Ran

As with Size?, nearby store Ran sells similarly rare and expensive footwear for both men and women, holding a modest collection of men's trainers in the back of the ground floor as well women's shoes front of house. Ran also offers clothing upstairs in the form of various printed t-shirts as well as faux-vintage tracksuit jackets such as Fila and windbreaker style Nike jackets. These items can be expensive though so be prepared to flash the cash if something catches your eye before its price tag does.

The staff are friendly and helpful enough but the atmosphere can be quite uncomfortable at times as they are often standing around with little to do other than watch as you shop and try to hide your shock when you see their prices.

Well, I can't really talk about men's fashion, as it's not something I keep up to date with, but I know from my friends that Ran is where everyone aspires to shop if they can afford it. Stocking a variety of brands for the fashion-conscious male, this is a really nice shop and the staff are great - I tend to go shopping with the guys just for a good old chinwag!

I've heard wonderful things about the shoes stocked here, as this seems to be one of the places to get good-quality footwear, although the current F Troupe colours require sunglasses!

Probably one of the best, if not best, idependent men's shop in the city, Ran offers a good selection of modern, casual wear. It's also good to see that the store has not succumbed to branching into the ubiquitous 'vintage' range as most other shops feel the need to and instead maintains a focus on Liverpool's tendancy for clothing with a more modernist edge to it.

For such a small site, Ran packs in a good selection of footwear and clothing. Its selection of trainers is pretty damn good - as needs be in a city with a lot of major sneaker fans - with the usual suspects of Nike, Addidas and the occassional rare and indie models.

Tracksuits and casual jackets dominate the clothing but there is enough choice in the knitwear and shirts to find something a little less casual.

Of course the only downside is that it's not the cheapest shop in town but then you have to pay if you want to stand apart.

Situated slap bang wallop in the middle of Bold Street, Ran is a fun little boutique selling brands by high end 'cool' retailers such as Irregular Choice, Duffer and Converse.


I love just popping in here on my way home from work to have a quick browse at all the rows of very attractive multi coloured shoes they always have out on display. They also have a great range of gents and ladies clothes, and I've even been led to believe that they have a hairdresser on their 1st floor - although I haven't yet seen them for myself.


They also have some great sales on from time to time - the last time I was in there, I managed to purchase a beautiful pair of cork wedges which had been reduced from £80 to £20. Even better, the staff there were wonderfully chatty and friendly, even going as far as to help me stand up when I discovered that my lovely new purchases were just that little bit 'too' high for me to walk more than three steps without looking like a wobbly gazelle.


With lovely products and even lovelier staff, this truly is independent shopping at its finest.

Well, considering I'm not male, I'm not really sure exactly how good this place is, but I can say that I recognized some of the labels as high end, and the kinds of people who were shopping here looked trendy.

This shop offers fairly nice men's shoes and clothing, and if you want something nicer than the average Primark, H &M, or even Debenham's, this is a good place to go. It looked rather on the sporty side of trendy to me. But then what do I know?

Cracking trainer and shoe shop in trendy Bold Street. Lots of rare trainers and cool casual shoes. Also has a limited selection of clothing including Lyle and Scott, Duffer and Farah (remember them???). Funky shopfit - also has a barber shop in a room on the first floor which is very handy. This is what independent shopping is about