Kilim is a joy. And I'm going to wreck the thrill explaining why. From the outside, I thought it…read morewas a really kooky junk shop. And it kind of is. Certainly the window display is stacked full of tacky Jesus mirrors and religious memorabilia, jet black mannequins cleary borrowed from somewhere in Africa. I'm loving it. Go in, and there were three old African women at the back. And it became clear that it's a sort of fabric shop, but they sell other stuff as well. It's all piled high to the ceiling. Lots of jewelry. Lots of random stuff. But some beautiful waxed fabrics - and the cheapest that I came across today! They were really friendly and it's quite an experience, just popping in to have a browse. check it

I LOVE this shopping Centre; it's busy, bustling and brimming with all the treats you could want…read more One of the best things about the shopping centre is the Sainsbury's; it's the best and cheapest supermarket mega-store in the area, and has the largest selection of Quorn and vegetarian foods in the area (aside from specialist shops). There's also an Iceland, although I'm pretty opposed to this chain it is cheap as chips. There's the Hackney obligatory Percy Ingles, the bakery and a hot nut stand (the shop used to be on Kingsland Road but has now moved in here). There's also clothes shops, a Holland and Barret and acupuncture shop. As if in keeping with the Ridley Rd market, there's also stalls inside selling clothes that Albert Square would be proud of! Then of course there's the infamous Matalan where there was sadly a terrible murder earlier this year. This forced a tightening of security, and you often see police men wandering around. That said, the liveliness of the shopping centre is infectious, and seriously, the Sainsburys is well cheap!

Kingsland shopping centre needs a good refurbishment because at the moment it is grim rundown with…read morerubbish shops eg matalan and market stall which make crammed and lot of the retail units in the shopping centre is small which is not good and the shopping centre is not welcoming eg no benches,toilets.car parking price is so expensive not wroth the price.hardly famous retail brands in the shopping centre which is really bad.the shopping centre smell like brunt oil which is really bad and unfriendly and the popcorn stall should their own shop.i only go to shopping centre because no else in the area to shop.i prefer to go to Stratford.

The Designer Warehouse is one of my favourite London discoveries…read more Not far from my home, and just off Seven Sisters road is a monthly sale for designer clothes - having heard from it from a colleague, I didn't really know what to expect. It was great and would definitely recommend giving it a visit. When getting to the warehouse, you have to leave your bag and coat (including your phone) in a cloakroom, and may a small fee of £3 (or 2?) to be able to get in. The sale is over 2 floors, and organised by designers - some are really well known, some are smaller names I've never heard of. It's not a posh environment, it's just rows and rows of clothes on hangers - and you have to take the time to go through them to find the gems, and also your size. There aren't any changing rooms, but there is an area where you can go and try them on at the back of the venue - it's closed off to men, but you do have to accept getting changed in front of other women. I am myself a massive fan of Vivienne Westood, and this was also the opportunity for me to try on a few pieces of her clothes - and yes, I did cave in and buy a top (1/3 of the original price) and a scarf. Good to know: they separate their sales between womanswear and menswear - their schedule is updated on their website.

From the owner: Named "The Best Designer Discount" outlet in London by the Independent on Sunday, by Time Out as…read more"one of the Ten Best Reasons for living in London", and by Elle "a Top Twenty favourite shopping spot", the Designer Warehouse Sales have established themselves as one of the foremost destination venues for fashion lovers. With more award winning designer labels housed under one roof than at any other outlet in the country - including high style retailers Selfridges and Harvey Nichols - DWS provide fashion lovers with the best of designerwear at the lowest of possible prices. Held over three packed days, twelvetimes a year, these Sales offer customers catwalk one-offs, showroom samples and cancelled orders from the pick of the current seasons collections. Expect reductions of 60% or more on the rails of clothes packed into spacious studios in London, outside the Congestion Zone.

An excellent vintage shop in Brick Lane territory which has the bet examples, dry cleaned, dated…read moreand displayed nicely. there are two floors of clothes and the ladies in the shop are super helpful. I bought 2 1960s dresses and a handbag for less than a 100 quid. Will definitely be back.

Hands down the best vintage shop in London! It has proper vintage from my favourite eras…read more(1930s-1970s) but also feels really relevant and fresh. I go here at least once a month and I always find a special piece.

Aah, Another Beyond Retro store now located in Dalston. Very handy for the local hipsters…read more If you like to keep up with the Hipster/80's/90's trends, then this shop is for you! Lots of second hand clothes, bags, shoes etc. 1980's, 1990's styles. This one also has a coffee shop, so you can hang out there whilst looking Hip! It's massive!!! I personally think it can be a bit overpriced for what you get, most of the stuff looks like it would not have cost much back when it was sold originally (say like New Look back in 1992) so I think pricing these items high is not nice;-( If you are a good bargain hunter you can find better & cheaper in general charity shops and you will get more satisfaction from your bargain hunting too! But, if you find yourself in the area & need an emergency outfit to wear on London fields, then you should head here!

I like it here. It's fun to look around but it's a bit pricey for me. £20+ on average for a…read morepullover with cats and sequins? Even ironically it's just not worth it. Then again, the last two times I came by I was with someone who wasn't as interested in scouring the shop. Ok so, if you have time to rummage through everything, do it. You just may find that dress you can't put down no matter what. ALSO! They have a lovely cafe attached. So you can reward yourself with a brownie after you find that perfect shoulder padded jumpsuit.

This store use to be THE BEST, I would have actually made it my first 6 star review but since they…read morehave had to move the clothing Oxfam store from down the road and combined it with this fab book and vinyl it has become a little cluttered and manic. This was the place to get you holiday reading from, starting at 20p a book you can't really go wrong, even if you don't enjoy the story. It was also a fantastic place to pick up vinyl that your mum would love and you know that you shouldn't like. I think I have several of my Dolly Parton and Disney records from here. One thing that does upset me about this place is the way that stuff that's left outside just gets ransacked if the store isn't open to take it in, come on guys, this is for charity! Seriously!

I had heard and read so many things about Dalston's Oxfam that I had to check it out for myself…read more Apparently Channel 4's Miquita Oliver is a regular and found a vintage Chanel bag there. Having grown up in Hackney I was surprised to learn that there was a fashion mecca in Dalston. I headed down there with high hopes of finding a vintage Dior clutch or maybe a YSL smoking jacket. After much fifling through rails I saw a few items but no Dior clutch or YSL blazer. With slight disappointment I left with an art deco frame (£5) and a small stained glass mirror (£7). So I might not have discovered any designer vintage pieces but my frame and mirror would have been at least twice the price in Habitat. If you wander in there without a wanting anything specific you may be surprised but otherwise you might leave disappointed.

Oh my God! It exists! This place is real! And it's open to the public. They have incredible…read moreBurberry buys and it's legit real. It's very nice that their security at the front door and the staff is extremely accommodating, they are a little shorthanded so give yourself some time and some patience. I worked with MJ and she was absolutely fabulous. I am not a tiny person by any means and she took the time to grab me some additional sizes out of the back. They do have up to size 16. Just ask for a sales clerk to help you. MJ totally went above and beyond for me. I got boots, a trenchcoat, and I even bought my mom a really nice wrap over poncho. Some of the items are marked down 50% off and then they have additional tag sales that are 40 50 and 60% off the sticker price. One trenchcoat would normally cost $2600+ I got everything for under $1400. This place is totally legit if you can make it it's worth a trip. They have bags, accessories, men's, and women's stuff. They even have shoes and kids clothes. It's a massive store. Give yourself some time and give the staff some grace. I can see why people will rave about this place online. The deals are real.

I have been looking for an everyday purse for a while now. While I was in London, I scrolled thru…read moreYelp for shopping areas and I discovered that Burberry had an Outlet here! I found the perfect purse at a great price for a designer purse. This store has a great selection of purses, accessories, and clothes. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The reason I am writing this review is let people know that the Wi-Fi is not the best in this area of town. I had to wait in the store to call Uber because as soon as I walked outside I lost coverage. Both drop off and pickup had to be done on the main street and not in front of the Burberry Outlet.

Dalston's status amongst locals as 'Little Lagos' owing to the amount of Nigerians living and…read moretrading in the area is further enriched by this beautiful African fabric store. I think the owners are actually Ghanaian but they stock a variety of fabrics from all over the continent and one thing we do all have in common is great taste in print. You can't beat the colours or designs of this fabric, which is probably why so much of African fashion involves simply swathing the body and head in yards and yards of beautifully rich material and wrapping it in place (possibly with a baby on the back for good measure). Colour is the key and at Afrique Fabriks they really do cater to this requirement. The staff are friendly and professional with a good knowledge of the techniques used to make the different materials they stock. I went the other day with my sister, we were slightly daunted having only bought African material in Nigeria with the strict supervision of market savvy relatives. She saw an incredibly vibrant turquoise cloth with a beautifully intricate terracotta coloured pattern and wanted to buy a small amount, however they only sell material in six or twelve yards, fine if you want to kit out the whole family in Sunday best but a bit much for one person. However it turned out that six yards was only £12, so she took the lot and I'll probably use up the left overs.

Not the kind of place I normally come, embarrasingly, I tend to buy clothes rather than fabrics…read more But I'm trying to change, and short of disclosing market secrets bout what I'm designing, I'm now in the market for some groovy kinds of fabric. And this place is immense. They have such a big range of patterned wax prints - some BEAUTIFUL colours and themes going on. Of all the places I saw in Dalston selling these kinds of fabric, I think this place has the biggest and the best range. And whilst they're expensive (and I think they bring in all the latest designs), I don't think they're THAT expensive. They'll only sell you them in big sizes, but then you can do what you want with the cuttings and snippings. More about my designs later, it's ok, you'll see people walking the streets in them soon. Afrique Fabriks is a lovely place to look around, if you're round these parts looking for some interesting prints

It's such a shame that this place is like a ghost town. The Fonthill road is just begging for a…read moredeveloper to place an upmarket shop or cafe plonked in the the the middle of this vibrant bustling shopping st. Stroud Green road has a brilliant vibe, traditional ethnic convenience stores mixed with classy restaurants and even the odd cheap n cheerful chicken shop. With all the development happening near the tube and the cut through to the 'Fashion Centre' it was an utter disappointment to discover its sad and stale air where there was nobody serving at the Fashion Cafe and what was on display looked like it had seen better days. Annoying as the board on the street caught my eye on the way into the tube and there's a handy cut through into the mini shopping centre. Put something nice in here please. Build it and they will come!