It’s the most wonderful time of the year, again! So we’re bringing you the best places to do your Christmas shopping in Leeds.
Leeds City Centre has forever been a popular city for its shopping scene, and offers a combination of both fantastic independent and chain retailers that bring a variety of different types of shops to Leeds.
Christmas Shopping in Leeds: Shop Local
Boasting an array of gorgeous independents, Leeds Corn Exchange is the perfect place to head to if you’re looking to shop local this Christmas.
Venture into the dried and preserved flower haven that is the newly opened Attic in Bloom, where you can gain expert advice on perfect pairings for a bouquet for a friend or loved one.
The Plant Point is a wonderful plant shop for any of your green-fingered friends, if you can manage to keep the plant alive until you gift it, that is!
Perhaps someone you know is a fan of interiors? Indie Makers always have some fantastic Leeds based prints, for all the Leeds lovers out there, as well as beauty products, art prints, accessories and cards!
The Great Yorkshire Shop is a must for anything Yorkshire related, who said a Yorkshire-to-English dialect book wasn’t a necessity? If you're struggling to choose the perfect gift, perhaps treat yourself to a box of biscuits whilst you decide!
Other places to mention in the Corn Exchange for your Christmas Shopping are; All Blues Co, Chinese Laundry, Cole’s Gallery, Dion Smith Jewellery, Fabrikk, Giant Kitten, Hidden Wardrobe, MKI Miyuki Zoku, Narr Radio, On The Wall, Red Tattoo & Piercing, Released Records, Roller Girl Gang, Simcha Gallery, S.Joon, The Sculpture Gallery, TOM-O (don’t worry, for all our cheese lovers; The Cheesy Living Co. is featured further down the post)
The Floating Book Shop at Leeds Dock: Holdfast
The Floating Book Shop is quite literally what it says on the tin, a canal boat that’s moored at Leeds Dock, open Thursday to Sunday selling all the bestsellers and timeless classics that you could ever need! Hopping aboard and buying a book from this wonderful little shop is as much of a treat for you as it is for the person you’re buying for, so make sure to enjoy every minute spent deliberating over which novel to buy whilst aboard the Marjorie.R.
Leeds boasts its wonderful arcades scattered across the city centre, why not focus your Christmas shopping in Leeds within these tiny tunnels, filled with independents, eateries, coffee shops and chains! In Thornton's Arcade, you can find coffee beans at Kapow Coffee, treat a loved one to a nail or beauty treatment at Sable (formally Ragdoll Nails), or a stunning piece of jewellery from one of the family-run establishments within the arcade.
Queens Arcade offers you the option to shop second-hand at Cancer Research, or you might fancy purchasing a gift card for the a foodie in your life, at Olive & Thai and Olive & Rye (One is Thai food and the other is a brunch spot). Or if you’re feeling particularly generous this year, you’ve got Hays Travel…we’ll leave that to you to decide!
Leeds Trinity and Victoria Gate
Christmas shopping in Leeds wouldn’t be the same without the dazzling lights of Leeds Trinity and Victoria Gate. Next to Leeds Market, you'll find the newly opened Victoria Gate, a luxury shopping experience, with popular high street shops, including Anthropologie, Neom, & Other Stories and The White Company for perfect homewear and self-care gifts.
Leeds Trinity have more high street shops, and every Friday & Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 11am - 5pm you'll find the Curated Makers Market, selling locally-made products and festive treats!
Christmas Shopping in Leeds: It’s going to be a boozy Christmas!
Tucked under a railway arch sits Lattitude Wine and Liquor Merchant, which hosts a large range of stock for every palate (that’s for every palate 18 and above, of course). Pick by country, organic, vegan, vegetarian or even sustainable wines, and if you’re a bit unsure on anything, the staff members here are super helpful and will go out of their way to find something to fit the bill. Not only is there a huge selection to choose from, but there’s also the option to buy a gift card, or even gift a wine and cheese tasting evening, hosted by Lattitude.
For all your beer-loving friends, The Little Leeds Beer House focuses on speciality beers, wines and spirits, but if you’re not sure on their preferred tipple, the Beer House have gift cards or even merch to choose from.
Christmas Shopping in Leeds: Food, food and more food!
A fantastic gift for your favourite foodies, choose a guided or self-guided food tour, where you'll be taken to some of the best independent eateries in Leeds, with food included at every stop!
Both options immerse you in Leeds' culture, taking you on a fantastic walking tour of the city's best independent pubs, restaurants and street food venues, providing historical and quirky facts along the way.
The guided tours are run by the fabulous and knowledgeable Ellen (owner and founder of Leeds Food Tours) or the lovely Lynda, both are experts in the field of all things food, in Leeds!
The self-guided tours are designed for two people, to be done at their own pace, at a time that suits them- which makes either option the most perfect gift this Christmas for anyone who is a lover of food, and Leeds!
The Cheesy Living Co.
Do you have any cheese lovers in your life? The Cheesy Living Co. is the perfect spot to do your Christmas shopping in Leeds as they offer a huge variety of English, French and Italian inspired locally-made cheeses! Pair these with chutney, jams, preserves, artisan crackers, or if its all a bit too much for you to choose from- The Cheesy Living Co. have gift cards, so you don’t have to do the hard work! The Cheesy Living Co. often host gin, beer, wine and cheese tasting evenings at their Leeds Corn Exchange branch, making it the perfect evening out for couples and friends to enjoy local cheeses and alcoholic beverages, what a gift!
This is one for the spice fiends out there, The Chilli Shop in Leeds makes the perfect spot to do your Christmas shopping at. If you've got any ‘First we Feast’ fans in your life, then The Chilli Shop is the place to be! With regular ‘Hot Ones’ events (trying various levels of hot sauce), this makes a fantastic gift idea for anyone who can hack a bit of spice. The Chilli Shop also has a huge selection of sauces to purchase and take home, including locally made chilli sauce brand ‘Thiccc Sauce’, and hot festive twists; Chipotle Habanero Honey, Chilli Jams and more…
If you'd like anymore information on Leeds Food Tours, visit our website here, or please feel free to get in touch at hello@leedsfoodtours.com!