Pontcanna Flea Market is the real deal. You are guaranteed to find a really good selection of…read morequality Kitsch, both for the home and garden, as well as loads of classic and retro clothing, antiques, electrical goods, records, books, and furniture... essentially all the kind of stuff that you'd expect at a flea market, but with the added bonus of this one being a particularly good one. I don't know where the traders get their stock from, but some of them must have an incredible address book! A lot of them seemingly have endless access to the most incredibly desirable objects. Their lives must be heavenly! I considered becoming a trader myself a few years back, but decided that it would be an overtly dangerous career choice. I'd be great at scouting out my stock, and have fairly well tuned haggling skills. So far, so good! But, the problems would arise when it came to selling any of it on. I know I'd want to keep everything! Those confounded attachment issues! They also hold regular auctions at the King's Road site. I've not been to one, but I hear that they are as much fun as the flea markets, and just as well stocked with eminently buyable stuff.

The Cardiff Antique Centre doesn't exactly sell antiques to the exclusion of all else, and would…read moreprobably be more appropriately named if it carried the title of 'Cardiff Collectibles' or something of that ilk... and then this would even be stretching the description a bit. (A 1970's vinyl LP going by the name of Tango Time wouldn't be found anywhere near my record collection, I can tell you that!) The quality of stock varies considerably, and to my mind, quite a lot of it would be better suited to a specialist flea market, more than an antiques shop. But in its defense, housing several traders under one roof, and finding a name that fits all, is never going to be an easy balancing act. However, the stock tends to be a little bit pricey, and I feel this is more reflective of the prestigious location and the branding, and has less to do with the actual inherent value of the goods in question. But when all is said and done, it's a great curiosity shop, that makes for pretty interesting, (and often entertaining), browsing. Some things are just so naff that they'll prompt an episode of incredulous giggling. And of course, it is more than possible that you'll find many tasteful genuine articles. If the truth be known, I could actually spend a fair amount of money in here... if I had it! The stalls occupy two floors, with specialists in military memorabilia, jewellery, bone china, toys, autographed collectibles etc.

I love browsing around antique shops and that's pretty much all I do - I hardly ever buy with the…read moreone exception of when I went into Cardiff Antique Centre. I bought a little silver lighter for £30 - I don't know why it just appealed to me. But there are loads of stuff to look around - signed celeb pictures - star wars memorabilia, jewellery etc etc. It's pointless me listing what they sell as its anything and everything - pop in and see what I mean it won't be a wasted time in fact once you go in once I pretty much guarantee you'll pop in again and again. And if you do fancy buying something don't be scared to haggle.

This place should be in every guide book and on every website of Cardiff…read more The Pumping Station is a densely packed building filled with antiques and collectibles. So densely packed in fact, that a supernova of flying Hornby trains and silver spoons can be expected any day now. The drive up to this place is full of statues and garden sculpture, and always reminds me of the Narnian statues in the White Witch's palace in 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'. The main hall is a Victorian building full of old fireplaces and interiors. Everywhere you look there is something new to catch your eye. With around 40 individual stalls, there is a downstairs area with sections made to resemble old-fashioned shop fronts, each with their own speciality. You might find anything from old comics to fine bone china. There is also a small cafe at the back, which, although not wonderful, is friendly and very reasonably priced. They make a good cup of tea. If you have something very specific in mind then you may need to enlist the help of a member of staff, but otherwise the main joy of this place is the browsing and discovering.

This is very recognisable and icon building thats easy to spot from the Cardiff Bay link road. I…read morefirst went when i was a child and easily bored, especially by antiques. Now as a grown up looking for unique artifacts to decorate my own place with I really love the place. It really is a treasure trove of everything that you want, from vintage clothes to reclaimed tiles. It really has the most massive selection of really unusual stuff and the old building that houses it all really adds to the atmosphere of the place. I'd probably say that because its so well known, you maybe won't get boots sale bargain finds but its a definite must visit.

I love rummaging through reclamation yards even though most of the wonderful objects I love are a…read morebit too pricey to justify. From cast iron Victorian fireplaces and ornate doors to antique garden ornaments and beautiful objects reclaimed from old churches and pubs, reclamation yards always offer visitors a little voyage of discovery and a snapshot of different periods in history. At Cardiff Reclamation you'll see plenty of serious buyers trawling through the latest arrivals, alongside a few more casual (and far less lucrative) browsers such as myself, who rarely actually buy anything despite wanting to. There's plenty to look at, but if you're after specific period objects they don't have in stock you can talk to them and find out if they think they're likely to be able to procure one for you. To my (albeit untrained) eye, however, it seems Cardiff Reclamation is no less expensive than the lovely but equally pricey Pumping Station, and just about every other salvage yard in the area.

From the owner: architectural reclamationread more

Jacobs is great and has been around for years. I remember coming here when I was about 5 and loving…read moreit even then. It's absolutely massive and has 3 floors packed with different stalls. It looks totally out of place as one ancient building surrounded by modern developments. It's a good thing though as even the shop itself is like an antique. There's loads of Elvis memorabilia which is what I spent the most time checking out and all the stuff from the 50s and 60s especially along with some items to do with aviation such as breathing masks from WWII planes. I wanted it all. There's such a great old, smell about the place aswell which I love. Words can't decribe the feeling you get inside Jacobs. You don't feel like you're in the middle of Cardiff. Alot of people seem to just walk right by without checking out what's inside. If you're visiting the area, I implore you to put the time aside and pay it a visit.

I find it strange more people aren't aware of this place. Just the other day, I was explaining this…read moreantiques market's location to a friend of mine who's lived in Cardiff his entire life. A Cardiff institution, Jacob's is a four-floor antiques centre in massive , with pretty much anything you can imagine for sale - you name it, you can probably find it here. Judging by the size of Jacob's, you'd be forgiven for thinking a centre this size would take all day to tackle, but I think a few hours should be enough time to browse everything on offer. Vintage clothing (YES), memorabilia, furniture, home wares, and even instruments (my mate found a wicked Spanish guitar for about £40) are just some of the many items for sale here. Fridays and Saturdays are the best days to visit, as nearly all of the 50 or so vendors are open for business.

A very nice little antique shop with lots to look at, situated in an area where it might be a…read morelittle tricky to park. The shop has a good mix of items from mirrors and furniture to pieces of vintage jewellery although they don't appear to have regular opening times so you might find them closed

I was enamoured with this antiques shop the moment I walked in. I'm sceptical of any shop selling…read more"antiques", as I'm a firm believer that most of these so-called treasures are just overpriced junk. But I think this one is different. Avalon offers a wide selection of interesting items, from Georgian furniture to unique jewellery. They also carry a range of porcelain and glass figures, as well as books, stamps, pictures and toys. I'm a bit of a history buff, so I really enjoyed browsing the extensive ranges of military medals, which would make a nice gift for my WWII-obsessed Dad. I'm quite picky with jewellery - I hardly wear any, ever. My fingers are like sausages, so it's difficult to find rings that are both big and beautiful. I was astonished when I slipped on an amazing Art Deco silver ring to find it actually fit my massive middle finger perfectly. Priced at a reasonable £35, this ring was coming home with me. I met one-half of the husband and wife team who run this shop, and he is absolutely lovely, chatty and helpful, suggesting I leave my bags at the front so it's easier to manoeuvre around the shop. Definitely coming back here as the antiques are remarkable and the prices are reasonable!

If you're lucky enough to ever catch Crwys Antiques when they're open, you'll be privy to a secret…read morethat few people in Cardiff ever get to witness. From the outside, the store is a largely empty affair, looking like it hasn't been occupied in months, with the occasional circus flyer being posted up on the window which is, as everyone knows, the universal signal for "THIS PLACE IS UNOCCUPIED! SQUATTERS WELCOME!" However, this is due to the shop being used primarily for the refitting and repair of the antiques brought to the owners. On the few times that it is open, the shop is made mostly to cater for the repair of old furniture and you can watch as the owners go about sloughing off the damage and making the old furniture look as good as new (or as good as old... I never really understood antiquing). It's clear that the owners know exactly what they are doing, but apart from the odd days when you amble passed and discover the store open and waiting for you to peer inside, it's largely down to luck when you'll be able to catch them. They are the mythical leprechauns of Cardiff. Catch one, and it's your lucky day. But you've got to be lucky to catch them.

Keepence Antiques is a quiet little shop that I passed many a time before actually noticing it…read more Once it did register I decided to pop in and have a gander. The business is over 40 years old. Less antiques and more furniture these days Keepence Antiques serves a mainly local market. The business was hidden behind scaffolding on the day that I visited , making it even more camouflaged than usual. (Thankfully for the business the scaffolding will soon be removed.) Inside is small and crammed with tables, glass cabinets, chairs - all wood. My eyes were drawn to four funny little pigs - 3 inch high ceramic ornaments. I was not in need of any furniture, but was hugely tempted by the chintz, however temptation disolved when my mind flashed to my cluttered home. Keepence Antiques is definitely a worthy stop on a one off furniture shop when trawling the Southern Ark of the fine city of Cardiff. ...I vil be back when I have de-cluttered!

Brilliant tea room specialising in loads of different teas. Very friendly and helpful staff and…read morerelaxed atmosphere. Also does great cakes and very nice breakfasts (but don't expect a big fry up). Well worth a visit.

Unfortunately, the one thing that I always remember about this place is that they forgot my…read moremarshmallows. I paid extra for marshmallows, and when my hot chocolate came it was without the little mountain of tiny marshmallows I was expecting. I was still fairly new to Cardiff at the time, and a little shy, so I sat quietly and hoped that perhaps they had sunk to the bottom and I'd find them as I started drinking. Sadly, however, no marshmallows were to be found, and then it was too late to do anything about it. This aside, Waterloo Gardens Teahouse is a lovely little shop, in the quiet area of Penylan with a nice selection of drinks and cakes, and comfy sofas. The coffee is fair-trade, there is a wide variety of tea, and they change the art on the walls regularly, exhibiting a different artist each month, which is a nice touch. Just make sure they give you the marshmallows you're paying for.