A fantastic shop to visit for Welsh-themed gifts of all kinds! Everything from fridge magnets and…read morekey rings to beautiful carved wooden love spoons - or silver ones if you prefer. There are rugby souvenirs and jewellery, T-shirts, postcards and fudge, not to mention little sheep ornaments and toys! The shop is right across the road from the castle so easy to find. Friendly, helpful staff too, as I found out today.

Joie De Vivre Boutique and Vintage Store is the kind of shop that I really like. Packed full of…read morecurios and smelling of handmade soap, I enjoy the same kind of delight as I do when visiting an architectural salvage yard, where the smells are just as satisfying, if in a different way, and there's that sense of anticipation and excitement of not knowing what I'll find. Not surprisingly, this shop, comprised of a number of traders displaying their wares over two floors, has emerged from a successful series of boutique vintage markets, which continue to trade at various locations around the city, in tandem with the shop. Prices are reasonable, and the type of stock is much more to my taste than the Cardiff Antique Centre just a few doors down, and include genuine vintage items of all descriptions as well as a good selection of household goods.

There are some shops which serve the purpose of looking pretty, offering an attractive presence as…read moreyou walk past , just to make the shopping experience a pleasant one. This is one of those shops to most people, but to a small minority also provides a useful source for something or other. The shape of the shop means it has a narrow front occupying much of the arcade, in this sense it is a triumph and can display it wares beautifully. The large glass windows make the shop light and attractive, a facet of many of Morgan Arcade's shops. Selling a range of gifts, from picture frames to fake flowers and children's books and toys, it is gloriously unspecific and I'm not sure I'd ever feel the need to buy anything in here. There are a lot of gift shops around Cardiff and this isn't any better or worse than the rest of them. As something to look at, it gets top marks though.

One of the best little Boutique to stop by for your 2021 Christmas shopping…read more You will find some lovely affordable little gifts for everyone. The team is very helpful and you will have some must have typical Welsh products. Fantastic hand made tartan blankets, cushions, love spoon, some tasteful Christmas decorations, all sort of Calendars. If you visit Cardiff just stop to see them, at list you will find some real little WELSH souvenir from Wales made by Welsh artists. I personally Highly recommend. Toi qui vient visiter Cardiff il faut prévoir de t'arrêter dans cette petite boutique. C'est un must, l'équipe est sympa et professionnelle. Tu trouveras effectivement d'autres magasins mais peu d'entre eux t'offriront des produits locaux réalisés par des artistes Gallois. Si tu aimes le Rugby, demandes les Tee-shirts, les Calendriers, n'oublies pas les magnets et les crayons, ne pars pas sans ton porte clefs ;) . Si tu es plus du style fashion victime alors regardes les écharpes faites mains, les bougies et les jolies cartes postales. Il y en a pour tous les goûts et à tous les prix.

A little bit tacky, but if you need to get somebody a gift that's considered "Welsh" and don't want…read moreto break the bank this shop might just be you're place. They sell a variety of Welsh themed items such as mobile phone cases, wallets, car stickers, rugby shirts, t shirts, and my personal fave cuddly Welsh dragons! Unfortunately that's pretty much it. Similarly to Laura this shop is not really my "thing", you really aren't going to find any tasteful gifts in here. As a Welsh person I would love it if they sold more traditional items such as love spoons, celtic jewellery, or even welsh cakes (perhaps there's a gap in the market?). Ok for emergency holiday gifts, but I doubt they will be treasured.

Completely devastated that Innovation has had to close for at least 12 weeks due to the…read moreCoronavirus, where on earth am I supposed to buy my Willow tree ornaments now?!

This shop is full to the brim with gift items, vases and fake flowers. It's an interesting place to…read morehave a poke around, and stocks many collections of... well, collectibles. Such as those funny mother and daughter statuettes of people with no faces. They have a good range of fake flowers, the kind which you can imagine actually looking pretty nice somewhere rather than stinking of tack. They also have a range of wicker boxes and storage devices, which are lovely and well priced. With cards and everything you need for a last minute gift, this shop won't disappoint. But as far as innovation goes, I'm not sure that this shop really lives up to it name.

Incredible customer customer. Friendly welcoming staff. Free engraving. Huge variety of local made…read moreartist wares. Easy location. Chris who assisted us absolutely exceeded my expectations by personalizing all our gifts to take home.

Castle Welsh Crafts is a gift shop opposite Cardiff Castle in the City Centre. It's usually packed…read morewith tourists and can be hard to move for all the little odds and ends packed around the place. Unfortunately, this shop does sell a lot of tat. But then, that's what sells. If you want a Welsh flag mug or stuffed sheep, when this is the place to go. Fortunately, however, there is the Welsh Lovespoon gallery which redeems the whole situation rather. This is an interesting collection of lovespoons (tradition Welsh gifts for weddings etc), and they also harbour the largest lovespoon in the world. It's worth taking a look at, it's very impressive. The staff are all pleasant enough, but are clearly used to dealing with tea towel-buying customers, and can be flummoxed if you ask for anything a little more out of the ordinary.

Isabella's is a beautiful gift shop situated in the ill-fated Morgan Arcade…read more Like The Royal Arcade, it is enclosed under a beautifully ornate Victorian glass ceiling, but where this works to the advantage of The Royal Arcade, intensifying the vibe, with the noises amplifying as they carry down this lovely long mews, it has the opposite effect in The Morgan Arcade. With very little activity, the few sounds that are made tend to echo harshly off the buildings and ceiling, accentuating the fact that it isn't much used. Businesses like Isabella's are staving off the demise at the St Mary Street end of the arcade. Well positioned sandwich boards at the mouth of the arcade are drawing in a steady stream of visitors as far as her shop at least. But even this isn't an entirely successful quest. Isabella's was once an up-market gift shop selling originally designed accessories and ornaments. These days such items sit gathering dust on the shelves, whilst the low cost cheap and cheerful Welsh souvenirs and nick-nacks fly out of the door. And even though these sales keep her busy all day, the average spend is about £1.00 per person, and so when she tots up the take at the end of the day it is depressingly low compared to the volume of custom. This is a tragedy. What's more, if Isabella is lucky enough to sell one of her beautiful handbags or a piece of exquisite jewellery, the money is immediately reinvested in the more gimmicky souvenir stock, instead of the more creditable higher cost items. It's a war of attrition that will eventually culminate in the unique identity of the shop being lost, and a valuable outlet for more creative endeavour will be lost forever. Isabella clearly has taste and flair in abundance. She's a smart woman attempting to do what she loves. I'm not sure whether she can see the transformation through to the bitter end. But with bills to pay, she's there for the meantime at least. And who knows, something may happen to turn around the fortune of this declining arcade? The Cardiff Arts Institute

Located in the Grade II listed Morgan Arcade, Isabella's seems to specialise in two main types of…read moregifts: Murano Glass Jewellery and Welsh Gifts. It's a slightly odd mix, to be honest - with the rather expensive-looking glassware and gifts on the one hand, and the rather brash, touristy, Welsh-themed items on another. It's probably best known for its brightly-coloured range of Antica Murrina handmade Murano glass jewellery, and Simstars - which are some kind of charm beads made of sterling silver or Murano glass, which you can put together in your own design to make up a unique charm bracelet or necklace. They also stock IVV, a range of Italian hand-made decorative glass in all sorts of interesting shapes, vibrant colours and different textures. When it comes to Welsh gifts, you can choose from a fairly predictable range of mugs and kitchen aprons with a Welsh flag design; slate house numbers and name signs; fridge magnets showing the traditional Welsh costume; ornaments of Welsh dragons; and postcards of local scenes and attractions. Although this shop does contain some beautiful objects, it doesn't hold a great deal of appeal for me - but if you're a visitor to Wales, or you're really into glass jewellery, Isabella's is worth a look.

This is quite simply the best Welsh gift shop I have ever been in. They have a huge selection of…read morewelsh gifts available including postcards, love spoons, miners lamps, silver spoons, thimbles, t-shirts, t-towels, magnets, welsh jewellery, sweets, fudge, whiskey, soft toys, coal carvings, watches, baby clothes, toys and so much more. They are right opposite Cardiff castle gates which puts them in a prime spot for visiting tourists. I wanted to find my friend a gift he would really like for his birthday and I wanted to get something useful. He's really patriotic and loves the welsh dragon design so I popped into the store to see what I could find. They staff were really, really helpful and were able to reel off a list of items they stocked that have the welsh dragon on them. After being shown numerous items the assistant showed me a pair of welsh dragon cufflinks which were perfect. They cost less than £20 which was what I told them my budget was and my friend was over the moon with them. If you need a gift for someone and you want it to be welsh then this is the best place to come

Bottom Line: The best place I discovered in Wales with the largest inventory of Welsh gifts,…read moresouvenirs, and hand-crafted art. It is also the home of the World's Largest Handcarved Welsh Lovespoon. Extremely friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommended!

If you find yourself in Cardiff, I'd recommend visiting the market (also known as Central Market)!…read moreIt's been around since the 1700s, and in the same Victorian-style building - with a big glass roof - for over 100 years. There's *a lot* to look at and take in, so heads-up if you're a person that gets overstimulated by noise (because that's what the market is: organized chaos of vendors selling anything and everything from coffee to clothing to walking sticks to fish). We enjoyed a bunch of food that we brought to the low, bar-style seating on the first floor, including... Tukka Tuk (5) - first floor, 219 - 223: Indian street food by a multi-award winning chef. And, yeah, believe the hype. This was one of the best things we ate in Wales (and it was vegan!). We did the Build A Bowl and chose 1) half pilav rice and half plain chips topped with 2) coconut dal and 3) cauli kemp. It was rich, creamy, and an absolute explosion of flavor! I regret sharing this with my partner, so - PRO TIP - get your own. Pierogi (4) - first floor, 213 - 217: Polish pierogis. These fresh dumplings prepared daily using their family's special recipe are DELICIOUS. We tried the vegan ones, which at the time were roasted buckwheat with onion and mushroom sauce. So, so good. There's usually five-ish flavors to choose from, and I think they come in two portions (small with four pierogies; large with seven pierogies). Cardiff Bakestones (4) - ground floor, 161 - 165: Known for their Welsh cakes (which are kind of like a scone or a biscuit; softer and slightly sweet, they're baked round with a crinkly edge. Cardiff Bakestones has LOTS of different flavors (like salted caramel, nutella, lemon curd, chocolate chip, etc.) and also vegan and gluten-free options. Definitely get a couple more than you think you're gonna want, because *trust me* you're going to want another right after the one you've just eaten!

Cardiff Market/Marchnad Caerdydd is kind of like our flea markets and we check it out last…read moreWednesday. I bought a teeshirt and Gord bought a couple of stones and a faggot (a savory meatball made from minced pork offal [heart, liver, and fatty belly meat], wrapped in caul fat and baked or stewed in gravy). Cardiff Market (also known as Central Market) is an impressive Victorian structure which offers a unique shopping experience in the heart of a modern, bustling city. Under one great glass roof you will find a wealth of products ranging from pots and pans to bread and butter, and from nuts and bolts to rock and roll. Cardiff Market has been trading in one form or another since the 1700's.

This is a fantasy sweetshop…read more Rows and rows of treats on shelves and old school jars of bon bons and god knows what. It made me instantly regress into childhood. It's indescribable.

As Tiffany said, this is a lovely old fashioned little sweet shop in Penarth. There's something…read moregenuine about this place: you know that your grandparents' childhoods were filled with the same rows of jars with the same kinds of sweets making the insides all sticky. And these are proper sweets too: the kind that won't make you fat (but will rot your teeth. Humbugs, rhubarb and custards, barley sugar, Turkish delight, mint creams... all of those classics. Fortunately, for those who are otherwise inclined, there is also a good selection of modern chocolate too. There is also an excellent selection of handmade chocolates and fudges, which really are lovely, and make seeking out this little shop really worth it. For yourself, or for gifts, this shop will be a winner.