A rather strange cross between a corner shop and a pound shop and a newsies, Copson News sells…read morepretty much everything you'll need (apart from le Booze, go to A&S for that) in a pinch but for a price. You can pick up the usual array of newwspapers here, and they occasionally stock coolio magazines such as D&C. What I always noticed is that they stock a large amount of kids' magazines, which always seem to have much better free gifts than Girl Talk (the magazine that taught me everything, until I moved on to J17, which taught me everything *else*...) used to have. They also stock two or three Irish newspapers. So if you need to know what the craic is, this is your place. There's a small range of non-confectionery foodstuffs, but this is no place for buying your Sunday lunch, more a place to pick up an emergency tin o' beans. The sweetie section is jolly good, and you can pick up old faves such as Wham bars, as well as making your own mix-up. For those favouring a saltier snack, you can pick up a packet of cashew nuts for £1, which is super cheap! And the pack is adorrned with a picture of a nut who is a soldier. I think they're going for a colonel/kernel kinda visual pun. As well as minimal food, maximum news and sweeties, this shop sells weird toys like Bratz dolls that seem totally out of place, and a range of bathroom items, just in case you've run out of your Radox bubble bath. All in all, this is not a shop you'd go to every day, but if you should ever need it, you'll be glad it's there.

Fine newsagents on the busy, slightly ramshackle Copson Street. I've been buying my papers here for…read moreyears, and it's surprising just how much they manage to pack into this shop. Amongst the hundreds of papers and magazine titles, there lies the obligatory 'tuck shop' where all the 'favourites' are representedin fact the owner possesses fine knowledge on the world of sweets - ask for an item and they'll most likely have it or will advise you on the demise of a certain confectionery (I tried recently - those razor thin mint melts are sadly no longer available). The other side of the shop is taken up with children's toys and games and anything else from shampoo to mysterious tight wear. Helpful and friendly staff at all times.

Have a brilliant range of soft drinks, sweets and snacks. Great for convenience, also good service…read moreand banter with the staff/owners. Pleasant experience everytime i visit.

Although the front part of this former record shop is now the Art of Tea, the Didsbury Village…read moreBookshop still remains in the back room! It's a great little shop that's crowded with endless rows of bookcases, each holding a huge variety of secondhand and collectable titles, including lots of coveted vintage Penguin paperbacks! For some reason, the shop also does a great line in books about classic Hollywood icons. I've picked up everything from straightforward biographies of Clara Bow and Jean Harlow to a slightly odd biography of Jayne Mansfield written by her psychic here! The prices aren't cheap at around £2 6 per book. But there really are some great one-off titles here that you'd struggle to find elsewhere. The man who works here is very chatty and will happily recommend titles to you. His mind seems to function like a human stock control system, too. So he can usually tell you whether or not there's a particular book in stock, saving you hours of rifling through the shelves!

Fantastic second hand book store at the back of the Art of Tea. Literally crammed floor to ceiling…read morewith books of all descriptions and in the type of environment perfect for rummaging through old books, especially when you have a couple of hours spare. This shop is situated directly behind the Art of Tea as part of a four piece (alongside zero and the Picture framing service) avant garde nod to commercial shopping. The perfect one stop shop for your creative needs and caffeine addled brains. Have a good rummage through the countless number of books (thankfully listed by style and subject matter) then pop next door to grab a brew and purvey your literary acquisition. I found a bargain on a Stanley Kubrick hardback perfect condition and sold for a very good price considering it's quality. This part of Didsbury Village is slowly but surely re emerging from years in the wilderness and this type of book shop is exactly the type of thing Didsbury currently needs.