As a youngster, when I was old enough to be allowed to go to Southport without adult supervision, the old Arcade Sports shop down Cambridge Walk was a place we regularly visited.
I've always wanted to learn how to skateboard but I always thought that by the time I was fascinated by it, I was too old to start learning and all the cooler (and younger) kids who were good at skateboarding would laugh at me. So, instead of this, I would go to places like this and just look at the skateboards and other gear and sort of pretend I did have a real interest in it all (it wasn't as sad as it sounds, honest).
Unfortunately, the shop had to shut down a few years ago; I assumed this was due to lack of interest in recent years, but I recently discovered that they had actually opened a shop nearby on Hoghton Street.
They still sell the same good range of sporting goods that you wouldn't get in the other big sports shops in the area, such as bowls, in-line skates and cricket gear, all available at very reasonable prices. I guess you could kind of look at it as an alternative sports shop to rival the JJB and Sports Direct giants that currently rule the roost.
So if you're looking for something sports-related that is a little more specialised or unusual than football, tennis or rugby, then Arcade Sports is well worth checking out. read more