From what I can gather, the people who own the Robins Nest also own a shoe shop a few doors down in…read moreNo. 16, but since I didn't pay it a visit, I'm afraid I have no clue as to what it's like. Sorry. Speaking of paying places a visit, I almost expected to literally pay to visit Robins Nest. The designer handbags (Fiorelli, Radley etc) were way out of my price range, as were the 'yummy mummy' nappy changing bags (not that I need anything along those lines, but you get what I mean), the jewellery (pretty stuff though), the toiletries (I'm sure L'Occitane En Provence is wonderful, but I cannot justify spending that much on bath cream), and the accessories (those scarves were exquisite, but £35 = eeek, especially when they're plain). As I had hoped to pick up a little something for a friend, I was left slightly disappointed. The stock really is lovely though, though it is definitely aimed at the more glamorous, slightly older lady, however, if someone wanted to buy me a gift from Robins Nest, I wouldn't complain. A definite plus is that they offer a 'pay your deposit now, and hand over the rest later' scheme, which would be mighty useful. Reminds me of those DFS ads...

The Robins Nest has been in the Dee for some time now . It is one of those shops that is totally…read moredeceiving as from the outside it looks so small especially as it has now incorporated a cafe which does delicious tray bakes and all sorts of things that are so easy to eat and so easy to carry round on the waist line!. The shop itself sells all sorts of different things which are great if you are stuck to think what to get for a birthday , mothers day or baby, because the variety and quality of the goods is excellent. The staff are so pleasant and enjoy helping you to get what you want for that special occasion. I have always found it a pleasure to shop in here the only disadvantage is that there are stairs to negotiate which may not suite anyone with young children or anyone who may struggle to get up and down It is well worth the visit though if you are looking for something a wee bit different either to buy or to have a nice wee cuppa while you decide what to get for that special person.

This is a neat little boutique just off the main street in Holywood…read more I have only given this little shop three stars as it does not stock the kind of fashion I would ever wear. There is a broad range of very snazzy day wear for the type of lady who has plenty of money to spend on choice pieces. There is everything from gillets to waistcoats to formal suits and posh jackets. The garments are Kirsten, Libra and Koifun brands and the cheapest item I could spot was a puffy sort of waistcoat for about £65. I think this shop is aimed at anyone of about the age of 40 upwards and who wants very durable and long lasting pieces that they are willing to pay through the nose for. The shop was buzzing with more elderly people but really nothing in this shop was for me, I'm too young still for these clothes which I feel are more of a glamorous granny style.

Nantucket stocks a variety of good quality stock ranging from smart casual to dressy. Everything is…read moredisplayed in a way that it is easy to make choices. The proprietor is friendly and helpful and I will certainly make return visits.

Located in Castle Court shopping centre, Warehouse is a great store for reasonably priced high…read morestreet fashion.

Zara has recently reopened after a major facelift. The old store was looking a little tattered so…read morethe revamp was more than welcome. So what's changed I hear you ask? Well the woman's section occupies the first 2 floors and then the kids and mens department is on level 2 which is the 3rd floor (hopefully that makes sense). In my opinion Zara is at the higher end of High Street fashion. I think Zara really comes in to it's own in the summer as most of their men's clothing is made from lighter materials. I really like Zara Men's clothing - it's great for smart casual gear and you won't see too many other people about town dressed in it. Their clothes seem to be of Mediterranean style and I'm not sure if a ginger pasty man like myself could pull off white linen trousers but I'm sure there's some Belfast folk who could. One thing I noticed about the new store is that is that it is impeccably well kept by the staff, there wasn't a garment out of place and there seemed to be plenty of staff on hand to offer help. Overall the refurb is great and it's nice to have a Zara store gracing Belfast's City Centre once again.

I really love my clothes and I've recently come to love Zara. It;s kind of sad as I can note a…read moremental graduation from the cutesy/hippy stuff of Miss Selfridges onto the cooler and slicker Topshop and now I'm in the limbo of being a young woman and beginning to dig Zaras sleek tailoring. I popped in here recently to get some clothes for an interview (the job will pay for these clothes I told myself- even though I didn't get it!). I had my eye on a pair of high waisted trousers with a peg leg and one of those fashiony knot belts. I got myself these for a bargain £30 and a crisp white classic shirt. The range of clothes in zara are great. They are more classic than following faddy trends which is commendable. There are some gorgeous dresses, shoes and bags but Zara really come up trumps for tailored suits and jackets. If you are going to an interview and want to impress, Zara is your (wo)man!

Words fail me. Yes, I know that doesn't happen often, but my smack has been gobbed, and my gast has…read morebeen flabbered. All thanks to this splendid little shop. Little being the operative word...there really isn't much room for manoeuvre, and I kept having to ensure my sister didn't knock over everything, or guess who'd be paying? But the size adds to the rustic charm of this gorgeous gift store, which is situated right beside the Bay Tree cafe. And all good things, come in small packages, right? The ground floor is filled with country-esque gifts and knick knacks, such as cute measuring tapes, sewing sets, wooden signs, Hunter wellie boots, cute notebooks, funky soaps...even tiny little mice which seem to have no other purpose than looking sweet. I was happy enough with this ground floor alone, but when two other ladies were told that the upstairs was open too, I couldn't resist having a sneak peek. Oooooh, wow. It was like vintage / rustic furniture heaven. The most enchanting little tea set, a tiny rocking chair, beautiful towels, stunning crockery and tableware, and dozens of items of magnificent furniture...all in the most delightful setting. We took a quick look around in complete awe, and decided that the longer we spent there, the more likely that: a) Either of us would knock something over / walk into something. b) I would end up buying something. Both of equal likelihood, I add. Staff were wonderful, chatty and polite, bidding us farewell and thanking us for coming, and we left The Mews speechless at the wonderment we had just encountered. It certainly takes something...

I didn't know this shop existed until yesterday when I decided to hob nob around Holywood…read morepretending I was loaded and posh! I really loved my dander around this little shop - be warned its tiny so don't wear a backpack or you will knock everything over. I can describe this shop as pastel coloured - everything is kitsch and pastel and quaint and cute. I love looking at the bits and pieces in shops like this and on occasion I will purchase something but I like my home to be clutter free so I usually only buy mugs and stationery. I bought a lovely upside down mug for a friend for just under a tenner. The mug is the right way up but the writing is upside down - it's confusing and is bound to lead to spilled tea! The shop also sell old fashioned sweets, I bought a sweetie watch - remember those? Yummy! There is an upstairs section to this shop as well which sells home wares, towels and quaint furniture. I enjoyed looking around this shop and I will be back to get birthday and Christmas presents. The prices are reasonable and the staff were jolly.

Oh, the places you find yourself in because of Yelp!…read more With this place it does what is says on the tin- sells stuff with the union jack on in. If you can think of it, they'll put a union jack on it. I didn't feel very welcome on entering, and was basically just stared at by the imposing man behind the counter. I scurried towards the back, out of his glare. As well as all the red, white and blue there was some 'historical' memorabilia, but I'll never be one for a big UDA wall hanging, and visual mentions of pretty dodgy loyalist groups shall we say, even as a local, did make me feel uncomfortable. Tourists may like it, but it is far from the image of a future Belfast I would like to show off as you can get.

As it is both tacky and intriguing, this is the mother of all souvenir shops that sells a…read moremesmerising array of flags and choice accessories such as bibs with a picture of Prince William of Orange, teatowels, keyrings, mugs, Rangers stuff piled high - scarves and tops along with pictures and mirrors. There are a number of other flags and loyalist band materials, CDs and DVDs. Amongst all this paraphernilia can be found serious minded historical pamphlets penned by local history groups that have been funded to write on subjects like the Ulster Volunteers gunrunning in 1914, a significant episode that has been less aired than others in Northern Ireland as well at the Battle of the Somme, plus accompanying souvenirs. Excuse the pun but the colours are pinned well up to the mast in here and for the information of passing tourists it's a good complement to an excursion to the Belfast murals..

Akiva is another luxury clothing shop on the high street in Holywood…read more I was lured in by a gorgeous dress in the window and the big red sign which said 75% off. The shop has several rails filled with a beautiful range of tops, skirts, trousers and cardigans. They didn't have the dress in my size and it was a bit on the dear side for me but the sale rail was good and there were some lovely little boleros reduced from £60 to £15 - a big saving. It's a grown up shop, I'm still pulling on ripped jeans and a t-shirt but when I do decided to grow up and buy some nice pieces I will visit this shop again. Nice pieces presented beautifully and a friendly shop assistant. Go see.

Akiva is a lovely upmarket clothes shop with refreshingly is staffed by friendly non intimidating…read moreladies (the owners?). There's nothing worse than going into a shop where you are appraised, and dismissed by the staff before you have even looked at a price tag. The great news is that that just won't happen in Aviva. You'll find a small but perfectly formed collection of dresses, trousers and tops and some jewellery to go with them. If you know Holywood, you'll already know that prices are on the high side - around £250 for a pretty coat and £80 for a pair of trousers. A bit out of my usual price range but for a special occasion, it's well worth a splurge on pieces from Nougat and Part Two. A word of advice which I learned the hard way. The sale is when you will find great bargains which you'll have in your wardrobe for years, like the dress I bought last year reduced from £125 to £35. My advice is when you see a bargain buy it. I saw a beautiful coat in the summer sale at 50% off. It was glorious, with huge big pale flowers all over it and looked like £500 pounds worth of prettiness. Of course I took a gamble and held off, hoping it may be reduced further. Big mistake, a few days later it was gone. Sale shopping really is all about timing!

Oh my, the memories. I did ballet for six years from the age of eight until I was fourteen, and The…read moreGlass Slipper was, at the stage, the only place to get kitted out. And I loved it...I was living every little girl's dream by getting to go and choose my ballet pumps, leotard, waist band, character shoes, tights and socks. I'll always remember the little old man who used to fetch everything for me, and ensure the pumps fitted. He sure knew his stuff too, and was able to inform my uninformed dad as to how I should wear everything, and how the elastic was to be attached to my shoes. We went back time and again, when I needed new elastic, or ribbons when I got older, or indeed a hair band when I had to do an exam and my hair was too short to be put up in a bun (bad times!). When I needed a higher pair of character shoes, or a new colour of a leotard, they always had what I was after...and all in this teeny little shop, with its expanding walls (well, it certainly seemed that way). The best bit of our visits was getting those super strong pink plastic bags that had a pair of ballet pumps on the front. I took them to every single class, and used them until they were no longer fit for purpose. The Glass Slipper should definitely the first port of call for your dancing needs.

With its somewhat faded looking exterior I didn't expect to find on going into the whimsically…read morenamed Glass Slipper so many mothers with little girls in some excitement all getting kitted out with ballet shoes. It all proved that little girls still have enduring fascination with ballet, at the same time it's undeniably good for the deportment and movement. I had an enquiry about Latin dancing shoes for my own daughter. These we also found to be in stock but not in the right colour. As you might expect from a shop which has evidently been here for a long time the elderly, pleasant proprietor produced a catalogue which had exactly what was needed. I doubt if there was much he did not know about obtaining and fitting dance shoes. I've since returned to buy other ballet shoes from this very authentic shop, whose retirement, if it happens that way, will mark the end of an era.