Incredible art store. I was blown away by how well stocked the store is. I loved the top floor with…read morecool crafts and unique art gifts to purchase. The second floor had every art supplies I could dream of, and the bottom floor was an amazing selection of paper and canvas. Truly a great art store for all

Incredible place, but dangerous at the same time as you could easily spend a lot of money in here!…read more The first time I popped in was when I needed a few items for an event and I thought I'd gamble on Fred Aldous having the stuff I needed - they did! Anything you need for arts & craft or decorations they have it and with some good choice! I've now been in a few times when I need to pick up bits and bobs or essentials for work i.e. scissors etc. Loads of interesting present and gift ideas in here as well so if you're out and about birthday shopping or it's coming up to christmas - I'd say Fred Aldous is a great option with some similar style stuff to Oklahoma! Most of the stuff here is well priced and I've always been fairly surprised that my total wasn't higher when purchasing as I think the interior and style gives off an expensive vibe but really it's good value for money! A short simple review for a top NQ shop!

You can't go wrong with Blythes. A Manchester art student staple, this store has saved me countless…read moretimes. The staff in here are extremely knowledegable and will even order in special materials and papers if they're out of stock. They've got just about type of paint from Winsor to Newton and Rembrandt paints, brushes, chalks, gouaches, water colours and graphic supplies and a large range of papers and canvases. I've bought specialist 300gsm paper in here for a menu project and special mounting glue. I had help with the measuring and cutting free of charge and advice of mounting my images. I highly recommend this store.

Blyth Art Shop…read more Blyth's Art Shop seems like a serious sort of art shop for serious sort of artists. Everything is very ordered, neat and clinical. They've got great ranges of paints, pencils and pens, as well as a downstairs section with artist accessories like folders, paper and even natural light bulbs so you can paint in natural light late into the night. There's two or three staff around to help you with any queries you might have in my experience they've usually got the time and patience to help you out properly. I can't help feeling that Fred Aldous across Stevenson square isn't just lots more fun, more well stocked and generally more exciting though.

If you can't afford the outfit you want from Retro Rehab, Oxfam Originals or American Graffiti -…read moreyou can always get your ass over to Abakhan Fabrics, buy a couple of yards and make your own! Spread over two floors, it's a fabric paradise with dozens of crates filled with off-cuts, cheap rolls and unusual fabrics. As well as kitsch, quirky and colourful cottons, there's fake fur, nylon, denim and all kinds of material. Upstairs and in the room at the back of the shop, they also sell patterns, buttons, zips, rolls of cotton and everything you'd need to make your own cat-suit or hot pants! Even better, almost everything they stock is cheap as chips.

If your an art student, into arts and crafts, fashion, sewing atc this is the place for you. Huge…read morevariety of fabrics and cut offs. A word of warning: make sure you know what your looking for or have a vague idea otherwise you will spends hours sifting through what looks like a little bit of a jumble sale. Prices are really decent and staff are really friendly and willing to help you choose/ measure any number of rolls/ cuts.

I remember girls being obbsessed in this place when I was younger…read more Situated on the 1st floor of mild rebellion central, Afflecks Palace The Bead Shop specialises in beads (don't) & jewellery making supplies. Not only that, they also run beading classes for all levels throughout the week & stock a wide range of beading kits, semi-precious stones & Sworovski Crystals. So much like cracker dealers, they lure people in, get them hooked, then simply cater to demand. "C'mon man, just a few more pink flower beads...." "I think you've had enough." "Dammit I'll tell you when I've had enough!!"

This place is wonderful. I remember coming here at the age of 13 and thinking this shop was the…read morefuture. Obviously others thought the same thing as its still going strong. The concept: spend hours choosing coloured beads, choose a lace/string, make a fabulous and unique necklace/ bracelet. I have to stay away from this place as a grown adult now to avoid walking out of the shop looking like I am polly pocket. Not to say you cant make stylish pieces for grown-ups it's just my tastes in beads seem to be similar to that of a ten year old!

I am a huge fan of this shop. I started crafting about 6 months ago so when I found this shop I was…read morein heaven. It is stocked to the brim with everything any crafter could ever need. From the outside it's quite misleading, it looks really small but once you're through the door, you can see how big it is inside. The first time I went in I spent about 40 minutes walking round looking at everything. I didn't even know then what half of it was but I was just enthralled by it all. I don't think the shop has the best layout, it's hard to get through some of the gaps and I'm always a bit worried about knocking things over. I think this is mainly because it's so crammed and I wouldn't actually want them to take any of their stock away. The staff are extremely helpful, the first time I shopped there, I mentioned to the assistant that I was new to crafting and he said if I ever needed to know how to do anything, the girls that work in the shop will always give me tips and advice. I haven't called on them yet but I'm sure I will one day. I think it's very reasonably priced and they have offers and promotions on sometimes too.

Fab graphic tee-shirts? Tick Cool design books? Tick…read moreIncredible photography and art books? Tick Huge style bibles? Tick Quirky hand-made badges and zines? Tick Ace cards, stationary and wrapping paper? Tick Thanks to Magma, I was able to buy lots of unique and arty Christmas presents in one go. Wait, I forgot to get something for myself! How about the new Yoshitomo Nara book?

I bought something from Magma today! Yay,get in!…read more It's only 10 months ago since I wrote my review stating that one day I will buy something from here,and that day arrived today. Although I must state that in my previous review I said that if I did buy something, then it would probably be for someone else. Well I lied,I bought something for myself. Take that people who I would normally buy things for! What I bought was a cardboard solar powered nodding skeleton (you know you want one). It was supposed to be a build your own thing,but unfortunately the only one that they had in stock was the display model,which had of course already been put together,but that didn't bother me as I would've made a mess of it anyway. And because of this, the lovely Man who served me knocked 30% off the price....result! No longer in my eyes is Magma a museum of curiosities,it is now a cool shop of curiosities......

The Handmade Market is a market for crafty types to set up a stall and sell their wares…read more I've been to it twice now,one to have a look around to see what it's like,and the other time was to be general dogsbody to Mrs Z as she had a stall one Sunday to try and sell some if the things she makes. The stalls there sell a wide range of home made things,from cards and jewlery,to cakes and wooden things. If you find yourself in Stockport on the day it's being held,pop along,you never know,you just might find something you really like...

We visited for the Christmas market and the hall was filled with a huge variety of craft stalls…read morefrom stunning (but hugely pricey) handmade teddy bears and delicious fruit jams to artists and leather workers. Not your usual generic craft fayre, there are lovely things to suit all tastes and budgets. We spent an enjoyable hour or so browsing every stall and came away with an eclectic mix of spice mixes, jam, some awesome greetings cards from a fab artist and tons of ideas for gifts and treats for when we have a bit of extra cash! All the stall holders seemed friendly and excited to chat and explain their wares to us and the atmosphere was really convivial, and with Santa ho ho ho-ing his way around and the abundance of glittery sparkles it felt very festive too. The craft market is there on the 3rd Sunday of every month and we will be most certainly returning on a regular basis.

Staff not very helpful in the Stockport store last time I visited. Another shopper helped me So…read moremuch more

I have a love hate relationship with Hobby Craft. I LOVE…read morethe range and knowing i can simply bob in and get what i need, but i HATE the prices. I cant help but feel i've been royally ripped off each time i go. But i still go as sometimes you just dont want to wait 3 weeks to get a knitting needle sent to you by ebay or amazon. And that my friends is the rub.