Cardiff Arcades Project: Buttons, a touch of Paris, and drum 'n' bass
One of the things I love about the arcades is their oddities and eccentricities. Where else do you think it's likely you'll find a dedicated button shop, especially one that has been around for 30 years? Since the start of the project began I've been looking forward to shooting Claire Grove Buttons in the Castle Arcade and luckily I wasn't disappointed when I visited a couple of weeks ago. Another amazing thing is the sheer passion people who work in the arcades have. It's with that in mind, that I've been able to enjoy three fantastic musical performances in the past couple of weeks, all put on for free and all hosted by record shops who have a real love for what they do.
If you have a story about the arcades you want to share, or you're a shop-owner who'd like to be featured, please do get in contact, I'd love to hear from you.
Rouge Boutique
Frederique at Rouge boutique Photograph: Amy Davies
A cute little corner of France tucked away in the High Street Arcade is a must-visit for anyone looking for a bit of Parisian-inspired fashion. Full of gorgeous trinkets and beautiful clothes, I recommend a visit for anybody with a sartorial inclination. Rouge also has an interesting story – it was previously in the Morgan Arcade (where A Vintage Affair is now), but moved to the High Street Arcade around a year ago. The owner, Frederique says that she thinks that the clientele at this end of town are younger, trendier and perhaps more student-friendly. Perhaps it has something to do with Hobo's and Looby Loo's also being in the same arcade – it's a regular fashion hotspot.
Click here to see more pictures from Rouge.
Free music – courtesy of the Arcades
Bonobo at Catapult Photograph: Amy Davies
It's been a real treat over the past couple of weeks getting to watch some fantastic acts perform up-close. It's always great fun watching an in-store at Catapult, so when drum 'n' bass legend Bonobo played an intimate gig the night after his sell-out show at the Millennium Music Hall it felt so special. The shop was heaving and hot and Bonobo was great.
Goldie Lookin' Chain at Big Little City's Spillers Saturday session Photograph: Amy Davies
The first and second shows from the Saturday Spillers Sessions have been fantastic, but worlds apart. Kicking it all off was Newport's finest, Goldie Lookin' Chain. It's an odd mixture, combining GLC with an exhibition space, but somehow it worked. Last week, the delightful melodies of Welsh-language singer Huw M couldn't have been more different. With onlookers chilling out on the floor of the exhibition, the performance was just beautiful.
Don't forget, the Saturday Sessions are running for another 10 weeks, with Llywybr Llaethog playing this weekend. See here for a line-up of what's to come in the next few weeks.
Claire Grove Buttons
Jars of buttons at Claire Grove Buttons Photograph: Amy Davies
Having an admiration of all things curious, Claire Grove Buttons was high on my hitlist from day one. I knew that even though the shop is small, tiny even, there would be infinite opportunities to hit the shutter button.
Buttons! Photograph: Amy Davies
Sadly it's rare to find an independent shop like this that has managed to keep going for so long. Over the 30 years Claire has been in the very same unit she has seen almost all of the other shops come and go, but she keeps going. She told me that the biggest boom for the shop was in the 80s when crafts were bigger, I couldn't help but wonder with the current resurgence in crafting whether she could be due for another boom. Here's hoping so... The pictures from the shop are some of my favourite with gorgeously bright colours and beautiful close-ups, who knew buttons could be so fascinating?
Click here to see more pictures from Claire Grove Buttons.
That's it for this week – coming up soon, a host of pictures from A Vintage Affair and a new show taking place in the High Street Arcade at the former site of clothes shop The Wardrobe. Again, do feel free to get in contact if you have anything to share, ask or tell.
Amy Davies is the photographer behind the Cardiff Arcades Project and we've been running a series on her escapades which you can see here.