My friend and I were going for a wee jaunt in Rawdon and we came across this delightful shop. She…read morehad just passed her driving test so I suggested a drive out to a random Leeds town and we decided to visit Rawdon - it was a total off the cuff find! The layout of the shop is most curious, being on the corner of the street almost, the shop itself opens out on the the street at both sides! This was a little disorientating from the inside, but I soon cottoned on. From one entrance you were met with a plethora of beautiful glass ware, hand made delightful wine glasses, little trinkets and key rings, beautiful cardigans, home ware tea sets and other gorgeous gift items. My favourite of this room was a lovely Indian (?) style lamp shade like a metal framed globe with different coloured gems which made up the body of it. At £55 I decided to think on it, but it was beautiful. Upstairs was a gallery of different floral prints, material prints and other really interesting art works. In the other room through to the other side of the street was a lovely hand made card section (situated in the through-fare) and then a gorgeous jewellery and toy section where we were greeted by a lovely sales lady. The shop is beautifully laid out, with exquisite and imaginative gift items from all kinds of indie designers and crafters, and it was most definitely worth stopping by. Prices range with some sale pieces, but expect to take a while as it is mesmerising!

This is a really lovely gift shop and emporium of beautiful things!…read more It is just by Rawdon Traffic lights so really easy to find. The shop stocks lots of lovely, unusual gift items for a variety of budgets. It is a wonderful place to go in for a browse around (no doubt you will find something you love) or to look for a special present. This shop is always my first port of call when looking for a mother's day present, or gifts for my other female relatives. Staff are happy to help and quick to come up with helpful suggestions if you are struggling for ideas. It can be a little expensive, but makes up for this with the convenience of it's location

What a wonderful little shop lots of gift ideas which certainly helped me choose a valentine's day…read morepresent for my wife.

Attractive gift shop with a nice silver jewellery, gifts & cards. Will gift wrap for you which is…read morerather nice

Brilliant little store! Full of vintage odds and ends from the early 1900s. Signs, soap, cuff…read morelinks, books, posters, bags, cups, candy, cards, ornaments, etc etc etc. Perfect shop for fans of old-school!

Highly recommend great gifts and lace friendly staff.read more

I purchased originally from their website then when I realised they were based near some friends of…read moremine I asked them about the shop and was given a glowing report so next time I visited I called in and I have to say the owners are so friendly and helpful, the choice of stock was great and so too were the prices, its so simple to keep customers happy and yet so many shops seem unable to do this so I've taken to reviewing this particular shop in all areas I can because quite simply shops like this deserve to be recognised

I took my Mum here recently and she adored it! On second glance, I realised that I too was finding…read moretrinkets and treats galore in every corner. Whilst it's your standard gift shop, housing all kinds of clocks, jewellery, scented candles, and the like, the items inside are actually pretty unique and interesting. I remember being particularly enamoured of their clocks, so perhaps enough hints will get me one for Christmas... ! The main event on this occasion was the jewellery. My Mum needed to pick up some gifts for the girls at work and so spent a good deal of time deciding over a few of the items that were artfully displayed on this lovely fake tree. I ended up chatting with the lady about the tree and she gave me some suggestions of where to find one, as this would solve a myriad of problems in storing my many necklaces and earrings! In the end Mum opted for two of the bracelets, sort of chunky gemstone and shiny beaded ones, and she was really pleased. The lovely lady was really patient with us whilst we mulled over the options and all in all it was a really pleasant shopping experience. One to watch for Christmas goodies!

Ilkley, darling, has a higher caliber of people, I am told, therefore their gift shops meet the…read moreneeds of these - the middle aged, the higher-middle class and the higher-earning. Bluebell Gifts is one of a few gift shops in Ilkley, a nicer shop than anything you will find towards the city of Leeds, even in the Victoria Quarter or Chapel Allerton. It sells a large range of gifts that would come under the home-ware category. Many of these are of a designer and novelty kind. There are Alessi corkscrews and salt shakers, in the shape of people; Black Ginger chopping boards in silhouettes of cats; Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater china that you have probably seen in someone's kitchen at some point. All of this is luxury and would make a good gift for any home-owner. They also sell scented candles, soft toys, wedding gifts, and amazingly coloured tea pot and tea cup clocks. I loved these and would have impulse-bought one if they weren't about £50!

Opulent Design is another of those quaint delights within Ilkley. It seems mostly to be a gift…read moreshop, although home wares feature heavily too. Inside it is literally like a magpie's dream, immediately to the left as you enter the door is a glass cabinet area filled with shiny - beautiful jewellery, necklaces, earrings and such, which had the air of an indie designer. The shop is literally packed with cabinets and tables of goodies, I was actually worried about knocking things over with my bag! As well jewellery there were games, pottery items, ceramics, wicker baskets, ornaments and all sorts of knick-knacks and exciting little bits. My favourite items worthy of noting were the little cloth owl and kitty purses, by 'Cotton Zoo' and a cat's bum tea-towel holder (honestly, that's what it is!) which, curiously, won 'gift of the year'! A seriously exciting and cute shop, well worth a peek.

As I walked into this shop I made a bit of a din by jangling all the wind chimes that hung above my…read morehead at the front of the shop. Opulent Designs is quite large for a gift shop and sells a strange but delightful mishmash of gifts, jewelry, cards and novelty items. The front is very colourful and clearly geared towards children with one wall full of toys. There is a lively feel to the place - The Beachboys were playing as I was browsing. I was intrigued by the table holding only 'The Beano' themed things, from note books to coasters to thermos flasks, having never seen anything quite like it. Further into the shop there is an area selling cosmetic gifts like little bath bombs in the shape of cakes and ice cream shower cream, in ice cream flavors - mint, vanilla and chocolate! There is also a wide range of jewelry and some smart silver picture frames on offer so Opulent Designs covers most bases when it comes to gift ideas from children to your Granny to your friend that is getting married and has things for all budgets!

When Tableau first caught my eye I had two contradictory thoughts. Firstly: oh look at that nice…read morepainted iron table that would look lovely in the garden. Secondly: why is there another shop in Headingly selling seemingly pointless ornamental objects? I went in to check it out and see which initial thought would pervade. They have quite a few bits of furniture that are very attractive, expensive but original such as a white painted iron bench and a similarly crafted coat stand. Decorative things hang from the ceiling that would suffice as gifts for mothers or girl friends who like pretty, hand-crafted things and can overlook their pointlessness. There is hand-made jewelry and some interesting prints, including a Jack Vertriano print. I particularly like the tiny glass pigs for sale. This shop is a bit more sophisticated than others of its kind in Headingly/Hyde Park selling gift items but they do sell fairy lights.

Tableau is a gift shop that I'm actually willing not to whinge about! The exterior is very tasteful…read morewith a muted forest green painted front and minimalist stainless steel lettering. The large windows display their pretty wares. Upon entering it's quite difficult to categorise their products as there is such a range. Mainly decorative home ware. There are small pieces of furniture, clocks, fairy lights, plant pots, lanterns, watering cans, ornaments, bobs and bits, bits and bobs, pretty things and lovely items. What I must say is I just LOVE their greetings card selection. Small it may be but perfectly formed it certainly is. The cards are very unusual and with a vintage and quirky style. Though I always make cards for my family I found a few that would just make perfect mothers' day cards...could I really give her two? I might have to they are so pretty! Now I'm not easy to please when it comes to cards so waxing lyrical about a shop's card selection feels rather out of character! Now gift shops and I generally don't get on, but Tableau really is different with its own character and style. Definitely a place to hunt for a present for mums or female friends who like to beautify their home. What the hey...I'm a fan!

What a delightful establishment this is! I might even go as far as to say delectable!…read more Nook & Cranny stocks a veritable cornucopia of gorgeous gifts, stationery and homewares, all utterly charming. The first thing that caught my eye (and drew me in from my journey up Bold Street) were the beautiful Cable & Cotton fairy lights displayed in the window - these stunning textured, multi coloured, orb fairy lights are just magical and certainly set the scene for the rest of the shop. There is so much to gaze or chuckle at and drool over in Nook & Cranny that I just wouldn't know where to start telling you all about it but other highlights include the bear paw oven mitts, the 'My Cuppa Tea' colour matching guide mug and the Knit Your Own Zoo kit. I was in seventh heaven. Imagine my delight when I discovered that the back of the shop (which used to be storage space) has now been turned into a cosy little cafe called Quills & Coffee. Sadly I couldn't stay to sample any of the beautiful looking cakes but I vowed there and then to visit again as soon as possible. Yet more delight...Nook & Cranny and Quills & Coffee put on occasional film screenings at the back of the store!! The next one is American Beauty on Saturday 28th March at 7pm - tickets are £10 and include free drinks and pizza and available from www.nookandcrannyshop.co.uk. Magic

This is a fantastic independent biz that I ventured into when in Liverpool a couple of weeks back…read more We actually held an event in the back part of the business and I didn't realise it existed until Liverpool CA Gemma A introduced me to it - but the space is really cavernous and it was great to temporarily see Quills coffee set up in the back. Very very cool cards and gifts throughout, I was especially impressed with the awesome range of band music posters in the back - everything from Queens of the stone age to classic hiphop ones - really worth a look if you're nearby and fancy some colourful artwork to brighten up your walls. Very friendly staff, they hopefully will do well in this prime location in Liverpool.