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Bamba Beads

3.4 (14 reviews)
ModerateArts & Crafts
Closed 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

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Charlene L.

A bead shop! That has lots and lots of stock! I don't know if anyone else has problems finding a good bead shop, but I have certainly found is quite difficult to locate a shop that's brimming with tonnes of choice. The only other one I know of is in Bath, and is good too, but Bamba certainly beats in on the choice scale. There are absolutely rows and rows of different beads that make me want to dip my fingers in all the little pots and touch every one. They also have pre made jewelery; either made from the beads in the store, or things like glass rings (only £6) and very interesting python bangles (£18!). So if you're searching for a good range of beads to get on with your jewelery making, come here!!

Lorna C.

If you are looking for beads then this is the place to go. They have pretty much anything you could ever want but at a steep price. You could easily spend £20 on a few tiny beads and not realise it. To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed by the volume of beads here and I am not an expert so I'm probably not the person to write this review. Nonetheless, it might be worth a visit if you are on a serious bead mission.

Maddie Y.

When you first step inside Bamba, it feels a bit like a hushed museum: bowls of gorgeous beads line the room and there is a large wooden table and chairs running down the middle. There are signs inviting you to take a bowl and fill it with beads, but before you get up the courage to start it does feel a bit as though you have to ask if it's OK to touch. Once you get stuck in, and invest a bit of time - this is an experience, not a shop - the staff are incredibly helpful, friendly and keen to inform you about the origins of each bead and to help you put together a unique selection. If you're looking for a special present for someone, you can't really go wrong with a hand-made, hand-selected, hand-threaded necklace or bracelet put together in Bamba.

Qype User (rossan…)

I've been annoyed that there didn't seem to be a bead shop in Bristol, and now I've found Bamba Beads, sitting slyly on my doorstep! There's quite a good range of styles and materials, but within those there's not much to choose from. But maybe that's my London Bead Shop obsession talking, because since I've been there I've felt that if it takes less than an hour to look at all the beads, then it can never be five stars. Sorry Bamba! They do have semiprecious stones though which is a plus, and they also run jewellery making classes. But all in all I was disappointed at how unenthusiastic I felt about it after trying to find one for years.

Eleanor S.

Bamba Beads is tucked away between its larger neighbours and so is easy to miss walking past. There is some funky jewellery in the front window, and inside you will find an Aladdin's Cave of beads. The beads are quite expensive but the vast array of bead colour, shape, size, material and exotic origin make you forget the price. They have a lot of ready-made jewellery which is beautiful and the man at the counter can tell you exactly who made the piece and where.

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Craft Works

Craft Works

(4 reviews)

££

I'm a sucker for arts & crafts and creativity in general and Craft Works ticks all the boxes. This…read moreshop is one of the most comprehensive of its kind and one of the best in Bristol if you discount the likes of Hobbycraft. From the outside you might be forgiven for thinking this is a frivolous, girly shop for bored housewives and old ladies but oh how wrong you would be! There is a large selection of sketchbooks, drawing paper, paintbrushes and Daler-Rowney paints - all essential for art students and established artists alike. The store itself is lined with cards and displays that have been created using products from the shop, such as decopache kits, rubber stamps, ink and stencils. The only thing that limits the possibilities of the products in this shop is your own imagination. Price are reasonable and there is also a framing department at the back of the shop where you can take in your masterpieces to hang with pride.

Craft Works is probably the largest shop of its kind in Bristol. Stocking everything you can…read moreimagine, (and then some), for those with handicrafts in mind. Reasonably priced with knowledgeable staff on hand to explain what everything is for, Craft Works is creativity made easy. They even host workshops in the evening. They also stock resources for those of us who can't quite decide what hobby would suit us best, or for those of us that would like to be a bit more creative but aren't exactly sure how. A full range of magazines is available with comprehensive advice on hand. And just for the record: I'm in the market for a knitted toilet roll cover with a Cindy-type doll miraculously emerging from the middle. There's a commission in for anybody who can master the skills required to make one. I'd like it in shocking pink. Get enrolling now!

Art @ Bristol

Art @ Bristol

(3 reviews)

What a lovely little art supplies shop, with very reasonable prices. It's not like painting has…read moreever been a particularly cheap hobby or profession, but this shop makes it a little easier. They have half price canvases and a few pounds of various items here and there. The owner is a lovely Yorkshire Man (probably, he's defiantly northern), as the best people tend to be, and we had a very helpful chat about painting with oil instead of acrylic or watercolour and they sell everything you'll need to get you started or carry on painting with oil if you do that sort of thing, show off. This is a professional standard art supplies shop and one of the cheapest I have seen in town, so I will definitely use them again. It is independently owned by people who clearly care about what they sell and actually use it and this is reflected in the products they have in stock and advice they'll give you on what to purchase. They also give away free boxes to help you move house or build forts in your living room.

This is a fairly small shop which is well-stocked for all the paper, card, tissue paper and felt…read morepaper you need. I wanted to make my own Valentine's Day card and made it all for less than £2. I bought 10 sheets on coloured paper, including red and pink, coloured felt tip pens, felt paper and a pack of coloured tissue paper to make my card. For a really keen craft enthusiast, they may be disappointed with what they may deem a lack of material. However, for making cards or anything like that, this shop is brilliant for the arts and crafts amateur.

Children's Scrapstore and Artrageous

Children's Scrapstore and Artrageous

(6 reviews)

£

You might have seen the warehouse next to the organic supermarket in St Werburgh's and wondered…read morewhat it was. Behind the doors is a fiesta of paper and fur fabric and bright bits of card. A scrap warehouse charity where people donate all sorts of bits and bobs of craft resources for local schools and youth groups to utilise. You need to sign up for a membership card to shop at Artrageous, but if you have an NUS card you can sign up. Pick up some bargains - perfect for theatre groups, art projects or even a fancy dress party! Despite not being a student, I recently helped out at a local festival, so was allowed to buy some resourses from the warehouse. It is a gigantic treasure trove of foam, plastic pots, tubes and tubs, netting, fabric, books, CDs and a whole load of oddities. I even discovered a job lot of fake Christmas trees and fake fur jackets somewhere in the depths of the place! The suggested donation for a trolley of scrap is only £13.25 - that can get you a whole lot of fun. The best thing about this colourful wonderland is that all profits from Artrageous go back to the children's charity.

There's a little corner in St Werburghs where there's a higher than normal level of wholesome…read morenutritious energy buzzing out the foundations. Downstairs is the Organic Supermarket bashing out more than enough delicious and healthy meals and food stuffs (check out previous Yelpers' reviews). Upstairs is this place, an outrageously extravagant art store. The by-line is 'art and crafts for all' and this is a claim easily reached. Once inside expect to find all the materials that you would actually use if you were an artist or craftsman. That is to say, don't expect the cellophane wrapped tools and items from a high street store - but rather the raw materials in the basic form. Big tubs of PVA glue, blank masks for painting, wire framed sculpture sets and big packets of clay and modelling putty are a few examples. Face paints, colourful chalk and internal mechanisms for various models are on hand for the serious artist. For those a little less keen there's a good kids section for musical instruments, bouncing balls and finger puppets. With a big car park and an adjoining scrap store this is a perfect one stop for all your creative and artistic needs.

Fig

Fig

(4 reviews)

In a world where things are getting increasingly automated and less personal, it's refreshing to…read moresee independent businesses rising out strong above the rest. Having only been in the area since June this shop, run by a six strong craft collective is a unique glimpse at the production of some beautiful products. I think it's the shop split in half that makes Fig such an enjoyable place to poke my head in: half the shop given to racks for gifts and cards and the other half to the in house artists. I asked the always friendly staff what it is that stood them out above the rest. They can't stress enough the importance of products being hand crafted, on the spot. They say it's a very refreshing and unique approach to their work. Pop in and see for yourself.

Not to be confused with Sage, a shop of a similar name and nature a few doors down, Fig is a great…read morelittle find on Gloucester Road, choc-a-bloc full of beautiful arts, crafts and handmade delights including greeting cards, prints and jewellery. Made up of a small collective of local designers and artists, Fig is a fantastic place to go for gifts but also for inspiration to brighten up your own home. The felt embroidery of underwater scenes by Katy Tarling and quirky prints by Jane Orme are some of the highlights while the greeting cards are charming but at around £3 each are a little pricey. Although the listings on the website say this shop is only open Thursday to Saturday I recently popped in on a Monday morning so it's worth stopping by if you're in the area a the beginning of the week as opening hours may be changing.

Niche Frames

Niche Frames

(5 reviews)

££

I went here to get a weirdly sized picture framed and they were very helpful. Although framing…read moresomething professionally is always going to cost you, I don't think they ripped me off. The selection of frames, all layered up on the walls, is like a work of art in itself, and they've got a few prints and paintings for sale. The best are their prints of vintage classic book covers, the perfect gift for a literary fan. Picture this, just on Stokes Croft, a paint-spattered sign and a whole lot of helpful framing advice. You certainly won't get that in an unspecified Swedish flat-packed superstore!

I found this place because they did a service which is called blockmounting. This is to stick a…read moreposter to a piece of wood so it forms a block rather than being in a frame. It is a very good way to smarten up your favourite gig and film posters when you move from being in student digs to having a grown-up home. We've had a bunch of fliers done from our old raving days which can now just stand on a mantlepiece right up to some A0 film posters. Since then I have gone to them to frame everything we get in of any value that I don't want to stick into a generic frame. Every time they have spent a good 15 minutes looking with me at different frames and mounts to make the picture have the strongest impact. My favourite to date was a very subtly coloured litho but of a dark subject matter. We ended up with two mounts - one red to bring out the subject matter (!) and one plain grey to not swamp the picture. It was the most interesting process to get to that stage where we could look at that and realise that was the way to go. Anyway, you look at your options, they won't push you over budget, and then you let them have it for maybe a week or more if they are busy (and they do get very busy, popular with local artists!). You then pick it up and marvel at how good it looks. Prices vary of course. I could guestimate that an A0 poster for deepset blockmounting is £70, to frame an A2 piece of art in a nice frame and mount is about £50, to frame an A4 piece nicely is about £20-30. It really does make a difference. The people who run and work the shop are lovely, very helpful and not snobbish about anything you bring in and the level (or lack of) understanding you have about framing. The shop also has a great selection of cards, slightly haphazardly arranged against one wall. There are also art prints for sale and a handy noticeboard for artists just inside the door.

Bamba Beads - artsandcrafts - Updated May 2026

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