We have traded from Y Farchnad Caerfyrddin since 1972, when three partners opened the counter with a single rack of Welsh-language cards and a shelf of children's books. Today the shop carries Cardiau Cymraeg, llyfrau Cymraeg, hand-carved llwyau caru, and one of mid-Wales's widest sections for adult Welsh learners. Mail order worldwide, with proper Cymraeg labelling. Sister shop at 22 Stryd Cowell, Llanelli.
Every product on the shelves at Y Farchnad is Welsh-made, Welsh-language, or Welsh-related. The counter is run by Welsh speakers, who can talk you through any title or carving in either language. Below: the four ranges that fill the shop, in the order you find them as you walk in.
Penblwyddi, priodasau, genedigaethau, cydymdeimlad, Dydd Santes Dwynwen, Calan, Nadolig. Most ranges illustrated by Welsh artists, written in idiomatic Cymraeg. The single largest category on the shelves at Y Farchnad.
Plant a phobl ifanc, oedolion, barddoniaeth, hanes Cymru. Y Lolfa, Gomer, Atebol, Rily, Carreg Gwalch on the shelves. One of a handful of independent Welsh-language stockists outside Caernarfon and Aberystwyth.
Hand-carved lovespoons (the 17th-century courtship gift), Welsh slate cheeseboards, pottery from the Tywi valley, wool throws, dragon-marked souvenirs. The single best-selling gift category for visitors to Carmarthen Market.
Geiriaduron, llyfrau graddedig, gwerslyfrau, sain ar gryno-ddisg. Specialist section for adults learning Welsh. Geiriadur yr Academi, Welsh for the Family, the full Atebol learner range. Mid- and west Wales's reference shop for Dysgwyr Cymraeg.
Siop y Pentan opened in Y Farchnad Caerfyrddin in 1972, when three partners agreed Carmarthen needed a dedicated shop for Cardiau Cymraeg and llyfrau Cymraeg. The single rack of cards became a wall, the wall became four ranges, and by the 1990s the counter was supplying smaller Welsh-language shops across the south as a quiet wholesale operation.
Five decades on, the original three partners have given way to a family team, but the brief has not changed. Every product is Welsh, the counter speaks Cymraeg, and the back room still keeps the mail-order ledger to the diaspora in Patagonia, Australia, the United States, and Canada. The Llanelli shop on Cowell Street opened in the 2010s. The Carmarthen counter marked 50 years of trading in 2022.
"Sefydlwyd Siop y Pentan gan dri phartner yn 1972."
From the shop's own About page (Amdanom Ni)
The Welsh-language children's book trade is small, and the print runs are smaller. Most titles run to 200 to 500 copies. Without shops like Siop y Pentan they vanish quickly. We carry the full Welsh-children's lists from Atebol, Y Lolfa, Gomer, Rily and Carreg Gwalch, plus the picture-book runs from smaller community publishers you will not find on Amazon.
The lovespoon (lwy caru) is the 17th-century Welsh courtship gift. Each carved motif means something specific: a heart for love, a wheel for hard work, a chain for fidelity, a bell for marriage. We carry spoons by named Welsh carvers, each one signed under the bowl. Alongside them: Welsh slate cheeseboards from the Penrhyn quarries, pottery from the Tywi valley, wool throws from the Cambrian Wool mill at Tregaron.
Mid- and west Wales's reference shop for Dysgwyr Cymraeg, the adults learning the language. We keep the full Atebol learner range, the Welsh Academy dictionaries (including Geiriadur yr Academi), graded readers from Gomer and Y Lolfa, the Welsh for the Family series, and audio CDs for spoken practice. If you tell the counter your level, we will steer you to the right shelf, and we will not sell you anything above it.
"Os ydych chi'n dysgu, dewch i siarad. Dyna sut mae'r iaith yn fyw."
The counter's standing invitation to Welsh learners
The shop's catalogue is wider than the website. If you are after a particular Welsh-language title, a learner level, a lovespoon by a named carver, or a gift for someone in the Welsh diaspora abroad, send us the detail. The counter replies in Cymraeg or English, whichever you write in.
The Carmarthen Market has traded on this footprint since the 13th century, between Lammas Street and St Catherine Street, the medieval heart of the town. We are inside the covered market, three rows in from the Lammas Street entrance, with the Welsh-language card wall facing the aisle. Free public car parks on St Peter's Street and the Quay, both five minutes' walk.
Cymraeg or English · the counter answers in whichever you ask in.
A hand-carved wooden spoon, traditionally given by a young man to the woman he hoped to marry. The earliest dated Welsh lovespoon in the National Museum is from 1667. Each carved motif carries a meaning: a heart for love, a wheel for hard work, links for fidelity. We stock spoons by Welsh carvers, each one signed. Single spoons typically £25 to £180 depending on the carver and the woodwork. We post anywhere in the world with the meaning of every motif written on the card.
Yes. We post books, cards, and lovespoons anywhere in the UK, anywhere in Europe, and to the Welsh diaspora in Patagonia, Australia, the United States, and Canada. Free UK delivery on orders over £50. For larger gifts or fragile items, phone the counter on 01267 235044 and we will quote you postage before you pay.
The full Atebol learner range, the Welsh Academy dictionaries (including Geiriadur yr Academi), graded readers from Gomer and Y Lolfa, the Welsh for the Family series, and audio CDs for spoken practice. We also keep small print runs of community-published learner anthologies you will not find on Amazon. If you tell the counter what level you are at, we will steer you to the right shelf.
Yes. The wholesale division supplies smaller Welsh-language gift shops and book counters across south Wales. If you run a heritage centre, a museum gift shop, or a tourism counter and would like to stock our range, phone 01267 235044 or write to busnes@ypentan.co.uk and we will send the trade catalogue.
Y Farchnad, Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen Market), between Lammas Street and St Catherine Street, the medieval heart of the town. The market has traded on this footprint since the 13th century. Free public car parks on St Peter's Street and the Quay, both 5 minutes' walk. Our second shop is at 22 Stryd Cowell in central Llanelli.