A childhood memory is this place to me, as I used to go here many times with friends. There is so…read moremuch cheap choice there too. It is almost an old fashioned sweet shop it has sweet; sugary, juicy different flavoured mice, lollies, and there all kinds of chocolate and many other sweets there. The prices are just right and the staff are really friendly and very welcoming. I recommend it as the best sweet shop in town, and it is one of the best arcades within town. I love this arcade because it is amazing what neat, smaller, old fashioned shops that you discover down here. I also love it because it reminds me of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter, fantasy novel series. Apparently Cardiff is known for being the city of arcades representing perhaps the only images left that tell us of the wonderful and interesting history of the Victorian and the Edwardian heritage. It was in 1858 when the Royal Arcade in Cardiff's city centre was built; before that the 1790s only beheld twenty five retail shops known as 'market stalls.'

Fine Chocolates is an extremely well positioned shop on the corner of The Royal Arcade where it…read moremeets St Mary Street, allowing it a sizeable shop front on both, whilst retaining the prestigious address of The Royal Arcade. The chocolates are exquisite, but with a price tag to match, and so I have only ever bought them as gifts for other people, munching out on the less expensive, ubiquitous mass produced Belgian chocolate when I have a chocolate attack. I think that this is probably what most commonly occurs. With a selection of modern gift boxes, which are all finished off with presentation ribbons by the staff, it's clear that the gift option is a popular one. (This doesn't mean to say that it's not possible to prize the box open and snaffle a couple before you present them, somewhat apologetically, to their intended owner. And, this way you can announce with authority, as you hand the goods over, that the contents of their gift are really very good!) The shop also stocks soft drinks and a few lower cost items, like cake, that you can eat in at the tables provided. They also do great ice creams. I guess it is the sale of this kind of stuff that subsidises the chocolates, and justifies having such a large retail space, (otherwise there would be no point, and it certainly wouldn't be affordable).

As a bibliophile and former Catholic school girl and, I'm familiar with shops like these on a scale…read morethat would frighten most people. Churches Together offers a range of Christian books for both children and adults, as well as worship CDs, gifts, Bibles, and greeting cards, but the items I found most intriguing were the selection of church supplies like clerical wear and altar bread - basically anything you'd need to conduct a Holy ritual (I guess those sorts of things were off-limits to us Catholic parishioners). The kind, moustachioed gentleman behind the counter was happy to let me wander, and as I did, a few interesting titles jumped out at me, namely "Do Nothing to Change Your Life" (Okay!) and a tiny volume of inspirational messages that sparked affectionate childhood memories of reading with my mum. Product offering aside, I found the Churches Together Bookshop to be a literal and figurative extension of the City Church itself - the unassuming shop located in the Church premises is both peaceful and welcoming. I know it's not for everyone, but for those in search of this kind of niche book store will be happily satisfied with the variety and quality of products the Churches Together Book store offers.

If you've not heard of Spillers then just pretend you have as its a little uncool not to know…read more I do not collect vinyl nor do I know anyone who does but I've often pretended I used to be a regular at Spillers. As a youngster I could often be heard dropping Spillers name into my conversation just to impress the odd would be girlfriend, "Yeah well i had to order it from Spillers coz even they didn't have the 12 inch in stock" So if you're visiting Cardiff you have to pop into Spillers as apparently it is "the oldest record shop in the world". It's just a pity it had to move to new premises as I think the new light and airy shop in the Morgan's Arcade is a bit like a music lover deciding to dump all his dark moody vinyl collection in preference for shiny new compact discs.

If your cool you'll know all about this shop. Started in 1894 Spillers specialised in selling…read morePhones?! In the early 20c, really? Oh wait, Phonographes, sorry. They relocated to the Hayes in the 1920's and have sold vinyls, CD's and music DVD's ever since (Those latter examples came later obviously) There was a worry a few years ago that it was going to be shut down thanks to the delights of Cardiff being built around them but were eventually saved thankfully. Now as a music fan, this is the place I want to be. Real music for real fans, staffed by people who know that they are talking about. Spillers feels special every time I go in, I often come out with some hidden treasure after seeing the staffs recommendations or after I speak to them about the bands I like and what's new (My ear is defiantly not to the floor when it comes to popular culture I'm afraid.) Something that always leaves me with a smile as I exit the shop. There's a real old antique feel to the place that makes the small shop feel different to those shiny soulless chained stores. Your not gonna get anything cheaper in here, but what you are doing is supporting a dying breed of independently owned music stores that feel like they are there for the love of music, not money!

Lots to choose from, great variety of all different kinds of books, magazines and collectibles…read more Very overpriced though.

I've found some great books here and is my go-to second hand book shop. It's worth noting that they…read morealso sell comic books, and lots of them! The reason I havn't given 5 stars is that their email doesn't work and they havn't gotten back to me about some books I wanted to sell them.

This is a great little convenience store and news-agent, and being the only one in the immediate…read morearea, it's a real blessing that it is quite as good as it is, despite the fact that there's no competition! They stock a really good range of wine and alcohol in general, as well as all of the basic foods that are well complimented by some exotic extras. The Indian couple that own this shop take it in turns to man the counter. I like both of them, but really enjoy a chin wag with Mrs... oh no... I have forgotten her name... so sorry! (All of a sudden I don't want her to read this... how embarrassing!) City News stays open really quite late, as do all of the little businesses in the immediate vicinity, including Whispers, the internet shop next door. And that's another thing... Whispers is about to have a change of name, and the owner, whose name eludes me, told me what the new name is going to be, and guess what? Yep, I've forgotten it! Do you think I should carry a notebook and pen!?!

Staff were really friendly, it's a nice little shop and have a great variety off stock.read more

Geek alert whoop whoop. As an avid film fanboy, gamer, Graphic novel reader and figure collector,…read moreForbidden Planet is what we like to call 'home' in the loop. It specialises in comics, Graphic novels, film/tv/comic memorabilia and dvds. There's a lot of products crammed in to the small narrow shop and is hard to browse if your not sure what your looking for. However there is a lot of things in here your just not going to find elsewhere in Cardiff. Rare collectors items, figures etc are some of the things your not gong to find in your local Toys R Us etc. They will also get things in for you or help you find certain items if you cannot see them in store. The staff are always enthusiastic and ready to help in that sense.

Every music lover out there should visit D'Vinyl Records just to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume…read moreof physical music. Piles of vinyl, Compact Discs and memorabilia fill the shop floor to ceiling. As record stores go you would be hard pressed to find one that still buys second hand merchandise and sells it on and this can lead to issues with scratched discs. After you have enjoyed a moment of sheer fantasy where by you take on the shop and listen to music non-stop until your demise, as would be the case if you tried to finish the backlog of music playtime in this store. Your best choice for new music is spillers who are easily the best shop in Cardiff for new CD from known and unknown artists.

Ok so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I prefer D'vynal Records to Spillers. The reason…read morewhy is because D'vynals just has so much more to offer, stuffed to rafters with vinyl's, CDs, DVDs and books. It has a fantastic smell of history which you can only experience and not describe and really gives you the sense that a record was once an asset to keep and cherish rather than an electronic file that is now so easily available the true meaning of the work and artistry that goes into making a record has been lost. What is also great about this place is you can trade in your old records and get some good deals. I could spend hours and hours in D'vynals as there is no other record store in Cardiff that offers the same experience. It's about a 15 minute walk from the city centre but very much worth the walk and I guarantee you will not be disappointed with this seemingly endless treasure trove of music.

Cardiff isn't the best city for second hand book shops, and there are only a couple in the city…read morecentre that are worth a look. Located in one of Cardiff's many lovely arcades, Capital Bookshop is one of them. It has the classic look of a second hand book shop, with a few 'bargain bin' crates leaning against the walls outside selling odd books they want to get rid of, and a window full of old leather-bound first editions, and rare and off-beat titles. It's a fairly laid-back shop to browse around, and there are plenty of good general books; those that are in a slightly shoddy condition have fair prices that reflect this, while the rarer titles and books in better condition obviously have a higher price tag. Some of the stock hasn't changed much for some time, though, which is a shame because it puts you off bothering to drop in regularly.

For anyone who is a fan of the Hay-on-Wye vibe (the town of books up in Herefordshire), this is the…read moreshop for you. Like Troutmark Books in another little arcade, this is a tucked away secondhand bookshop that is never forgotten once found. Although the quality of more modern books isn't quite as good as you might find in Troutmarks, there is an excellent selection of old tome and leather-bound volumes in this shop. In fact, the windows are full of them. And the sign outside on the main pedestrian street pointing you down into the arcade for the shop is full with pictures of them. This is the kind of shop that you imagine a grumpy old man to be sitting and smoking and hiding behind mounds of dusty volumes. If you run in there to hide from the bullies, you might just get given a book which transports you to a wonderful world of luck-dragons... This is an amazing treasure trove of secondhand books that is very well worth a rummage through.

I'm writing this review begrudgingly, as I want all of the albums at this brand new shop for…read moremyself. Hot Wax Records has yet to launch officially, so please excuse the austere interior and lack of stock in place (there's not even a sign up, but owner Dave is still trading). Offering a wide selection of 12-inch albums, DVDs, modern collectibles, posters and comics, Hot Wax is one of Cardiff's newest "music and more" shops and soon to become my favourite place to spend money. I stumbled upon this jewel in the alluvial deposit that is Cowbridge Road East just the other day. Oh, but the vinyl, the glorious vinyl, many of which comprise my "dream collection" and most are all priced less than a fiver. If I didn't have somewhere to be, I would have happily spent the entire afternoon here, digging for musical treasure. Please note the store is closed from 1-2 for lunch, and as of last week the card machine system is not in place so only cash is accepted. Won't deter me, though!

As an English literature graduate it's hardly surprising that any Waterstones practically feels…read morelike a second home to me, but this Cardiff branch in particular is really one of my favourites. As Laura mentioned it's big, though no way near as large as the recently defunct Borders, which was only a few doors down from this Waterstones. Whilst I liked Borders (particularly their excellent magazine selection), something didn't quite sit right with me and I became rather fiercely loyal to this Waterstones branch. I think this is perhaps due to the fact that despite being a chain store, Waterstones has an awfully British feel to it, which I rather like. We're rather lucky that this store is in the Welsh capital, as it attracts plenty of high profile authors (and John Barrowman) for book signings, which are quite frequent. When it comes to their book selection, it is in a word excellent. You're usually guaranteed to find any literature that you desire, and they also stock graphic novels and audio books (though I expect this might change with the rise of digital downloads). The staff are clearly book lovers, their always willing to make suggestions, and when I forget either the tile of a book or the author's name their usually able to work out what it is I'm looking for (incredibly spooky).

I went into this Waterstones to get a book for my course, which I couldn't find in either the…read morelibrary or the local Blackwells in the students' union. It was very easy to navigate my way around and I was impressed by the sheer size of it, meaning that there is a substantial range of books. There is a great children's section. That is my favourite section of the whole shop. There is a little play area, places to sit down and a whole range of books from those for tiny little children up to teenagers. I had great fun - and wasted quite a lot of time - finding all the books I knew when I was small. The service was also very good, friendly, smiley, helpful.