Brighton's Imperial Arcade is a mini shopping mall in the centre, situated along Western Road and…read morethe side of the large Three store. It isn't too small and is more of a passageway, which is why I was surprised to see it on Yelp, yet happy to offer my feedback in the form of a review. Many of the stores located here such as O2 and Starbucks only have their back entrances here of which are all blocked off, meaning you have to go onto the main road to get into the stores anyway. Pretty old-fashioned with some nice infrastructure which is hard to find in the retail area of Brighton, away from the Pier so that warrants an extra star. 2*

This is a pretty little arcade with an arched glass ceiling and dangling Victorian streetlamp style…read morelights. You will be able to get fed in here, get a haircut and even play a Wargame at Wargames Heaven. This is also home to Alliance and Leicester and 02 plus Cafe Nero (which I used to go to smoke and drink coffee pre-smoking ban). A pleasant little walkway.

The items at Penelope's Portmanteau are high quality, vintage bags and jewellery ... It's nice to…read morefind a shop that sticks to what it specialises in without filling in any shelf-gaps with random extras. Bags and jewellery here. That's it. The former includes glittery clutches, woolen handbags, box-style purses and leather in many colours and styles. The prices are a little steep: between £50 - £100 for most, with not many items on sale. The jewellery cases offer several discounts, though, with some prices starting at £4. These are mostly faux diamond rings and the gaudier necklaces. The necklaces of pearl, gold and real diamond are quite a bit more expensive, but still nice to look at. Earrings are separated into pieced and clip-on varieties - with plenty of both. I'm not a big accessory buyer, but I can appreciate the unique styles in Penelope's.

This fabulous little vintage fashion shop opened just over a year ago on Ship Street. You'd be…read moreforgiven for walking past it several times before realising it's there as it's a little bit tucked away despite an incredibly central location. On their website, they advertise themselves as a place where you can escape from the throwaway world of fast fashion that is here today and gone tomorrow and choose instead the timeless elegance of a quality-made, vintage item. Indeed, this gem of a fashion boutique is a world away from the 'fast fashion', throwaway world of Primark, New Look and H&M that we've all grown so accustomed to. Despite its small size, Penelope's Portmanteau is absolutely crammed with stunning broaches, costume jewellery, handbags and designer vintage gowns all laid out beautifully. With a wide range of prices, you can treat yourself to a bargain of around a fiver or splurge hundreds of pounds on one-of-a-kind designer pieces: last year, they sold off a stunning collection of Vintage Elizabeth Emanuel Couture Gowns. Fantastic for browsing and amazing for accessorising, a visit to this place comes very highly recommended for anyone who's even remotely interested in the world of fashion.

I think this shopping centre actually has quite a disappointing layout. Some parts are nice and…read morecosy, complete with automatic doors and outdoor cafes in the middle of the shops. A secondary part, which is through a bit of a rat run, is much less pleasant, and contains most, though not all, of the cheaper-end shops. Its much more sixties, more outdoor, colder. However, there is a pretty good variety of shops here, from national chains to local shops - supermarkets, stalls, furniture shops, telecoms, cards, all sorts of things. Its also very near the Railway station, and is immediately off the main shopping road of Burgess Hill itself. And its well served for other transport too - local and rural buses all stop right nearby, and there's a very sizeable car park, which has a big Waitrose frontage. Even though I'm calling it disappointing, I actually really like it. It does have its own charm, and its own atmosphere, and with Brighton just down the road for a million and one things, this is plenty.

Fantastic architecture can be seen here. The Arcade has a long history and has had various uses…read moreover the years. It houses so many differernt types of shops/stores. I have known it over the years from a young lad to now, not so young lad, and it still holds the magic !! Hardressers, burgers, theatre ticketsall manner of things to be had. Very well maintained and there is no shortage of places to eatall competitive!!

Not alot to say about £1 land great deals all round but not alot of space for manouvering with a…read morebuggy on busy days service is good

This place is a brilliant inflation buster. I will often come to this shop to be inspired and will…read morenine times out of ten come out with a bag full of items. Shower gels and shampoos are a must buy when you come to this shop. They also have some basic DIY equipment. As we are approaching Christmas, this shop is bound to get extremely busy as it always does during the festive season so don't delay and go and pay them a visit. The location is brilliant, right in the town centre, with easy access and sorrounded by shops, restaurants and coffee outlets.

A common high street store. This Worthing branch is spacious and stylish. Women's fashion on the…read moreground floor, it continues upstairs with the inclusion of children's clothing. Their sales are great value and worth picking up some quality clothes for the children. I must state that I bought a beautiful pair of beaded sandals there last summer which kept on breaking and I took them back twice and then asked for a refund as it seemed to be something wrong with the design. No quibbles about returning it though and staff were very courteous.

Another of Brighton's lovely little boutiques specialising in handmade and vintage clothing and…read moreaccessories. The grand chests are draped in silk and covered in 1940/50's costume broaches and handbags. Rings, bracelets and necklaces, handmade dressage bows and fascinators, feather boas and elegant flower hair clips can also be found, alongside beautiful silver tiaras and handmade hats made by Brighton based artist Charlotte Bernstein. Definitely worth a visit when dressing up for burlesque nights.

Ever wanted to sit on a chair that resembles a giant hand?…read moreOr perch on a stool that's carved into two feet? If the answer is yes, Villa & Hut is going to be the shop you've been looking for. Launched a decade ago in Melbourne, it's an environmentally friendly store that specialises in hand-crafted, wooden furniture including bamboo beds, rattan armchairs, mahogany bookshelves and teak coffee tables. All the wood is recycled or reclaimed from timber plantations in Java and there's also a selection of ceramics and stoneware imported from Indonesia.

I have been wandering the streets of the North Lanes a good few years now and the wooden hands…read moreoutside Villa and Hut have become somewhat of an institution in their own right to me! They seem so friendly, all soft and carved from beautiful wood, offering a perch for weary legs. Of course, they are also a bit random (are they comfy? Do people actually have them in their homes? Questions I would ask if giant hands could speak!). Villa and Hut is a really lovely furniture shop on a corner of Sydney St. They make and sell ethical and sustainable furniture made from wood, which is often reclaimed. Whether you're after a chest of drawers, a shelving unit or a chair, there's lots of beautiful pieces to choose from. Some of the rattan items look a little cheap to me, but in general, most of the furniture and other home wares seem to be of good quality. I am a particular fan of the teak garden furniture- lots of clean lines and chunky wood- right up my alley! If you're after conservatory furniture they also have lots of interesting chairs, which remind me a bit of what the Pier used to sell.