Now, I'm going to say 'hand woodworking tools' to you and I'm guessing 90 per cent of you are going…read moreto click elsew.... hey! Well hi there 10 per cent of you, I can see you have perked up a little. If you know of this shop then you will be having a far-away dreamy look in your eyes right about now and if you didn't then you're checking your watch and wondering where to park nearby. Yes, a whole shop of hand tools: gauges, mallets, chisels... including lots of vintage tools for very cheap prices as well as brand new ones. The staff (I feel I should use the word 'proprietor' here) are very very helpful and alway gleeful verging on surprised that other people like to chip bits of wood from a large block of wood. There's a lot of us about, be proud.

Bristol Design is a fantastic shop. It has everything you could ever need for your DIY redesign of…read moreyour kitchen to hanging up a picture. In my case it was the latter that needed doing and I had no idea how to go about it. The staff in here were extremely helpful and were easily able to point me in the right direction as far as picture hooks go. Now that I know what I need, I would probably go to Wilkinson's as it's a lot cheaper but for something a bit more complicated then it's definitely worth a trip here.

The strapline of Avon Textiles is: for all fabrics. I spotted a very good selection of quality…read moresilks, satins, cottons, polyesters, fake fur, net ... I could go on. Part of the delightfully eclectic St Nicholas Market, this glorified market stall is bulging, not only with rolls of material, but also sewing accessories, needles, buttons, zips, velcro by the metre.. We have As an avid sewer of fancy dress costumes, I can often be found rummaging through the reels of stuff. Luckily much of it is less than a fiver a metre and the lady running the stall is as helpful-as-can-be. The stall is great for dress-making and home-furnishing as they've started stocking upholstery and curtain fabric too.

A gem of a fabric stall in St Nicholas Market, Avon Textiles is easiest to find if you go in from…read morethe side entrance on High Street, there you'll find a wealth of rolls stacked up against the wall opposite a late night takeaway stall. Avon Textiles stocks a surprisingly large range of materials, from dressmaking staples such as calico, to fake fur, neon stretch lycra and silk. The prices are relatively cheap too, which is always a bonus. The man that runs the stall is also fairly tolerant of students which is a blessing as this is often the destination of choice for those looking to make fancy dress costumes, particularly the animal kind as there are always several varieties of fake fur on the go at any one time. Rolls are stacked somewhat haphazardly so normally you just point to what you want and the man gets it for you. Whilst occasionally irritating, as you don't get to initially touch and feel the fabrics yourself, this is a blessing if you have butterfingers and are prone to Laurel & Hardy style mishaps when handling 3m long polls!

Now now I have only given this two stars because it is not to my taste! But that is not to say it…read moreisn't a useful shop and supportive to artists of Bristol - which it very much is being a co-op and that should be highly applauded. However. This is a street of cool galleries and kitsch shops and it isn't what you would expect. I have been inside a few times over the years and I have never found anything to make me stop. Maybe I'm fussy. Maybe I just like my art more abstract than cute. Personally, I think this is a place to take mums (at the risk of getting a clay cat in hilarious posture for your birthday). Please, go, visit, make up your own mind and write a review here!

Theres a fantastic variety in the Potters shop. I would say it has a brilliant customer service,…read morepeople were helpful with purchases, and could always offer advice. Theres always something there that catches my eye and personally I find it great for gifts for any occasion.

Perhaps I encountered the staff on an off day, make that days, but whenever I've frequented this…read morecostume shop the atmosphere has been flat and the staff have been quite abrasive. There is no doubt that this is one of the best fancy dress shops in town, with a huge selection of hire outfits and accessories to buy. But while I was in there looking for an 80s outfit (not my party I would like to add!) I felt that I was being watched the whole time. The staff were cranky when I wanted to try on a wig and just didn't seem interested. If you're a student then this place is the equivalent of those newsagents that have a handwritten sign in the door: no more than 2 school children at any one time allowed inside!

The Christmas Steps Costume Hire and Joke Shop is a wonderful shop hidden away just a short walk…read morefrom the city centre. It does look a little tacky from the outside and I think that a bit more effort in the shop window could really help draw more customers in. Inside, they have pretty much anything you could ask for. Their website isn't great and doesn't do the business any justice so if you are looking for a costume definitely pop in for a visit. Their catalogue is extensive and I'm sure you'll find something to wear! The staff are also really lovely. They were really helpful and informative, and they never seemed to complain no matter how many costumes I wanted to try on!

A cutesy little shop that feels like it has been transported from Bath. I'm unsure whether this is…read morea good thing, as if you want this sort of quality homeware then Bath is actually just 20 minutes by train and every other shop sells things like this. I like that Bristol is more contemporary, more urban, has a sense of humour. Still, it's hard not to browse through the entire shop, with smiling staff and gentle music. There are lots of perfect gifts for those ladies who lunch, or at least aspire to.

Georgia Brown is a really cute, quaint shop that I know my mother and gran would just love. They…read morehave so many little ornaments and gifts that they would spend hours rummaging through. This is why I have only just spoken about it! I don't mind spending a couple of minutes in these shops, but there's only so long you can spend looking at scented candles and china figurines. Having said that, their designs are original and make great gifts for someone who appreciates these things. It's a style of shop which is lacking in Bristol so there must be a gap in the market for Georgia Brown. It's just a shame that it's not central so many who are not local will not realise its here.

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.