Kingston upon Hull Shopping Tips by northeast80 Top 5 Page for this destination

Hepworth's Arcade

Hepworth's has two main sections; one for fresh/packaged food and another for goods.
At one entrance there's Fanthorpe's which sells new and second hand, mainly Hi-Fi and TV equipment. I bought a second hand radio for my system there a while ago. It's been going since 1942.
Inside there's also some second hand/retro clothes shops, a huge record stall, cafe, joke shop, pipe & tobacco shop, there's lots of fresh fish, meat and fruit and veg, a greasy spoon, a Bob Carver's Fish and Chip shop (I've got a seperate tip for this company Hull Eateries)
At the Trinity Square entrance there's a stall selling lots and lots of very cheap packaged food, they also go to Walton Street Market, a belt/bag stall, cut flowers.

Not too long ago the arcade had a £200.000 make over and looks a lot fresher for it. This shopping arcade was built in 1894 by W H Kitching for J Hepworth, a Leeds tailor.

What to buy: It's nice to see a place full of local shops, not taken over by large chains, good for fresh fish and meat, vintage cothing and records.

Directions: At the bottom of Whitefriar Gate opposite Natwest Bank, the back is off Trinity Square.

Theme: Other

Paragon Arcade

One of only two arcades in Hull, the second being Hepworth's Arcade. It is best viewed from Carr Lane, Paragon Street being at the other end. Unfortunatley I can't find much on the history of the arcade, I'll have to keep looking!
Today the shops down it are- (From the Carr Lane End)
Segal's Jewellers (selling a lot of antique jewellery)
Bewlay's (a very quaint and now hard to find tobacco and smoking shop)
Hutchinsons
Segal's Gifts
Flower Corner (florist)
G's Collection (clothes)
Going Places (travel agents)
I'm sure there are a few more too, though I never go down it for the shops, just to look at the architecture.

Directions: One end is Paragon Street, the other Carr Lane

Theme: Other

Duncan's Gunmakers Ltd.: Need a gun??

I just though this was so odd I had to put it in, I had never really taken this shop in before, it's been in Hull for years and I liked the 'old' style frontage, even though it's not trying to be ironic. Plus the fact that it's quite scary to have a gun shop anyway.
There's a great history of the shop on their website, but 'Stanley' Duncan helped to bring about the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (though I'm not sure what shooting has to do with conservation!!)
The website doesn't really say when the shop first opened but Stanley Duncan lived from 1887 to 1954.

Address: 8 Paragon Square

Directions: Opposite the War Monument, which is opposite the Royal Hotel in front of the train station. Though people will know Paragon Square if you ask them anyway. .

Phone: 01482 328150

Theme: Sporting Goods

Website: http://www.duncansgunmakers.co.uk/

South Street

So South Street is very short but is has a huge Skeltons Bakery, with cafe on one corner, a Tony's Textiles (where you can buy cheap bedding, towels and fabric) a Heron Frozen Foods (a Hull based frozen food company that sells very very cheap frozen food, some in the basic packaging, mostly over produced stock that we can buy cheaper) a Pet Shop, a newsagents, a bakery that specialises in hot food and andwiches to take away, it has lots of cheap sweets and chocolate outside (see my photo for their grasp of spelling!) and two Alans Naturally shops, I really really like these. One sells lots of health food, dried fruit, pulses, nuts, herb teas and cheap things outside, the other shop (next door) sells fruit and veg.
As I said a short street but with plenty down it.

Directions: South Street, one end has West Street (a one way road) so is South Street incidently. At the other end is Carr Lane which has Kingston Communications on and the huge Primark.

Theme: Food and Drink

Seasider Seafoods: Fish, fish, glorious fish.

A huge selection of frozen fish, we usually only get here once a year just before Christmas, though I would love to shop here every week.
I never knock frozen food as it is usually fresher than fresh food, when it has traveled for days in lorries compared to being frozen as soon as they're caught.
We went to this shop yesterday, which is nothing fancy, a room full of big freezers really, though there's lots of fish recepie leaflets you can take. But it has a fantastic selection of fish, here's what we bought-
Whole Atlantic Salmon 2.2kgs for around £9
454gm of Prawns £2.50
1kg Green lipped New Zealand Muscles £4.30
Pack of Smoked Salmon £2.95 for 200gm.
Smoked Tuna £3.20 for 200gm.
Two packs of smoked salmon stuffed with cream cheese for 50p a pack.
Queen Scallops 454gm for £3.75
All that fish for just under £26!!

They also sell lots of fish steaks (Halibut, Red Snapper, Swordfish, Shark, Tuna, Salmon, Trout and Marlin), Crevettes, Scampi, Crab, fillets (Plaice, Haddock, Monk, Skate, Sea Bass, Hake). They even sell Frogs legs. Have a huge range of different smoked fish, some breaded fish and ones with sauces, shellfish and pates.

Address: 42-44 English Street

Directions: Close to the Ice Arena and Odeon Cinema.
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Sat- 10am-5pm
Sun- closed

Phone: 01482 587728

Theme: Food and Drink

Newland Avenue: Away from the centre

Well not a shop but a street, Newi Ave to the locals, this is a lovely shopping street which has really developed in the past five years or so.
So many coffee shops, cafes and bars have sprung up, they re-landscaped all the pavemants and parking, added benches and planters. It is now a pleasant place to shop, lots of Charity shops, a second hand book shop, fancy gift shops, a great fish mongers, a deli, and lots of bakeries.
Favourite bakery- Matt's Deli, a locally ran affair, makes fresh sandwiches, has little deli counter for cold cuts and cheeses.
Favorite coffee shop- Planet Coffee, the first one on the street really and has had to develop with all the competition, it's nice to sit outside when the weather's nice.
Favourite take-away- Viking Fisheries, mmm, fish and chip special for about £1.20, you can't go wrong.
Favourite toiletry shop (?) - Beauty Box, well I just like this one for being a little treasure trove. Usually has special offers.
Favourite cafe - The Zoo, this is down a little ally so is quite hidden, but is sign posted. It is all vegetarian food, and serves lovely, hearty, home cooked dinners and snacks.
Favourite food shop- Heron Frozen Foods, a Hull institution; due to all the frozen food factories around, Heron gets all the over produced stuff, near to sell by date, plain packaged stuff and sells them a lot cheaper than the other supermarkets.
Favourite Health Food shop- Hull Grain, has an fantastic range of health foods, has a cold counter, sells wonderful herbal teas, various homeopathy goods, lots of nuts and seeds and breads.

Directions: To the West of the town centre, you can get on the number 15 bus, or walk to 40 mins or so. Mos tof the University busses will go down here, the uni is quite close.

Theme: Other

Walton Street Car Boot and Market: From fruit & veg to 2nd hand spanners

Well not a shop but hundereds in one place. Walton Street is on every Wednesday (more market stalls) and every Sunday (more car boot stalls) of the year except when Hull Fair's on (6th-14th Oct) and Christmas week.
I love going here, you can pick up anything. Today I only bought a top for £1, but usually come away with lots of things, some go on ebay to sell for a vast profit :-)
You get lots of car boot stalls selling childrens stuff, tools, household goods, catalogue returns, knock off CD's and DVD's, clothes, just general stuff people don't want.
One persons junk is another persons treasure.
The market stalls also sell clothes, shoes, plants, tools, very cheap fruit and veg and food, sweets, magazines, mobile phones, hot food (the baked potatos and lovely in the winter), there's also huge meat vans selling off very cheap meat.

What to pay: Not much at all for example we got 8 pommegranits for £1, 20 Knick Nacks for £1, bananas for about 50p a pound, Douwe Egberts coffee for 50p, I got a pair of shop damaged Dorothy Perkins boots for £5, new £55.

Address: Walton Street Park and Ride.

Directions: Walton Street is off Spring Bank on one side and Anlaby Road on the other, both lead into the town centre.

Theme: Other