Shopping in Leeds

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

From the big names in high fashion to independent shops based in historic arcades, and all your favourite high street brands, Leeds mixes these worlds together in a retail cocktail best served long. Leeds’ shopping district, housed within the city centre’s contrasting Victorian and modern architecture, you can easily walk between the grandeur of Victoria Gate to the DIY approach of Leeds’ famous indoor markets. The high street mecca that is the Trinity Centre is not to be overlooked either with its range of familiar names and late opening hours. However, what elevates the experience of shopping in Leeds is the quality of its independent retailers. From craft and makers cooperatives to the core of vintage and remade clothes shops surrounding the iconic corn exchange. Leeds is a place that encourages style and independence whilst still retaining a wide choice for those who prefer the high street or high-end fashion.

Our top picks

OK Comics

OK Comics, 19, Thornton’s Arcade, 14 Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6LQ - Visit now

At OK Cmics you’ll find helpful friendly staff and a vast selection of comics and graphic novels, from top-sellers to the painfully obscure.

OK Comics Leeds
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Blue Rinse

Blue Rinse, 9-11 Call Ln, Leeds, LS1 7DH - Visit now

Blue Rinse are one of the big boys of vintage shops, with outlets scattered all across the North. And for good reason, their shops are piled high with excellent quality items at a reasonable price.

Blue Rinse Leeds
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Pudsey Market

Pudsey Market, 1 Market Pl, Pudsey, Leeds, LS28 7BE - Visit now

Pudsey Market  is charmingly traditional, featuring everything from second-hand books, fabrics and gloriously fresh local foodstuff, perfectly following suit with its Victorian market town heritage.

pudsey market
Photo from Pexels

Colours May Vary

Colours May Vary, Leeds Corn Exchange, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 7BR - Visit now

A design and bookshop located on the ground floor of an office block in Leeds and next door to a commercial gallery is home to Colours May Vary. Step inside, however, and you’ll find a store stacked with contemporary design and photo books, magazines, artist-made and limited-edition goods, illustration, ceramics and homewares

Colours May Vary Leeds

Chirpy

Chirpy, 148 Harrogate Rd, Leeds, LS7 4NZ - Visit now

As well as being a design shop, selling everything for all your creative needs, alongside a bunch of quirky gifts and accessories, Chirpy also hosts regular workshops, teaching skills such as embroidery and candle-making.

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Jumbo Records

Jumbo Records, Street, 1-3 Merrion Centre, Leeds, LS2 8NG - Visit now

Jumbo Records is the beating heart of independent music shops in Leeds. Over the many decades it’s been in operation, the shop floor has expanded and the stock broadened out in taste and style. Now, Jumbo is a melting pot of genre that prioritises quality, regardless of style or personal taste.

Jumbo Records
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Pop Boutique Leeds

Pop Boutique Leeds, 12-14 Central Rd, Leeds, LS1 6DE - Visit now

Off Central Road, is Semi-independent, semi-chain vintage shop Pop Boutique, crammed with cute and quirky clothes, shoes and the odd bit of kitsch. It even has its own retro fashion range, subverting the very concept of ‘vintage’ itself. The range of stock covered goes right back to the 50s and sometimes earlier, with everything for mods, rockers, hippies, punks, goths, indie kids, and really everyone else. Popular with students, Instagram influencers, television and film

Pop Boutique Leeds
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Where to go in Leeds

Leeds
Event venue
The Bookish Type

An independent bookshop specialising in literature across the LGBTIQA+ spectrum.

Leeds
Shop
Truman Books

Truman Books is an independent bookshop and cafe in Farsley, West Leeds.

Demonstration taking place at Leeds Industrial Museum
Leeds
Museum
Leeds Industrial Museum

Leeds Industrial Museum, housed inside the Grade II listed Armley Mills, explores the history of manufacturing in Leeds since the 18th century, including textiles, printing, film and engineering.

Sunny Bank Mills Gallery
Leeds
Gallery
Sunny Bank Mills Gallery

Sunny Bank Mills Gallery is a light and airy art gallery inside a former cloth warehouse, in the heart of Farsley village.

Leeds
Museum
Thwaite Watermill

Nestled in a tiny island a short distance from Leeds City Centre, Thwaite Watermill is one of the last remaining water-powered mills in Britain.

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Museum
Temple Newsam

Take a trip to Temple Newsam, a country estate in the heart of Leeds. With a variety of attractions to keep the whole family entertained.

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Shop
Tribe Records Leeds

Tribe Records returns after a 4 year gap with a new store stocking house, techno, electro, reggae, dancehall, disco, world, dnb, bass & beats.

Record Shops in Leeds wall of sound
Leeds
Shop
Wall Of Sound Records Leeds

Wall of Sound is an independent record shop stocking second hand and rare Records, CDs, DVDs, Books and Memorabilia, located in the the heart of Leeds.

Best Leeds
Leeds
Shop
Best Leeds

Reworked clothing and old-school designer pieces, Best offers two floors of style in the heart of Leeds.

Jumbo Records
Leeds
Shop
Jumbo Records

Jumbo Records is Leeds’ number one independent record store, with these large premises occasionally featuring in-store events with a bountiful record collection and coffee.

Village Bookstore Leeds
Leeds
Shop
Village Bookstore

Leeds’ Village Bookstore is a classic-style bookshop, with a neat line in self-published zines.

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Whitelock’s Ale House Leeds
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Stationary shop Colours May Vary.
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Park Plaza Leeds
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