Bargain-hunter's guide to Cardiff
We dig around for the best places to bag a bargain in the Welsh capital, with some top hidden gems, including flea markets, a remarkable record shop and a brill book store.
Cardiff Indoor Flea Market
Open Wednesdays, weekends and bank holidays, Cardiff Indoor Flea Market is a treasure trove, full of antiques, vintage clothes, furniture, musical instruments, jewellery and more. It’s a great place to spend the day, rummaging around for nothing in particular, meanwhile discovering that you want buy everything. So, if you’re looking for a vintage radio to match the period décor of your living room, or you just love old-fashioned necklaces, then this is the place for you.
Unit 2 Clydesmuir Road Industrial Estate, Tremorfa
Rose Street Flea Market
Hidden away in a two-storey house on Cardiff’s Rose Street, is a flea market run by Frank – who refers to himself as Steptoe on steroids. He’s often surprised at the kind of things people will buy, which goes some way towards explaining why he stocks pretty much everything he can lay his hands on. This fun and eccentric little shop is a must-see for those exploring Cardiff, off the beaten track.
37 Rose Street
Kellys Records
Kellys Records is a vinyl junkie’s dream. Established in 1969, the shop in Cardiff’s Central Market – open Monday to Saturday – specialises in second-hand rare and collectible records. Taking up a substantial space in the market, with rows of music, Kellys also has a good range of preowned CDs, DVDs, Videos and 78 records.
Central Market
Troutmark Books
As well as being a good place to get your hands on top second-hand paperbacks, Troutmark Books also sells a good range of first editions, rare books and comics. Besides, it’s one of the neatest second-hand book shops you might find, with the stock lovingly laid out and treated with the reverence that it damn well deserves! Head on over and get your hands on pulp or pretension (depending on your taste) and get lost in a book the autumn.
39-43 Castle Arcade