I was told that the flowers were the best they had ever received and the biggest arrangement…read more So the advise from the florist and the suggestions all paid off - nice little shop and very helpful staff.

After being loyal and good customers to Andrea's for some time, when we rang to enquire about…read moreflowers for our small Civil Ceremony, instead of explaining that they only service one wedding a day and had already had one booked, we were told very rudely no and that they were very busy so did not have the time to discuss the matter. As we are two males having a Civil Partnership as you can imagine our flower requirements were minimal. Definitely will not return there again! It takes a long time to build a good reputation and a minute to destroy it!

This is a wonderful little shop on Llandaff Road, very near to Chapter Arts Centre, and not too far…read moreaway from the main Cowbridge Road which heads straight through Canton. It's an easy place to find, but sadly can be easily missed if you don't know that it's there. This shop sells a great range of Fairtrade and worldly items. From incense to clothes, bags to gift items. If you've ever been to a folk festival and wandered longingly around the stalls wanting buy everything, then this is the place to come. The busy displays and bright colours capture something of the market stall atmosphere, even when it's raining outside. They even manage to have the right smell: far away places mixed with a slight musky aroma. For yourself or for gifts, this is a truly charming shop where you'll not be likely to go too far wrong. It's a very friendly space, and a joy to pop into regularly, or at least stare longingly through the window. Unique. Ish.

Fair Do's is probably my favourite shop in Canton for buying gifts for my friends or even my own…read morehome. It's a lovely shop, well stocked with environmentally sound products that have all been sourced from fair trade companies. I set up projects in India, when I was in my twenties, for Trade Not Aid, the non exploitive trading arm of The Body Shop International, and so I am keenly supportive of all who operate with the same ethos. But, even if I wasn't, I would still shop here. They have a great kids section as well as plenty of affordable high quality gifts for adults. The cards are pretty good too. The people who run the shop are lovely too. It's always really peaceful, and you are allowed to browse for as long as you like without interference, but help is on hand if you need it.

A fantastic shop to visit for Welsh-themed gifts of all kinds! Everything from fridge magnets and…read morekey rings to beautiful carved wooden love spoons - or silver ones if you prefer. There are rugby souvenirs and jewellery, T-shirts, postcards and fudge, not to mention little sheep ornaments and toys! The shop is right across the road from the castle so easy to find. Friendly, helpful staff too, as I found out today.

Chocolate wasted! Literally. These boozy chocolates are like having a shot... Wow! Go home drunk,…read moreyou're chocolate. I mean... Go home chocolate, you're drunk. I mean... I'm moving to Wales just for this alcoholic's dream: boozy chocolates! Hiccup. Oh. And, they have a ton of non-alcoholic, delicious chocolates too, for those who don't understand what kind of magical-bliss-heaven-paradise is found in a piece of delectable chocolate that serves as a shot too. Also, I suggest a chaser. This is one STRONG, POTENT bite. Trust me. I wouldn't (hiccup) steer you (hiccup) wrong (hiccup). Goodnight. Oops, I forgot to say we tried the whiskey one and the pink champagne truffles. Beautiful. Ok. Goodnight. Hiccup.

This is an excellent florist on Cowbridge high street stocking a wide range of flowers, the orchids…read morebeing my particular favourite (simply stunning). The shop also had a good selection of quality garden ornaments as well as some very unusual larger gifts for that special birthday or anniversary. A beautifully carved coffee table made from a tree trunk aught my eye, and may just appear on my Christmas list (I think way ahead)! It was a pleasure to wander around this tasteful airy shop. The owner was pleasant and the background classical music added to the overall ambiance of the environment.

I think that there are actually three florists in total in Cowbridge, and then there's a number of…read morestores that sell ready made bunches of flowers and potted plants, including Tesco, Filco and the fruit and veg shop. This means for pretty stiff competition in a town this size! Bay Tree contends with the competition in two ways. For one it's carved out a bit of a niche in that it it's cornered the cottage garden sector of the market, as well as having branched out into gardening supplies and a few gift items. I really like this florist. It carrys a lot of blooms that I really appreciate. They aren't as showy as some of the exotic imports that we can get these days, but they are as equally impressive in their own particular way. The quality of the stock here is also excellent. I've had some bunches of flowers from here last a good three weeks... so they offer value for money too!

The ordering process did not go smoothly. I had to explain what I wanted to a second person, two…read moredays after I had originally placed the order. I asked for the bouquets to be delivered to a particular place and they were delivered to a different place. But the worst thing was the actual flowers. I asked for brightly coloured flowers. Instead I got a mish-mash of random types of flowers, and most of them in drab and washed-out colours. A lot of them had started curling at the edges of the petals, even though they were still in water and there were lots of stalks of berries for some reason. I asked for flowers, not berries. It looked like I got palmed off with the flowers nobody would choose at the shop.

I don't like red roses, boys/ men. Take note. I do like flowers though. Actual, real flowers in the…read morewild, in plant pots, but mostly in big bright beautiful bouquets given to me, meant for me, from someone quite lovely. What kind of flowers? Orange gerberas. Sunflowers. Crazy exotic creations. Daffodils. Cornflowers. Pretty little posies of wild flowers and sweet peas. I am not alone in this. A lot of people like giving and receiving flowers. They say things we don't know how to otherwise. Things like: 'Sorry' I dumped you/ ran over your cat/ spilt red wine on that dress I borrowed and promised not to spill red wine on... 'I love you' friend/ mum/ tiddles/ Romeo/ Charlotte Church 'Thinking of you' ... I know I've not called for three years but, well I've been busy Gran, and I'm sure you understand. Things like that. If you need to say things like that I'd recommend the Secret Garden because they can say it beautifully. They've got fashion know how to bring to creating bouquets. They offer a sensational selection of seasonal blooms, full of vibrant colours for any occasion - hand-tied bouquets; wedding flowers; corporate contracts; gift ideas and sympathy flowers. Delivery: They have a same day delivery service to surrounding Cardiff, and a next day delivery for nationwide orders placed before 2pm.

I'm never quite sure what to make of this place. It seems to sell a little bit of everything, but…read morenot ever quite enough of something to give it a more pronounced purpose - if that makes any sense at all? Do you remember the old local post offices, where they sold sweets and books and stationary, and everything else besides to keep business ticking over while their main seller was a 15p stamp? This is kind of like that, in the respect that they have lots of entirely useful gubbins, and lots of, who guessed it, entirely useless gubbins too. And now they're selling ice cream too... this is the kind of place where you'll unexpectedly find exactly what you were looking for, nothing at all, or some fond distant childhood memory of sweets and sunshine. It's a very old fashioned shop, but has charm in bucket loads.

As you can probably tell from the reviews of my fellow yelpers A B Snell & Son is a really little…read moreindividual place, which I can't quite believe still exists in this day and age. It's not exactly a big store, but I'm never entirely sure what I'll find when I visit here; they really do sell a random variety of items. Tanya mentioned that it's rather hard to define this shops actual purpose, I completely agree with her view on this and am rather uncertain how to define this place myself. Whilst I can't really put my finger on it I do believe that they are at least trying to stock items, for those visiting the local area. In addition to local books and guides concerning Penarth and Cardiff (a must for any tourist), they also sell outdoor games such as a baseball bat and ball, and typical seaside items such as fishing nets and buckets and spades. Unfortunately due to the temperamental British weather I do wonder how popular these items really are. Finally I must note that I wasn't exactly impressed by the stationary selection. Yes it is extensive, however the stationary available is all rather basic and if you're after anything whish is a little pretty or unique this is not the place to go.

Two years late "reviewing " this fantastic business (sorry). in the 2 years since we had these…read morebeautiful rings made as our wedding rings, My partner and I get continued complements. It was the ring used by Peter Capaldi's role as Doctor Who. This is the jeweller who created such a wonderful work of art for the show. So impressed by the wonderful experience. Also we got a great recommendation from him for a wonderful pub near the shop. Great food, great drinks.

From the owner: Independent Family business, Traditional Jewellers est.1963read more