A Really Useful Shop!…read more This is almost a hardware store, but it's not quite. Neither is it a discount store - indeed you can pay over the odds. But if you've looked everywhere else for something, then you may well find it there. We just got a wind up/solar (laugh out loud)radio. I've been looking for one for a while to use in the garden now and then. A hard brush for the patio, half the price of the hardware store, and a soap filled washing up brush for when there's not much to wash up. They also do a range of garden tools, kitchen ware, household cleaning and phones and batteries etc. Their returns policy is not the greatest. Once I bought a ceramic casserole dish there. I could not grip the lid when it was hot, as oven gloves, tea towels, would not grasp the sunk in handle. I took it back. They refused to take it saying no one else had brought them back. Yhey offered me a credit note which I grugingly agreed to, knowing the thing was not fit for purpose. The proprietor called over an assistant to put the thing on the shelf or office or whatsit, and the young man enquired what was wrong. I told him. He lifted the casserole and tried to lift the lid - it slid from his fingers to the floor with a smashing smash. I had the punchline -'I think that illustrates my point!'.

Christchurch Homebase is a good place to shop for all your DIY items. It has a varied stock for…read moremost of your needs when tackling the dreaded necessary home decorating, fixing and improving. It stocks the well known brands and also their own value items, so it suits all purse strings. They have added an upper floor which has; bathrooms and accessories, Kitchen appliances and accessories and bedroom accessories, there is also a limited lounge furniture area. Outside there are the plants and flowers as well as all the necessary grow bags, slabs, fencing, etc to get your garden looking good. You can also purchase the electrical items needed for your garden and DIY from here, they usually have a good selection. The staff are helpful, when you can find someone, and are usually very knowledgeable in their areas - they will go and find someone to help if they do not know the answers to your questions. There are a few tills but they can get busy at weekends, especially when they have there 10% discount times.

This is now like a huge, discount Garden Centre. It has certainly improved since they first took it…read moreover, when it opened it was a bit chaotic with goods piled everywhere but it is now reasonably well laided out. There is a large showroom with cane furniture just outside the main building. The plants are not particularly good and overpriced for the quality, although in fairness the standard is improving. They have a good range of BBQs, garden furniture, paving & fencing along with some other gardening sundries. There is a section of greeting cards, a small selection of crafts and another area for gifts. I think they may buy up liquidated and surplus stock as well buying in from regular wholesalers. There are real bargains here but beware not everything is discounted. Do some research before you go if your are intending to spend a lot of money. We treated ourselves to a new BBQ this year and saw it on show here for over £200 more than we paid. There is a small cafe that sells cakes & light lunches. The food is basic but very nice & prices very reasonable. There is plenty to see here so give yourself time to look around. It is housed in huge greenhouses & although they have installed blowers it is unbearably hot in the summer. Staff are always friendly. Lots of parking. On the A341, at the traffic lights, opposite the showground. Originally a reasonable nursery, that expanded over the years, but was bought by Superbuys a few years ago.

This is an excellent centre and the prices are good. Out the back there is a huge building full of…read moreconservatory style furniture all at reasonable prices. The plants are sometimes a little tired but pick and choose and there are some good bargains. Inside there are lots of gifts and craft times. Helpful staff who are happy to take things out to the car for you.

A hardware store to satisfy any cook or handyman…read more This place seems to have just about everything you can think of, in fact, I can't think of anything else it could have. Even that slightly sawdust scent that goes with hardware stores. Now, this store does not carry the reputation of two that I have reviewed before. But if I lived in Wimborne, I'd be a happy camper. Collandars, graters, knives, tupperware, caddies, drainers, cookwareand then hammers, nails, screws, and thingummies. They also do garden furniture, indeed, there was a very rustic looking one on display outside. I really could have spent ages snooping around, but hey ho, time is the master of our lives. No fifth star because there seems nowher to park, so how are you going to lug your goods to the car?

This shop is a real find hidden away in Broadstone not far from the Sports Centre and a bit off the…read morebeaten track. It has a good range of fireplaces in traditional and modern designs. It also stocks gas and electric fires. The staff hare helpful and can give advice and will arrange fittings.

This is a hardware store which has been family run for several genrations (indeed I used to live…read morenext door to 'Old Pondey' as he was known. People come from all around to buy dog food, speciality nails, hooks, brackets, bait, brooms, garden gear, nets of all types, you name it, they've got it, and stuff you can't name too. In Wareham, a small market town, 9 miles from Poole towards Corfe Castle.

Very old fashioned, very traditional. I tried to get a screw from screwfix - they did not have one…read morewith the right thread so I got it from Pond's instead

I like B & Q, wandering around looking at screws, tiles, lighting, skirting, doors, loos and the…read morewhole deal. They have some very good offers at times, and in the spring I really love examining the garden centre and picking some good perrinniels for the garden. The staff are always extremely friendly, and I find the customers usually are too. It's seems amazing how much there is to laugh about with complete strangers in a DIY store. You can also shop on line for certain items, but delivery is usuallyabout three weeks later.

B&Q is a huge DIY superstore that has a great location close to the Fleetsbridge roundabout in…read morePoole. The store stocks everything you will need for any project you are attempting at home from new bathrooms and kitchens to paint, screws and wood. Along with the main store there is also the garden centre area which house many types of plants and gardening equipment. Then store has a very large car park and although the store does get busy with the large size of the store and car park it isn't that noticeable. For you DIY needs B&Q has to be a first choice with its variety and great prices.

This is now a very large store, having recently acquired the adjacent space which was previously…read moreowned by Comet, and offers a great selection of do it yourself and household items. They also have an extensive garden section: something which I hadn't realised until my last visit. This section is largely outdoors and offers fencing, sheds, ornaments and seeds in addition to flowers, plants and other shrubs. The prices seem reasonable, although on some of the household items (such as cleaning products,) I would say that you could probably find them cheaper elsewhere. The lighting section has a good variety of solutions for the more common lighting scenarios found in modern homes.

This is a nice, clean tidy and well organised shop. There is a good range of products, including a…read morelarge garden section. There is also an upstairs now, which has bathroom fittings. It is very large, and never seems to get too busy, and there is always parking spaces available.