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.

Nice shop to browse round and have no food to look at its got a few bits for lunch breaks etc and…read morechocs and biscuits but not your usual big tescos were you get all your food shopping as well. Excellent electrical deparment on upper floor and some unusual household items and all excellent prices comparing them with currys and comet which is on the same estate in Bromborough.Great range of clothes mens , ladies, childrens on ground floor and excellent range of make up and beauty section on ground floor also. Staff friendly and helpful and shop spotlessly clean.

Great music shop stocking every conceivable title, from chart cds to the most unusual and obscure…read moretitles. If you know what you are after and are finding it hard to get hold of then give here a go, by the same note if you've no idea what your after then you'll no doubt find many things to tickle your fancy here! Staff are knowledgable and passionate about what they sell. A fantastic music shopping experience!

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

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.

I'd love to tell you that the Fab4 Store is a specialist music shop where you can buy original and…read moremint copies of The Beatles 45s and 33s in paper sleeves. Unfortunately, it's a large merchandise and gift store where they sell all kinds of Beatles paraphenalia from posters, books, toys and Beatles statues to kitchen aprons, ties, wallets, pens and mugs. Most of the merchandise features photos of the band or replica images of select album sleeves like Revolver, Yellow Submarine and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. Prices start at 50p for bookmarks to £50.00 for leather bags so there's something to fit each and every budget. Annoyingly, the one thing that's rediculously over-priced is the selection of Beatles CDs, anthologies and DVDs. HMV is currently selling remastered CDs of classic Beatles album for £7.99 each whilst the Fab4 Store is selling them for £17.99. Clearly, the store is hoping tourists will be so swept away with excitement they won't realise they're being sucker-punched.

The Beatle Story's Fab4Store offers one of the largest collections of official Beatles merchandise…read moreand souvenirs in the world. A knowledgeable team is always on hand to ensure you find the perfect Beatles gift. With two branches of the Fab4Store now open, the Beatles Story is the ideal place to browse through a fantastic range of clothing, posters, music and much, much more. If you can't manage to make it to Liverpool, there is always the Fab4Store online where you can choose a gift from the comfort of your own home. This store is the perfect place to shop for Beatles fanatics whichever part of the world you are from. Be sure not to get too carried away with spending though as the even the littlest of items don't come cheap!

So convenient, staff are lovely, much cheaper than londis and has a large variety of food,…read moreingredients, snacks, drinks, stationary, newspapers and more