Oh my. I am a crafty haberdashery JUNKIE....So this place is heaven for me…read more Ribbons, wool, acrylic paint, crochet hooks, storage boxes, embroidery scissors, felt squares, buttons, shrink plastic, embroidery thread, 0.05 fine-liners, ink pads, picture frames, and paint brushes are just a few things that sometimes fill up my basket when i allow myself a monthly visit here! It is huge, and never too busy...and the music play list sometimes comes up with some gems! They even have a Pets World a few doors down, where i like to stop and visit the floppy eared bunnies before i set off home!

An enormous range of craft materials, including a very useful DIY framing department where you can…read moremeasure up your own prints and choose frames, mounts &c. yourself for a fraction of the cost of professional framing. Other things that you may be surprised to find there include a big artificial flower department, a model train section (not cheap!), and a doll house aisle with a variety of different ranges of furniture and dolls. My personal criticism is that the origami paper selection is slightly limited; there is hardly any washi paper and their bog-standard packs of paper have far fewer colours than Muji's (cheaper) equivalent. In general, value for money varies considerably across different products and there are a lot of items that you would find for considerably less on eBay or an online craft store. The best value for money is in the Hobbycraft own-brand rangeyou can get a pack of six pairs of craft scissors for under £5. Oh yeah, one more complaintthe aisles aren't labelled, which makes finding what you want rather tedious. It took my friend and me a long time to seek out the candle-making section. Still, all-round it's got a decent range of products for just about every craft activity you can think of, as well as accessories like storage boxes and carry cases, so it's definitely worth a visit.

The Fountain gallery is an asset to Bridge Road. We need somewhere like this. Although it is a…read moresmall shop it is amazingly effective. The premise is that it is a cooperative art gallery. It is collectively run by 18 artists who showcase their work here on alternate times. The Fountain Gallery also have guest artists. Usually each artist is allocated a certain period of time in which to showcase their work. I believe that the times are not fixed. Most artists seem to take it over for about a month. During this time they oversee the gallery, so customers can come and talk to the artists about their work. The art comes in a mixture of forms. Generally it is painted work, most in watercolours, sometimes there are photographers who exhibit their work. Occasionally there are potters. Although the gallery closes at 6, I have often walked past and seen open evenings, it is worth phoning ahead to find out what is on.

If you're a fan of accessible art and like making new discoveries this is a lovely little gallery…read morethat warrants a regular visit. It's a co-operative of many artists so the exhibitions change frequently and, as a bonus, are run by the artists themselves. Come here to enjoy the art in relaxing surroundings, perhaps with a glass of wine to enhance your pleasure. Talk to the artist and buy anything from a postcard to a limited-edition print or even a full-blown oil painting or sculpture. If you want to turn yourself into a work of art you can sometimes buy, or commission, a pretty piece of original jewellery too.