As you drive in from all kinds of directions into Manchester from the Salford side, you will pass…read moreas I did Cousins impressive site. Anything escapism related I am fond of as any of my yelp readers are aware. Its not to get away from reality at all quite the contrary. Fueling the imagination is the essence of living and creating your own reality. I get immersed in alternative realms that are possible in real life. Cousins lets you escape into a different world, much like Ikea. The mind runs wild with different ideas for your humble abode,ideas for different bedrooms/Livingrooms/kitchens circulate. In an ideal world I would have a home in one of many locations around the world, where I would live couple of months each. Each home would have been designed and decorated by myself. Oh what a pleasant life interior decorators lead. However you don't have to be a pro to enjoy a visit to Cousins. A lot of you will just be drawn to it, it has a je ne sais quoi factor. I attribute this to the sheer size of the place. Highly recommended for a snoop for all you location location lovers out there.

I bought a suite from Cousins because I thought they were a reputable firm how wrong can one be . I…read morewas persuaded to take out Guardsman protection at a cost of £225 & told it covered every eventuality . After 12months & 2 days the main structure broke & after much trouble they repaired it . Now another 12 months on all the colour has come off & I am told it is not covered for this . They sent one of their men out to look at it at a further cost of £50 & was told it he would re- colour at another cost to me I find this completely unacceptable. Please think carefully about parting with your hard earned cash.

Vinegar Hill is a delightful little shop that stocks an eclectic mix of homeware, stationary,…read morejewellery & childrens ware. The store is tastefully decorated & beautifully presented, but the interior is rather rigid & doesn't encourage browsing; a lot of the displays are very intricately put together & I don't always feel comfortable disturbing them. It's certainly not a store that I feel happy taking my young daughter into for fear of certain damage & doom, which is a shame as they do stock some delightful children's products mixing smaller, unusual ranges with popular brand names. The homewares & stationary are always well stocked & presumably carefully chosen, the majority are simple yet tasteful items, & are ideal for casual gifts. Also worth a mention are the pleasing selection gift wraps & cards, these are always different & vastly better than those on the highstreet stores & noramlly very reasonably priced. Generally, a nice store, just needs to relax a little!

Conveniently located by Shrewsbury's retail parks, with free customer parking, there doesn't appear…read moreto be anything that this store does not sell? Camping, clothing, cooking, gardening, furniture, homeware, sports goods, they have it all, at very reasonable prices too! The staff are extremely friendly and very professional. I needed a drive belt for my lawn mower and after being fobbed off and messed around by many internet companies, a quick chat to Charlies staff and they had the correct belt ordered and delivered to the store within 4 working days - far quicker and massively cheaper than anyone else could do it for. Unfortunately there are not many Charlies stores about (generally located in Mid Wales and the West of the West Midlands). However, do not fear as they now have an excellent web site found at: http://www.charliesdirect.co.uk/ Their garden equipment section is especially well presented with a variety of equipment from cheaper brands (such as Bosch), to more specialised brands (such as Stihl), all at quite reasonable prices. The only down side about this store is that you enter it knowing that you will be leaving with something that you didn't know you needed or in fact you didn't really need at all !!

Hidden on an industrial estate in Shrewsbury, Charlies Store is a bit o f an alladins cave…read more It sells cards, gifts, cookware, camping and outdoor gear, tools, household equipment, equestrian products, shoes, clothing (including outdoor wear), and probably much more. Despite the type of shop things are well laid out, and the shop is kept pretty tidy. A lot of their products are budget brands - so figure that in, and not everything is cheaper than you would find it elsewhere, but its great to kill an hour or two, and you are sure to come away with something you didn't know you needed.

Abbey Hardware is an hidden gem, it is based on the outskirts of the town centre in Abbey Forgate…read more The store expanded a few years ago takeing over the old Midland bank and therefore doubling the size. The shop is what it says a hardware shop, the shop sells everything from nuts for birds, to ladders to gas calor heaters. Everything you could possibly need is in this store. The staff are really helpful, and extremely knowledgeable, and will advise you where necessary. Highly recommend this store to everyone.

These guys have some great deals on their Ebay store. I found a Black & Decker Dustbuster for £30…read moreincluding delivery. The next cheapest was £49 and Tesco Direct / Amazon etc wanted £60 - £70 - and all of those wanted more for postage. I'm not likely to visit the store itself, due to distance, but if the bargains on Ebay are anything to go by, then it's probably worth a visit if you are in the area!