A real traditional style sweet shop with wall to wall sweetie jars. As well as traditional and…read morerecent sweets and chocolates (including a large selection by Goody Good Food, and a good range of sugar-free sweets, they also sell local ice cream, soft drinks, and Slush Puppies. They also have some specialist items such as to-order cakes and boutique chocolates, and imported American goods. They occasionally sell unusual trivial items such as pictures, models, ornaments, and even neckties. These aren't worth bothering with though, as they are just filler. The store thrives best on its confectionery. The staff are also very friendly and helpful. They don't currently accept cards, but they have done previously. One of the owners says that they're looking into doing so again in the future.

I love fancy dress parties, and this shop is my first port of call for the perfect outfit. They…read moresell all sorts of costumes from your typical, halloween witch/devil to Cleopatra, Elvis and a saucy policewoman. Even if you've already got your costume, but need the finishing touches, it's a great place to find cheap wands, hats, tiaras, gloves and masks for masquerade balls. If you are going to a black tie ball and need a masquerade mask, they've a great range prices start from £3.00 for a basic mask and go up to 20.00 for a more ornate model. If you've got a costume in mind, I'm pretty sure this place will have it ready for you!

Let's get one thing straight first. I love stationery. I enjoy stationery I don't even need. If I…read morehave to do a lot of writing, I prefer tipped pens as opposed to ballpoint, in as vast a variety of colours as possible. Now, we all know we can get multipacks of these at the local supermarket or pound shop, but it just doesn't feel quite the same as purchasing something from the bevy of office supply loveliness that is Paperchase. One thing you'll always notice when standing outside this humongous, triple-floor branch in the centre of Manchester is not the Big Issue seller, although that might make you feel a little guilty for overspending on that eraser shaped like a flower or that Dalmatian print stapler. No, the biggest wow factor is the window display. They darn well make the most of it. And it's seasonal too, whether it's that phrase that strikes fear and depression into the hearts of children between the ages of five and sixteen and teachers everywhere, 'Back to School', or Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, Christmas, Valentine's Day... Paperchase will always via the medium of magical window dressing find a reason for you to buy stationery. I'd seriously recommend this branch over any of the weeny little concessions in Kendal's or Selfridges. You've got way more choice. But this isn't just a place for quirky little diaries, fluorescent pink post-its, pencils in every colour of the rainbow, stickers, iPod covers, damask wrapping paper, furry pencil cases and heart-shaped calculators. There's so much more. It has one of the biggest and best greeting card selections I've ever seen. There are gifts aplenty for the friend who has everything. There are home storage solutions. Pretty boxes. Lunchboxes. Tupperware. You can even buy pet supplies. Little random toys for stocking fillers. Toddle on up the stairs and find an entire floor dedicated to art supplies. There's even furniture, clocks, mirrors... I could go on. But I won't. Go see for yourself. I'm telling you, you'll walk in with the aim of buying a simple mobile phone cradle for your office desk and you'll come away with five different photo frames in five different shapes. You have been warned...

Now January has started it's only a matter of days before retailers swap their discounted Christmas…read morecards for Valentine's Day cards! One of the best places to go looking for cool cards and wrapping paper is Paperchase. They stock sweet, witty, playful and kitsch cards from a variety of designers and a brilliant array of notebooks, journals, address books, recipe cards, pens and stationary. This being their biggest store in the North West, there's also good quality paints, pastels, paper, card and brushes for artists upstairs. Before you get too carried away and fill your basket full of goodies - check out the prices as some of the Japanese papers and pastels are pretty steep.

Jackie's chair covers and bows made such a big difference to the Party I organised at a Village…read moreHall they turned an average room into something simply wonderful.

Stunning chair covers and sashes that really make the whole venue I went to the marquee that is…read moreowned by the same lady for a Wedding and the chairs and covers just made the whole place look that much more special.

Lovely little place, so friendly and reasonably priced. It's not just a cafe but also a shop where…read moreyou can get party supplies and order birthday cakes. Excellent breakfasts and afternoon tea (think you have to book afternoon tea) and the cakes are really good. My Friday morning choice for a bacon sandwich takeaway!! Last time I went in there I heard someone say they did cake decorating parties for children which sounded a great idea . Don't let the lack of parking straight outside put you off, park on one of the nearby streets or down closer to Titanic mills and have a walk on the canal before or after!

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!

Top people, top entertainment! I rented the photo booth and a couple of games for my daughter's…read more21st birthday and I'd recommend these guys for any event you have. Service and products both excellent. Great value for money!

This business is now at 424 Barton Road Stretford and known as Craftiways - great craft shop for…read morethe cardmaker, scrapbooker and all round crafty people. They also do bespoke wedding stationery and a design and guidance service for anyone wanting to have 'do it yourself' invitations for an event or wedding. They specialise in classes in all the electronic papercrafting machines currently on the market.