Remember the fairy tale of The Elves and the Shoemaker? Well, when I walked in here, I was almost…read morecertain that this was the Shoemaker. The shop is a tiny little shop, with leather in a pile, a heavy duty sewing machine, and many finished shoes in racks. All the shoes are handmade, and he has been making these for 20 years. What an amazing skill, and I am so happy that this shop is still around. It's a great shop to get sandals, slippers, and doc martenesque shoes where you get to meet the man who makes them! He does repairs too, so bring on down your old shoes and him and his elves will fix them up good. If you need a good boot, or some sandals for the summer, don't go to the high street; come here instead for something different!

If ever there was a shop that is as it was a hundred years ago, this is it. A prime example of a…read moretraditional skill taught, learnt and being used to earn a decent living. Phil Wilkins is said labourer and The Handmade Shoe Co is his business set up through the traditional working of leather. Having been in the game for some twenty seven years Phil has set up shop in central Bristol in his shop space / working space. Being something of a small time craftsman myself I have from time to time popped in to get information and advice. The shoes, bags, belts and leather accessories are all made on site and of good quality. The shoe designs are unique and can be made to measure even the tiniest of paws and the biggest of loafers. This is also a good place to bring any leather goods that need repairing. A good place indeed to see people, not machines, hard at work doing what they love.

Office makes me drool just thinking about it. Who would have thought such a funky shoes shop would…read morehave such an incredibly dull name. Oh well. I've been a fan for a while now (since I first stepped foot in the London branch in fact) so excuse me if I go off into Carrie Bradshaw mode... They do beautiful, retro-chic trainers and deliciously high heels. Right now there's shiny leather boots and cute pumps jostling for space on the shelves. A word of warning - leave your credit cards at home - you could spend a fortune on canvas and leather right here. I keep expecting the shop to move into Cabot's Circus, but so far it's remained separate. Watch this space though. A downside is that the sales staff are on the snooty/cool-as-a-cucumber side, but always happy to get you the correct size (and take your dosh!)

While some sports shops concentrate on providing sporting goods, and others try and keep a balance…read morebetween that and fashion, Office concentrates solely on the aesthetically pleasing side of the trainer world (with added shoes thrown in). The likes of Adidas, Nike, Etnies, Converse and New Balance are to the fore here. This has to be Bristol's best trainer shop, with shoes of all sizes and colours (many too fashionable for the likes of you or I to attempt to don), a proportion of which are exclusive to Office. They also seem to have a permanent sale on, which is worth checking out.

This shop exists quite discreetly in a lane off Park Street. Seeing as Park Street has many…read moreclothing shops which are quite popular, every time I try to explain where Seven is, I draw blank looks. When I say, it's right next to The Woods, people usually nod and say 'Yeah, we know The Woods, but I didn't know there was anything next to it..' Well there is! A shop just bursting with flavour, style and individuality. The next time you're shopping up Park Street, or drinking at The Woods, keep your eye out for this graffiti laden shop and enter its grotto of awesome tees, caps, shoes and posters; some produced by the designers at Seven, others by independent Bristol designers and also a handpicked selection of other imports. This is just a really cool shop - small but everything in there is ace.

This place is cool…read more This shop reminds me of the little vintage/independant boutiques I used to rummage through during my time in East Berlin. You access it by walking down the stairs from the front door into a small shop area. There's pretty cool music playing and a small selection of clothes which isn't too confusing to navigate. Check out the little suitcase of vintage items right by the stairs, definitely a few cool finds in there, all for £10, and above that there are some awesome trainers. If you're looking for a designer tee, they print their own, for RRP of £25 but you can find sale ones for as little a tenner. It's a very low-fi shop; they don't even have a till, but appreciate any custom they get and are really grateful and friendly.

Shops like Curry's have moved out refusing to pay the raised rents. They have recently put in Zebra…read morecrossings with cars either side blocking your view of pedestrians. In the car spaces are below your eyeliner barriers which often get hit damaging cars. There are no litter bins only Mc Donald's and Greggs' which everyone uses to overflowing over the paths. Avon Meads suffer from lack of thought and seem only interested in taking the money. The car barriers are totally unnecessary and expensive to hit even gently. Apart from good entertainment centres the low stars are for the above mentioned problems which I doubt will be resolved until someone gets hurt.

Don't you just love these ugly out of town meccas to all things capialist? No, me neither but I…read morestill seem to go to them every now and then and sometimes I even buy stuff (sometime stuff I even like!). This one sits in their usual habitat (a massive concrete car park), though it does boast a flyover arcing overhead (classy). Contained within are the usual suspects - cinema, bowling alley, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Chiquito - plus a load of warehouse sized shops (Boots, Comet, Currys, Brantano Footwear, JJB Sports, The Range and, er, a small Marks and Sparks for some reason). These places usually get the single star treatment though this receives an extra one simply for being the one that's near my house.

I love a good sale in a shoe shop, and there is none better than the Aldo sale. Unlike most…read moreseasonal discounts where stores find it fit to roll out the most vile creations they had lurking at the back of the stock room, Aldo sales are full of quality, trendy gear. With up to 50% of high high-heels, boots and flats, ladies are bound to bag a bargain here. Even though the shop is equally as fun to nose around sans the sales, it puts it out of my limited budget. The boots are around £100, the heels around £60 - it's a good place to go for a special occasion, or if you find a pair that you love more than your partner.

Appearance can deceive with this place. The décor of Aldo is very minimalist and for me that tends…read moreto scream expensive. How can they afford to waste so much space I ask myself? Must be because they've tacked the price of the sleek and super trendy look of the place onto the shoes. Not so. In fact they're quite reasonable so my wife tells me. The shoes themselves are good quality leather and certainly a cut above the other pile em high sell cheap places you can find up and down most high streets. Only criticism according to my wife is they're a little boring and possibly aimed at the more mater lady. If you're a lady and want a good pair of decent shoes. The sort that you're mum would want you to get because they will last, then this place is ideal. Probably good for office use I reckon.

what a remarkable little shop! it doesn't look like much from the outside but inside its a treasure…read moretrove of shoe brands. you can buy Doc Martens, Crocs, Seasalt sandals, Sketchers, and a whole lot more. this space also includes a skateboarding wall, and you can pick up a new pair of trucks, wheels or bearings with your board. Service was a bit lackadaisical but hey, we're on holiday so time pressure isn't an issue. But also the reason for only 4*

The range of shoes in this shop is phenomenal considering the size of it, set in the heart of…read moreClifton Village. If there is something you require, they make every effort to find both the shoe and the size as quickly as possible. Though this may not be the type of place a teenager looking for a high-trend 6 inch heels for a night out, they do cover everything from casual footwear to things for formal occasions. Though it may seem that this is more of your grannies 'bag' from the outside, they do have some funky footwear within, and round the back there is even a bargain room, where you can find shoes starting at a tenner a go!

Friendly, helpful and exactly what I was after! Memory foam boots and a boot load of good memory's,…read morethanks K

I like the fact that this business is family run. It means you get a much more personal service…read morewhen you visit and I find that they are so helpful (I was a little overwhelmed with shoes when I visited!). Apparently they have been around (in the same shop!!) for 100 years so they clearly know what they are talking about. Prices are a little high. Expect to pay over £100 for a pair of non-sale items. However they do have sales here and there where they knock off a good £40 on some products. Their website isn't going to win any awards, but worth a look before you visit.

Nice store but not so nice customer service. I purchased a UK adapter and found others that were…read morebetter (global) so decided to try and return the original but he kept pushing for a receipt that I never received from the cashier I had just purchased the product from 5 min prior! I had the transaction on my account, yet he kept saying there's nothing he could do without a receipt. Didn't even offer store credit to help me out. I was in a hurry due to only being in this city for 24 hours for work so I just paid for 3 adapters...Please do better.

Well, I like to consider myself a person with more style than money. As such a person, TK Maxx is…read moreindispensable to me. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I am in fact all that stylish, but I do like to go and have a sift round TK Maxx anyway. The chains approach is to take brand names clothes, pile 'em high and sell them a bit cheaper than the RRP. This means you can find some real gems here but it does take a fair bit of searching of a little luck to manage it. The Bristol TK Maxx differs only in being slightly more Bristolian. The staff are friendly and usually not to be found. You'll here a request for all staff to go to the checkout once, twice, then four more times before the person on the till gives up. John Lewis this is not. I love TK Maxx nonetheless, bringing decent fashion slightly more within the reach of us without too much money by making a slightly stressful game of going shopping.

Bristol isn't short on department stores, but top of my favourites list is House of Fraser. Since…read moreit changed location it's undergone a swanky makeover making it as bright and shiny as Cabot Circus itself. It may be that I don't cope well with change but I find the layout of the new store a little confusing, often meaning I walk past the same rail of clothes several times before finding a polite shop assistant to point me in the right direction. In-keeping with the ethos of Cabot Circus, this House of Fraser stocks high-end lines such as Vivienne Westwood and Lulu Guinness in amongst Miss Sixty and French Connection which can push it into a "looking not buying" category of department stores. I tend to come for the small but extensive Paperchase and Benefit stands, and a bit of a window shop in the ladies department. Not great for every day wear, but worth a look if you're looking for a "special occasion" outfit.

When it moved from the Horsefair to shiny new Cabot Circus, House of Fraser had a bit of a…read moremakeover. No longer the frumpy department store most people walked past to get to Debenhams, now this has an emphasis on the higher quality (and higher priced) brands. Over four floors, with cosmetics, accessories and Paperchase on the lower floor, mens on the middle, women's fashion on the third floor and home decor on the top floor, it is a sprawling space with indiscernible boundaries between the brand displays. It doesn't have a great flow for browsing round, but its not bad. I come here mainly for Mango and Ted Baker brands (although there is a Ted Baker shop in Cabot Circus their women's range is better here).