If (God forbid) you should find yourself stranded in Brislington, and are at a loss for things to…read moredo (as you would be), I'd recommend you visit Avon Mead Retail Park if you're looking for something resembling civilisation. Here you'll find a long line of huge shops, including The Range. For those of you unfamiliar with The Range, it sells everything from musical instruments to arts and crafts, furniture, outdoor living equipment, toys and pet care items to name just a few of its many wares. Moreover, these can be purchased at trés reasonable prices (but don't expect the greatest of quality). This branch of The Range is gigantic and pretty souless. But for practical matters and rainy days, it'll suffice.

There's apparently a whole host of these shops all over the country and yet before I came to…read moreBristol, I had never heard of them. The Range is one of those wonderful mish-mash shops which sells absolutely everything, except from perhaps vital organs, although they could diversify into that in the future. Seriously, going in here is a real treat. You can buy everything from bones for your dog to every craft item under the sun. Or there's jacuzzis, huge boxes of broken biscuits, wall canvases, dried flowers and garden gnomes. It's all stacked chaotically around so actually searching for something you need is a total mission. But if you want to go in and come out with at least 15 things you absolutely don't need then I highly recommend The Range.

I've recently come to understand the importance of framing an image, it really makes a difference…read moreand makes a nice picture really stunning. I used to work locally and we used this shop for all of our framing needs - making dull award certificates look impressive for the company walls and to frame pretty pictures as gifts. The guy is always helpful and will spend time looking at different mounts and frames with you. If you want something ready-made there is a selection of art in the shop as well including, for the tourists milling about the market, canvas blocks of Banksy work - not originals I hasten to add! Opening times are 8.45-5.15 apart from the early closing on Wednesday

My friend and I came here with our degrees and graduation pictures. We wanted to spend that little…read moreextra to have a more professional looking finish so our 3 years of study could be displayed with beauty (thats the least our degrees should expect after we sheld out £18,000 in order to get them!). The chap was very friendly instore and understood we wanted something quality and modern but on a bit of a shoe string of a budget. It really pays to get something done professionally like this, especially if you have that special photo or picture that you want to display, because a trip to the Wilkinson frame department is not always the answer.

Originally Bedminster Library, the Grant Bradley Gallery has been supplying wall space to both…read morenational and international artists since its inception in 2005. This is the perfect antidote to the bruisings and spinnings of my weekly shop in the Bedminister Asda next door. Last time I sought solace in the Bradley was after a particularly taxing time involving a self-checkout - the stunning collection of textiles from an artists' collective put pay to any feelings of shop-rage. The underlying ethos is for approachability, so you wont get any of those arty affectations. The Bradley is totally welcoming, and is just as much a place to sip lattes and get your nose into a good book - they have a mezzanine floor with huggy sofas, a selection of secondhand books to peruse, high whitewalls that induce calm and there's always some top-draw art to goggle. There are life drawing classes, talks from artists and arts' events for budding Damian Hirsts during the scholl holidays. Also, the giftshop is a good place to seek out that individual gift - my girlfriend had to practically be manhandled out the door after discovering a must-have range of handmade handbags for under £10.

This gallery is just a brisk walk from Temple Meads and worth the trip. A gallery with an eye for…read moreselling items for gifts so all art is approachable. Often with a slant toward art for children or their rooms which is not surprising considering the number of mums in here mid-morning for a cup of tea. Last xmas they had an amazing display of kinetic cardboard sculpture kits. Don't let that put you off - they have art for us grown ups as well! They had a very interesting exhibition on from artists with learning disabilities when I last visited. They have a new area at the back which has a selection of second hand books - profits from the books go straight to charity.

Mmm...so many beautiful cameras. The window display alone is enough to get me dribbling on the…read morewindow, but today I actually went into double check the price of a camera I am looking to buy (if you are a Yelp Fan and reading this Father Christmas I want the Olympus Pen E-P2, Pleeeaassee! I'll be really good). They actually have one of the best ranges of cameras in Bristol, with an excellent selection of the more affordable and older second hand cameras & lenses to the brand spanking new, stunningly beautiful and expensive cameras that you see in ads on the TV during the commercial breaks for big expensive movies. I believe the best way to sum up their range is using prices, £200 - £2,000 +. But they have all the Canons, Panasonics, Nikons etc and the staff are very knowledgeable about the different cameras, which is a hell of a lot more than you can say for some larger electrical goods store chains. They also buy & sell cameras so you can trade yours in for an upgrade.

London Camera Exchange doesn't look too much from the outside but don't let appearances put you…read moreoff. They have managed to cram a lot in here considering the size of the place so it will probably take a good half hour to browse all they have to offer. I love anything to do with taking photos. My Facebook has over 150 albums (they must hate me!) therefore I like to think I know what I am talking about! Having said that the staff were able to teach me a thing or to about which cameras are good indoors/outdoors/underwater/skiiing. In fact if you have any camera needs, check this place out as they know what they are on about and the prices are really competitive.

They are cheaper than their competitors BUT this comes at the cost of the worse kind of customer…read moreservice when things go wrong. DO NOT RISK YOUR MONEY WITH THEM. I bought a camera from them & took it on holiday whereupon it kept freezing. You cannot contact them by email or online form, which is against the Consumer Rights Act. Eventually I found I could contact them through Facebook Messenger but often they just ignored my messages. As the camera was faulty & less than 30 days old, I requested a refund or brand-new replacement. When I sent it back to them, they tried to state that there was no fault & would have to send it to Olympus for further testing, even though I had sent them photos & video evidence of the fault. Eventually I got my money back via my credit card & Olympus apologised on their behalf though the whole process took several months to finalise.

Bristol Cameras is very conveniently located in the heart of Bristol near to St Nicholas Market. I…read morehave been here many a times when my 'indestructible' camera from Olympus has broken. The staff were so helpful and were able to tell me things that customer services at Olympus failed to do. They have a huge selection of cameras and I find that the staff have much more time for you than those in Curry's Digital. Prices are very competitive too. Check out their website for a full selection and you can also order online if you don't feel like making a visit.

Snap on Lower Park Row is a refreshing alternative to many of the galleries and studios in the…read morearea. A group of eight artists work together to form this one shiny collective. Each has a studio upstairs and downstairs they sell and plug their artwork. Expect a selection of unique cards, gifts and posters which all make ideal and original presents. At various times there will be guest artists displaying their work as well as the in house stuff. It is also possible to have individual and specific designs produced here either by the artists or by having a go yourself on many of the screen printing and book binding evening classes. The best thing to do is pop in and have a look for yourself.

A printmaking collaboration between a group of local artists - here's the shout out : Abi Barfield,…read moreKaty Chard, Freya Cumming, Tom Frost, Jon McNaught, Emma Peacock, Tortie Rye, Lucie Sheridan and Simon Tozer. The shop is to the left after you've puffed your way up Christmas Steps, so you may miss it as there are a lot of shops to your right. The bright gallery has lots of cards, handmade books and prints - framed and unframed - meaning you can find something to your budget. They also run courses here on printmaking and bookbinding.