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    Joie De Vivre

    4.0 (2 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    16 years ago

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    Isabella's

    Isabella's

    3.3(4 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    £££

    Isabella's is a beautiful gift shop situated in the ill-fated Morgan Arcade…read more Like The Royal Arcade, it is enclosed under a beautifully ornate Victorian glass ceiling, but where this works to the advantage of The Royal Arcade, intensifying the vibe, with the noises amplifying as they carry down this lovely long mews, it has the opposite effect in The Morgan Arcade. With very little activity, the few sounds that are made tend to echo harshly off the buildings and ceiling, accentuating the fact that it isn't much used. Businesses like Isabella's are staving off the demise at the St Mary Street end of the arcade. Well positioned sandwich boards at the mouth of the arcade are drawing in a steady stream of visitors as far as her shop at least. But even this isn't an entirely successful quest. Isabella's was once an up-market gift shop selling originally designed accessories and ornaments. These days such items sit gathering dust on the shelves, whilst the low cost cheap and cheerful Welsh souvenirs and nick-nacks fly out of the door. And even though these sales keep her busy all day, the average spend is about £1.00 per person, and so when she tots up the take at the end of the day it is depressingly low compared to the volume of custom. This is a tragedy. What's more, if Isabella is lucky enough to sell one of her beautiful handbags or a piece of exquisite jewellery, the money is immediately reinvested in the more gimmicky souvenir stock, instead of the more creditable higher cost items. It's a war of attrition that will eventually culminate in the unique identity of the shop being lost, and a valuable outlet for more creative endeavour will be lost forever. Isabella clearly has taste and flair in abundance. She's a smart woman attempting to do what she loves. I'm not sure whether she can see the transformation through to the bitter end. But with bills to pay, she's there for the meantime at least. And who knows, something may happen to turn around the fortune of this declining arcade? The Cardiff Arts Institute

    Located in the Grade II listed Morgan Arcade, Isabella's seems to specialise in two main types of…read moregifts: Murano Glass Jewellery and Welsh Gifts. It's a slightly odd mix, to be honest - with the rather expensive-looking glassware and gifts on the one hand, and the rather brash, touristy, Welsh-themed items on another. It's probably best known for its brightly-coloured range of Antica Murrina handmade Murano glass jewellery, and Simstars - which are some kind of charm beads made of sterling silver or Murano glass, which you can put together in your own design to make up a unique charm bracelet or necklace. They also stock IVV, a range of Italian hand-made decorative glass in all sorts of interesting shapes, vibrant colours and different textures. When it comes to Welsh gifts, you can choose from a fairly predictable range of mugs and kitchen aprons with a Welsh flag design; slate house numbers and name signs; fridge magnets showing the traditional Welsh costume; ornaments of Welsh dragons; and postcards of local scenes and attractions. Although this shop does contain some beautiful objects, it doesn't hold a great deal of appeal for me - but if you're a visitor to Wales, or you're really into glass jewellery, Isabella's is worth a look.

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    Isabella's
    Isabella's
    Isabella's

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    Things Welsh - Home of the World's Largest Handcarved Welsh Lovespoon

    Things Welsh

    4.3(9 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    ££

    This is quite simply the best Welsh gift shop I have ever been in. They have a huge selection of…read morewelsh gifts available including postcards, love spoons, miners lamps, silver spoons, thimbles, t-shirts, t-towels, magnets, welsh jewellery, sweets, fudge, whiskey, soft toys, coal carvings, watches, baby clothes, toys and so much more. They are right opposite Cardiff castle gates which puts them in a prime spot for visiting tourists. I wanted to find my friend a gift he would really like for his birthday and I wanted to get something useful. He's really patriotic and loves the welsh dragon design so I popped into the store to see what I could find. They staff were really, really helpful and were able to reel off a list of items they stocked that have the welsh dragon on them. After being shown numerous items the assistant showed me a pair of welsh dragon cufflinks which were perfect. They cost less than £20 which was what I told them my budget was and my friend was over the moon with them. If you need a gift for someone and you want it to be welsh then this is the best place to come

    Bottom Line: The best place I discovered in Wales with the largest inventory of Welsh gifts,…read moresouvenirs, and hand-crafted art. It is also the home of the World's Largest Handcarved Welsh Lovespoon. Extremely friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommended!

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    Things Welsh
    Things Welsh - Home of the World's Largest Handcarved Welsh Lovespoon

    Home of the World's Largest Handcarved Welsh Lovespoon

    Things Welsh - Plenty of souvenir shops here!

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    Plenty of souvenir shops here!

    Cardiff Central Market

    Cardiff Central Market

    4.3(46 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    ££

    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!

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    Cardiff Central Market
    Cardiff Central Market
    Cardiff Central Market - Welsh cakes

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    Welsh cakes

    Joie De Vivre - antiques - Updated May 2026

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