Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trawling the Stalls
The Barras,
held Saturday and Sunday
9am to 5pm, takes place about a kilo-
meter southeast of Glasgow's George
Square. This century-old market has
traders selling their wares in stalls and
shops. You not only can browse for that
special treasure, but also get a slice of
Glaswegian life. Alas, as the old traders
have died off, younger hawkers are not
replacing them. And the authorities
have had their hands full with the sale
of black-market goods, especially
tobacco, whose proceeds may help
fund organized crime. Still, where else
can you see an auction of 4.5kg (10 lb.)
of chicken legs, with a pound of bacon
thrown in for free?
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Within a modernized and renovated Victorian building, the mall has many specialty
stores, men's and women's fashion outlets, as well as restaurants, cafes, and bars.
If you're after a fancy watch or gold ring, go to the
Argyll Arcade,
the main
entrance to which is at 30 Buchanan St. Even if the year of its construction (1827)
wasn't posted above the entrance, you'd still know that this collection of shops
beneath a curved glass ceiling is historic. The L-shaped, Parisian-style arcade con-
tains one of the largest concentrations of retail
jewelers,
both antique and modern,
in all of Europe. It's considered lucky by some to purchase a wedding band here.
Nearby, between Argyle Street and the River Clyde is the
St. Enoch Shopping
Centre
(
&
0141/204-3900;
www.stenoch.com), which was being revamped and
expanded in 2010. It is a fairly conventional indoor shopping mall with a couple of
major department stores and a food court at one end.
The
Buchanan Galleries
(
&
0141/333-9898;
www.buchanangalleries.co.uk)
are at the top of Buchanan Street. Completed in 1999, this mammoth development
is hardly ground-breaking but it does include a
John Lewis
department store.
On the outskirts of town, the
Braehead Shopping Centre
(
&
0141/885-
1441;
www.braehead.co.uk) is between the city and the airport. Its major draw is a
sprawling Ikea store. In south Glasgow, the
Silverburn
shopping center (
&
0141/
880-3200;
www.silverburn.com) is a recent addition. These malls appear to be tak-
ing shoppers away from the city center, in part because they are consistently open
later in the evening.
SHOPPING A TO Z
In general, retail outlets in the city center are open from 9am until 6pm, though on
Thursday evenings, shops in the heart of the city can stay open until 8pm. Most
established stores are now open in the afternoon on Sunday.
Unless otherwise indicated, the shops below are in the commercial center of
Glasgow and are within walking distance of either the Buchanan Street or St. Enoch
underground stations.
Antiques
Victorian Village
This warren of shops offers a pleasantly claustrophobic array
of goods. Some of the merchandise isn't particularly noteworthy, but there are some
