Bird's Yard, Leeds

When I told people we were doing Yorkshire week, emails poured in telling me about Birds Yard on Kirkgate Road in Leeds. I've never had so many emails about one shop before. Kat even mentioned it in her Leeds guide earlier today. If there's one thing Leeds excels at, it's independent shopping and a quirky boutique or seven. Birds Yard is basically all of that under one roof.

There are three floors to the shop all with tiny little spaces for indy vendors. I want to go and explore all of it, but I'm stuck in South London. Instead, I'm having a little nose through their website. On the ground floor, I've found a gorgeous little vintage shop called Young and Lost, beautiful bags from Holly & Ruby and I really like Brain & Magic and the t-shirts from One 4 Sorrow.

How about the second floor? There are less designers on this floor, but Forever Eva describes itself as 'a little room of fashion and pop culture'. I want to play immediately. They've also got original fashion pieces from Polish designer Bo Carter.

Wait, there's more! There's a couple more shops - another fashion boutique and a homewares shop (neither have particularly enticing websites) and most importantly: the second floor has a hairdressers! The hairdressers specialises in afro hair, and I'm now thinking that all cool shops should have people to give you a blow dry.

Birds Yard looks like a truly special shop, full of interesting designers that change often. It's a bit like a real life Etsy, just with people who want to make your hair pretty.

*Update* I've just been told via Amy on our Facebook page that the ground floor of Bird's Yard is now a tearoom! Seriously, could this place be any more perfect?