Oxfam is the only charity shop in the Lark Lane area so I thought I'd check it out. The shop is…read morequite small and narrow but is crammed with lots of goodies. At the back there is a big section of books, DVDs, videos, Cd's and ornament. In the past I have found a couple of rarities and hidden treasures in this section. At the front is the usual clothes section divided into men's and women's items and clothes. The staff work hard (and obviously for nothing) to keep the items organised into size and style so that you can easily find what you are looking for. I have never bought an item of clothing from the shop, but that has been due to not being in the right place at the right time as it would be with other charity shops.

If ever I want a reminder of my holiday to Morocco nearly 15 years ago (high time I got back…read morethere!) I just pop to Arabesque on Lark Lane. Whilst enjoying the classic North African dips, salads, tagines and grilled meats and the sweet mint tea so fragrant and the surroundings so beautifully evocative, you are automatically transported to the Jemaa El Fna square in Marrakesh. You might even imagine yourself smoking a hooka pipe. On a sunny day get to Arabesque early-ish to nab a table outside; it's worth it. Lark Lane people watching AND some of the best houmous you can sample in Liverpool? What a combo! N.B. Arabesque is a Bring Your Own Booze restaurant with a £3 corkage charge so get yourselves a decent bottle from Tesco or the Co-Op nearby and you'll still be making a decent saving. Oh yes, and don't forget to check out the actual 'bazaar' before you leave. You'll be feeling in such a holiday mood you'll probably leave with a weaved basket or that hooka pipe you imagined yourself smoking in the Jemaa El Fna...

Great place to find original Moroccan handicrafts and sample authentic Moroccan food. You can sit…read moreat the pavement cafe and watch the world in Lark Lane.

Livvy Hat is situated on the busy Aigburth Road close to the Lark Lane area. The first thing that…read moremade me go inside was it's curious name, which I still have to find out the explanation for. The shop inside consists of bare floors and walls, giving it a rustic feel. The items inside vary greatly from men and women's clothes, shoes, hats, perfume, jewellery and toys. The shop claims to sell vintage items but this does not seem to solely be the case. I have found several items in there such as the new unused bottles of perfume which are certainly not vintage. I have never been able to buy a vintage item from the shop. The items I have bought have been modern brands which were not extremely cheap but were impulse items. The shop has a feel of a bit of a jumble sale as things are often heaped on table or the few items that are hung up are poorly organised and it is difficult to find a specific type of item or size. It is worth having a look in the shop for a hidden gem, but don't count on finding a true vintage buy.

I've bought a few items from this shop and been extremely pleased with my purchases, the shop is a…read morebit dishevelled but thats not unusual in this type of shop, I found the staff have always been cheerful. One major gripe I have is that so many of these shops do not price up all their stock...I hate having to ask for prices all the time! I think maggie t. is being a bit unfair regarding the owners child, & her choice of music, we have enough sterile faceless shops, hats off (pardon the pun) to the owner for keeping her small business going even with the struggle of looking after her child.

Ahh, the jingling jangling of the door bells as you enter, the ticking of the mass of clocks…read morehanging jauntily on the walls, the dust, the smell of old books and wood. I love antique shops, mainly because, well, they're full of crap, but amidst this cluttered mess of mirrors, stacked old chairs and tables, statuettes and wagon wheels (why?!), there are some cool, quirky items that would look great in a new apartment that you want to make your own. The owner looked particularly happy to see us and was more than willing to chat about some select pieces we had our eye on. It's a bit difficult to get around in there as seriously, stuff is just piled on top of each other pretty much up to the entrance, however, if you have the patience to pick through it you might just find a bargain.

Oh I get it, Remains...to be seen, as in antiquities to see here - and not festering body parts…read morelike I expected on my entrance to this strange shop of curios. Any hint of foul play was of course well hidden by the pungent aroma of a burning jostick which thoroughly smashed me in the face as I opened the door - is it in the contract to be an antique dealer to have the premises smell of josticks? Josticks, check. Layers of dust, check. Retired old hippy, check. It's all part of the fun of course, you don't enter these places looking for something you actually need, that's what John Lewis is for. Nor do you go in expecting to see something in particular and the fact that everything is covered in an inch of dust only adds to the Big Trouble In Little China situation you hope to find yourself in. Im not a collector and I have no idea if anything in there was of any value, however I like it because the owner was such a nice old chap with time on his hands to discuss the objects he had there - of course he too seemed to know if anything he had there was of any value. When I asked about some film posters I was sure were not worth much he said he just took them off a mate to fill the space on the wall - I've seen Lovejoy and I know he could have had me there if he really tried.

Alas! A non commercial charity shop that hasn't started charging ridiculous prices for its stock!…read moreMuch unlike the highly overprices Oxfam's and Banardo's that plague the high streets, animal rescue is a very reasonably priced, honest, friendly charity shop. The shop is pretty big in terms of standard sized charity shops, and they have a wide range of stock inside. This ranges from women's and men's clothes, to books, CD's, DVD's, computer games, board games, ornaments, vinyl, cassettes and other random bits and bobs. All the VHS videos are 50p each and they seem to get loads of them in. It's pretty cool routing through them all because there are some that never made it to DVD and they're worth a watch if you still have a VHS machine. These include old music videos which may be a gem for an avid music collector!

This is an excellent independent charity shop situated on Aigburth Road. It is a large shop and is…read morefilled with all sorts of bits and pieces you wont find elsewhere. It has an excellent range of stock including men, women and children's clothing. They have a large selection of books of all types. I like the selection of board games where you can pick up an old game for next to nothing and be a bit nostalgic with your friends. Other items include ornaments, toys, jewellery, records, tapes, Cd's and textiles. Everything here is very cheap. You won't pay more than £1 for most items, and if something is more its usually a good as new piece of clothing. The staff here are lovely and happy to leave you to mooch around for as long as you like.

Remar UK is a charity that I know little about and have never really heard of before so when I…read morestumbled across one of their stores I thought it might be a good idea to give them a bit of a mention and hopefully draw some attention. Their store in Aigburth is fairly standard as far as charity shops go but can throw up some real surprises with some furniture on sale being brand new and of a high quality. The staff here work hard for the cause and their enthusiasm and friendliness is infectious and I could not have been more impressed with their attitude. On the whole the point here is not about how good the business is although it is a well run one, the point is that these people are working for a good cause and the people of Liverpool should support it.

Remar is a large charity shop on Aigburth Road, close to Lark Lane. It specialises in furniture and…read morehas a large range of items. They sell bedroom furniture, dining tables, chairs, sofa's, beds, shelving, occasional tables and garden furniture. They have a massive range of styles from your basic MFI type furniture to the more expensive and classy solid wood items. The staff are very friendly and helpful. They greet you as you walk in and are happy to help and direct you to the sort of item you want. They don't pressure you but give good advice and information about the furniture they sell. If you do not need help they are happy to leave you to browse at your leisure. There is a small area of the shop which is like your usual charity shop with books, records, ornaments, glassware toys and shoes. It's a bit untidy and looks like a jumble sale in this area, but it's worth a rummage.

What a gorgeous little place! I popped in here to buy a birthday card and could have stayed for…read moreHOURS and bought EVERYTHING!!! The downstairs of this fabulous establishment is full of the most adorable trinkets, gifts, jewellery, stationery, homewares and toiletries - almost too much to take in and very dangerous if one is feeling in a spending mood. I actually ended up buying *myself* a gift instead of the person I was buying the card for! Upstairs there is an interesting collection of vintage furniture and bric-a-brac but it is the cornucopia of delectable gifts and bibelots downstairs that has captured my heart. The gorgeous broaches, scarves and handbags, knitted baby clothing, mugs, keyrings, dinner mats and coasters (I bought myself a rather fabulous 'Liverpool's Most Iconic Sights' coaster set - photo below!), fridge magnets and ornaments. I was extremely tempted by the 'retro bunny with a baby's face' lamp but managed to restrain myself. The best thing about Larks is that you don't actually NEED stuff from there...you just WANT it. Because having a cubic zirconia broach shaped like the Eiffel Tower makes you feel happy doesn't it? And that's near enough to needing for me.

Definitely not a shop which was set up to appeal to boys, with a cute selection of all things…read moregirlie, this is a little dolls house style affair with lots of little knick-knacks on sale, from kitsch household items, to some really dainty, bright jewellery and a lot of Alice in Wonderland-esque tea party set porcelain cups and saucers. It's very pink in here and slightly overwhelming but you can't help but have a bit of a root around the little dressing-tables which are crammed with goodies. The kind of stuff you wouldn't buy for yourself but might appreciate as a gift, even if it is slightly tacky. They also have vintage stuff available upstairs and fun cards, it's slightly overpriced for what it is really but worth a look if you have a bit of time on your hands.

On the 4th Sunday of every month the Lark Lane Farmers Market takes place. It is set up at the…read moreAigburth Road end of Lark Lane and curves round onto the paved area of Aigburth Road. There is always an excellent mix of stall here selling produce such as sweets, plants, coffee, cheeses, specialist sausages, specialist meats, beers, smoothies, cakes, black & white pudding and much much more. Many of the stalls have free samples to try and the smell that emits from the market is delicious. The produce on sale is often more expensive than you would find in supermarkets but this is to be expected. The produce is of an excellent quality and you wont find many of the specialist items in supermarkets at all. This is a great addition to the Lark Lane community.

The bohemian chic of Lark Lane, which is littered with bars, eateries and quirky stores selling…read moreretro interior accessories. Drinkers mill about with students - presuming there's a difference between the two - and "dedicated followers of fashion". What a perfect place for a farmers market. This market, held on the last Saturday of every month, is bigger than its counterpart in Woolton Village, although it does suffer slightly in comparison as half of it is on the edge of busy Aigburth road. A great plant stall selling lovely and unusual bushes at very decent prices greets those who enter the market from Lark Lane. The kind of stall Woolton is missing out on. There's myriad cake and bakery stalls selling pasties, pies, pastries and bread and the ever present Savin Hill Farm meat stall, which sells sausages presumably butchered in Heaven. Last time I went, today (28 August), there was a fantastic flower stall with some of the sunniest sunflower bouquets I've ever seen for a mere £3. A very good place to visit every now and again, but it rarely changes, which is a shame.

Home Bargains is situated near the busy Lark Lane. This is a fairly big store which is clean,…read morebright, spacious, well organised and tidy. The store stocks many different types of products such as toiletries, clothing, home ware, cleaning products, toys, games, baby care items, art supplies, stationery, soft furnishings, bathroom items, gifts, pet supplies, food and alcohol. The items are always kept well stocked and well organised. The staff at Home Bargains are friendly and are happy to help you find what you want within the store. The queues at the till are sometimes quite tong, but the staff often open extra tills at these times. Once you are at the front of the queue the staff serve you quickly and will help you pack your bags if you need the help. They are happy to chat whilst doing this. Things to look out for here: cheap hair dye and bottles of wine :)

Cool Trader opened recently in place of the old Ethel Austin's branch near Lark Lane…read more The store inside is bright, spacious and clean, well organised into rows of freezers with different types of products on shelves above them, and fridge cabinets across the back of the store. The product range is limited compared to the Tesco Metro store situated right next door but the food sold is quite cheap compared to some of the alternatives next door. The cat food in particular is very cheap here, Whiska's is sold for the same price as the Tesco's own brand sold next door. I was also very pleased to spot a Baileys Cheesecake available for £1 The staff who work at cool trader are friendly and very helpful. They will happily bag up your shopping for you, and have a chat whilst doing so. This is a great little addition to the Lark Lane area.