Lots of space for antiques, but not always for wheelchairs
3
3
Date of visit: September 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment and moving around.
Overall Rating
Average
Kinning Park Antique Centre is the largest antique shop in Glasgow, spanning two large halls with several smaller rooms off of them and a small upstairs. There is lots to see and even a cute little café with a small selection of affordable lunch, cake and drinks options. The space is host to displays by many different vendors, so you can explore a range of specialties and price tags. All purchases are handled at the reception counter near the entrance. The place is not the worst in terms of access, but the steps towards accessibility that have been taken seemed to almost highlight the shortfalls, for example toilets that are large enough for wheelchair users but only have some handles and no emergency cords. I enjoyed many parts of my visit, like wheeling down the larger walkways and spotting interesting items, but then my enjoyment kept being interrupted by the frustration of not being able to get through cluttered spaces for a closer look. The café was definitely a highlight and a welcome moment of relaxation after the rollercoaster of emotions! A note on the café: they do not take card payments, but you can take a note over to the counter and pay with card there. The sandwiches and soup were unfortunately sold out by the time that I was there, but I really enjoyed my bagel and it came with a little bit of salad and crisps. They have oat milk as a non-dairy option.
Disabled Access In and Around
Average
The entrance has two single doors in a row, which were just about wide enough for my powerchair (62 cm). They open to the inside left and are not automatic. Once you are through the second door, you need to turn to the right immediately. That corner is a bit awkward when exiting, as you will have to go back to pull the door open, but there is not a lot of space behind you. The handle on the inside is a vertical metal bar. The door to the street was propped open when I visited, despite bad weather. The centre itself is made up of a few different sections. The part at the entrance has a long glass counter, which is where the till and staff are. There are section with glass display cases to either side of the counter. The space between the glass cases is wide enough to comfortably navigate in a wheelchair. The shelves inside the cases are made of glass, so you can see some things from below, but otherwise it is quite hard to see the upper levels of the cases from a seated position. There are stairs with railings on either side going up opposite the counter, to the right just before it opens up into the larger main hall. There is no step-free alternative to access the first floor. It is a small area, just a fraction of the size of the downstairs, with little space between the furniture on display. Past the stairs, you enter into the main hall, which has a wider walkway straight to the back, along the back to the right and then down along the right side of the hall. Halfway up the walkway down the middle, there is a passage on the left, which connects the main hall to a second hall. There is another wide walkway going around the second hall. Along the walkways, there are a lots of booths or little areas curated by different vendors on either side. There are also smaller rooms off the main hall and one with items on sale off the second hall. The booths and rooms are usually very full of things and there are often things along the walkways. There is no space to turn in any of the smaller rooms and it is quite the exception if you are able to actually get up close to something you want to see in a wheelchair. I did especially like the Starter Packs/Magpie's Eye booth because they left enough space so I was able to get close to everything and also I just think they are a great charity in general. The only seating is in the café, which is at the back of the second hall. It is through a doorway without a door, where you first come to a counter without any lowered sections and then around to the left and up a slight lip in the flooring are two tables with chairs. The chairs have backrests and can easily be moved to make space for a wheelchair. The same time of tables and chairs are also positioned in a booth just outside the café, which is less spacious but more interesting, as you can look at all of the antiques around you. The menu is blue on white and not particularly large. There are no alternative formats in use, but judging from my interactions with the staff, she would be happy to read things out. Food and drink are not allowed anywhere else in the centre. Dogs are also not allowed, but I did not ask about service dogs. There was music playing in the second hall, but it was not particularly loud.
Accessible facilities: Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by personal vehicle
Kinning Park Antique Centre is in a warehouse complex just off the M8/M77 motorway. There is a decent amount of street parking on the streets out front (Durham Street and Vermont Street), but I did not see any Blue Badge parking spaces or electric vehicle charging points. I was quite concerned about the speed with which a lot of the cars drove by, especially on Vermont Street, which made getting out of the car and into my wheelchair feel a bit unsafe. There is also a fence along most of the sidewalk along the warehouses, which has a gap right opposite the entrance, but if you are parked further away or need a lowered curb, you need to go along on the street for a bit to get around the fence. The closest public transport on that side of the motorway is Shields Road, so I think driving or being dropped of by car is the best option.
Accessible facilities: Public or on street parking
Accessible Toilets
Average
There are two toilets at the centre, both of which were large enough to enter but not turn in with my powerchair, but neither of which had all the standard equipment of an accessible toilet. The first bathroom is opposite reception on the left wall. The door is non-automatic and opens to the outside right. There is a lever handle on either side and the lock is a twist knob. There is no bar on the back of the door. As you enter, there is a swing-lid bin and a wall-mounted sanitary product dispenser to your right. The sink is on the wall in front of you. It is a small wall-mounted sink with a short lever tap and a mirror above. The soap dispenser is on the sink and a paper towel dispenser is on the wall to the right, fairly high up. The toilet is on the wall to the left. There is space for a left-side transfer, but there is a narrow sanitary bin by the left wall. There is a moveable horizontal grab rail on the side of the transfer space and a static one on the other side with the toilet roll dispenser above. The flush is a short lever on the front of the cistern on the opposite side to the transfer space. There is no red emergency cord. The bathroom in the second hall is between the clearance room and the café. The door opens to the inside left and has a short vertical metal bar handle on either side. There is a twist lock on the inside, but it might not work since there is also a bolt lock above the handle. The toilet is on the back wall and there is space for a right-side transfer, but the toilet brush and the toilet roll holder are in the transfer space. There are no grab rails and no red emergency cord. The small wall-mounted sink is on the left as you enter. It has two taps with twist knobs. The soap dispenser is on the sink. There is some blue roll on a sideboard to the right of the sink. There is an open bin underneath the sink. The only mirror is high above the toilet.
Staff
Good
The young woman working in the café was lovely and very patient and helpful. The reception staff were pleasant as well but did not seem very concerned about the lack of wheelchair accessibility.
