There are two World's Apart shops in Liverpool and contrary to the name they are actually quite…read moreclose together. This building in Lime street is a mess and needs a sympathetic refurb and clean. I was surprised to discover that actually this shop is part of a small chain. I visited the shop for the first time this week. It's full of comics and toys you simply can't get elsewhere - not that I have tried. So many of the toy figures I could not recognise although I did spot some of the original Dr Who figures and some from Final Fantasy. Forget Toys R Us, this place is a wealth of badges, stickers, games and oddness for kids, adults and fans of things I've never even heard of.

Like its geeky counterpart, Forbidden Planet on Bold, World's Apart deals in all things cult. Cult…read moreis often a term used to describe things that have a strong, devoted core audience - or for studio executives something with low viewing figures. But no more, the popularity if this store can be seen on Saturday afternoons as children and adults alike fill the store and rummage through the amazing collections of limited edition, imported and new toys, comics, books, graphic novels, DVDs, posters and clothing for every genre and range of sci-fi, horror and anime franchise.

That's Entertainment is a chain of music and DVD shops, with a few games owned by Music Magpie, the…read moreonline giant in the UK. This particular branch is actually located in Liverpool, due to its' location I'm sure it is classed as being apart of the St John's centre. I basically came in here just to browse the games, I asked a member of staff and she pointed me in the right direction, but she sadly didn't seem really friendly and she didn't stand out on her level of helpfulness. The game selection was quite small, and in all honesty most of the stock was just rubbish even from old consoles such as the original Xbox, which I doubt have any value anymore since they stopped making the games and as far as I'm aware can't be used on the newer 360 or One consoles. There seemed very few games on the other hand on new consoles such as the Xbox One or PS4. The selection was quite weird, there was a small selection of books and a larger selection of CD's and DVD's which were the main things this store stocked. Inside, it carried on the tradition which That's Entertainment seem to do of being slightly basic. The range seems out of touch, they are stocking really old stuff and not the newer stuff which can be used from new consoles, most games stocked seem to be old also, for example the latest FIFA version was 2013, and they even had some dating back to 2009, this store is out of date, in terms of decor and stock and because of this sadly suffers the same negative fate as its' Oldham branch to warrant a single one star here in Liverpool.

Hmmm, in my opinion, Cheshire Oaks should have something a bit more well known such as HMV or…read moreZavvi...anyway, this shop is ok, sells most CD's and DVD's and games that you would expect but considering it is on the outlet side, prices don't seem all that much cheaper.....

One of the last remaining secondhand record shops in Liverpool is Hairy Records. Situated at the…read moretop of Bold Street, it's a gloriously ramshackle shop that has literally dozens of racks of old vinyl. The window is a great indicator of what you'll find inside with well thumbed copies of early Dylan, Neil Young and Van Morrison records alongside old classics by The Cure, The Smiths and The Specials. It's not all rock and pop however, as inside there are literally hundreds of brilliant soul, funk, disco, motown, northern soul, girl groups, reggae and krautrock albums. If you can't find what you're looking for, ask the friendly owner and there's a chance he might have a copy somewhere. I only chatted to him for five minutes and it was clear his passion and enthusiasm for music was infectious. In the week, Hairy Records is quite quiet so you'll have time to look through everything without being disturbed. At weekends however, expect to be elbowed by local musicans like The Zutons and The Coral. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJrGKqYYfdY

Liverpool's selection of independent record shops is so bad, considering the city's monumental…read moremusical heritage, it's almost laughable. Hairy is one of the few left and is probably the biggest and best known. Its collection of vinyl is tremendous with stacks and stacks from all genres and eras that you can happily spend days rooting through them all. But like all specialist shops - particularly record shops - there is always a catch. Remember High Fidelity? Remember the father innocently asking Jack Black if he had a copy of 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'? Yep, just be careful.

If you're a crate digger or just looking to replay your old records, this shop is ideal. Skeleton…read moreRecords sells over 100,000 new and used records, CD's, DVD's and cassettes of all genres of music. The vinyl section of the store is amazing and you could be there for hours digging like I have, and you're guaranteed to find something you like, the prices range from 10p to collectible records which are priced on their rarity, but if you're looking for CD's, DVD's and other things you will be able to find the things you are looking for, big up to Skeleton Records and vinyl shall live on. Store recommended, peace.

Named for the pub nearby, this little shop sells CD's, DVD's, VHS's, etc. You will find all kinds…read moreof variety here, and some of it's good and some of it's pretty much crap. Prices are decent, though. It's the kind of place where you never know what you'll find, and if you can't afford the high street prices it's always fun to pop in places like this to try to find a cheap DVD for a movie night in.

This branch of HMV is smaller than the one that is within the Liverpool ONE development but it is…read morestill an excellent place. This store is not as busy and therefore it is easier to wander round and browse at your leisure. There is an excellent range of CD's, DVD's, posters, t-shirts, games, consoles magazines and books on sale. The store is brightly lit and is very well organised. It is easy to find items within the store, but if you have problems there is always a member of staff around that will be happy to help. If you need any information then the staff at the tills are happy to look it up for you and they are very helpful and friendly. All the items on sale are competitively priced and there are often offers on such as 3 dvd's for £20 or 2 t-shirts for £20. The opening hours are excellent, being open till 9pm during the week. I have found this to be an excellent place when looking for a last minute present for someone. The parking in New Mersey Retail Park is excellent and there is always a free space to be found. An excellent store.

Why every area should have an HMV?…read more - They have massive music from all possible genres and never really disappoints whatever tastes you may be into. - When you don't want to spend but still want to browse, HMV makes browsing fun by listening to new Cd's before you can save up and probably buy them if you liked them. - The posters are amazing to buy and be plastered all over your room walls making wall-papers look like shit. - Single people are likely to strike up great conversations considering music is probably the easiest ice-breaker while talking to that cute guy/girl you've been eyeing over the Cd aisle no.1. Overall this HMV may not win your hearts like the one in Market Street in Manchester, but hey, it is HMV at its best around here!

If you're after the new Lady Gaga or Rhiannon single, HMV will have what you're looking for. If…read moreyou're looking for something more leftfield however, I'd recommend checking out one of the city's independent record shops like Probe or Hairy Records. The shops have more character than HMV and they have helpful selections like New Releases, Alt. Country and Psychadelic Rock where as this HMV just has more mainstream categories like Rock, Pop, Urban and Heavy Metal. Admittedly, there's always special offers on here like 3 CDs or DVDs for £20 but the rest of the stock is pretty steepily priced. I saw some Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris albums I wouldn't have minded getting but was shocked by the pricetags. I also found they were a couple of pounds cheaper when I looked on HMV's website later! Lissie covering Lady Gaga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWe07krS8_E

Staying on the subject of love, peace and understanding, News From Nowhere is Liverpool's longest…read morerunning community bookshop. A not-for-profit organisation run by a workers co-operative, it's a welcoming environment with friendly staff committed to social change. As you'd expect from their window displays, the emphasis is firmly on books that inspire and empower people to make positive change to the world. There's a decent section of fiction along one wall of the shop but really, News From Nowhere is the place to go if you're looking for books on politics, activism, the environment, human rights, animal rights, peace, global equality, feminism, sexuality, gay, lesbian and queer culture, spirituality, Jewish diaspora, health and well being or world fiction. They also stock roots and world music CDs and have a notice-board advertising community events, meetings and demonstrations. In a world that's becoming more corporate and generic by the minute, News From Nowhere offers genuine and life-affirming food for thought.

News From Nowhere is a radical bookshop situated at the top end of the trendy Bold Street. It has a…read morewide variety of books, in many genres including fiction, gay and lesbian, feminism and women, masculinity and men, politics, philosophy, spirituality, sexuality, Liverpool, media and culture, arts and photography and so many more! The staff really helpful and knowledgeable about what they stock - which makes a change, as so many of the big chain bookshops don't have a clue. I recommend checking out the website as you can also order from there, but then you miss out on the dusty smell of the shop. It appeals a lot more to the average consumer now with a wider range of popular goods. There's all sorts of little pieces such as some funky postcards.