Hard Days Night Shop

So thankful to have found this gift shop in the same building as the Hotel where we stayed (the Hard Day’s Night Hotel). It’s not a huge space, but they definitely packed every type of Beatles paraphernalia you can imagine in this store. I was initially overwhelmed by all that they had, but the sales person there was very helpful. He even overheard when my husband and I were discussing what we thought was a tie clip and interrupted to explain that it was a money clip then showed us the tie clips. Some would consider this rude, but it didn’t bother me one bit and was actually helpful. I assumed he was the owner or the manager as he seemed to know every single piece of inventory in the store and was great at giving gift suggestions because of this.
All the photos I took of the store unfortunately didn’t come out, but I can say that it was a small space packed with Beatles memorabilia in every corner. Tshirts for everyone in your family, key chains, socks, wallets, silk ties, lunch boxes, puzzles, posters, coffee mugs and thermoses, bags, magnets, hats, sunglasses, playing cards, teddy bears, etc… truly can’t name it all! Some prices seemed a bit high, but this was mostly due to the British pound being so much stronger than our American dollar. Definitely make a point to shop in this store when in Liverpool!

Although they probably didn’t intend to be, the Beatles were the gift and souvenir craftsman’s dream. Not only were they quite famous (you might even be able to name a couple of them) but they created some of the most visually iconic images ever attached to music. Think of the Yellow Submarine. Think of the Apple logo. Think of any of their album covers. Doesn’t it all just look like it was waiting to be stamped on T-​shirts and key-​rings?
The Hard Day’s Night Shop sells all this stuff and although most of it looks quite good, it’s the kind of establishment that makes you feel like the most bumbling, money-​leaking tourist ever seen. Even if I came all the way from from Addis Ababa I would feel a bit silly buying something from here, and not just because it’s a tad pricey.

The hard days night shop is mainly aimed at the patrons of the attached hard days night hotel, it also draws in tourists visiting the adjacent Cavern Club eagerly snapping up the multitude of memorabilia on offer.
The shop has every single piece of memorabilia you could possibly think off and yet still manages to have a soulless atmosphere which doesn’t inspire you into spending much! Being part of the large hotel next door does not help either, inspiring a large chain store feel rather than quirky gift shop, my advice is to head to the Beatles shop at 31 Matthew street for a much more authentic experience!

Adjacent to Hard Days Night Hotel and the Matthew Street Quarter, the HDN Shop is aimed firmly at residents and tourists who will want to take Beatles memoriabilia home with them.
Like the Fab4 Store at Albert Docks, it’s a brightly lit affair crammed head to toe with officially licensed Beatles merchandise. Goods are priced competitively so there’s something for every price point from tee-​shirts, ties and belt buckles (around £15) to cheaper posters, prints, mugs and pens (£5-£10). Most of it looks and feels pretty good quality but I think anyone that seriously considers buying Beatles phone charms and baby-​grows has more money than sense. I also think the shop feels a little sterile and corporate compared to the Beatles Shop on Matthew Street with it’s authentic jukebox and fanatical staff.