We checked 20 Bedford shops, from The Arc's gifts to Arcadia's sweets, for opening hours, late nights and what each sells. Updated November 2026.
Bedford has 20 shops worth a Christmas shopping trip in 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with opening hours, addresses and what each one sells. The Arc, Arcadia, the Eagle Bookshop and Harrison & Simmonds are good places to start.
The hours are regular hours: none of these shops had posted Christmas hours when we checked, so ring before making a special trip.
Dates for the Christmas shopping diary
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday 15 November, 11am to 4pm | Christmas Craft & Flea Market, £3, under-12s free | Corn Exchange, St Paul’s Square |
| Saturday 21 November | Lights switch-on from midday, lights on at 5pm; Harpur Centre open 9am to 6pm | Harpur Square |
| Monday 23 November to Thursday 24 December | Members’ Christmas Exhibition | Eagle Gallery, St Peter’s Street |
| Sunday 29 November, midday to 6pm | Kempston switch-on with craft and gift stalls | Saxon Centre, Kempston |
| Saturday 5 December, 10am to 5pm; Sunday 6 December, 10am to 4pm | Bedford Christmas Market | Harpur Square and the Harpur Suite |
| Sunday 6 December, 10am to 4pm | First Bedford Christmas Art Fair | St Paul’s Square |
| Thu 10, Thu 17, Fri 18, Mon 21, Tue 22 and Wed 23 December | Late night shopping to 8pm | Harpur Centre |
The Harpur Centre also lists Christmas Eve from 8am to 5pm, Boxing Day and Monday 28 December from 10am to 5pm, and New Year’s Eve from 9am to 5pm. It is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Those are the centre’s hours and its page marks the Boxing Day and 28 December times with an asterisk, so check with a shop before relying on them.
Parking is usually the deciding factor. The council’s rules give two hours free on Saturdays in town centre car parks and free parking all day Sunday in most of them, as our parking guide sets out. Sunday is also free on-street.
The Arcade: sweets, paper flowers and trading cards
The Edwardian arcade links the High Street and Harpur Street, and the Bedford Independent reported in February that it holds 35 independent businesses. One has gone this year: Slide Records says its shop has closed for the last time.
1. Arcadia
Arcadia calls itself “Bedford’s Old Fashioned Sweet Shop since 1905”. Love Bedford describes more than 300 jars of sweets, along with pick and mix, boxed chocolates and Turkish delight.
Its own site adds handmade chocolates, fudge, marzipan, American sweets and gifts. A banner on the site said on 5 November that Christmas delivery can no longer be guaranteed, so the shop is the safer option.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 5.15pm; Sat 9am to 5.30pm; closed Sun
Call 01234 352322
Address 11 The Arcade, MK40 1NS
Website arcadiasweetshop.com
Good for jar sweets, handmade chocolates, fudge, gifts
2. ArloArts
ArloArts describes itself as a paper florist, handcrafting flowers for weddings and events and supplying German and Italian crepe paper and craft materials. Love Bedford also lists gifts, stationery and homewares at the shop, and paper flower workshops.
Its own site gives no shop address or hours, and the workshop dates on it look out of date, so these details come from Love Bedford and are worth a call first.
Open Mon to Fri 10am to 5.30pm; Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; closed Sun
Call 07771 995545
Address 17 The Arcade, MK40 1NS
Website arloarts.co.uk
Good for paper flowers, crepe paper, craft supplies
3. The Card Market
The Card Market is a gaming shop selling trading cards including Pokémon, One Piece and Lorcana, with graded cards, sealed boxes, booster packs, plushies and Loungefly accessories. Its Love Bedford listing also describes a board games cafe and tournaments, and says it has the largest in-store collection of single cards in the UK.
The shop’s web presence is an Instagram page, so the hours come from that listing, last updated in January 2025.
Open Tue to Sun 11am to 5pm; closed Mon
Address 5 The Arcade, MK40 1NS
Website instagram.com/thecardmarketdotcom
Good for trading cards, board games, plushies
High Street and Silver Square
4. Harrison & Simmonds
This is a family business on its original High Street site, bought by Ernest Harrison and his nephew in 1928, according to Love Bedford. Its own site sells pipes and lighters, pocket watches and clocks, pewter, diecast models and model kits, and fine gifts, and Love Bedford adds engraving.
Its site shows two sets of weekday hours: the hours panel says 5.30pm and the footer says 5pm, so allow for the earlier time.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 5.30pm (5pm in the site's footer); Sat 9am to 5pm; closed Sun
Call 01234 266711
Address 80 High Street, MK40 1NN
Website h-s.co.uk
Good for pocket watches, model cars and planes, engraved gifts
5. All Ears
All Ears is a family-run shop that Love Bedford says has been on the High Street for more than 25 years. It sells clothing, jewellery and accessories, including silver and body jewellery, and has an ear-piercing service.
There are also homewares, crystals and incense. It has no website, so the details come from its Love Bedford listing, last updated in February 2025.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11.30am to 3.30pm
Call 01234 341004
Address 97 High Street, MK40 1NE
Good for silver jewellery, crystals and incense, ear piercing
6. Not Another Jungle
Not Another Jungle is a specialist house plant shop, with common and rarer plants, pots and terrariums. Love Bedford also lists grow-your-own kits, candles, soaps, chocolate, bath and body care and books, plus coffee.
A Bedford Independent column in July described having a coffee outside it on Silver Square. It publishes no hours that we could read and its web presence is Instagram, so check there first.
Address 58b High Street, MK40 1NT
Website instagram.com/notanotherjungle
Good for house plants, terrariums, candles and soaps
Harpur Centre, Allhallows and the Howard Centre
7. Moonface Records
Moonface Records is an independent record shop in the Harpur Centre, selling vinyl, CDs, K-Pop and pre-owned music. Love Bedford says it traded as a pop-up on Bedford market for many years, runs regular £1 days and can get most special orders in about three days.
Recent listings on its site ran from £14 to £38, and click and collect is available.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Price recent listings £14 to £38
Address Unit 2, Harpur Centre, MK40 1TJ
Website moonfacerecords.co.uk
Good for vinyl, K-Pop, pre-owned music
8. Close Encounters
Close Encounters calls itself the largest independent comic retailer in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. It sells comics, graphic novels, manga, statues, models and action figures from the US and Japan, along with FunkoPOP figures and comic storage.
Its site also lists a general books section, and three-for-two comic offers. The hours come from its Love Bedford listing, updated in June 2026.
Open Mon to Fri 10am to 5.30pm; Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 11am to 4pm
Call 01234 270777
Address 20 Allhallows, MK40 1LJ
Website closeencounters.co.uk
Good for comics, manga, action figures
9. The Italian Shop
The Italian Shop says it began about 20 years ago with three cases of pasta, six salami and two cases of passata, and now imports most of its products directly from Italy. It says it sells thousands of panettone at Christmas, and its site has a Christmas section, with a one-kilo Bauli pandoro listed at £14.99.
Love Bedford lists Italian toiletries and kitchen items, including stove-top coffee pots.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 4pm; Sun 11am to 2pm
Price Bauli pandoro (1kg) £14.99 online
Call 01234 211036
Address Unit 6, The Howard Centre, MK40 1UH
Website italianfoodshop.co.uk
Good for panettone and pandoro, Italian coffee, pasta
St Peter’s Street, Mill Street and Howard Street
10. The Eagle Bookshop
Established in 1991, the Eagle calls itself the region’s premier rare and second-hand bookshop. Love Bedford says it fills 5,000 square feet, has its own bindery and also keeps a section of new titles, and that it is on ground level and fully accessible.
The site offers a room-by-room virtual tour of the shelves, which is a useful way to see the range before you go.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5.30pm; Sun 11am to 4pm
Call 01234 269295
Address 16-20 St Peter's Street, MK40 2NN
Website eaglebookshop.co.uk
Good for rare books, second-hand books, new titles
11. Eagle Gallery
The Eagle Gallery exhibits and sells work by local artists, including ceramics, glass, jewellery, sculpture, printmaking, collage, photography and painting. Its Members’ Christmas Exhibition runs from Monday 23 November to Thursday 24 December.
The gallery is closed for changeovers on Friday 13 and Sunday 22 November. The Christmas closure notice on its site still carries last year’s dates, so check before late December.
Open Tue to Sat 10.30am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 2.30pm
Address 20 St Peter's Street, MK40 2NN
Website eaglegalleryartists.co.uk
Good for local artists, ceramics, glass, prints
12. Baker Brothers
Love Bedford says Baker Brothers has supplied jewellery since 1839 and specialises in higher grades of diamond, with antique and second-hand pieces alongside modern ranges. Its site lists Rolex, Georg Jensen, Gucci and Montblanc, with a Christmas section under jewellery.
It also carries a seasonal opening times link, and offers in-store appointments on request.
Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; closed Sun
Call 01234 438770
Address 21 St Peter's Street, MK40 2PN
Website bakerbrothersdiamonds.com
Good for diamonds, luxury watches, antique jewellery
13. Épanoui
Épanoui is a shop and studio on Mill Street that makes handmade jewellery in silver and gold and sells what it calls considered gifts. Its site has sections for personalised jewellery, home and lifestyle, and vintage, and says there is more in the shop than online.
Love Bedford says it also runs lifestyle workshops.
Open Tue to Sat 10am to 5pm; closed Sun and Mon
Call 07561 476675
Address 44 Mill Street, MK40 3HD
Website epanoui.co.uk
Good for personalised jewellery, homeware, artisan gifts
14. John Medhurst
John Medhurst sells jewellery, watches, clocks, pens and giftware from Mill Street. Love Bedford lists engraving, bespoke designs, watch and jewellery repairs and restringing.
The site says it shows only a selection of the stock, and offers private appointments outside opening hours on request.
Open Tue to Sat 10am to 4pm; closed Sun and Mon
Call 01234 351458
Address 10 Mill Street, MK40 3HD
Website johnmedhurst.co.uk
Good for jewellery, pens and clocks, engraving
15. Barovic
Barovic makes and repairs jewellery on The Broadway, and says all repairs are carried out in its on-site workshop. Love Bedford lists diamond engagement rings, coloured stones and silver jewellery handmade in store.
The site offers a free in-store jewellery cleaning service. Note the unusual hours: it closes on Thursdays and Sundays.
Open Mon to Wed, Fri and Sat 10am to 4pm; closed Thu and Sun
Call 01234 340006
Address 2 The Broadway, MK40 2TH
Website barovic.co.uk
Good for bespoke jewellery, silver, repairs
16. The Arc
The Arc calls itself “an emporium of loveliness”, and its site mentions candles, glassware and children’s toys under two giant glitter balls. Love Bedford describes it as an art, gift, homewares and craft shop with bespoke picture framing and art materials, and says it houses the Bedford & Co cafe.
The site also sells teacher Christmas hampers for named local schools. Hours are from Love Bedford, updated in July.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 3pm; Sat 9am to 5pm; closed Sun
Call 01234 344784
Address 7 Howard Street, MK40 3HS
Website thearcbedford.co.uk
Good for gifts, art materials, picture framing, cafe
St Cuthbert’s Street: wine, beer and games
17. The Flying Cork
The Flying Cork is a family-run independent wine merchant with more than 25 years in the trade, it says. It stocks more than 400 wines it says are not in supermarkets, along with malt whisky and other spirits, and offers bespoke gift packaging.
There is always wine open to try, and delivery is free within three miles of the shop.
Open Tue to Fri 11am to 7pm; Sat 10am to 7pm; closed Sun and Mon
Call 01234 358404
Address 43 St Cuthbert's Street, MK40 3JG
Website theflyingcork.co.uk
Good for wine, malt whisky, gift packaging
18. Beerfly
Beerfly is a beer shop and bar selling local, national and imported beers and ciders, with draught taps in store. Its gifts page lists a gift voucher from £5, two branded glasses for £8 and a craft beer box from £18.
It offers free delivery within five miles for online orders. Love Bedford’s listing shows older hours, so these are from the shop’s own contact page.
Open Tue and Wed 2pm to 9pm; Thu to Sat 12pm to 10pm; Sun 2pm to 9pm; closed Mon
Price gift voucher from £5; craft beer box from £18
Call 01234 303211
Address 45 St Cuthbert's Street, MK40 3JG
Website beerflyshop.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for craft beer, gift boxes, drinking in
19. Onyx Dawn Games
Onyx Dawn Games is a gaming shop in St Cuthbert’s Arcade. Its site sells Games Workshop, Reaper miniatures, painting and modelling supplies, Bandai Gunpla kits, collectable card games, Dungeons & Dragons and board games, and it runs in-store events.
The hours below come from an older Love Bedford listing, and some of its recent events have been on Sundays, so check before you go.
Open Tue 11am to 5pm; Wed to Fri 12pm to 10pm; Sat 11am to 6pm; closed Sun and Mon
Address St Cuthbert's Arcade, 26 St Cuthbert's Street, MK40 3JG
Website onyxdawngames.com
Good for miniatures, card games, board games
Out of town: Cardington
20. The Barn at Cardington
The Barn is the farm shop, cheese deli and cafe of the Bedford Cheese Company, on Summerhill Farm. Love Bedford lists artisan cheeses, gourmet foods, wines, hampers and cheese subscriptions.
It has a children’s outdoor play area, and says dogs are welcome in the courtyard but not in the cafe. Its site gives both Tuesday and Wednesday as the first opening day, so ring before a midweek trip.
Open Tue to Sat 9am to 4pm; Sun 9am to 3pm; closed Mon (the site also says Wed to Sat)
Call 01234 831890
Address Cople Road, Cardington, MK44 3SH
Website thebarncardington.co.uk
Good for cheese, hampers, dogs in the courtyard
How we chose
We started from the Love Bedford directory, then read each shop’s own site where it has one, along with OpenStreetMap, the Harpur Centre’s Christmas page, the council’s Christmas announcement and local press. We favoured independents with gifts to sell. We left Charisma in The Arcade out because we could not find anything recent enough to confirm it, with no suggestion that it has closed. Where a shop’s own site and the directory disagreed, we used the shop’s own site.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@bedfordtimes.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@bedfordtimes.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
For the rest of the season see our Christmas markets, lights switch-on, Santa’s grottos, Christmas dinner guide, Christmas trains and travel, what’s on in Bedford, things to do in Bedford and the local business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is there late night shopping in Bedford in 2026?
The Harpur Centre stays open to 8pm on Thursday 10, Thursday 17, Friday 18, Monday 21, Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 December. Those are the centre’s hours, and individual shops can differ. We found no late night dates published for the High Street, The Arcade or the Howard Centre when we checked on 5 November 2026.
Which Bedford shops open on Sundays before Christmas?
The Eagle Bookshop and Close Encounters open from 11am to 4pm, Moonface Records from 10am to 4pm, The Card Market from 11am to 5pm, the Eagle Gallery from 11am to 2.30pm and All Ears from 11.30am to 3.30pm. Beerfly opens from 2pm to 9pm, the Italian Shop from 11am to 2pm and The Barn at Cardington from 9am to 3pm.
Is there a Christmas market in Bedford town centre?
Yes. The council’s Bedford Christmas Market is in Harpur Square and the Harpur Suite on Saturday 5 December from 10am to 5pm and Sunday 6 December from 10am to 4pm. The first Bedford Christmas Art Fair is on St Paul’s Square on Sunday 6 December from 10am to 4pm.
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