Nottingham takes its shopping seriously — it's consistently ranked among the top retail destinations in England outside London, and the city centre has the density of stores to back that up. The Exchange Arcade and the Victoria Centre cover mainstream high-street brands, but the more interesting territory is the Lace Market and Hockley, where independent boutiques and designer shops cluster. Paul Smith, the Nottingham-born designer, has roots here; there are two Paul Smith stores in the city, a fitting detail for somewhere that once dressed the world in lace.