Independent shops within 5 miles of Edinburgh

Friendly, brilliantly-priced (most items well under £20) shop with a tangible sense of humour, stocking homeware, gifts and jewellery. We love the Invisible Bookshelves, the astroturf-inspired toothbrush holder, and the fact that these things sit…

Specialists in vintage retro furniture and design, with an enviable collection of Scandinavian sideboards, Ercol chairs, 70s glassware and taxidermied ducks.

Edinburgh's original designer label boutique offers outrageous creations (at equivalent prices) for boys and girls from the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, Katherine Hamnett, and Comme des Garcons.

Skate and street wear for the boys, with labels like Stussy and Nike, Skullcandy headphones and Nixon watches; also stocks an excellent range of DVDs and is, like, the only place to go to get a new deck for your wheels. Right?

Gorgeous, tactile knitwear for wool enthusiasts; stock includes several hard-to-find Scottish and European designers, and there's a quirky in-house label too.

Stylish homewares, with a good range of Scandinavian design, Scottish digitally printed textiles and wool rugs.

Simple, basic and excellent wee record shop with absolutely no attitude, selling a great selection of blues, rock, folk, reggae and jazz, mostly second hand. Will occasionally buy records too.

In 2005, at the Scottish Parliament, the Dalai Lama told Reka Gawa: ‘Don't forget you’re Tibetan; keep the culture alive.’ She had long dreamed of opening a shop, and in 2007, inspired by his words, she did so: the photo of their meeting hangs proudly…

Muso paradise indeed. This grungy second-hand store is full of rare CDs and DVDs, collectable box sets and T-shirts. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, the windows are crammed with rarities, and there's a great trade-in policy.

A book shop with a strong political identity and focus on promoting non-mainstream literature. To this end they run the annual Edinburgh Book Fringe during August, with a series of free literary events featuring offbeat writers, and the Edinburgh…

Located behind Waverley train station, this world-class gallery showcases work by many of the leading names in contemporary art. An all-glass frontage allows passing pedestrians to observe the lower level of the gallery beyond the bookshop and café, and…

Fabrick print t-shirts while you wait. They didn't say what you should wait for, but with 300 designs and 25 lettering styles you are sure to be kept busy. Custom print a hoodie, a bags, a t-shirt or even some underwear (clean of course). Prices range…

Dark, incense-scented fairy cavern full of statuettes of imps, pixies and assorted gnomes. Run by a woman so ethereal she might well be a fairy herself.

So much a Cockburn Street institution that it practically defines the area's identity, this tiny, dark little shop sells legal highs and all the assorted paraphanelia, as well as the odd saucy nurse outfit. Difficult to define, but very much part of the…

Brilliant, dedicated, er, design shop for the most fabulously stylish households around. Design Shop UK is run by knowledgeable and trend-aware staff, and stocks thoroughly contemporary and progressive pieces by the likes of Phillippe Starck, Missoni…

Pretty cotton print frocks, brief, patterned smocks and edgy T-shirts from the likes of Eucalpytus, Yamama, Ruby Walk and Sugarhill. Certainly at the top end of the Cockburn Street price range, but still that little bit more affordable than anywhere…