Walking through the doors of shop is like literally taking a step back in time. Everything from the…read morefurniture to the shop assistants look as though they've come from the swinging sixties. This is a little slice of retro happiness on the Christmas Steps. They stock everything from home ware to jewellery making it a vintage girl's paradise. Not only is Shop one of the best shops that Bristol has to offer, but they also hold gig and film nights where they'll serve you hot buttered pop corn and cups of tea. Keep an eye on the website for an event that takes your fancy and then try it out for yourself.

A lot of shops have come and gone on Christmas Steps, but this little vintage shop has kept its…read morechirpy little doors open. Focusing on modern vintage ('70s to '90s with a few nods to '50s and '60s) the first room has carefully displayed homeware and little nick-nacks. Owners Jayne and Brett are always there with a 'hello' - they always look so damn happy! - and the lounge music will usher you in smoothly to the back room. Here you will find some good retro clothes, particularly nice are the accessories and brooches available. TOP TIP: Pick up a 'shop-fir-mation' from the bowl at the back, a pick-me-up fortune cookie message in SHOP's unique style.

I wish this shop stocked men's clothes! Now I don't know if…read moremore mirrors are being manufactured or if it's the result of a subtle advertising campaign but I'm sure more men nowadays are taking more pride in their appearance. It would be a godsend, essentially, if places like RagTrade could be of service to us. The idea is spot on. A shop that gathers, in their own terms, pre-loved designer women's wear. Another delightful name they call themselves is The Recycle Boutique. Think modern feminine Dickensian, with a kind of sexy urban twist. The website, the flyers and of course the shop are all very poetic and friendly, offering services to customers of all age, budget and occasion. With regular discounts and sales they must be, I am sure, popular with the local student market. Indeed it is shops like this, and thus the writing of reviews about, that I sometimes feel I'd have made a pretty good woman. A shopaholic, but woman nonetheless. Roll on the man's Rag Trade!

Rag Trade is simply a lovely, and functional idea. From the outside it looks like yet another…read moreboutique, but their concept is just great. Basically they are a dress agency, who you bring your unwanted designer clothes to, and they price it and put it in their shop for sale. Hence, anyone wanting to find some unique price slashed designer pieces, try here! The clothes stay on the racks only for 7 weeks, in which they get lower in price as the weeks go, if the clothing doesn't sell. After that 7 weeks, they go to charity. So if you are a seller, and if your item does sell in the shop, you either get 40% of the sale price in cash, or 50% of the sale price, in store credit. Ideal for label lovers, or those who are just looking for something non high street. The 7 week rule ensures the stock changes regularly, and I'm really glad that a shop like this seems to be sustaining itself through the more difficult economic times. It's quite inspiring.

Found in St Nicholas covered market Sublime Clothing specialises in teenage street clothing brands…read morelike Lucky 13, Disturbia, Punk Rose and Living Dead Souls. By these names alone you should have a bit of an insight into what Sublime Clothing has in store for you; punk and rock designed t-shirts, trendy accessories and official band merchandise. Being a bit of a nerd at heart, I was a bit intimidated by the tattooed girls and boys that shop here - but the smiley, friendly, helpful assistants chat happily chatted away about everything and nothing. Even though the style of Sublime Clothing isn't for me, there's no doubting how unique and interesting the clothes and accessories are. My favourite things here were a keyboard belt and beautifully intricate posters - perfect for adorning the walls of student digs all over Bristol.

Terrible move removing the tills and replacing with self check outs…read more The queue was so long for the till that was open as you can not take returns to self check out. the one staff member on the tills who served me was super miserable . ( low staff moral I'm guessing). Then to find the exit entrance at the back of the store has now closed permanently due to store theft.. idea... put a security guard on the exit entrance. this is extremely concerning from a health and safety perspective as a emergency exit, everyone running for the stairs in a fire of a building of that size is dangerous. do better primark!

Hello. My name's Jenni. I'm 23. And I'm a Primark-holic. I'm embarrassed, and deeply ashamed. But…read moretheir disposable fashion and cheaper than cheap prices are addictive. I've tried to shop more ethically, honest I have. But something about this store keeps driving me back. I thought I was cured when all Bristol had to offer was the worst of the worst Primark's, with their poor selection and disorganised layout. But then they opened a super-store sized outlet and I just couldn't resist. I'm not saying it's the best one I've been to, and I've been to MANY, but I've never come out empty handed. My favourite thing about the brand new shiny Primark is their range of accessories which take up almost a third of the ground floor. Their underwear department is a bit lacking, but their sparkly dresses and cheap hosiery more than make up for it. The queues are still long, and you need a patient of a saint to trawl through the rails, but compared to most Primark stores this one is well managed and easy to navigate.

This Claire's Accessories's is quite small but they sell a number of small items such as, jewelery…read moreand girl stuff like diary's, pens and stuff. THey also do good offers to. They do ear piercing as well. It can get a little busy at times though.

This shop always gets manic and packed with people. The shop sells things such as hair accessories,…read morecheap jewellery, feather boas, beads, hats, hen night accessories etc but the shop always looks crammed with stuff and messy. If you have a little girl whe will love it in here, its a little girls paradise!

Small vintage boutique tucked beside The Lanes bowling alley. This has an area for vinyl and then…read morethe shop has clothes on tall racks. There is a nice range of eras on show here, and very reasonable - I saw a 60s skirt suit here for £20. Keep an eye on their website/shop as they often hold vintage fairs here with the bigger space of the lanes available. Then shops from all over the country visit with some serious period panache.

If you're looking for a place of sanctuary, away from the generic high street stores found in the…read moreCabot's Circus/Broadmead area, come for shelter here. It's a cute little retro vintage store, with a small selection of individual items to spice up the fashion jerseys and plain jeans in your life. Found in the entrance to Bristol's city centre bowling alley, you could almost strike lucky with a well priced find. There's an especially good range of accessories and vinyl on offer here too and with a retro bar round the corner, you can't loose.

Remember the fairy tale of The Elves and the Shoemaker? Well, when I walked in here, I was almost…read morecertain that this was the Shoemaker. The shop is a tiny little shop, with leather in a pile, a heavy duty sewing machine, and many finished shoes in racks. All the shoes are handmade, and he has been making these for 20 years. What an amazing skill, and I am so happy that this shop is still around. It's a great shop to get sandals, slippers, and doc martenesque shoes where you get to meet the man who makes them! He does repairs too, so bring on down your old shoes and him and his elves will fix them up good. If you need a good boot, or some sandals for the summer, don't go to the high street; come here instead for something different!

If ever there was a shop that is as it was a hundred years ago, this is it. A prime example of a…read moretraditional skill taught, learnt and being used to earn a decent living. Phil Wilkins is said labourer and The Handmade Shoe Co is his business set up through the traditional working of leather. Having been in the game for some twenty seven years Phil has set up shop in central Bristol in his shop space / working space. Being something of a small time craftsman myself I have from time to time popped in to get information and advice. The shoes, bags, belts and leather accessories are all made on site and of good quality. The shoe designs are unique and can be made to measure even the tiniest of paws and the biggest of loafers. This is also a good place to bring any leather goods that need repairing. A good place indeed to see people, not machines, hard at work doing what they love.

Dulay offers a wide range of both men and women's clothes at very reasonable prices. More often…read morethat not they've got a sale on, so whatever time of year there's likely to be a bargain available. There's a large denim section on the ground floor, along with the ladieswear, whilst upstairs there's a large mens section, offering both a range of smart clothing and suits, as well as casual wear and accessories, with watches and belts at particularly reasonable prices. Denim is their main focus, and Dulay is one of the largest denim retailers in the south west. They stock all the main brands like Levi and Wrangler, but cheaper than you're likely to find elsewhere. A good team of staff (which is quite large - there's always someone available to assist) complete the package for a very good shop.

I'm not big on clothes shopping in general, not when I can save my money up for new gadgets and…read moresuch, but on occasion I find myself in desperate need of some new jeans/jumpers/socks and find myself with no option but to venture into the jungle that is high street fashion. Dulay isn't a place I'd even considered before, to be perfectly honest, but as I found myself walking past I decided to go in and check it out. They do a good range of jeans - although I couldn't find any baggy enough for my preference, there's plenty to choose from if you're into average leg widths. The staff are friendly, but not overbearing as they can be in other places and the prices aren't bad either. I didn't pick anything up this time, but I'm sure I'll head back at some point in the future.

They say that you can make up your mind about a person within two seconds of meeting them, and I…read morebelieve the same can be said about shops. My first impressions of the Rock Shop weren't great - outside; A1-sized Nirvana posters, inside; hoodies with pink skull and cross bones. But with a wave of teenage nostalgia rolling over me I walked right in. The tunes blaring from radio from the likes of My Chemical Romance and Good Charlotte are possible design to keep anyone over the age of 17 away. There's official band merchandise to be had; posters, t-shirts, wrist bands and CDs all at reasonable prices. The fellas behind the till seemed a bit angsty but perfectly pleasant. Great for younger brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews.

A few stints in my teenage life aside I have never been enormously into Rock. I've been to a few…read moregigs and can appreciate a decent riff but it's dance music that pumps through these veins. Having said that I can appreciate the scene, the life. It is here in Bristol's only Rock shop, where this scene is thoroughly represented. Well established for some time now this handy little store in St Nicholas' Market sells a broad selection of metal, punk and rock merchandise as well as a selection of branded clothing such as hooded tops. Chunky belt buckles, CDs and unique T shirts are all good selling points here. There's always a fine selection of posters outside and over the speakers something that, well, it's not dance music.

If a market stall could do "exactly what it says on the tin" - it'd be the Bristol Green Store…read more Through their two locations, one in St Nicholas Market and the other in Bedminster, they aim to promote local, ethical products. Their stall in St Nick's is a glorious mish-mash of products, ranging from long-life nappies to ethical bike cleaner. There are moon diaries, t-shirts, kitchen accessories and jewellery to be had. But, however much I agree with their vision, their fashions sadly aren't my bag. It's a bit hypocritical to say, but one look around Bristol Green Store will leave you feeling passionate about what their trying to achieve without having actually bought anything. It's a great place for yummy mummies as they have an extensive mother and baby range, but for the rest of us there's a lot of window shopping to be had. Their philosophy is simple, but their message is strong: buy smarter, buy ethically. Until all shops follow suit, Bristol Green Store is still fighting the cause and is a lovely place to nose around.

With the aim to be as practical and sustainable as possible while supporting local trade & industry…read moreit's hard not to take notice of the Bristol Green Store. I don't have a massive need for eco-friendly baby gear just yet but they did have a great range of quite funny and very cute T-shirts. They also specialise in organic cosmetics, essential oils and cleaning products and alike, all eco-friendly of course. Even if you aren't completely green you will be able to find at least one product here that will help you take a step in the right direction and replace what you are currently using. The service is friendly and helpful...no pushy eco-warriors here! When you see what's available it does make you want to do your bit, even if the idea of 'second hand nappies' is still freaking me out a bit.