| Berwick Street Market
Berwick Street Market
Berwick Street, W1
Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus
Open: Mon-Sat 08am-5.30pm.
Berwick Street market is an essential visit for Soho afficionados. Incongruously adjacent to the remaining dregs of the area's moribund sex industry, cheap fruit and vegetables are the market's mainstay.
The lusty-lunged vendors' impressive barking is an added attraction (rumour has it that Marc Bolan of T-Rex started out his vocal career here). There are also some excellent stalls selling cheeses, fish (beware of buying it on a Monday - it isn't fresh), flowers, breads and cheap CDs.
Lining the street are many good second-hand record shops and the butcher, Simply Sausages, also does extremely good sausages, some of them quite exotic. Fashion victims are strongly advised to drop into Vexed Generation. Berwick Street market boasts a good mix of fashion and media types, suits and shady characters, as well as tourists, so it is an entertaining place for a wander. Covent Garden
Covent Garden has traditionally been a centre of
small businesses. Once, it was a hive of coachmakers, especially
in Long Acre, premises which later became car dealers; there have
been lots of famous publishers and printers, notably Odhams Press.
Sainsbury's began in Drury Lane. Moss Bros. began on the site of
the Tesco store in Bedford Street. Samuel French, the theatrical
publishers began in Wellington Street. Sotheby's, the auctioneers
began in the same road.
Despite its throngs of tourists, Covent Garden is still remarkably intact and attractive. Much of it is fairly traffic-free and the area is therefore relaxed and a pleasure to explore. Neal Street is the best stretch in London for shoes (all looks, for both for men and women) and streetwear/casual shops like Diesel and Boxfresh. Long Acre is packed with high street chains like Muji, Oasis, Next and Esprit, while Floral Street is great for chic designer boutiques and upper end high street shops - Agnès b, Paul Smith, and Jigsaw, to name a few. St James's Antiques Market
St James's Antiques Market
197 Piccadilly, W1
Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus / Green Park / Victoria / Charing Cross
Open: Antiques: Wed-Sat 8am - 6pm. Craft / Tourist Market: Wed-Sat 8am - 6pm.
A specialist Antiques and Collectors' Market on Tuesdays and Crafts / Tourist Market Wednesday to Saturday.
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