Wickle has two stores in Lewes, one on the High Street, and one in the Needlemakers. Their store…read morein the Needlemakers sells menswear, but in spite of that it's probably my favourite of the two because some of the clothes are pretty cool. Amongst other things they sell flat caps, fedoras, beautiful butter soft brown leather journals and coin purses (£21.20). They also sell boys-y things like old fashioned mess tins and constructable cardboard dinosaurs. There is some cross over of stock from the high street store, for example with their own brand scents (£29.50) which come very tastefully packaged in plain glass bottles, save for a coloured button denoting which of their four scents is inside. They also sell interesting old fashioned notebooks at both stores. The high street store is larger, and has a café at the back, although it is also more twee. It stocks women's and children's clothes and accessories aimed at the mummies of Lewes. Saying that they do have some lovely things, and the cakes are very tasty. They certainly don't go in for the minimalism of other nearby shops like Flint and Adamczewski, and as a result it's a good place to go for a rummage if you are gift shopping.

Wickle is the best store in Lewes and I wish they had one Brighton. They have so much lovely stuff…read morethat it's all a little crammed in but it looks great in an abundant sort of way. As you go in they have fantastic wool blankets, jewellery, perfume, hats and scarves. Then they have two or three rails of fabulous women's clothes-all from ethical brands, all reasonable prices and all that great style on the go, chic comfort look that I love. Then you hit toys and kitchenalia- cake stands, milk jugs, wooden letters to decorate, soft toys and kid's clothes. Finally, at the back a big finale of white wooden tables-a cafe! Genius.

This is an amazing second-hand bookshop, which takes its name from the wonderful 15th-century…read morebuilding in which it is housed. They have an enormous stock, specialising in children's books (although they still have thousands of books on other subjects). The owners are friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable, and also handle enquiries over the web.

I can't help but take reference with Lois' complaint regarding the condition of the books within…read morethe Fifteenth Century Bookshop; while I do agree, I feel it is necessary to point out that not many 50 year old books can be found in perfect condition. I personally love this shop, I'm not a hugely avid reader, but this shop has so much character and purpose, that I much prefer it to the uniform Waterstones that sits in every UK High Street. As already mentioned, the shop specialises in older books, normally of a rare breed. If you are a reading enthusiast, or book collector, this shop will be your haven.

Flint at Home is the sister shop to Flint down the road. This is shop is much warmer in feel…read morethough, with beautiful wooden floors and a nicer balance between the beachy shabby chic look and minimalism. They sell small collections of home decor items like candles, cushions in muted antique rose patterns, simple stoneware mugs, as well as some furniture and lots of design books. It's all quite expensive but very good quality. I can't afford much here but I go and look for inspiration- I love the color of the walls in the shop- a fabulous grey/pale blue.

This branch of Flint now houses both Flint at Home (the housewares) and the Flint clothing…read morecollection. The housewares are on the ground floor, the clothing upstairs. On the ground floor they have lots of coffee table books, a few cosmetics by REN and fragrances by Miller Harris, some nice vases and ornaments, embroidered cushions and flowers. Everything is in pale colours, whites, greys, pale blues and creams, and there is lots of unfinished wood. Upstairs the clothing has a similar feel, pale neutral shades by designers such as Margaret Howell. I couldn't afford to shop here, a plain linen scarf will set you back a good £70, but I suppose the aesthetic is fairly pleasant in a sophisticated but unstuffy kind of way. Unfortunately I tend feel a bit uncomfortable when I go in because the shop lady stares at me a bit, and says hello like she doesn't really mean it.

Lewes seems to be rife with antiques shops (Cliffe High Street in particular), they seem to range…read morefrom some fantastic and fascinating collections of furniture and accessories from times long gone by (in the style of a genuine and well established store) to the more modern shabby chic "I saw you coming" type of shops. Lewes Antiques Centre is definitely one of the former. Focussing more on the small household wares and accessories this place has a good selection of glass cabinets filled with all manner of interesting trinkets from the past. It's a little like when you're young and you sneak off to go through the dining room drawers at your grandparents' place on Sundays. While the prices and the stock in here are great the vibe of the place seems to be really odd, had I gone in on my own I would have almost certainly left within a minute or so. The reason for this is that the people who were apparently the staff seemed generally unpleasant huffing and puffing every time I was remotely in their way rather than simply saying excuse me. Then there was the constant whispering. Nothing is going to set a potential customer less at their ease than the sound of hushed voices from behind the counter whilst they are trying to browse. If you can get past that though then I have to say this would be one of the best places going to pick up the finishing touches to a 1930s fancy dress outfit.

I must agree with the previous review. I love going round antique shops but the people here are…read morevery grumpy. It's as if they find having customers an inconvenience. Other antique shops in the town are more welcoming.

This is the rival antiquarian bookshop in Lewes- the rival outfit to Bow Window Bookshop- and to be…read morehonest, it's a little disappointing. It always has fabulous window displays full of refernce books- large size hardback vintage reference books with fantastic colour images. And they often have great children's books in the window. When you actually walk in though it seems very small and out of reach, literally, in glass fronted bookcases. I suppose I always like looking of for novels, and as the windows do suggest, they specialise in reference books here. The prices seem quite high as well- but then I don't know much about vintage nature books, geography books or anthropology books.

I have to say I disagree with Emma's assessment of A & Y Cumming as I think it is just as good as…read moreBow Window Books, but in a different way. A & Y Cumming, unlike the pristine and tasteful shopfront and interior design of Bow Window, is a little more ramshackle (not much but a little more) and the books on display are of a more weird and wonderful mix. There was an old penguin copy of Conrad's seafaring novel Suspense, as well as an old leather bound copy of the darlky named The Lust of Hate, by Guy Boothby, as well as a large selection of other leather bound reference books. Very interesting I must say.

I must be a huge phillistine, because as I was taking notes of this Marston Barrett, one of my main…read morepoints, was that it is an "upmarket H. Samuels" Well to back myself up. It is to an extent. I mean they sell watches, and jewellery, and lots of them. There you go, just like H. Samuel...O.K. I am a phillistine. But more than that, this shop is a really great place to get some actually nice, fancy jewellery for your loved one's and I would say the style is more mother/grandmother than contemporary/girlfriend kinda thing. As well as the delicate necklaces and broaches, they also have a selection of silver trays and other family airloom type items, or just everyday cutlery for some (depends on how posh you are!).

This is a really pretty jewellers. I love the muddy green painted front and lovely stained glass…read moretrim on the windows. They sell a mix of contemporary, vintage and antique jewellery in all its enchanting forms- rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets. I particularly like their art deco jewellery- they always have stunning brooches, earrings, pendants and bracelets all in the classic deco shapes in diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald. Very lovely to press my nose up to! I have been in to ask about their pearl necklaces (my mum was hankering after one for Christmas) and they were very friendly. Considering the chic factor in Lewes, the prices are reasonable.

Fabulous shop situated just over the bridge from Harveys High Street entrance. Well presented,…read morelight and airy. Well stocked with quality goods and fairly priced. Staff attentive and knowledgable. My wife loved it!!

A real family jeweller that really looked after us. My partner and I were looking for an engagement…read morering, and Clark's had the best selection we had seen. In the end we chose to have one specially made for us- it is stunning! The glass of Champagne was a lovely touch too.

Papillon basically sells gifts/homeware items, such as picture frames, candle holders, scarves,…read moresilverware, incense, etc. The flyer says 'Delight In The Beauty Of The Midle (sic) East,' and although quite a bit of the stock is obviously sourced from the Middle East, such as silver jugs, glass lanterns, and a couple of ornate wooden chairs, some of the stock seems to be in a more old-lady style, such as some floral clocks, and these umbrellas that the shop keeper kept going on about. Basically these umbrellas were normal black umbrellas, but on top of the normal waterproof umbrella fabric was a black tulle layer. The shop keeper kept insisting that this meant you could use it either as a parasol or an umbrella. Overall the shop lacked cohesion, and the shop keeper's attitude was a little bit off putting because she kept nervously asking 'do you like it?' and 'what do you think?' like she needed reassurance. The venture seemed fairly new, so perhaps it will get better with time. Or perhaps not.