Plus no-one will look down their polished nose at you as they so often do in Habitat.

When my friends and I moved house last year we opted for a grand four bedroom house that was…read moreunfurnished as it wold cost us a little less. That, sadly, was not the case in the end but that's more to do with the Estate Agent and building than anything else. However, pretty much the only thing that we required for our move was a sofa and some arm chairs. Enter: Junk Again! My old housemate had spotted Junk Again on her way through Woodhouse and suggested that we tried here for a cheap second hand suite. I was game for any bargain and so when she called me, all a fluster, to tell me about this awesome sofa, two arm chairs and a pouffe for a mere £40, I came immediately to the scene. Yes. That's right. All that for forty flippin' pounds. The friendly chap explained that he had planned to have them cleaned but hadn't yet, so was willing to let them go for that much - all we needed to do was clean them. No probs, Handy Hire in Headingley solved that one for us dirt cheap too! We couldn't have been more chuffed. Inside you'll find an array of lovely old furniture and the odd antique, for seriously cheap prices. My advice is: if you're moving look here first. I've a few more things I need myself so I'm planning a re-visit very soon...

I attended one of their valuation days and accidentally left a necklace which I did not want to…read moresell. I notified them straight away and sent photos. It has to have been scooped up and put with all the other items they took back but they say they cannot find it ! Very upset !

Gerrards will rip you off on postage, they obviously see a good profit to be made on postage over…read moreand above their commission, I buy from around 3 auctions across the UK every week and a small number of auction houses overcharge on postage, Gerrards are among the worst, £27 to post 2 cased pens, actual cost was small parcel £6.19

I am still looking for a couple bits and bobs for my homemade bridal bouquet... particularly some…read morepretty buttons/brooches. However, I don't want something brand new, not to mention brooches aren't really popular trend these days, so selection would be slim anyway. I thought I would check out some of the charity shops on my way to Asda for my weekly shop. What I didn't realize is that Granny's Attic is not a charity shop, it is an antique shop. It is small, nothing like those antique emporiums with endless rooms of random items that have probably been there for some time. From the window I spotted some brooches, particularly some blue ones (my something blue is the only piece missing) so I decided to pop in. Just an FYI, it is a small shop and it is full of beautiful, very breakable items. Of course I had my backpack on with my reusable grocery bags so I didn't want to actually move around for fear that I would end up buying a bunch of shattered teacups and plates. Sure some of the items are... well they would probably continue collecting dust, but some of the items, for example some of the tea sets are wonderful and would make for great gifts. I think the prices are reasonable for antiques... you would be able to find some inexpensive items if you are on a tight budget. While I think the cheapest item in the store, I have spotted, is £5.00, I have also seen a tea set for £12.00. Even though I have seen far too many episodes of Flog It, Bargain Hunt, and Antiques Roadshow, I still cannot identify really valuable items from your average old item so I cannot vouch for whether it is a treasure trove, but you never know if you don't stop in. The staff member there was very welcoming and offered to show me the brooches in the window. I didn't buy any on this trip, I am currently waiting on a couple that my mom has posted to me, but the lady did tell me that they do have new items coming in on a regular basis so there is always nice selection to choose from. There is very limited parking one store down from Granny's Attic, but if you have stopped at Asda for a shop, you could pop down as parking is free and right behind (and slightly above) the store.

Week to week there are beautiful pieces of antique furniture displayed invitingly outside this…read moreshop: an elegant chaise lounge beside a stunning ornate mirror; an old church pue and tradiitonal school desks and chairs, all manner things that would appeal to anyone from an antique collector to an amateur with a mere fondness for the old-fashioned. I am the latter and, having neither the money to fund the interest nor the space to store any potential buys, I have never purchased anything here. I have, however, and a nose on various occassions! The stock changes quite frequently, and the prices, while I'm no expert on valuations, seems reasonable in the context i.e. you could buy a cupboard in Argos for £20 but these are quality, solid wood, one-off originals! The staff are friendly, despite my chronic abstinence and offer to find any item you desire that you do not find in stock. I believe there is a delivery service and I'm not sure but I presume there would be a small fee for this.

I want to tell you all this place is awful, and that should shouldn't come here so I can keep all…read moreof the bits for me, but, Damn! This place is amazing! This is just down the road from a friends, and I can't thank her enough for introducing me to it! It's an absolute maze of wonder, floors and floors of rooms, filled with cabinets, pieces for auction, and an adorable cafe too. You can find all manner of trinkets, niknaks, some clothes, furniture, homewares, bits for your garden- basically, if you wanted, you could kit your whole life out here. Obviously, being so varied, not everything is to everyone's taste, but it is most certainly worth a look around, or just a cream tea!!

It's impossible to wander around Parkinsons without remembering the old Yellow Pages advert where…read moreJ.R. Hartley tries to track down a copy of his Fly Fishing book. A characterful, old building that occupies three floors, it's packed floor to ceiling with all kinds of secondhand books from new and old to Victorian and antiquarian. What makes browsing here more fun is the fact Parkinsons also stocks antique coins, shells, badges and memorabilia - which are housed in wooden cabinets or stacked haphazardly between shelves and piles of books. As for the books themselves, there's a real mish-mash of material from old issues of National Geographic to weighty tomes on archaeology, astronomy, physics, nature, travel, religion, theology and philosophy. I'm sure there's also at least one copy of Fly Fishing too...

This is a great used book shop in Southport--one of those places where you never know what you're…read moregoing to find, and where you almost always find a bargain. There are several floors, and a great selection of genres, paperbacks and hardcovers, old and new. Prices range from high to bargain. You could easily spend a couple of hours in here and still not browse through everything. Definitely an afternoon well spent for book lovers of all kinds.