What do you mean you haven’t even started Christmas shopping yet?! Better start panicking, then calm down and use this list of go-to indie shops up and down the country to get a move on. Hannah Collins is your consumerist guru on the quirkiest shops in Wales to put your cash into for Christmas 2024.
THE ARCADE COLLECTIVE
A proverbial cabinet of curiosities tucked away on Newport’s High Street, Arcade Collective is the unified front for the independent businesses that can be found in this Victorian arcade, mirroring the myriad that Cardiff is known for. With wearable crystals from Sharon McKinley Designs, bespoke plushies from Grimly Fiendish Crafts and even stuffed critters from Chupacabra Taxidermy, the vibe is distinctly Addams Family, ideal for anyone who likes Tim Burton and smudged eyeliner.
No9, Arcade, High Street, Newport.
Info: Instagram
IAN SNOW
Entering an Ian Snow store is like discovering an Aladdin’s cave of colour. Founded nearly 50 years ago, the brand’s aesthetic is rooted in Snow’s hitchhiking travels in India during the 1960s and 70s. Shabby chic furniture and soft furnishings, kitchenware, ornaments and clothing in the rich, sunny colours of East Asia make up its wares, with a wide range of reclaimed pieces too.
8 Heol Maengwyn, Machynlleth.
Info: Instagram
WELCOME THINGS
This gift and lifestyle shop is one of the newer residents in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade and matches its neighbours flawlessly with a highly curatorial approach. Tailor-made for gift-giving, its greetings cards, accessories, homeware and other knick-knacks are sourced from small brands and indie designers with an eye for colour, humour and craft.
24 Royal Arcade, Cardiff.
Info: Instagram
SIOP MANON
Retailers these days love to brand themselves as ‘shopping experiences’, but few can match Siop Manon on this front. Stuffed with strange and silly delights from across eras and countries, this Caernarfon hotspot for kitsch perfectly complements an already vibrant street of independent retailers and eateries opposite the Castle. As overstimulating as a hot seasonal beverage.
9 Stryd Llyn, Caernarfon
Info: siopmanon.com
FOUND & SEEK
A family affair since its owners took a gamble on entrepreneurship in west Wales in 2012, Found & Seek began with therapeutic candle-making and a passion for blacksmithing. A pop-up stall became a brick-and-mortar community pillar that now also sells eclectic arts and crafts from local makers, as well as vintage pieces, including prints, woodwork, furniture, jewellery, sculpture and much more.
51 King St, Carmarthen.
Info: foundandseek.co.uk
THE QUEER EMPORIUM
Perched on an arcade corner facing St Mary Street, The Queer Emporium has become a vital safe haven for LGBTQ+ folk but is a retailer that serves all: potted plants, crystals, jewellery, pins and badges, clothing and a well-sourced book section of educational and uplifting fiction and non-fiction. Stop off for a coffee and cake, too.
2 Royal Arcade, Cardiff
Info: queeremporium.co.uk
words HANNAH COLLINS
