Clearly there is some confusion with this listing, as the Maia I went to was a wee basement shop…read morefull of knick-knacks and quirky gifts on Bath Street, not the huge glass-fronted expanse with coffee shop that people talk about in the reviews... the Buchanan Street one closed in 2011. Anyway, I was on the hunt for a particular 'Glasgow Patter' tea towel and was guided here by my online personal shopper Briony (that's Yelp for you!). Sadly, they only had a Scots patter one, not the Weegie version, so my search continued. But it looks like a nice wee store if you're looking for a gift or greetings cards. It's easy to walk past though as it is in a basement. (Didn't this used to be 23rd Precinct?)

Love this wee gem of a gift shop. Could have spend a small fortune but am trying to be very…read morerestrained, only buy for other people and not be a selfish mare like usual. An eclectic mix of moomin candle whirlers, ipad desks, quirky jewellery, amazing cards and everything in-between. Well worth a wander if you are searching for the illusive gift for that hard to buy for sod at the bottom of your Christmas list who wants for nothing. I was in for stocking fillers for the girls and did not leave disappointed. Smudge is going to be utterly delighted with her scarf wearing panda necklace and Santa was pleasantly surprised at the less than terrifying price tag. With the additional 10% check in discount I felt positively virtuous and absolved of all the sinning I had just been committing in Waterstones. Where my restrained buying for other people plans had failed spectacularly. By the time I had reached the till I had already decided this was going to be a five star review but then the wonderful staff at the till tried to help me lug the buggy up the stairs. I say tried because I may have been using the handy basket at the bottom of the buggy to hide all the books bought in Waterstones, meaning that the buggy weighed more than a family hatchback and actually couldn't be lifted even by two people and Puff just had to suck up bumped up the stairs. A great wee shop that I'll probably be back in again before Christmas. If only because I need some of the amazing Christmas cards with huge Rudolph noses and really my tree isn't going to be finished until I have a rocket decoration hanging from it. I didn't even know I needed a rocket tree decoration, well now I do...

I do enjoy the "Smile shoplifters, you are on camera" sign which sits threateningly outside this…read moreshop. Quite frankly, anyone who shoplifts from here deserves our sympathy as opposed to disdain. But you know, I don't absolutely detest this place. OK, so I wouldn't thank anyone for a gift from here but every city has these places and quite frankly any visitor who takes the stereotypes seriously is not the sort of person I'm bothered about. After all, I'm prone to buying the odd fridge magnet when I visit a place, but it doesn't mean I think all French people eat baguettes or Belgians worship little boys peeing. The stuff in here is definitely at the lower end of tourist tat but there's nothing wrong with visitors to Central Station, situated beside here, picking up a daft wee souvenir to take home. I concur that the Braveheart nonsense is a bit grating but hey, it's one shop. At least Glasgow city centre is not peppered with them like another city I could mention.

I don't know if they tired themselves of it, or have been reading these reviews, but I haven't…read moreheard bagpipe music coming from this shop for quite some time now! I've popped in here on occasion, mostly because my boyfriend loves his poorly-made Saltire bottle opening keyring and I was trying to find a replacement for him. Another time my friend was looking for a cheesy Scotland t-shirt for his American flatmate as a gag gift. They have the usual touristy guff, Jimmy hats, emblem t-shirts, some cheap clothing, mugs and keyrings with Scottish clan names and definitions aplenty. It could be worse. I've been to lots of shops in, say, London and Paris that are way more overtly stereotypical and crude with their tourist paraphernalia. Overall, it's a decent tourist shop, nothing is terribly embarrassing or poorly made, and although there are shops that do Scottish merchandise better, this is a good place for tourists.

Lovely gift shop with some beautiful and unique gifts for yourself or for someone special like…read morecards, prints, crystals, books, teddy's ornaments and keepsakes but it's expensive.

I don't walk along this part of Argyle Street very often - in fact this is possibly the first time…read moreI've ever walked along here instead of driving past. Unfortunately, Herself had the inside track on this flyby, and before I could do anything I was unceremoniously yanked into the shop as she had been seduced by some trinket in the (admittedly very attractive) window display. Before five minutes had passed, she had grabbed several items from the clothes rail by the door and was heading rearwards to the changing room to try them on, while I mooched around like the long-suffering husband I am, trying not to look like a shoplifter as I browsed the goodies on display. Both the ladies on duty were very chatty and friendly, which makes all the difference in these small gift shops - although the sample dish of tablet on the counter also helped it must be said. They have a great selection of Scottish- and Glasgow-themed knick-knacks on display as well as more generic items, so you'll have no trouble in finding a gift for that special person in your life. However, although I was impressed with several items and earmarked them for future gift purchases (I particularly liked the hanging jam jar lights), on this occasion I managed to escape with my wallet intact. Not so my good lady, who came away feeling very pleased with herself and her purchases.

Being that my mother is from Glasgow Scotland, I just bought my first kilt ever here. What made me…read morebuy it here and not somewhere else was the service I got with regards to helping me fit into the kilt and how nice the lady from Brazil was that sold it to me. (I know I had to go to Scotland to buy a kilt from a lady that was from Brazil :-p) but anyways I really like my kilt and I would go here again and shop. I hope to be back to Scotland soon. Give tartan house a try.

we were ripped off. My wife bought 2 items and even before we got our change. My wife said she did…read morenot want 1 item. the rude girl at counter refused to give her money back. and refused to give me manager name or company number. We Were RIPPED off

It took me an embarrassingly long time to actually visit The Lighthouse, and I'm even more…read moreembarrassed to admit that I *still* haven't been up the top to look at the view over Glasgow! Next time, I promise! The Lighthouse is tucked down Mitchell Lane and has a wonderful gift shop on the ground floor. I am a certified museum-gift-shop addict and this one is nearly as good as the one at GOMA. At the moment, they're selling some great stuff to accompany the "Hello My Name is Paul Smith" exhibition and I couldn't resist getting a couple of the pencils, an eraser as well as a nice card from the range. There's a lot of nice Scottish stuff if you're looking for a gift so it's worth a browse even if you're not planning on going to an exhibition. We were there to see the Paul Smith exhibition which is on the first floor and ticketed at £6 per adult. While I think the price is a little steep, it's a fab exhibition which was really interesting, stimulating and thought-provoking - I think we were only there for half an hour or so, but really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be back sooner rather than later for a visit to the viewing platform so I'll update accordingly! But for now, I'm already a massive fan so I can't expect the rating to change for this lovely gallery.

The Lighthouse is one of Glasgow's wonder free museums/galleries. It was one of the first galleries…read moreI visited when I moved to Glasgow and I've been back a few times since, either for a specific exhibit, a general wander, or to head up the Mackintosh tower for the amazing views over the city. Much of the museum is free to access, including the permanent Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibits and the tower. Architecture is usually the theme of most of what they're showing off, although design in general is also showcased here, especially when it's by local and Scottish artists. On the ground floor there's a fantastic gift shop with lots of Mackintosh themed gifts. Usually they have items related to other exhibits as well. There's a cafe on level 5 too and although I've not visited it in a while I remember it being light and spacious and selling pretty darn good carrot cake. It's a really cool gallery to learn a little about the history of design and architecture in Glasgow, as well as learning about some more modern themes. It's also a great place for those views from the tower to get your bearings (although it's an awfully long way up a spiral staircase, so if you don't like heights it may not be for you). For me, on a sunny day, it's one of the highlights of the city centre. If you're visiting Glasgow or you have guests in Glasgow and you find yourself in the city centre then I'd say a stop at The Lighthouse is well worth the time. It would be a shame to miss out on such a cool place.

Found in Princes Square is another of these trendy little gift shops in the same vein as Papyrus…read moreand now newly-opened Scribbler although perhaps aimed at a slightly older market as well as the young glam one. Full of fairly unusual and sweet presents for most occasions - such as special birthdays, weddings and new babies - it can be great to pick up that special gift although occassionally the stock disappoints me. What I love the most is the card selection - perfect when searching for a slightly more unusual card. Also be prepared to pay for its location - as you'd imagine in Princes Square it can be pretty expensive.

As a testosterone-fuelled alpha male, I'm unlikely to get too excited about the fashionable girly…read moreornaments in here, it does work excellently as a sort of one stop gift shop if you're looking to buy a gift for a female recipient with a minimuim of fuss / imagination. It's all quite quirky and stylish, and they do loads cards (including obscurities such as "happy rainy day") and wrapping paper as well. They'll even do the wrapping for you. Can't grumble with that.

As a lover of gifts and goodies in general, I'm not sure why I've never ventured in here before,…read morebut when I started following the store on Instagram, (as you do randomly), I knew I wanted to pay a visit. The shop's a good size and you can walk round with out fear of knocking over things which is often the case in tiny gift shops (flash back to knocking over a lladro in Spain with my ponytail when I was five !). Anyway, I was immediately drawn to the lovely jewellery - nice silver delicate pieces by Joma Jewellery and the like, and some chunkier necklaces. I'd been looking for a necklace for my mums birthday and picked up a little one-off black cord one with a drop silver pendant, which was just what she was looking for. There's a lovely selection of scarfs and accessories, as well as home products and stationery, and plenty of lovely things (you know the type that are totally useless but you really want them!). I had to contain my excitement when I saw the Itty Bittys range. To explain, these are small toys based on popular characters, and the Wizard of Oz range in particular are super cute. My best friends daughter is a mega Wizard of Oz fan so I purchased a little Dorothy complete with sparkly red shoes, with the intention of giving it to her for her birthday. Confession time! I got Dorothy home and what do you know it, turns out she likes being used as one of my photography props... so mmm I think I'll need to go back and hopefully buy Dorothy Number 2. Price wise everything is really reasonable, and when I discovered they now have a Christmas section downstairs I had to resist the urge to buy more (come on its only October people). The staff were all super friendly without being overbearing which is exactly what you want when you're in a shop like this. Anyway, with all that, a repeat visit is definitely on the cards to stock up on some Christmas gifts and maybe a wee friend for Dorothy.

Liquorice Tree is a lovely little boutique of gifts and cards for every occasion. Everytime I pass…read moreI go in to taunt myself with thungs I shouldn't buy myself. It was truely difficult to limit my spending. They have mugs, scarves, jewellery and lots of little gadgets for a birthday or Christmas present. I would challenge you not to find at something for everybody in here. The staff were also lovely and very happy to help with looking for specific items. The only reason for a 4 star instead of a 5 star was that I have seen bigger and more varied greetings cards elsewhere. Definitely worth a look for one of a kind gifts and stocking fillers.

What a lovely wee shop - without Jennie & Taco's reviews, I never would have found this place. It'd…read morebeen sitting in my bookmarks for a while and yesterday made for the perfect opportunity to finally visit. As the others have said, it's off the main road in Shawlands but it would take less than 2 minutes to walk there, so it's worth a diversion. It's a sweet gift shop with a focus on sewing stuff too - you can learn how to make your own cushion covers, for example. I was in looking for a little housewarming gift and card for a friend and loved having a nosey around while the woman working offered me helpful suggestions and showed me some of the new stuff they had in. They have a big range of stuff; from jams and fudge, to candles, prints, kids clothes/toys, lovely fabrics and cushions, bunting and some jewellery bits and bobs. I liked how it's all presented and easy to find something nice without too much bother - I ended up just grabbing a card (The Grey Earl batboy card) and a wee tote bag as a present which was under a tenner. Definitely pay this shop a visit next time you're in the area!

This place is worth finding - it's tucked away off Shawlands main street but once you know it's…read morethere I'm sure you'll go back. It's a nice wee shop which sells locally-made crafts and things. Everything from bags and ornaments to candles and jam (including some red pepper and chilli jam which I had to buy). Great place to look for nice crafty gifts for people.

great shop. i love it. There are so many things, books, crystals, etc. When you visit, you will…read morealways want to visit again and again. I always meet a lady at the cashier in the store who recommends things to me if I have a hard time choosing, and she helps me with great warmth and a good aura.

Authenticity of Samantha, excellent selection, traditional preservation and educationread more