Snoopers Paradise

Dissapointed by the attitude of the staff! Lovely items to look at including the clothes section just inside, however one member of staff from the clothes section, spoke to my friend in a highly unprofessional and threatening way, just because she went in the changing room without knowing that you must request "permission" before entering. Her threatening and highly disrespectful mannor shook both me and my friend up, and has led us to not want anything to do with the lanes and to go to mainstream shops instead as their staff seem to understand the professional qualities of CUSTOMER SERVICE required in retail. To be honest, it doesnt take a genius to treat people with equality and respect. 

This is a very interesting shop which you can visit time and time again, but is worth treating as a museum where you can handle and buy the exhibits, rather than a shop in the traditional sense. There is always something new even if you visit once a fortnight or so, with some of the stalls changing their stock frequently (some less so - generally things appear to stay until they are sold, so certain exhibits remain year in, year out, getting gradually more battered). The best thing about the shop is that there are no stall-holders on site, so you can examine and rifle to your heart's content, without being pressured into buying anything. This is very refreshing and if you have not visited the shop for a while, you can easily spend an hour exploring the stock. The negative is that, without constant supervision, some customers do not handle objects with the respect they deserve, leading to some stalls having condascending signs on display. The prices are pretty high considering the quality of stock - there are very few bargains, with prices hovering between the more expensive side of reasonable, and "ambitious". Of course, if you are not happy with a price, you are free not to buy something, but personally if prices were 10-20% lower I would have brought three or four times as much over the years. As a rule, if you think you can buy an item somewhere else, it will probably be cheaper elsewhere, but often you will not be able to find the item somewhere else very easily. The most unpleasant part of the shopping experience is the staff when you do actually want to buy something. They can give the impression that you are wasting their time (even if you have the correct cash ready, and want nothing more than to hand it over and leave). I also have had a negative experience when something I wanted to buy did not have a price on it (the price was on a box of loose items) - I had to show someone where I had got it from, then wait several minutes as they hunted round elsewhere, presumably trying to find evidence that I had taken it from somewhere else, then debate with their colleague whether I could have it at the price on the box I "claimed" to have taken it from (basically, discussing whether I was a liar or not!). Bearing in mind the item was a low value (under £2) one, it seemed unnecessary and could have been handled more politely. Go with no expectations, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

I have a strong suspicion that all the positive reviews for this place are written by the stall holders. There were very very few items of any quality to be seen anywhere. I have visited this market about eight times in the last three months looking for a wide range of items including die cast toys action figures military items and a lot more to fuel my collecting addiction and I have yet to buy a single item. The staff are not helpful and the cabinets are MAINLY full of stuff i would expect to see in a 50p box at my local car boot.Strictly amateur hour and and not worth the 5 minute detour on my way to the station.

I went their today (27/7/11) and i was not greeted warmly – a wierd look from the cashier; and I alwalys look tidy,smart and clean. I had a look around and i was pleased – i really enjoyed looking around. I saw an old bronze crucifix in a frame so I went to the till and asked one of the assistants if i could have a look at it. I liked it and i told her that i would think about it she said i could have it for £40. Ten minutes later i decided i would buy it, so I went back to the till and said that i would like it the cashier said that it was £45; I contested against this rightfully repeating what the assistant had said. He replied “The assistant must have made a mistake. I am the cashier and i am telling you that this is £45! DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME!” I wondered how a shop such as that could go back on a deal and price already made – even if the assistant may have made a mistake A DEAL IS A DEAL! I wondered how someone could be so rude.

THE CASHIER WAS IN HIS MID-LATE 20’S QUITE TALL WITH BLACK HAIR AND EYES. IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF THIS BRILLIANT SHOP I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO DEAL WITH HIM ACCORDINGLY AND DO THIS SHOP JUSTICE!

I love this place and unlike some other reviewers, I like the fact that the stall holders aren’t always there to hover over you and try to press you into buying something, just because you’ve glanced at it or picked it up!

One reviewer said he wanted to know the provenance of the items he was purchasing. The likely provenance is probably an auction or carboot sale….that morning!

Besides, there are over 100 stall holders, so if they were all there, there’d be no room for us snoopers!

The place is HUGE!
Imagine what the rates & rents must be as its in one of the most frequented shopping areas of Brighton. So its not unexpected that their prices are slightly higher than charity shops & other flea markets out of town. That said, whenever I’m in there at the weekends, its always full of weekenders raving that the prices are half of what they’re used to paying in London!

Whenever I go to other flea markets, I see the same old stuff, time after time. In Snoopers, the stock seems to change daily. If stuff is moving that fast, they must be doing something right!

I bought a FANTASTIC 60s chair in there recently. Yes I paid more than I would have at a carboot sale, but I didn’t have to trawl round several carboot sales at 7 in the morning to find it! I walked in, saw it, loved it, bought it and it was delivered THAT evening!
Delivery was FREE!
Now thats what I call a bargain!

What a load of knowingly overpriced tat....

I love having a nosey through here whenever I find myself in Brighton. As someone's who's been brought up to love a ruthless rummage through any and all jumbles, car boot sales, and charity shops, somewhere like this is heaven.

A complete labyrinth of a vintage treasure trove, it's ramshackle and rough around the edges, but that just gives it that extra bit of charm and character. I especially love all the fifties frocks and the art deco ornaments, but there really is something for everyone here - you just have to put the time and sleuthing skills into unearthing it!

With so many individual concessions and stalls, the staff's cheeriness can vary, but that's to be expected of anywhere that's such a tourist hotspot. It's a must for collectors, shoppers after something different, and anyone with a knack for tracking down that antique or ideal piece of bric-a-brac.

A great place to spend a few hours. There is a lot of junk in here though, and a lot of overpriced tat. Half the fun if sifting through it all and finding the bargains. Though these are getting few and far between in recent years!

A lot of the stuff in Snoopers Paradise seems overpriced; this is no carboot sale. It is a bit better but a bit more expensive than the Kemp Town Flea Market.

However, you can find some interesting and original stuff here.

The downside is, that because it is all individual concessions you are unlikely to be able to haggle. The best I managed to do was to leave a message at the till that I would like a better price on an item and wait to hear back from the vendor - which I didn't.

Anything small enough to fit in a bag is inside a glass cabinet and you need to ask at the till for a key to look at the contents more closely.

So it doesn't have the energy of a proper flea market. But it is open every day and it is indoors. You can't have everything...

On the rare occasions that I find myself with a couple of hours to spare, I lose myself in this cave of second-hand wonders. This place should come with a warning for well-practised 'snoopers' and charity-shop trawlers like myself: Do not enter if you have somewhere to be within the next three hours.

This place truly it its namesake. Certainly, it looks like a great, big jumble sale but therein lies its beauty. In bookshelves and cabinets lie hundreds of little treasures – from retro comics and figurines to gaudy costume jewellery; from vintage dresses to 60s furniture.

I have a secret obsession with clutter, and if I could fill my house with stuff from here I would in a heartbeat (I have a feeling my housemates would kick me out though). Some places just seem to attract the most interesting second hand stuff – this is one of them. Prices vary quite a lot, but snoop for long enough and you're sure to bag a bargain.

Paradise it is, and a snooper you must be.

A maze of quirky and kitsch, old and new, with hundreds of stalls stocking everything from cartoon figurines and old comics to antique furniture and ageing Doc Martens, records and photos to vintage clothes and jewellery, this place really does have it all.

A bit of a dark horse, the exterior is deceiving, once you enter through the entrance it’ll take you on a magical mystery tour of the weird and wonderful.

Looking for a violin without the strings? Or a 1950’s ceramic plate set? Maybe a handful of daguerreotypes and old black and white photos of nameless families? Look no further.

It goes on forever and is a labyrinth of zigzagging paths, cubby holes, stairs and slopes, so every experience in Snooper’s Paradise is different and you’ll always find a bit you didn’t know about.

I’d live here if I could.

I just can't walk past this treasure trove without browsing for a while inside. There are surprises all around, from vintage clothing to classic LP's and CD's.
You can spend ages in here and not get bored. Its a shame the facinating building is in poor repair, however the experience is still worth it. Some items do appear pricey, so I made an offer.

This place is a treasure trove of interesting bits and bobs. They have a great selection of weird and wonderful trinkets as well as clothes, furniture, books, old games as well as the odd musical instrument lying around.
It looks and feels like a large charity shop although the prices are far higher than you'd find in one. In fact, the prices are what keeps this from a 5 star review.
Well worth a visit if you're in Brighton for a few days.

I love this place, I spend hours in here at the weekends! 'Snooping' through all the bric-a-brac you can find some great stuff.

I found a full outfit for a Sherlock Holmes themed evening costing about £40 in total.

The art gallery above is good too although some of the stuff on display is bit off and also some unsuitable for kids, just keep them down the end with giant prints of the palace pier!

Great Value
Great Fun
Great Bargains
Great for Gifts
Great for Antiques
Great for Everyone
Great for Everything

this place is such an awsome collection of wonders i have got lost many a time looking at everything….totally perfect but i have felt in the past that staff look at ppl down there noses a bit…but really they are helpful and do what you ask of them and there prices can be very very good on things…if you into secondhand stuff this is the place for you :)

This place is so crammed with the bizzare and the beautiful! I love to just wander around and explore all the corners of the place! There are some amazing one of a kind finds amongst a lot of tat… But the fun is in the discovering! Especially love the vintage clotes and fabrics and furniture! I always do some of my most dificult people on the Xmas list there!

It does what it says on the tin!

I always like to pop in when I am down visiting friends.
You will find some trash and if you delve deep enough then you will find some treasure. I used to get so excited going in here but more and more i see not so much antique but second hand market and ebay collections!

Some friendly folk and some too busy to help you!
Great for rummaging around at your own pace, but don’t expect to haggle or get a bargain as the actual stall holders themselves are rarely present or at hand. You pay at one main till, every stall is represented by a number . . so if you want to enquire about a certain piece or look at anything within a glass cabinet then you’ve got a weight on your hands while you ask at the till counter for someone to escort you back to the said cabinet and unlock it, then they will stand over you while you decide to take the item or not!

Its a shame the stall holders aren’t present as I always like to know the providence of an item that I am buying.

Worth a visit though ;-)

I love this shop. I’ve been once and found it really hard to leave haha. I’m coming back to Brighton in May with my boyfriend. He can’t wait, nor can I. The first thing were gonna do is get well stuck into Snoopers Paradise!! Woooohoooo!!
Xx

I can’t believe that I am the first to review this ! It’s one of the best shops in Brighton. Imagine a huge room full of antique/junk/retro stalls - and that’s Snoopers Paradise !

You really can get a whole range of weird and wonderful things in here and it’s a great place to go if you want to give someone an original present ! Items sold range from books to clothes to furniture to records to bric-a-brac to jewellery …. ! The list could go on and on !

The staff and the customers are usually as varied as the items being sold. You pay at a central paying station - so credit cards are accepted !