Shopped here again this week , covered xmas gifts and motherinlaws garden statue plus a few pets…read moresupplies. this truly is an amazin store, like a tardis from the outside you cant imagine what an emporium of items lie within. This local shop has been here on the circle for over 50 years to my knowledge the current owner is the 3rd generation of lennons to be providing such great service.In current ecnomic climate it is nice to see small family business still survive here on the circle. If you are local you should alredy know this shop, if you havent been lately , you should. we need more independent shops like ths where customer service is still above profits. Thanks you matthew and yoour team , i have been coming here for half a century and hope to continue to do so for a while longer.

Excellent, down to earth place to get a multitude of items at a reasonable price! Staff really…read morefriendly and easy going. Its exactly what you expect from a general indoor/outdoor market! Worth a gander I say! ;-)

Whilst the sign says it's a cash and carry, don't worry it's open to everyone and so there is no…read moreneed to fret that you aren't a business owner. Based in an old Victorian building you enter through an old wooden gateway into what can only be described as a two bay parking space. To get into the shop you clamber a few high stone steps and traverse a rickety parquet floor that makes you sad it isn't fixed and set in place. You will be surrounded by old metal racking that is sadly not for sale and decommissioned shop fridges but when you finally get inside you'll be surrounded by an array of organised boxes of stock for a good rummage. From DIY necessities, kitchen equipment, a tupperware aisle, stationery and toys it at times is a time capsule of days gone by with the stock they have. Behind the counter are all the electrical goods and they even have a boxed walkmen. When bonfire night approaches this is the place to get your fireworks from. It's a bit of a treasure trove and I dar you to not buy at least one thing every time you visit. You'll discover all sorts of things you didn't know you needed in here.

Warley's is a bit of a crazy find. You have to walk through a haphazard parquet floored parking…read morearea just to get to the front door, and then once inside it is like a weird rabbit warren of amazing tat. That's not to say the stuff in here is junk - it's not - it's just you couldn't come here with a shopping list, you just have to trust they might have something you need and then wander. Things you can definitely rely on finding here: - Whitefurze storage containers in all sizes, and a range of other storage tubs and jars - GIANT (and I mean *massive*) pans and steel cooking implements - Clocks. Lots of clocks. And random picture frames all jumbled up in a giant cardboard box. - Walkman cassette players - still boxed. (!!!) - Household stuff - appliances (hairdryers, lamps etc.) and plug extension leads and laundry baskets and other miscellaneous domestic items. - Weird multipacks of stationery, like chalks and biros, and notepads and tape.

To be a garden centre or a nursery or not to be a garden centre or a nursery? That is the question…read more It seems these days that many nurseries eventually diversify along the garden centre route - installing cafes, aquatics centres and farm shops. Fortunately, Hirons continues to buck the trend. This has always been and continues to be an actual functioning nursery providing high class garden and house plants to Birmingham families for years. Hirons retains its old fashioned feel, and hasn't changed since I used to visit here with my dad - who loves the place to bits incidentally. There's no smoke or mirrors here. You can see the staff getting there hands dirty, potting up the wonderful plants on old newspaper that they've actually grown on site. Garden centres have their place, but if you're a plant lover first and foremost this is the place for you. The staff at this family run firm really know their stuff, and you'll leave with unusual plants and specialist potting soil rather than a goldfish and a pot of homemade marmalade.

This nursery keeps gardening alive all year long. It has a lovely selection of Christmas trees in…read moreDecember and pleasant flower and veggie seeds in Spring. My favourite bit though is the drive. Each delivery the store receives causes a traffic back up because trucks really cannot fit through the gates but always try. Its an old business but remains a refreshing stop in the Perry Barr neighborhood.

Livsstil is one of my favourite stores in Birmingham. Located in the Minories arcade, just by the…read morePriory Courts, you may think it is often overlooked but it must be popular to have survived so long. Now I don't even bake that much really but I could easily spend an hour or so and a few hundred quid in Livsstil; They have the nicest cookware in Birmingham; miles better than TK Maxx and House of Fraser, which are my second and third choices for anything cookery related. From bakeware to salt and pepper shakers, kitchen scales to cute aprons, professional knives to electrical items; Livsstil really do have it all. Last time I visited they had the cutest cupcake shaped kitchen timer and some lovely brightly coloured, rubber spatulas. I'm a real sucker for vintage looking kitchen items and they have plenty of those to go around too. Livsstil have got it down to a tee with a real mix of functional, modern items, shabby chic signage, shelving and rustic, cutesy items. Everything for everyone. It's a one stop shop for chefs and enthusiasts; the only thing that could make it better would be a bakery, butchers and green grocer next door. Seriously. Go visit!

Ooh I love this shop - this despite me being useless at baking (I can still remember sobbing into a…read morebatch of wholemeal rolls that refused to rise in Home Economics) and having an almost pathological hatred of cupcakes. The thing is this shop sells so much pretty, yet practical stuff - espresso makers, salt and pepper mills, wooden spoons, towels etc - I know it shouldn't matter what this kind of thing looks like, as long as it's functional but sometimes you want something that looks nice too. Other things you can purchase here are nice mugs, aprons (does anyone apart from my Mom wear an apron any more?) and heartwarming (for someone like me who is useless at making scones but can whip up a mean gin and tonic) things you can make ice-cubes in. It's not that expensive - say compared to Debenhams or the chintzier retailers and the staff are nice.

Great place for cheap stuff. But you do feel as though the staff are laughing at you. not the most…read moreconfortable place to shop, most things are grubby. Would I shop here....NO If I needed some home stuff on the cheap I would rather go to Latifs.

I must admit that until I moved over West Bromwich way, I'd never heard of Betel. Having swung by…read morethis shop a few times, I was very interested to learn that it deals mostly in furniture restored by people taken in by the Betel charity and taught, among other things, how to restore furniture. The amount of stuff in the shop on West Bromwich High Street is staggering. There are tables, bookcases, chairs, stools, footrests, wardrobes, chests of drawers, the lot. The prices of a lot of the stuff are quite high - we're talking £150 for a restored bookcase. Generally this is because it's proper old-school hand-carved stuff and not horrific 1970s cast-offs which line their aisles. Most of it's not particularly my taste (or in my price range) but the quality is fantastic and probably far better than you'd find in a lot of antique shops.

Wow, what a gem! I wish I had discovered this earlier…read more Located within walking distance from Broad St, and has very good transport links, this handy business sells everything from ornaments, furniture, flooring, Chinese antiques and arts, to clothes, fabrics and jewellery that are unique and distinguished in character. This is an ideal shop that has it all to fit out your home with all the decor, and more, whether your a first time buyer, or just in need of some stuff. I really liked this outlet, as it's not like the Ikea's of the shopping world, it's a great independent outlet. You feel like your walking through someones home as it's so nicely fitted out. It would be nice if the shop offered gift vouchers, as there is so much housing in the city. That way, if your not exactly convinced of a purchase, you can still buy a voucher where friends and family can choose instead.

With neighbours including a hair salon, a beauty spa and a newsagents, Curzon's is an unusual…read moreaddition to the mini commercial district in the otherwise residential area along Sheepcote Street near the NIA. Stocking a wide range of Chinese furniture, ornaments and clothing, Curzon's is well worth making the trip. The family-owned business also offers traditional Chinese teas, interpretation and translation services, and tutoring in Mandarin Chinese. The staff are really chatty and happy to assist you with making your purchase, and the shop often has special offers on a wide variety of stock. You might expect a shop like this to be found nearer the Chinese quarter, but given the number of apartment complexes in the immediate area that might benefit from an oriental makeover, it makes sense to something a little closer to home.