Adorable shop, great finds, friendly staff. I stopped in because I was interested in a window…read moredisplay, and found some treasures inside.

What a great name! This antiques shop on a corner street half way through Goldborne Road has the…read moreboldest and funniest name for a store in London. Is it really the dog's bollocks as it says (in French yes) on the tin? Well it depends, if you are in quirky and unusual, even slightly kitch, antiques, it's a pretty cool shop then. I like that, I even love that and have even managed to get my wife into it (yes I did get a beautiful buffalo skull with huge white horns for xmas). Try the store for unusual decorative pieces, unique antiques and modern pendant lights, original XXth century tables and chairs. Recently the staff got a bit less friendly which is a pity, maybe this is because of the too many (French) laughing tourists visiting the shop at the weekend So it's always better to visit the road during the week if you can (I used to live on the road for a few years so I could do that) or at least on Friday which is probably the best day (if it's sunny obviously). Golborne Road is one of my favourite streets in London, with its distinctive North Western London feel, its blend of portuguese, moroccan, caribbean, French and yes English communities (lately even david Cameron lives around but not sure he shops there although I may be wrong). Worth taking a look and why not, get tempted by something unusual for your living-room.

This massive charity shop on Kingsland Rd is one of my favourite in the area. It is HUGE, with huge…read moreglass windows for you to look into and suss out your bargain. There's rows and rows of clothes and shoes, i had my eye on a fabulous dress in there in the summer, i went in one Saturday and decided not to buy it, come Wednesday when i changed my mind and returned to purchase it, it was gone! Which highlights the popularity of this shop. There's not only clothing goods, but mounds of books, furniture and electrical equipment. This is a pretty safe bet if you need to deck out a room on a budget. They also have shelves and shelves of videos and cd's, and they're cheap. I shamefully bought about twenty Friends and Ab Fab box sets from here a while back for the cost of a mere £5?! Fantastic shop, pop in and have a browse.

In my family home my Dad has an expression" there are two types of people in this house, the quick,…read moreand the hungry". Same goes for this place. As soon as they get stock in the "twats" come out and raid the place. I have a vintage hot pink wiggle dress from here that cost £3 - BARGAIN! They have a brilliant selection of second hand furniture, not all of it tasteless, and they deliver it too. Also, if your really lucky, the portly shopkeeper will trap you in in an awkward conversation about what you do for a living and what colour knickers you've got on - not an unpleasant experience but definitely entertaining. I give this place 5 stars because I love it, you may not but I really do, it has an east end charm that you have to embrace.

Albert Amor is a long-established specialist in 18th century English and continental porcelain with…read moreearly Worcester being its particular strength. The shop itself is tiny but beautifully appointed and, despite its location in what is to my mind the most beautiful shopping street in all of London, it carries a range of items that will appeal to all porcelain collectors from the novice to the seasoned, and wealthy, connoisseur. Prices start at around the £100 mark and there are plenty of pieces available for less than £1000 in perfect condition. Having said that, there are also museum-quality treasures on offer for many thousands of pounds. One of the gallery's strengths is that it offers free delivery on all purchases-particularly useful if you don't feel like transporting your valuable and fragile new purchases back home on the tube afterwards! Receipts including full condition reports are provided as a matter of course. As well as porcelain the gallery also sometimes carries a small range of collector's glass and other items such as barometers have also been sold through the dealership. I can't recommend Albert Amor enough to anyone interested in porcelain or indeed top-quality antiques in general.

Every 3rd Sunday of the month The Goldfinger Factory hosts an event called The People's Kitchen…read more The idea behind the event is to make use of produce from the farmers market that would usually go to waste and make a delicious feast for the community ( about 40-50 people benefit from the food!) There are a few ways you can take part: 1. Volunteer to prepare food (this is a bit like a free cooking lesson) from 3pm -6pm with the lovely and talented chef Marie Cudennec. 2. Eat delicious, fresh, vegan/vegetarian food and mingle/chat with people, from 6pm-7pm. 3. Both! (the option I went for :). Such a great experience! Apart from The People's Kitchen, the Goldfinger Factory also sells upcycled furniture and other items for your home. There are some very unique pieces made by talented artist/carpenters and restorers. They also offer workshops some of which aim to help the disadvantaged communities. This place is just great! Go go go, and experience it for yourself!

If you are uber trendy, cool and into serious refurbished designer furniture, then this place is…read morefor you. A great place for upcoming furniture designers to learn. Also for people who appreciate and can afford higher end furniture to buy. Cool, individual, creative, social enterprises are what helps make London fun and special, this is one of them In their showroom are refurbished designer pieces, made using donated old furniture and new offcut leftover materials which they have distressed to look used. They also make bespoke furniture and do classes for people to learn furniture design and making. Great place to visit and enjoy looking at designer furniture, they are also really friendly and happy to show you their workshops.

I first came across V22 because I was considering throwing an Arthouseparty there. My creative…read morepartner in crime and I were looking for somewhere to throw a midsummer-night's eve event, so we were after dark eerie corners, flowing vines that we could allow to drape in through the windows and somewhere to construct a labyrinth. While extenuating circumstances meant we had to go elsewhere, the upside is that we both discovered a very dynamic space full of raw character, which hosts the calibre of shows that have people queuing to get in, despite it tubelessly Dalson Junction-based location. One thing that separates east and west London's commercial gallery scene in my experience is this: the west end galleries' events and more formal occasions (with notably better wine); where in the east the shows frequently mutate into arty parties later on in the night; where miraculously nothing gets trashed. V22 is definitely one of the best creators of that kind of atmosphere. If you take a peek at their site you'll notice they have a strong bias towards fine art and video installations and have hosted the likes of painter Peter Jones, Artists Anonymous and even Georg Baselitz - a clear sign that they're making amazing strides for a relatively new space.

Adorable, quirky little shop with the most unique collection of British made, hand made gifts in…read moreall of London. The shop is not on the main floor, but is tucked away upstairs in the St. Pancras train station in London. I found special gifts for all of my loved ones. No cheesy touristy gifts here...all authentic and original. One-stop shopping for everyone on your list! Jewelry, soaps, arts and crafts, cards, candles...My 10 year old daughter loved it too. The gentleman who helped us was wonderful!

We stumbled upon Apple Market. And it was such a nice find!…read more There was such a variety of trinkets / treats / souvenirs to be found here. There were some great prices on logo t-shirts and bags if you're looking for such things. There were also artsy and unique items to be discovered. What I liked most about this little market was that it was actually not that little. It appeared to be quaint in size, but when you actually wander the alleyways, it was quite expansive. We ended up buying some tea, biscuits as they call it here, and wired art to bring home. I'd say this is a great spot to browse if you're unsure of what to buy as a gift.

Today we're stepping into one of my favourite spots in London ~ "the Apple Market" in Covent…read moreGarden. A place where handmade art, street performers and stylish shops blend together in perfect harmony." Whether you're looking for unique souvenirs, an inspiring atmosphere or simply a relaxing wander, this spot is a must-see. Join me on a stroll through the Apple Market in Covent Garden, London. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe. When I visit London, I always make sure to stop by the Apple Market in Covent Garden. Here you'll find everything from unique handcrafted items by local artists, to live street performances sharing their art with the crowd ~ and of course, it also includes various affordable brand-name stores to various high-end boutiques, from jewelry to chocolate, from restaurants to farmers' markets, this market has it all. One of my must-visit spots is a centuries-old British tea shop inside the market building, I always buy some tea gifts to bring back to friends. Every time I come here I can spend at least half a day simply enjoying the mix of art-and-commerce vibe.

Shhh, don't tell anyone but you can pick up a Vivienne Westwood skirt and corset here for less than…read more£50 a pop. Following the recommendation of my neighbour I walked around to what looked like an abandoned council estate, climbed 6 floors of piss smelling concrete stairs to discover a door with a buzzer. Ring this buzzer and you'll be let into a world of designers cloths, vintage jumble and a light and airy space. It's secret gems like this that make me love east London. I would have no idea this was even a shop without someone telling me. I spend a good half hour fingering the goods before I decided that I would come back after Christmas and have a splurge. Open only on weekends until 6pm, it's worth popping in if you're in the area.