I don't know what it is about the men who work in key-cutters and cobblers that makes them so…read morefriendly. Brownings is no exception. I had to get two spare keys cut for my new house, so on a trip to Albany Road I dropped them in here first thinking that I could pick them up on the way back. There was no need, however, as he stopped whatever else he was doing to cut them there and then, chatting happily to me about Cardiff and the weather and other things as he worked. I was surprised at how cheap it was too, as I've previously found that it is shockingly expensive to get keys cut. Aside from cutting keys, you can also get shoes repaired and engraving done at this store. It sells a nice range of gifts too. Most of them are things like lighters and keyrings that are designed to be engraved, but there are lots of other things besides and gift cards too.

This is a shop inside the historic Cardiff Market. An old Victorian building that offers products…read moreand services from local traders. But poor, old Yan & Sons. I say this because if you enter the Cardiff Market from the St Mary's Street end then you'll go past a big Timpson branch who offer shoe repairs and key cutting and various other services. If you walk a little further and into the main market you'll see Yan & Sons perched on the left hand side offering much the same service. They're just smaller. OK, a lot smaller. But there's an up side to their size and flow of custom - a quicker, more personal service for you. They offer a while-you-wait service for their key cutting and shoe repairs and various other bits and bobs they do, which isn't really an issue seen as you're in the Cardiff Market, one of my favourite place to wander around. As with all the traders in the market, they are long-time experts in their field, so they will offer advice and guidance that you can trust.

You don't have to be Carrie Bradshaw to know the pains of broken heels. The love you feel for…read moreinanimate objects can be as strong whether you choose brand-spanking-new Manolo Blahniks or car boot sale treasure. Come to think of it, that could be a metaphor for life. This heel bar is owned and run by a friendly pair of brothers Andrew and John. They can fix up your favourite shoes and cut you a spare pair of house keys while you wait, or you can do your grocery shopping or grab a cuppa in the market's many cafes and then nip back for them. Amazing. I've also got a strange fascination with the noises that key cutting machines make too, not sure why, I just do.

Always friendly, providing excellent service , excellent quality and good value…read more Thoroughly recommend.

Very good quick service…read more Two keys cut in under 5 minutes - very friendly.

Timpson is a quick and easy option if you need your shoes repaired or need to get a key cut while…read moreyou're in the city centre. This branch is only a small shop (as most are), but is located in a prime spot on pedestrianised Queen Street (near Windsor Place - up towards Capitol Centre end of the street). They not only offer shoe repairs and quick key cutting, but can also sort passport photos, car key programming, engraving services (for pet tags, trophies, etc), and watch repairs, and they offer a locksmiths service for homes, businesses and vehicles if you get locked out! It's open from 8.30 onwards, a bit earlier than a lot of other shops, which is handy if you want to get things done on the way to the office.

You will at one time or another experience being locked out of your house or losing your keys,…read morehaving a house mate who's got a spare is a life saver, but you will still need to get another one cut. Crwys Key cutting service will get you 2 copies for less than you would pay at Timpsons and because it's local to the cathays and Roath area most of you students may have use of their services. They also do shoe repairs and watch repairing service for replacing batteries.

I'm not sure which enterprising lad first cast his eye across the disparate fields of shoe repair,…read morekey cutting and watch fixing and decided that all these services that wallowed in the "misc" category actually belonged together, under one roof, but the man should be lauded. These three things seem to work together so perfectly well that should someone ask me where to get their watch fixed, I naturally direct them towards the nearest key cutters. I'm not sure why, but it's a system that works, and I thank that errant genius for his brave vision. And Crwys Key Cutting are one of the better ones out there, playing the "Misc" category of shopping necessities for all of the Cathays and Roath area. They've set themselves up with an exceptional location for this kind of thing. Given the closeness of studentville to Crwys Road, and given how utterly useless students are when fresh from their parents home, Crwys Key Cutting serves as the dad to all these wayward children. Got a problem with a thing that's vaguely DIYish? Crwys Key Cutters can probably sort it out for you.

This store is quite new to Cardiff, and so far I rather like it. You're not really going to find a…read morepair of cute kitten heels that Carrie Bradshaw would die for, but they do stock some good, sturdy, high quality shoes. Jones' carries brands such: as Ecco, Timberland, Hush Puppies, and the incredibly popular Ugg Australia. Furthermore they have a small range of shoe and leather care products which in my experience, really do what they say on the packet. In fact last time I was in this store, I asked the shop assistants advice on how to get a make up stain off my Hugo Boss bag (I'm an idiot, I know), and she was incredibly helpful and actually tested a range of their products on my bag in order to sell me the item which would have the optimum results. Most impressed, would certainly recommend.

I don't get Jones the bootmaker, its just a very expensive shoe shop to pick up overpriced shoes…read morelike Timberlands, Ecco and Campers. They aren's particularly trendy and cost too much to be practical. I felt the staff were a bit to keen and I felt like I was being watched all the tome. Maybe thats because I was the only person in the store. No thanks. I've never tested out their mending skills, but they do have a facility to do repairs as well.

A G Meek Shoes is one of the better shops along the Albany Road. At first glance you'd be forgiven…read morefor believing that it's a conventional shop that carries all the brands that are targeted toward the more mature customer like Eco and Scholl, whereas in actual fact, they stock some really cool brands like Dr Marten's, Kickers, Hush Puppies, and Grenson's as well as a whole range of teetering heels and strappy decorative women's shoes, (which will ensure that you will be looking for Eco and Scholl footwear by the time you reach fifty!). A large shop, they also carry a good range of walking boots and specialist items like snow boots. Prices are really affordable and they always have good sales. There's a really cool kids section too. Best of all... there's a sale on at the moment! One way in which they are 'old fashioned', is another thing that adds to their appeal. They perform shoe repairs and cut keys, but these days they do it with a modern slant. There's none of that dropping off your favourite shoes for a week so they can be re-heeled. Instead, A G Meek have moved with the times and now offer a repair service while you wait.

What's this? A shoe shop that I don't actually like? Surely this cannot be?…read more Sad, but true, ladies and gentlemen. I love shoes more than 11 year old girls love Justin Beiber (or whatever his name is and I don't care if I spent it wrong). I love shoes more than Joanie loved Chachi (for those of you who, like me, pine for the long gone golden years of popular culture). But as much as I love shoes, I just can't get a feel for this place. I've seen what I think are meant to be fashionable shoes in the window, but they really don't appeal to me. They look like cheap, tacky, plastic rubbish that not even a £2.50 an hour, aging hooker would be seen dead wearing. In my opinion... Seems to me like this shop (more so than the one in town) is more for kids and old people. I may be wrong. One day I may walk past and see a pair that become my absolute favourite shoes. But I doubt it.

If you need to get a key cut in the city centre area, Timpson is your obvious choice. This little…read moreshop, tucked away near the 'back' entrance to the Indoor Market (on St Mary Street), has been around for years. They not only offer quick key cutting while you wait, but can also do shoe repairs, locker repairs, passport photos, car key programming, engraving services (for pet tags, trophies, etc), jewellery and watch repairs, and a locksmiths service for homes, businesses and vehicles if you get locked out! It's also open earlier than most shops - from 8.30am onwards - which is handy. There's another branch of Timpson on Queen Street if you're over the other side of town (up near Capitol Centre, near Queen Street Station end of the road)..

I've already said that Brownings on Albany Road is a fantastic place to get your keys cut or your…read moreshoes mended and it's run by a lovely, lovely man. However, I don't visit Albany Road very often anymore, so I'm more likely to get that kind of thing done while I'm in town, and Timpson is the best place to do that. While slightly more expensive, the service is just as good, although it can get pretty busy in there on weekends. The store is really tiny too, so it can get really cramped. Their watch repairs in particular are excellent, with batteries that last much longer than those I've had replaced in other stores. They also sell funky keys in different colours and patterns, which it's really handy for me, as I seem to have a ridiculous number of keys, and spend ages at the door trying each one.

I don't know why shops like Shoe Zone bother to set up in business so close to other stores of…read moreimmeasurably more merit, just like this one has done when the fantastic A G Meek Shoes is just a couple of minutes walk up the Albany Road. I've copied the review I've written for them at the end of this one so that you can compare and contrast... and I'm sure that you'll agree that they are the outright winners in the shoes stakes on this street... Shoe Zone sells on price rather than on quality. As far as I'm aware, they don't carry any of the recognized brands that we know make shoes that fit the foot properly... that's not to say that the mass produced shoes, made with questionable materials, that you can buy here, often for less than a tenner, won't fit your feet well, it's just that it's a lot less likely! Now, I'm not one for labels. I think they're, more often than not, a poor excuse for charging fashion victims and the undiscerning in general a lot more money than is fair or reasonable. More established brands, that have been around for decades, like Kickers and Dr Marten's for example, tend to charge what the products are worth, and know a thing or too about putting a shoe together! Not only will their shoes last way longer than a season, but the styles that they produce are as equally enduring. This cannot be said for most of the footwear on sale at Shoe Zone. A G Meek is one of the better shops along the Albany Road. At first glance you'd be forgiven for believing that it's a conventional shop that carries all the brands that are targeted toward the more mature customer like Eco and Scholl, whereas in actual fact, they stock some really cool brands like Dr Marten's, Kickers, Hush Puppies, and Grenson's as well as a whole range of teetering heels and strappy decorative women's shoes, (which will ensure that you will be looking for Eco and Scholl footwear by the time you reach fifty!). A large shop, they also carry a good range of walking boots and specialist items like snow boots. Prices are really affordable and they always have good sales. There's a really cool kids section too. Best of all... there's a sale on at the moment! One way in which they are 'old fashioned', is another thing that adds to their appeal. They perform shoe repairs and cut keys, but these days they do it with a modern slant. There's none of that dropping off your favourite shoes for a week so they can be re-heeled. Instead, A G Meek have moved with the times and now offer a repair service while you wait.

Shoe Zone is pretty down-market. In general they seem to stock the kind of shoes that you want to…read morelike, you really want to like, and you almost do like. For a second you convince yourself that you really like it because the prices are so low but then you remember that you have the gift of sight. Actually, I'm being a little bit unfair because there are a few nice pairs of shoes in here (though you do have to look for them) but the quality really isn't good. To be fair to this shop in particular, the staff are really lovely. They are quite clearly bored and, as you approach them, you think they're going to be horrid. But a smile lights up their faces as you get their attention. They are very willing to help. However, this is purely a shop, not a place to be fitted so if you want shoes that fit you correctly, go somewhere else.