Sampsons is one of those places that sort of sells everything. I once went in with a list of the…read moremost obscure stuff imaginable, I think the list included a 40 watt light bulb, some miracle grow, a poker and a bag of turf. Upon entrance the list was taken off me and low and behold within 1 minute all items were on the counter waiting for payment. This is the type of shop Sampsons is, no matter how odd the request they will have it. They are primarily a hardware store but they have recently diversified to the garden market and now offer potted plants and compost. Although on the downside I found the shop very confusing so if you do not know exactly what you are looking for it is best to ask. Sampsons is very reasonable in price and he will sometimes throw in a few extra bits and bobs if he thinks you need them. The only real alternative is Homebase or another big DIY specialist but if you are in the centre of town and you need something no matter how strange (I think they even do plastic spanners and left handed screw drivers) then Sampsons is the place to go.

This is one of the oldest shops in Bangor, it has to be. I have lived here all my life and I don't…read moreremember it not being here. It is based on Hamilton Road which means that it can be tough to get to because of the one-way system but if you park the car in the Asda Car Park it is only a wee hop, skip and a jump across the road so you should be ok. This place stocks everything from garden pots, tools, miracle gro, DIY tools, hammers, spanners, nuts, bolts, brushes, hoes, rakes and basically every type of hardware that you could possibly think of other than light firearms. The staff are knowlegeable and extremely helpful. Always polite and efficent, they make popping in here to pick something up a charm.

I am very sad to hear that this fantastic shop is now closing. I will miss the owners expertise…read moreand dry humour. What many people didn't know, was that there was a third floor which was dedicated to Haberdashery (known as "Threads & Whimsy"). It held an extensive collection of Lumberjack shirts and suspenders (all very manly, apart from the high heels section). Run by a guy called Bevis (who was always very pleasant).

Back to Briterome I found this Hardware shop a little bit on the feminine side, when someone says…read moreto me hardware shop I picture hammers, tool belts and lumberjack shirts. But in Briterome they sold kettles, irons and mops. This is called a hardware store but it is more of a speciality kitchen shop. This makes it all the more useful and allows it to tap into a niche market. If you do need something for your kitchen, they will stock it. Just the other day I purchased 5 temperature gauges, random you might say but these were easy to locate in the expansive store and they were cheap to boot. At £1.99 each you can not go far wrong. The service was also really good, they shop was clean and well organised and this made it easy to navigate the shop. Hardware shops are notoriously cluttered but this to my surprise was perfect.

The Bangor Homebase is one of the bigger stores in the province. It's size can be a bit of a drag…read morewhen you don't know your way round it. They have a card as a type of loyalty scheme whereby you get money back in the way of voucher. the more you spent the bigger the percentage of cashback. Watch out for some great bargains on garden equipment at the end of season you can get worthwhile reductions.

Homebase in Bangor is situated in Balloo Retail Park next to Sainsbury's supermarket. There are…read moreadequate parking spaces although on a Saturday afternoon you may struggle to get a space close to the entrance. As with most DIY chain stores there are a wide range of materials on offer. This store has a pleasant garden centre which I always find well stocked with healthy plants at great prices. On the downside, l find the service a bit hit or miss. Staff are hard to locate on the shop floor and if you do find one their knowledge of products can be sketchy! If you know what you are looking for I would recommend this store.

I have been to this garden center several times because, unlike me, my fiance has a green fingers…read moreand drags me here even though I don't want to go. We have purchased bamboo hedging and rather large pot plants as we attempt to stop our neighbours out the back seeing into our dining room! The place is massive and divided into many sections dealing with the garden, conservatories, play equipment, hot tubs and spas. The inside space is home to much home furniture and it is beautiful at Christmas time when all the Christmas ornaments and trees are set out and it is lit up like Santa's Grotto. If you need anything for your garden, from furniture to manure this is the place to go in the Crawfordsburn/Ards area.

I apparently loved Dixons so much as a child that I named my goldfish after it. Yes, his name was…read moreDixie (qu: can you actually distinguish between male and female fish?), and his partner's name was Dora. And I was about seven when we got them, before you're thinking this was a couple of years ago... Dixons no longer specialises in the provision of fish, unfortunately, but it's a pretty 'cool' place nonetheless (if garden centres can be cool). Hardware, gardening tools, plants, furniture, and my fave - the gift section - are all available at Dixons, and all under one roof. Excellent. My mum and dad purchased their conservatory furniture from Dixons about ten years ago (it's still intact), and dragged us there in the process. In fact they dragged us there for quite a number of years any time my mum needed new plants / compost / any of the jazz for the garden, or my dad wanted a new toy, er, I mean tool, to play with. Ah yes, Dixons will always hold a special place in my heart. I mean, there aren't too many who would name their fish after a garden centre (R.I.P Dixie)...

We bought a fire grate 12 months ago to replace one fitted some 15 years earlier and used over…read moreChristmas for a few months. We came to light a fire this year and found three of the slats had disintegrated. Sent a photo to Ray Graham's pointing this out and was told that this was expected of cast iron grates if you burnt wood and coal on them. We had subjected the new grate to exactly the same treatment as our old grate which had lasted 15 years plus. Ray Grahams insisted that there was no fault with their product and would not replace it. I posted a negative review at their website but it has never appeared - they clearly only 'allow' postive reviews that score 4/5 and 5/5. As a consequence, one wonders if you can trust any of the reviews you find there .....

Got all my stuff to build my Garden Bar and terrace, good quality products and price and very Covid…read moreaware well done Ray Graham's the place to go

I bought a cadac grillogas from this company the temperature…read moregauge went wrong, despite several emails all I have had is promises despite item still under warranty so if you want good after sales service AVOID this company!!!!!!!!!

I bought a couple of Carbon Monoxide Detectors form Hamilton Gas Products online. They offered the…read morebest prices I could find on the Internet and were much cheaper than my local wholesaler even when taking into account the [very modest] postal and packing charge. I received them next day. Well impressed with the price and speed of delivery

What a place! This os one of those rare old school high street shops that has stood the test of…read moretime - forget big chain plumbing merchants and get yourself down here. Stevenson plumbing has been on the Belfast Road in Bangor for as long as I can remember - I have fond memories of being taken here when I was very young to grab DIY supplies and now that I am a fully grown (ahem) man I really do appreciate the true value of this store. They literally stock everything you could possibly need in the plumbing/electrical realm. You name it they've got it, from toilet seats to plug sockets and everything in between. The best thing about the store isn't the products though, it's the decades of knowledge the staff possess. If you're looking for advice when you buy go here! This is a true relic of a by-gone era!

From the owner: Suppliers of plumbing and electrical fittings to trade and retail customers for over 30 yearsread more