Hopkinson on Station Street is Nottingham's most curious home for art and antiques

LeftLion described it as "what happens when a Victorian hardware store has a wildly creative midlife crisis", and anyone who has wandered around Hopkinson on Station Street will know exactly what that means. Part shop, part café bar, part museum, this four-storey antiques and art centre is one of Nottingham's most delightful places to browse.

The building dates from the 1800s and was always an industrial supplier. Visitors still remember it as a hardware store with ladders that moved along rails from floor to ceiling, and co-owner Bryony Woodgates believes the shopfront sign is the original. There is even a photograph of Harry Hopkinson in the basement, along with a catalogue of old hardware priced in shillings.

Previous owners Liam and Becky turned it into an antiques centre about fifteen years ago, and Bryony now co-directs the space with Ash Hudson. Ash has brought independent artists to the first floor, and the team has banned dealers from selling Temu items so that what is on sale is genuinely handmade, produced by the artist or organically sourced. On the top floor, tattoo studio Good Mornink hosts a free monthly crafternoon for creative souls.

The spirit of the place is all about welcome. Bryony says the team, who are part of the Queer community and neurodivergent, want people to feel safe being their "odd, eccentric selves", and on any given day football fans, students and goths happily share the bar.

LeftLion's photography editor Dani Bacon, who shot the magazine's March 2026 cover there, called it "as much a museum as it is a shop", praising its new mini bridge, ceiling décor and countless ceramic ornaments.

Plans keep growing. The team has talked of refurbishing the yard with a bar for summer, hosting workshops and events, and expanding the artists' space. "Part of its evolution is that it's never finished," Bryony says.

Whether you are hunting for medieval jewellery, a quirky ornament or simply a cup of tea in good company, Hopkinson rewards a slow wander.

Hopkinson is at 21 Station Street, Nottingham, and shares news on Instagram at @hopkinson21.