A kitchen lovers paradise. Tons of options from utensils to all forms of baking and kitchen…read moreappliances etc. Love looking for the odd interesting item here and have shopped here many times. It has lots of nooks and crannies to look through and find some interesting items for your kitchen. Love it here and come back every time I am in town.

This place tried to charge me 7 euro for the most boring of door stops. And they almost got away…read morewith it. I walked into this shop hoping to buy a nice tea cosy, the place is jammers with cool stuff. Things like chopping boards that fold up for easy scooping into a pot, and spatulas with a bump to keep the spatula head off the kitchen table and thus keeping the table clean. These are really good ideas, and you look at the prices and think that they're expensive, but maybe they're good value... Anyway, after a few hours of unsuccessful search, I pull a member of their staff away from her Facebook to ask where Tea Cosies can be found. They have a lot of tea cosies, it has to be said, I spent a good 20 minutes deciding between the cosy shaped like a hen or the bottom up design for €20 In the end, function over fashion, the bottom up design won (see photo). I then remembered I needed a doorstop for the house. I found a bucket'o'doorstops and picked one up, no excitement needed here! At the checkout my bill came to €27, which was €7 for the doorstop. I was like "ok, that's fair", compared to this €20 tea cosy, that seems like the going rate. But thankfully I managed to cop myself on to this absolute ripoff. They are actually trying to charge me €7 for a piece of plastic which does nowt but use friction to resist the door's gravity... So I just went to Dunnes and got one for €0.50 instead!. Anyway, this story only justifies a 2 star location, but they go down to a 1 star shop in my opinion because of their TERRIBLE hours. Stock closes at 5:30, and is closed all Sunday. Suddenly I understand why their prices have to be so high.

Well. If this isn't like stepping into a Judy Garland movie!…read more Trinkets everywhere, prints from the 50s, skirts from the 70s, and jewelry from the naughties. There are lampshades, cocktail rings, architectural chairs, and prom dresses. There are wild psychedelic prints, muted classic colours and 8-bit designs. Honestly it's been a long time since I've been so excited about a shop in Dublin. It's one of those places that hits you with so many emotions that it's difficult to stay contained. Sheer, unbridled jealousy that someone has created my dream shop, that I should have thought of myself. Mixed with ridiculous hyperactive joy that I've found this place. Coupled with resounding fear and premonition of my future bank balance slipping away before my very eyes... Some interesting points to note about this place: - They have pop up 'shops within shops' in every month or so, so the stock and content is constantly changing - The have vintage and new, homeware and clothing - There is also Locks & Lashes - a vintage styling lady who does hair from the 20s to 60s - You can host events here - perfect for a hen do I did think! If I was you, I'd make a Sunday out of it. If it's the last Sunday of the month, you can wander up along Francis St, taking in all the cute little antique & charity shops, skip into Cat's Meow on the way (saving your money for here of course!), then ending up in the Flea Market for more perusing and food. Grand little Sunday!

Lovers of vintage hairdos, be happy!…read more The Cat's Meow on Francis Street of Dublin's famed Liberties area is a fitting addition to a street that specialises in things old. But this vintage shop is not for the lovers of fine antiques but of a more affordable kind of pleasure - clothes, bric a brac, homeware, pictures. And fabulous hairdos! Not to mention vintage make up. I was there for the hair bit, but had a good rummage around the shop during curler warming. Some lovely dresses and accessories including a stunning silk kimono style top that was a tad too small otherwise I would have snatched it up (size 38 if you're interested). Run by the artistic Maureen, a famed hairdresser on film sets across Ireland, this lady seriously knows her finger wave from her victory roll. And, as she says herself, she likes to give things an individual touch, too. Perhaps not unusually for me, I wasn't entirely sure exactly what I wanted. And how helpful is 'old-fashioned' to a hairdresser, really? Plus I'd forgotten my dress, which was my plan for inspiring her with a vintage look for a non-vintage head. Anyways, fair play to her, she remained undaunted as she set about placing all kinds of rollers in my hair followed by stuff I don't recall the name for but which thickens it all out a bit in the subtle deceit of a 'natural-looking' up-style (honestly, it took me five minutes, I just threw it up any old way). Followed by approximately four thousand gently inserted hairpins that would have set off more than one alarm at airport security but strangely didn't make my head feel tight at any point during the day that followed. In fact, as I walked in the breeze later, I was amazed at how this strange immovable mass that was my hair, now a single unit as opposed to thousands of free-moving follicles, could remain so comfortable and not budge as much as an inch. A great find! Well worth a treat, and I'm pretty sure this lady can do whatever it is you want, strange, rare or unusual, for your hair. There's a pop up section of the shop and a general all round feeling of much creative energy by all involved, and a love of the arts too - so yes, quite a find and next time I'm going to treat myself to the make up bit too, which by all accounts is great. Vintage hair and make up is a different thing altogether than what you get in the regular hairdresser - I speak from experience - plus at €45 this was reasonable value (cost me €60 I'm pretty sure at Peter Mark and lovely and all as they were, it didn't hold for long). So book in advance as I've a feeling word is going to spread and fast. Locks and Lashes is the hair and make up part of Cat's Meow, by the way.

A new permanent address for lovers of vintage garments. Open every day between now and Christmas…read more(and weekends after that), Dublin Vintage Factory sells clothing by the kilo. 1kg is a tenner and little weighing scales are available throughout the shop to get an indication of how much cash you'll part with. There's lots of fur, 80s style bomber jackets and jumpers, dresses, bags and plenty of denim. They don't (yet) have a changing room and the light is more decorative than revealing so do keep that in mind. The outfit you buy may look very different in broad day light. I was told that they'll get 'new' stock every week so hopefully they'll do something about the (lack of) light situation soon and I'd be a regular in here.

If you're looking for something and you're not quite sure what it is or you just want a good old…read morefashioned rummage this is the place for you !! The general concept is a kilo of clothes for €20 but you can also buy individual items if you like. They have some really cool hoodies and tshirt and lots of pretty tops and dresses also a great collection of shoes both casual and dressy. The shop itself is very cool with really retro furnishings and the staff are really nice. it's right on the square in Smithfield and very easy to find

Gosh darnit!!!! Harlequin makes me soooooo pissed. I'll tell you why: Harlequin is quite possibly…read moreone of the best vintage shops I have ever been in. It is definitely the best in Dublin in terms of the wearability of lots of the items. So many vintage shops are filled with mostly random and weird stuff with just a few stunners buried amongst the ehhh-no-so-much. But, Harlequin, well I would wear basically anything sold here in a flash. They also sell some really cool leather bags, the kind of bags you see some jerk walking down the street with andyou just know it's vintage and you'll never have it, ever. And you want to be the jerk with the purse that people hate too. Harlequin, I assure you, can get you all set up to be that jerk. Why does this place make me so angry, if it is filled with awesome clothes and accessories? Well, it happens to be the single most expensive vintage store I have ever been in in my entire life. And that's saying a lot, because I looove vintage. I agree with Laura that the transition from "used" to "vintage" is a mysterious one. Sure, you're paying for someone else to do al the legwork to find the good stuff in a world full of strange used clothes... but that's about it. I do not think that quality vintage has to be expensive as heck, in fact I know it doesn't have to be. It's disappointing that I cannot afford to buy any of the good stuff here, and I think it's a real racket too. But, if you have lots of money and feel like spending it on some really awesome vintage stuff, come here! But don't tell me about it because I will be jealous.

I went here for the first time last year and I thought it was a rip off. A good bit of the stuff…read morewasn't actually vintage and the staff weren't the most helpful. That being said, there was some really cool stuff here, but I was hoping it'd be a bit cheaper

Cow's Lane Market is great for browsing for gifts or for a special fashion treat. It attracts young…read moredesigners who can sell their work directly to customers. The focus is on fashion and jewellery and the pieces tend to be original and artistic. The styles range from punky to hippie to classy so there is something for everyone. The stalls are usually manned by the designers themselves so you can have a chat with them about their pieces and the process of making them. The pieces are original and unique and the work is often intricate so the prices will reflect that. Mind you, I did manage to pick up a cute and colourful scarf cum top for €20 and much of the jewellery is really reasonably priced. Definitely a more personal shopping experience than an afternoon in Topshop!

I am head over heels in love with the Designer's Mart on Cow's Lane! Shopping has become so…read moreconvenient and affordable these days, I feel like people are nearly as attached to their clothes as they used to be. And nothing is really as unique or special as so many of the things we wear are mass-produced on factory lines. That's why I really love the Designer's Mart, which allows independent designers to showcase their work in a really wonderful and fun atmosphere every week. Here you will not only find extraordinarily crafted clothes, accessories and jewelry, but you'll also interact with the designers themselves. You can discover the whole story about a piece from the artist who made it and in turn become connected to it in a way you will never be to even your favorite high street gear. There is a lot of talent here, and if you see something you love I recommend buying. It usually ends up you'll never see it or anything like it again, and regret it forever. So get out there, support local, independent designers and find something truly special!

While it sounds like it is a spot with games and all the fun things to play, George's Street Arcade…read moreis actually a covered shopping passthrough in Dublin linking two sides of the city center. However, don't get upset, it is still a fun place and honestly has the energy of what us American's think of when we see "arcade"! Small but mighty and packed full of shoppes, coffee shops and eateries from one entrance to the other. Vendor stalls line the middle of the space and while they are revolving, they usually feature art, souvenirs, clothing etc. The space itself is very historic and has been in use in this capacity for a very long time. The architecture of the building is gorgeous and screams old world Ireland. While wandering around Dublin, we made sure to walk through George's Arcade. We grabbed a small piece of art from one of the vendors and a chocolate treat from another. It was certainly time well spent! Overall, great little market worth a venture through if for nothing more than saying you did it!

In the UK, Arcades are like outdoor/indoor hybrid malls…read more They typically have a good variety of boutiques, specialty shops and some dining options. This one was nice to walk around. I remember mom wanting to check out a vintage clothing shop here for fun.

No joke, some of the maddest shit ever made from wood is contained within this building. I mean…read moreproper crazy, crazy on a stick even. Go in for a gander, you'll see at least one thing that makes no sense. I love it.

I have to confess, this store scares me a bit... you wander around by yourself, it's dark inside,…read moreand you're surrounded by ancient Indonesian tribal pieces and gigantic eagles carved out of dark wood. You could almost imagine it being the scene of the next big horror movie (one role I wouldn't ever hope to star in!) But don't get me wrong, this is an amazing store, filled with some awesome authentic pieces from around the world. If you have a few quid on you and you like the earthy look, head in here for some great finds. If it's a Balinese warrior's mask or some sculptures from Irian Jaya you're looking for, be sure to make Decor your first stop. They also have a wide range of canvas paintings going for around the 300 euro mark. Interesting for a bit of a gander, and just so you know, you can go upstairs, there's more on display up there!

They get good stuff here. China tea sets for the retro-chic lover, great value. Cheap, good quality…read morecuddly toys a go-go. Toys. Reasonably decent clothes with the odd great find. Good stuff goes in the window regularly and if you're passing at the right moment, you might just find it's your lucky day. They don't have that snazzy window thing that Enable Ireland, the trend-setters in charity shop window display, have made an art form of. But doesn't that sometimes lead to you feeling let down when you go in and it all seems a whole lot more mundane? And then there's the lack of prices on window stuff, and the inability to buy or even book it, before some future date when the price will be revealed and presumably the bargain hunting masses will set upon the shop and each other to fight over the desired item, freshly released from show. It feels like a lot of effort for a plastic handbag, in the end of the day. There isn't an ounce of glitz about this project. But surprisingly good stuff may await the dedicated charity shop hunter, especially the type possessing what I've come to think of as a TX-Maxx style fearlessness when it comes to going on the bargain-attack. The staff are decent too. And they'll even release something from its prime place in the shop window and sell it to you there and then, without the slightest fuss.