In Shops

worst place to go out in belfast could do actually a lot better coz of its location but what a waste of space needs total refurbishment minus 50 if i could give

I don’t really do the whole shopping mall thing. I’ll occasionally go into Castle Court for Boots and Poundland, but in general shopping centres are too bright, too busy and have too many people walking too slowly. And kids.
In Shops is not like this. It certainly can’t be called a mall. It probably can’t even be called a shopping centre either, more a motley crew of run-​down establishments that happen to be under one roof. It’s grubby, not at all trendy and you’ll not find a chain store anywhere near. I like it.
There’s a very cheap sewing supplies shop, a jewellery shop with really nice bits and pieces for around a tenner, a discount DVD shop, a piercing parlour, a shoe repair stall and a vintage clothes shop called Mike Hunt (geddit?) among many others. There are also a couple of shops selling garish millie clothes and straw-​like hair extensions that even by millie standards are just so bad I find myself gawking at them, crick-​necked, as I go by. And there are quite a few greasy spoon food places, ranging from Chinese and burgers to a place called The Big Breakfast, one of my most frequent cheapo places to eat and meriting a separate review all to itself.
In Shops is worth a look just for the novelty factor if anything else, and somewhere you should make a point of dragging your pretentious Victoria Square-​loving friends to to annoy them.

In shops is a strange place. I’m sure at one stage it would have been a very busy place indeed. It’s like a shopping centre but solely filled with independent stores, but I only think that’s because they’re the only people who will take the space. Recently I went into it, because I know it has a pet store. The store itself, just like many others in the place, had went downhill. It was barely stocked and all the animals looked almost as miserable as the guy behind the counter.
One new curiosity it the driving simulation school, which I suppose is for those who are to afraid at the minute to actually take to the real streets. I can see this place vanishing soon and some BHS or John Lewis knicking the space. I’m not sure whether its a pity or not.

I have mixed feelings about the In Shops.
On one hand, they have some of the cheapest and handiest parking spaces in Belfast.
I used to love coming in here when I was younger, but in recent years, it has got extremely tired looking, and sometimes when walking through it you feel compelled not to make eye contact with anyone in case they ‘start’
There is a good wee store in here that sells all manner of body jewellery, so if like me, you have one or two piercings, you can get a plethora of different bars and hoops that will be very pleasing on the pocket.
There is the infamous Wee Carnaby, which houses lots of funky goods such as smoking paraphanelia, cool clothing and other bric-​à-​brac, but the owner is famous for hating people coming into his store (he even has a Facebook page dedicated to him) and throws people out for no reason. This all adds to the fun. I salute you, my good man.
Another shop in here goes by the tongue-​in-​cheek name of Mike Hunt, which sells a range of clothing, but maybe I’d better leave that for another review.
Last but not least, there is the food court. Not somewhere that would ever tempt me to dine. Cordon Bleu it aint.
Love it or loathe it, In Shops is an odd place, but I’d miss it if it wasn’t there.

The In Shops are grubby and a little bit grimy, they will change with the wind but they are the backbone of shopping in Belfast. Sure Belfast has Victoria Square and Castlecourt but the In Shops provide a place for local entrepreneurs to start there own business’s in a unique shopping environment.
This place is the Shop Window, dare I, for the next big shop, for instance I found a brand new concept of Driving School hidden away in the In Shops, where else could such a business get off the ground?
They may be dated and at times derelict but I feel they have an important role to play. This is old fashioned shopping and I love the element of surprise associated with the In Shops, who knows what might open next?

Certainly not Victoria Square, but then not all of us want pretentious, out of this world price range stores all over our neighbourhood. The In Shops aren’t all bad. No, there’s no frills or airs and graces but there’s no pretence either. Cheap shopping in cheap surroundings. Gotta love the underdog.
On the flip side, there’s a number of quality shops in here! Not to mention some of the best prices you’ll find in Belfast. Many of us have felt the harsh side of being left penniless recently and it’s at times like this that the In Shops are simply invaluable. No, it’s not 5* class, but it’s 5* value!
If you’re wandering through I’d recommend checking out Other Side (a piercing parlour), The Body Jewellery Shop (name says it all, no?) Sew n Sew (haberdashery) and last but not least, take a peek in to New Carnaby Street, that is if the owner lets you ;) If you’re a dare devil, and still fit in to a school uniform, try making it within a metre of here without being shooed away quicker than you can say ‘Carnaby’ … Ah, that brings back memories. I think a good few of you know what I mean!

Between Inshops and Smithfield, Belfast was looking pretty dire for me today. This place gives me the heebie jeebies — it’s so freakishly random, besides being rundown and grimy. Reminds me of Springhill Shopping Centre in Bangor before it closed down… anyone remember it?
Amongst the mad array of shops lies a vacuum shop, a haberdashery, a Chinese gift type shop, an shop offering alterations, a piercing studio, a sandwich bar, a computer-​fixing shop and that dreaded foodcourt. Eugh. Abacus Beads used to have its premises amidst these shops, but moved a few years ago to its current location on Castle Street. I wonder why?
A glimmer of hope for InShops came in the form of a sales assistant in TJ Hughes, whose lovely lilac nails I was admiring. «You’ll never guess where I got them done», says she. «Go on,» I replied, curious. «InShops!» came the answer. Well, you could’ve knocked me over with a feather. She proceeded to tell me that it had been three weeks that she had gotten her false nails done, and only one had recently fallen off. Blimey.
Great place for the curious among you. I’ll leave it at that.

Aaahhh… the Inshops… or, as I call it, The Creepy Mall.
Walking into this place is kind of like walking into a time machine. The place is cramped and packed with a number of shops and, oh yeah, a food court.
Now, I’ve never ventured to eat at the food court, so I can only tell you what I see. But, as the other reviewer pointed out, it’s probably not the most hygienic place to eat. But, from what I can tell, you’re going to get your money’s worth.
Most of the shops are come and go affairs. Just in the short year that I’ve been in Belfast, I’ve seen a number of different stores set up shop in here and leave just as suddenly. The tattoo parlour inside is, from what I’ve heard, actually one of the best in town, as far as service and cleanliness goes. The hardware store guy sells just about everything you’d need to perform a quick home repair and the aptly named Mike Hunt stocks a line of vintage clothes and other goodies.
If you’re the adventurous type, the Inshops is definitely worth a look.

If Del Boy from only Fools and Horses had a shopping centre, this would be it. While some of the shops in it are perfectly legitimate, such as the lovely Watchmakers, many are on the «dodgy side». The InShops is basically a series of retail units all based on ground floor. You can expect to find everything from clothes to music to food and substances that should be banned (yes, seriously). But the InShops has garnered great affection amongst Belfast natives. Expect to hear talk of characters such as the Pakistani shop owner who doesn’t like people shopping in his shop and Jimmy Deans in the foodcourt where, long before food safety became a priority in Northern Ireland, finding a spider in your sandwich or drink was not uncommon.

I usually go into the Inshops to visit a mobile shop whose name has escaped me, but that offer a fantastic mobile unlocking service. They also fixed my phone once when I was about ready to throw it out and they don’t charge an arm and a leg either. There is also a great Tattoo shop here called Dark Angel Tattoo which my friend uses. I have accompanied him on two occasions whilst he got tattoos done here and they are excellent. There is an area for food in here and it’s not bad for a snack or light lunch. Most of the shops sell cheap goods and a lot of it isn’t really of a good standard. I have bought things from here before like electrical goods, only to have them break a week later. There are also some shops selling drug paraphernalia which aren’t really suitable for children to be seeing.

InShops currently operates a nationwide network of over 50 retail centres, providing flexible retail space for independent and multiple retailers offering a wide range of products & services to consumers

This is among my least favourite places in belfast. Its in desperate need of a facelift as the whole place just feels so drab. Its full of random shops selling rubbish really. Its actually in a pretty good location, but theres nothing to tempt you to up there at all. Such a waster really as it could have great potential.

Depressing place selling cheap clothes and hair pieces.
There are a few reasonably prices placed to eat, if you can put up with the surroundings and all the chavs. The sandwich bar is actually very tasty.
The tattoo and piercing parlour should be avoided too!

The most grim place on earth, full of scummy, dirty looking shops. A maze of shops that just sell tat! if I could give it minus 5 it would get it!!!