In 2025, The London Economic named Penzance the best town for independent shopping in the UK.
‘What the devil…’ said nearby Truro, spluttering into its broadsheet newspaper and hurling its breakfast egg in a pique of frustration. The truth is, quite a few people may have had that reaction. In Cornwall, for decades, Truro had been the place for that Big Saturday Retail Experience. New clobber? Truro. Books? Truro. Pressies? Truro. Oh, go on – maybe St Ives or Falmouth for a bit of a change.
But Penzance?
No… until now. Because, in the past handful of years, the charming Cornish portside town with views over Mount’s Bay has flipped the narrative and is enjoying a retail renaissance that has put every other Cornwall shopping destination in the shade.
Yes, including Truro.
Here’s why Penzance offers the best shopping in Cornwall.
The indie factor
Remember when pointing and clicking on the website of an omnipresent multinational online retailer was the way to shop? Things have moved on – and particularly in Penzance. The town is an eclectic retail smorgasbord of award-winning and unique independent bookshops, boutique and vintage clothes shops, eccentric bakeries and galleries, furniture and homeware retailers, and arts and craft shops that simply refuse to be like anything or anywhere else.
If, say, Truro, just to pick a Cornish town out of the hat, were to say to Penzance, ‘You are so damned random,’ Penzance would reply, ‘Thanks, my lovely,’ and take it as a massive compliment.
Here are 137 reasons why Penzance offers some of the best shopping in Cornwall.
The arty vibe
Truro – all stately spires and professional services vibe – has got class, this we will not deny. St Ives has got all the trinkets you could want – and a few more that you wouldn’t. Falmouth has that studenty, first-time-away-from-home excitement.
But Penzance in one word? Arty. In three words? Arty as hell. Maybe it’s what Jack Kerouac called an ‘end of the world gladness’, but Penzance, in the depths of the Wild West of Cornwall, with its back against the Atlantic and its face in the wind, is an exuberant hotbed of bohemianism and creativity. We have the big galleries – Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange, Penlee House – and clustered around them scores of smaller ones selling contemporary art, prints, sculpture and more. There are regular exhibitions from groups such as PZ Studios, art workshops from Number Seven and scores of opportunities to buy unique art from local creators.
Don’t be this person: ‘Babes, I bought you this sad, generic thing online because it was convenient.’
Be this person: ‘Babes, I bought you this one-off piece of unique and exuberant Penzance art because I truly value you.’
You’ll feel the world moving on its axis towards hope and love.
See more about Penzance galleries and museums.
The best shopping street in Cornwall
Fore Street in St Ives? Love it. Pydar Street in Truro? Iconic. But is either of these places Chapel Street in Penzance? They most certainly are not.
This matters because Chapel Street is a famous tourist attraction in Penzance and a hot contender for Most Interesting Street in Cornwall Award. Its astonishing architecture is gleaned from the best, the most controversial and the downright shoutiest styles of the Stuart, Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras. Squat and piratey pubs, upstanding neoclassical builds and plain weird Egyptian sarcophagus-styled edifices confront you as you pass a strange and fevered parade of sheer Penzance-ness.
And what’s all this got to do with shops? Chapel Street is also home to Eastern-inspired furnishers, antique emporia, independent fashion retailers, lifestyle and homeware stores, art galleries and more. It’s just a lovely retail experience and quite possibly the best place for shopping in Cornwall – bar none.
Add the recently refurbished Market Jew Street, with its collection of indies and favourite national retailers, and Causewayhead – fast becoming Penzance’s creative quarter with galleries, bookshops, florists, jewellers and more – and there’s a lot going on.
A lovely little shopping centre
Let’s be clear. The Wharfside Shopping Centre in Penzance is not Westfield London. But does Westfield London have stunning views over Mount’s Bay and St Michael’s Mount? We rest our case.
A symbol of the Penzance Renaissance, the Wharfside has seen a rapid influx of new businesses in the past year or two, and is now something of a centre for outdoor sports culture, with skate, surf, BMX and ebike retailers on site. It’s also home to galleries, eco food businesses, sweet shops, gift shops, and restaurants – all run by local people. If you are parking in the big Harbourside Car Park, this is your gateway into Penzance (up the handy escalators) and a destination worth checking out in itself.
The high street brands
You can overdo the indie shopping thing, of course. There are times when what you need is not an impressionistic print of the Scillonian leaving harbour or a pair of socks emblazoned with profanities, but 50 quid out the cash machine, some lippy from Superdrug and some bogroll.
The beauty of Penzance is that the best independent shopping in Cornwall is complemented by the reassuring presence of high street giants such as Boots, Specsavers, Mountain Warehouse, Clarks, and banks and building societies such as NatWest and Nationwide.
£23.5m of investment in the town
In June 2021, Penzance was awarded £21.5m in Town Deal funding. One of the obvious beneficiaries of the project has been the town centre. Less traffic, more greenery and more places to sit and soak it in have helped prioritise amblers and walkers over traffic and made central PZ an even nicer place to shop. There are some exciting developments on the horizon, too. A new bouldering centre, rooftop restaurant and street food destination are all on the cards for Market Jew Street soon. Watch this space. There’s a lot more coming to the Best Shopping Town in Cornwall…
Planning a shopping trip? Find out more about the fab range of businesses in Penzance at the Love Penzance website.