My 20 Favourite Independent Shops in Brighton

Brighton is one of the best cities in the UK for independent shopping, and once you’ve spent a morning immersed in the scene, you’ll understand why.

The good news is many of the best shops are in the one place: the bohemian North Laine, a few streets of indie heaven in the heart of the city, where you can pick up anything from bongo drums to bonsai trees – and that’s even before you’ve wandered into the neighbouring streets.

Venture a little further into neighbourhoods like Seven Dials, Fiveways and Hove to find some of the city’s most interesting and characterful shops; the kind that don’t need a prime North Laine location to draw a loyal following.

Here are my personal favourites; the best independent shops in Brighton I return to again and again for homewares, fashion, books, souvenirs, gifts and the occasional browse that turns into an accidental hour.

The post was originaly written in September 2020 but is updated regularly to keep it fresh.

North Laine

1 Yashar Bish

Stepping inside this chic North Laine corner shop feels like wandering into a Moroccan souk.

Run by a lovely couple who founded the business in the early 1990s, it specialises in authentic hand-knotted and flat-woven rugs sourced directly from Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan.

Floor to ceiling, every inch is filled with kilim cushion covers in every colour and pattern imaginable, Turkish mosaic lamps and tribal jewellery.

The kind of place you go in for one cushion cover and leave with several, a few rugs and a couple of lamps.

Find Yashar Bish at 96 Gloucester Road, Brighton BN1 4AP

2 Abode Living

A deceptively small shop that somehow packs in an impressive edit of cool homewares: rattan mirrors and chairs, eclectic crockery, vintage travel posters and ceramics that are impossible to ignore. I always leave with at least one addition to my collection.

Find Abode Living at 32 Kensington Gardens, Brighton BN1 4AL

3 Yum Yum Oriental Market

Browsing supermarkets abroad is one of my favourite things to do on holiday. So when I want to feel like I’m travelling without leaving Brighton, I come here and lose myself among the shelves packed with Asian ingredients that make me want to go home and whip up something new alongside sauces, snacks and homewares like waving cats and soaps. They also stock fortune cookies, which is reason enough to visit.

Find Yum Yum Oriental Market at 22-23 Sydney Street, Brighton BN1 4EN

4 Black Out Shop

A carefully curated riot of colour and kitsch from around the world, all crammed into one of the dinkiest shops on the fringes of the North Laine.

Think: Mexican Loteria cards, Moroccan melamine plates, Indian tin ornaments and woven bags – every visit turns up something new. I’ve written about it in more detail here.

Find Blackout Shop at 53 Kensington Place, Brighton BN1 4EJ

5 Real Patisserie

Inventors of the city-famous chewy brown bread, this trio of patisserie shops gives French bakeries a run for their money. Be prepared to come for a loaf, get carried away and leave with armfuls of paper bags filled with sweet treats.

They also do quiches, sandwiches, party food and the most amazing Viennese-style mince pies at Christmas.

Find Real Patisserie at Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ER

6 Pen to Paper

A time-worn stationer that thinks more about what it stocks than how it looks – and all the better for it. Inside you’ll find tons of notebooks, chic cards, fun pens and beautiful wrapping paper, plus a great selection of Rhodia notebooks, made in France since 1934. The kind of shop that makes you want to handwrite letters again.

Find Pen to Paper at 4 Sydney Street, Brighton BN1 4EN

7 New Fabric Fair

This feast for the eyes is my favourite place to buy fabric when the sewing mood strikes, which it does occasionally.

Open for over 80 years and run for the past 40 by Monty and Shashi who took over in the 1980s, it’s an organised chaos of shelves bursting with fabric from all over the world, spilling out onto the pavement outside.

There’s also a mesmerising collection of haberdashery – buttons, zips and all sorts of other useful bits and pieces.

Find New Fabric Fair at 51 Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 1UP

8 Utility

Stepping inside this no-nonsense homeware shop is like time-travelling to 1940s, 50s or 60s Britain, or onto the set of the BBC comedy Open All Hours.

It’s been in business here an incredible 25 years, probably because it steers clear of trends, favouring products designed so well there’s been no need to change them. Think: Spode crockery, Duralex glassware and Silvine stationery.

Find Utility at 28A North Road, Brighton BN1 1YB

9 Brighton Your Spirit

A tiny, carefully curated spirits shop run by a lovely husband and wife on Sydney Street. From small-batch local gins to rare-aged whiskies and exotic dark rums, they’ve scoured the globe so you don’t have to. You’ll pop in for one bottle of something and end up in a fascinating conversation about mezcal. Perfect for unusual gifts.

Find Brighton Your Spirit at 33 Sydney Street, Brighton BN1 4EP

10 Tribeca

No need to go to London for designer fashion when you have this tiny well-stocked emporium on your doorstep.

The first boutique in the UK to stock Isabel Marant and Ulla Johnson, it carries an edit of French and international favourites alongside jewellery by local makers.

I love it just as much for its dusky purple facade, old fisherman’s cottage setting and the intriguing window in the roof.

Find Tribeca at 21 Bond Street, Brighton BN1 1RD

11 Resident Records

One of Brighton’s most beloved independents, tucked into Kensington Gardens in the heart of the North Laine.

The record selection is enormous – new releases, back catalogue, every genre – but what surprises most first-time visitors is the books.

Recent in-store guests have included Jeff Goldblum, which tells you everything you need to know about the calibre of this place.

A brilliant escape from the Saturday crowds outside and the kind of shop you can lose an hour in without noticing.

Find Resident Records at 27-28 Kensington Gardens, Brighton BN1 4AL

Seven Dials

12 Seven Cellars

Set in a beautifully preserved former butcher’s shop – you can still see the original tiles and hatch behind the till – this is the kind of wine shop that makes you want to become a more serious wine drinker.

Crammed floor to ceiling with an ever-changing selection of bottles from around the world, with regular tasting nights for when you want expert guidance on where to start.

Find Seven Cellars at 104a Dyke Road Brighton England BN1 3JD

13 Hi Cacti

Brighton’s only shop specialising in cacti and easy-care houseplants, run by the lovely Sabine Palermo who started it when she moved to England from Austin, Texas – which explains the Tex-Mex meets Palm Springs vibes inside.

These days it also doubles as a coffee shop, making it an even better excuse to linger. If you’re having a bad day and arrive here sad, you will leave full of inspiration and cheer.

Find Hi Cacti at 83 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JE

14 Kate Langdale Florist

Kate makes showstopping flowery bunches and creations from her enchanting studio tucked away in Seven Dials.

It’s more of a working space than a traditional shop, so you’ll need to call ahead to place an order and arrange a pick-up time.

She’s great at understanding what you want whatever the budget. You won’t be disappointed. Find her on my hidden walk around Seven Dials.

Find Kate Langdale Florist at 84c Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JD

15 Treasure and Trash

The faded burgundy paintwork and gold swirly writing alone make this one of the most enticing shopfronts in Brighton.

Inside this tiny vintage furniture shop, every inch is crammed with gems – sideboards, chairs, lamps, picture frames, fireplaces, chairs, you name it.

The kind of place you go in for a browse and leave wondering how to get a 1960s sideboard home on the train. Discover it on my hidden walk around Seven Dials.

Find Treasure and Trash at 84c Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JD

Kemptown

16 Brighton Flea Market

Snooper’s Paradise in the North Laine is Brighton’s most famous vintage market, but it gets busy, especially at weekends. This is the quieter alternative across town in Kemptown, with just as much to discover spread across two huge floors.

Think: antique glassware, 1970s bookcases, crockery, artwork and mirrors. It’s also a good excuse to visit Cafe Marmalade, one of Brighton’s most characterful cafes, nearby, and to explore Kemptown while you’re over that side of town.

Find Brighton Flea Market at 31a Upper St James’s Street, Brighton BN2 1JN

Fiveways

17 Preloved of Brighton

This neighbourhood vintage boutique in Fiveways worth making the trip for. It attracts sellers and shoppers from far and wide, which means the stock changes constantly and browsing is a fun surprise.

The themed window display alone is worth a look – it’s carefully curated around a different colour or season and changes regularly. Local celebrity Zoe Ball is a fan, too, which tells you everything about the calibre of the finds.

Find Preloved of Brighton at 267A Preston Drove, Brighton BN1 6FL. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 9am-5pm

18 Hollingdean Wholefoods

One of Brighton’s secret shops, this hidden wholefood store tucked inside an artists’ studio and gallery space on a residential street isn’t the kind of place you’d stumble on without someone pointing you there.

Run by volunteers, it stocks organic fruit and veg and whole food staples like lentils, pasta and rice.

The creative, earthy atmosphere makes it feel like somewhere only locals know about – which, largely, it is.

Find Hollingdean Wholefoods inside Coachwerks Studio, 19a Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton BN1 7HB

Central Hove

19 City Books

A Brighton institution, this family-run shop is the city’s best-loved local independent bookshop. It’s a nice destination after a wander along the seafront from the centre of Brighton.

It’s well stocked with bestsellers and classics as well as a big range of local reads, including my bestselling guidebook to the city’s unsung treasures, Secret Brighton.

Find City Books at 23 Western Road, Hove BN3 1AF

20 Audrey’s Chocolates

A nostalgic hidden sweet shop with roots in the 1920s, an original interior dating to the 1960s and a secret connection to London’s famous Fortnum & Mason.

Every chocolate is made by hand in the mini factory on the first floor. One of my favourite Brighton discoveries – I’ve written about it in more detail here.

Find Audrey’s Chocolates at 28 Holland Road, Hove BN3 1JJ

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If this guide has given you a taste for Brighton’s independent scene, my guidebook Secret Brighton takes you even further off the beaten path – hidden places, secret histories and the Brighton most visitors never find.

Planning a full trip? My Local’s Guide to Brightonhas everything else you need, or browse all my Brighton Like a Local stories for more insider recommendations.