We checked 14 independent Brighton and Hove shops, from Snoopers Paradise to The Book Nook, for opening hours and addresses. Updated November 2026.
Brighton and Hove has 14 independent shops worth a Christmas shopping trip in 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with opening hours, addresses and what each one sells. Start with Snoopers Paradise for vintage, Resident for records, Kemptown Bookshop for books and The Book Nook for children. Every entry was checked on 5 November 2026 against the shop’s own site or, where that would not load, its listing.
We have not shopped at any of these for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry says what the shop says it sells and adds what others have published about it. The hours are the normal ones the shops publish, and we found no Christmas hours for any of them yet, so check before a special trip.
Christmas shopping dates in Brighton, 2026
- Late opening in the North Laine: VisitBrighton listed late opening until 8pm on three December Thursdays in 2025. We found no 2026 dates on 5 November.
- Churchill Square: the shopping centre is open 9am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday, its normal hours since September 2025. We found no separate Christmas hours.
- Valley Gardens Christmas market: 26 November to 27 December, 12 noon to 9pm every day, in front of the Royal Pavilion. Details are on our Christmas market page.
- Brighton Etsy Christmas Fair: Saturday 5 December, 10am to 4pm, in the Brighton Dome Concert Hall Foyer, free to enter, with more than 90 local makers.
- Frost, Fire and Fizz: Wednesday 2 December, 5pm to 7pm, an after-hours evening at the Royal Pavilion with 15% off in the shop and a glass of sparkling wine. £26, over 18s only.
North Laine and Trafalgar Street
1. Snoopers Paradise, Kensington Gardens
Snoopers Paradise calls itself “a Brighton institution” and “a salmon pink emporium of eclecticism”, with 7,000 square feet of stalls. Its VisitBrighton listing names ceramics, records, glassware, paintings, books, jewellery, toys and advertising signs among the stock, so it suits a one-off present rather than a set list.
A street market runs outside it every day.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm; Sun and bank holidays 11am to 5pm (VisitBrighton; the shop's own site showed 10.15am to 5.45pm on 5 November)
Address 7-8 Kensington Gardens, BN1 4AL
Website snoopersparadise.co.uk
Good for vintage clothing, homeware, collectables, one-off presents
2. Resident, Kensington Gardens
Resident describes itself as “a truly independent record shop” and has traded in the North Laine since 2004. It sells new and classic music on vinyl and CD, along with books, and says it is multi-award winning.
Its website asks customers to check for changed hours around Christmas.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm; Sun 10am to 5.30pm
Address 27-28 Kensington Gardens, BN1 4AL
Website resident-music.com
Good for vinyl, CDs, music books
3. Dave’s Comics, Sydney Street
Dave’s Comics has two shops a few doors apart. Number 5 sells graphic novels, comics, posters, children’s books and manga.
Number 3 sells back issue comics, toys, Pokemon cards and trading card games. It says it is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm; Sun 10.30am to 5pm
Call 01273 691012
Address 5 Sydney Street, Brighton
Website davescomics.co.uk
Good for graphic novels, manga, trading cards, children's books
4. Rarekind Records, Trafalgar Street
Rarekind Records says the shop has plenty more rare and collectable vinyl in store, in all genres, than its website shows. VisitBrighton’s 2025 Christmas guide describes it as an independent record shop specialising in hip hop, funk, soul and reggae, and says it also sells merchandise and gig tickets.
Open Mon to Sat 11am to 6pm; Sun 12 noon to 5pm
Address 104 Trafalgar Street, BN1 4ER
Website rarekindrecords.co.uk
Good for rare vinyl, hip hop, funk and soul, gig tickets
London Road
5. Brighton Open Market, Marshalls Row
The Open Market sits just off London Road, across from The Level. VisitBrighton says it is home to over 50 local producers and creators.
Its own site says to check individual stores for their hours. VisitBrighton listed Christmas markets on four Saturdays in 2025, each with 40 pop-up stalls; we found no 2026 dates on 5 November.
Open Mon to Fri 7am to 7pm; Sat 7am to 5pm, stalls from 10am; Sun 10am to 5pm
Address Marshalls Row, BN1 4JU
Website brightonopenmarket.co.uk
Good for local makers, food and drink, Saturday stalls
The Lanes and Hanningtons Lane
6. FAIR, Hanningtons Lane
FAIR opened in 2008, and its VisitBrighton listing says it was one of the first shops in the country to specialise in sustainable and Fair Trade fashion. It sells womenswear, accessories and some menswear, with a focus on natural and organic materials, plus handcrafted home decor and jewellery.
It has moved to Hanningtons Lane.
Address 5 Hanningtons Lane, BN1 1GS
Website fairshop.co.uk
Good for Fair Trade clothing, accessories, jewellery
7. hugo & green, Hanningtons Lane
hugo & green describes itself as “much more than just a houseplant shop”, and says its staff will help you find the right plant for your indoor space. It is on the pedestrian-only Hanningtons Lane in The Lanes.
It closes on Tuesdays.
Open Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri and Sun 11am to 6pm; Sat 10am to 6pm; closed Tue
Address 3 Hanningtons Lane, BN1 1HJ
Website hanningtonsbrighton.com/listing/hugoandgreen
Good for houseplants, presents for plant lovers
8. Baroque Bespoke Jewellery, Union Street
Baroque was set up in 2006 by a collective of Brighton jewellery designers, and works from a former fisherman’s cottage in The Lanes, according to VisitBrighton. Its goldsmiths take commissions, and it says these can take up to eight weeks, though a rapid service is offered.
For a commissioned Christmas present, that makes early November the time to ask. We could not read the shop’s own website.
Open Mon to Fri 10.30am to 5pm; Sat 10.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 11.30am to 4pm (VisitBrighton)
Address 9 Union Street, BN1 1HA
Good for bespoke jewellery, commissions, remodelling heirlooms
9. Nancy Meiland Parfums, Nile Street
Nancy Meiland spent a decade in fragrance before launching Nancy Meiland Parfums, including co-running the former School of Perfumery. VisitBrighton lists her perfume studio on Nile Street, and the website offers a fragrance profiling service.
It says the studio is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but gives no other hours we could read.
Open closed Mon and Tue
Address 2 Nile Street, BN1 1HW
Website nancymeiland.com
Good for perfume, fragrance profiling
10. The Lanes Armoury, Meeting House Lane
The Lanes Armoury sells antique swords, samurai armour, pistols and military books, and says its family has traded for over 100 years. Every item comes with its own certificate of authenticity.
This is a specialist’s shop rather than a general gift shop, for the collector you already know about. Its phone line is staffed from 11am to 4pm.
Call 01273 321357
Address 26 Meeting House Lane, BN1 1HB
Website thelanesarmoury.co.uk/home.php
Good for antique arms and armour, military books, collectors
Kemptown
11. Kemptown Bookshop, St George’s Road
Kemptown Bookshop calls itself Brighton’s oldest independent bookshop, trading since 1976. It has three floors of books for adults and children, plus stationery, toys and games, gifts, fine art and a cafe, which covers most of a family’s list in one stop.
The Independent is quoted on its site calling it Brighton’s longest-running independent bookshop.
Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 11am to 4pm
Address 91 St George's Road, BN2 1EE
Website kemptownbookshop.co.uk
Good for books, stationery, toys and games, cafe
12. Kemptown Trading Post, St George’s Road
Kemptown Trading Post describes itself as “an eclectic and bohemian market” of collectibles, antiques, furniture, vintage clothing and second-hand designer clothing. It shares the space with the Cup of Joe cafe.
It sits on the same road as Kemptown Bookshop, so the two make an easy pair.
Open Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm; Sat 9am to 5pm; Sun 10am to 5pm
Address 27 St Georges Road, BN2 1ED
Website kemptowntradingpost.co.uk
Good for vintage clothing, antiques, collectibles, cafe
Hove
13. Velvet, Church Road
Velvet calls itself an independent destination store in the heart of Hove, established in 2000. It sells women’s clothing and lifestyle products, and added a menswear space in the past year or so.
VisitBrighton describes two floors of fashion, homeware and lifestyle products near Hove seafront.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 5.30pm; Sat 9am to 6pm; Sun 10am to 5pm
Address 66-68 Church Road, BN3 2FP
Website velvetstore.co.uk
Good for womenswear, menswear, homeware
14. The Book Nook, First Avenue
The Book Nook is an independent children’s bookshop, established in 2009 by Julie Ward and Vanessa Lewis. It was voted Children’s Bookseller of the Year in 2012, 2015 and 2018 at The Bookseller Industry Awards.
It also runs as an art gallery, sells signed editions on its website and has a pirate ship for children to play in.
Call 01273 911988
Address First Avenue, BN3 2FJ
Website booknookuk.com
Good for children's books, signed editions, art gallery, children's play
Getting there
Brighton station is about a 10-minute walk from the Open Market, and the North Laine starts just south of it. Our Christmas and New Year travel page has the rail and bus changes for the holiday period, and parking in Brighton lists the car parks.
How we chose
These are independent shops chosen on what can be checked: they sell things people give as presents, they have an established public record, and most appear in VisitBrighton’s shop local guide. Chains are left out. We checked each shop’s own website where it would load, and say so in the entry where we relied on a listing instead. The order is by area, not a ranking.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@brightontimes.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@brightontimes.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
For more locally, see things to do in Brighton, what’s on in Brighton this month, the Christmas lights and market, Christmas at the Royal Pavilion, Christmas concerts and carols, Brighton cafes, Brighton restaurants and our local business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the independent shops in Brighton?
The main clusters are the North Laine (Kensington Gardens, Sydney Street and Trafalgar Street), The Lanes including Hanningtons Lane, London Road and the Open Market, St George’s Road in Kemptown, and Church Road and First Avenue in Hove. This guide lists 14 shops across those areas.
Is there late night Christmas shopping in Brighton in 2026?
Churchill Square is open until 8pm Monday to Saturday all year. In 2025 the North Laine opened late until 8pm on three December Thursdays, but we found no 2026 dates on 5 November. The Royal Pavilion shop holds a ticketed evening on Wednesday 2 December, 5pm to 7pm, £26.
Is there a Christmas market in Brighton in 2026?
Yes. The council says a small traditional Christmas market will run at Valley Gardens from 26 November to 27 December, 12 noon to 9pm every day. The Brighton Etsy Christmas Fair is at Brighton Dome on Saturday 5 December, 10am to 4pm, and is free to enter.
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