This little shop is so unassuming, if you were wandering up the high street you'd need to keep your…read moreeyes peeled to even see it but it's got some really great stock and is well worth a peek inside. If like me, you have a small fetish for summer sandals then this is the place for you right now. The shoes probably cater towards slightly older folk who have a real love for comfort because they sell birkenstocks but I love me some birkens and usually find them quite difficult to track down in Cardiff. They stock hush puppies and cloggs as well, so if you like that kind of thing, you'll LOVE it here.

She Wears It Well is a small boutique located on Barry High Street that offers a range of women's…read moreclothing, shoes and accessories for a more mature generation of women. Although it's not my taste, the clothing appears to be well-made and reasonably priced. However, handbags appear to be the main draw here, with a range of styles and colours to suit a selection of tastes. She Wears It Well appears to have most of their autumn/winter items on display now, which include scarves, tights, hats and faux fur boots. Another reminder that summer is sadly over. Weirdly, She Wears It Well carries a range of Monsoon toiletries, which may prove helpful for devotees who can't make it to the Big Smoke. The shop assistant was incredibly cheerful, despite the disgusting Welsh weather that we come to expect in October. As much as I hate the seasons here sometimes, it does prove to be a fantastic conversation starting point, so for that I am grateful.

I haven't set food inside a Stead and Simpson for years so I didn't even know they existed until I…read morestumbled upon this one. It has that old fashioned nostalgic shoe shop feel which reminds me of those long Saturdays spend traipsing around in show shops for school shoes. The selection does leave a little to be desired though. As it's summer there's a whole lot of sandals on offer as well as trainers and more formal shoes. Edgy footwear this is not, sensible and a little boring is a little closer.

Five massive stars go to this branch of Dotty P's for the customer service…read more The selection might not be huge but the shop is always really tidy, organized and well staffed. I bought a few sale items a while back and when I had a problem with my card the assistants were really fantastic. They said that their machine had been playing up and did their level best to kick start things but it was futile. Luckily I had cash on me so I settled up in filthy shiny notes but I was about 20p short. I asked them to mind my things whilst I ran across the road to the cash point and before I was out the door, the woman called after me "AREN'T YOU A STUDENT?" I said I was, and she gave me the 15% discount reserved for young academics like myself. She gave me a knowing wink when I handed over my student ID and I got change out of my fourty quid. Very helpful, very lovely and very efficient. If only all stores were like this.

A great clothes shop with ranges to suit all. There is a petite section and a maternity section as…read morewell as shoes, accessories and lingerie. I dont like they way the staff try to get you to take out a store card every time you shop there tho! The hard sell is annoying.

A fab store with a huge selection. Childrens and menswear upstairs (including pj's, shoes and…read moreundies for the kids) and womens wear, shoes, lingerie, nightwear and accessories downstairs - as well as some gift type items. The selection is good with 'going out' clothes and work clothes too. Quality isn't amazing but probably better than other cheap clothes stores. It's spacious and well laid out. The staff are helpful and prices are good too. It's easily accessible with a lift to the first floor.

This is a great store and is very spacious. Upstairs it stocks the menswear and childrens wear ther…read moreeis plenty to choose from. I especially like the sale rail that they have upstairs as I often find bargains in the childrenswear. Downstairs there is a big variety of womens wear being honest it's not all to my taste but sometimes I see bits I like. I normally like there summers range which is coming out now. The quality of the clothes is average but you don't mind them not being the best as there fairly cheap.

I'm not really a big fan of peacocks stores in general but having one on my door step does have its…read moreadvantages. There's quite a big shoe selection so if some cheap and easy flats are what you're looking for then it's perfect. It also has quite a big selection of womenswear but when I went looking for Pearl Lowe's collection my questions were met with blank faces and heavy silences. Probably best to try one of the bigger stores for something like that. There's a small section of jewelry which is disappointing because I do love disposable trashy faux bling.

This is a really fabulous little charity shop, seemingly run by women in their fourties who are…read morechatty and lovely. There's a good mix of donations, but if I had to name the specialty (and you know how much I love doing that) I'd have to say shoes and accessories. It seems like there are many well heeled and generous women in Barry...

T Hafan has to be one of the cleanest charity shops I've ever visited. Everything, even the light…read moregrain lino floor was spotless (and you can see everything on that), but the lovely ladies who work here felt the need to vacuum, anyway. Expertly organised and well presented, T Hafan offers the usual range of clothing, shoes, books and bric a brac, with all proceeds benefitting this local charity that provides comfort, care and support to life-limited children, young people and their families throughout Wales This Barry location is one of 17 T Hafan charity shops throughout South Wales, with staff in each branch putting out 150 new items every day. A charming charity shop in every way possible.

According to their website, ValePlus provides educational, social and vocational opportunities for…read moreadults with learning and related disabilities in the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. They have bases in Barry and Llantwit Major as well as a retail training project called Nova. This is the first Nova charity shop I've visited, and I was really impressed by the quality of items in stock. All clothing (for men, women and children) was organised by size, making it much easier to browse the various displays. I found a cropped jumper for only £2.25, but had to leave it there as I (again!) failed to bring any cash with me. That'll teach me! Bibliophiles will marvel at the wall-size bookshelf with reasonably-priced titles for readers with a wide variety of tastes. Nova is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area - the selection is great and all of your proceeds will benefit a fantastic local charity.

Nova stocks everything that you'd expect to find in a Charity Shop, like clothes, books, shoes ,…read morebrick a brack, toys, DVDs, handbags and fashion jewellery. There is even a clothes stand with brand new items that were donated to Nova from other shops like Marks & Spencer. All items for sale are clean, in good condition and reasonably priced. Another good point is that they do have a changing cabin to try on clothes. Unfortunately some other Charity Shops have got rid of their cabins to maximize the available floor space, but Nova still having one makes it more convenient for the customer. The staff is always helpful and friendly, so please pop in, have a browse and support a local charity. :)

I cannot recall the number of times this particular little New Look has saved my backside for a…read morelast minute fashion fix, just far too many and I'm eternally grateful to it for just that. For those times when the thought of heading into Cardiff town to dodge leaflets and run the promotional/charitable gauntlet that is Queen Street becomes unbearable there is New Look Barry. The shop itself is pretty small but well stocked and offers all the lovely things from the bigger stores just on a smaller scale. The layout is pretty fantastic and never changes so you if you're in a hurry you know Jeans are in bottom left corner, accessories bottom right and sale rail somewhere in the middle. It's staffed by your generic young pretty girly types but they don't seem to have the attitude problems of their counterparts in the bigger stores. It must be something to do with the reduced stress levels of working in a smaller environment. When I wanted to return a size 6 top (picked up in error, not wishful thinking on my size 12 part) they exchanged it with minimal fuss and lightening fast speed. The good thing is queues really aren't too hectic in the week but a Saturday afternoon is a bit of a living hell, expect plenty of elbow jostling and cat fighting if you shop there on the weekends (and that's just from me). The downside is that because of the smaller space there is a more limited selection but I go a bit mad in the face of too much choice anyway.

It's a great place to go if you live in Barry and you don't have time to go to Cardiff, it's in the…read moretown centre so easy to get to and find in any fashion emergency. They always have the latest trends and selections but not as much as some of the bigger stores and the staff seem lovely and helpful too :)