Hello! When did this wee gem spring up?…read more It's not really wee, and it looks new - I'm guessing it's only been on Cockburn Street under a month. Old Town Context is a refreshing, traditional store on Cockburn Street, steering away from the style of the tourist traps on the Royal Mile to offer alternative gift ideas. They have some old English, French and American advert poster art, cards, stationery, gifts, mugs with pin ups on them, clocks made out of recycled glass drinks bottles - a very eclectic and classy selection. Its inspiration is clearly from bygone era's, and I was very impressed with their postcard range. They also have some cracking cards and original prints with cats on them. These cats are wearing kilts and rugby shifrts, quoting Burns and other Scottish poets within the print. It's a very odd idea but entirely up my alley. Overall a very enjoyable shop for the family. It's difficult to walk out of here without buying anything.

I am glad that my 200th review is on this hidden gem... actually it isn't that hidden, but I have a…read morefeeling that lots of people just walk right on by. In a very different and almost vintage way, it is a souvenir shop. I say that because there were lots of prints, cards, coffee mugs of the city and various British 'things', but they are not the types of souvenirs that you would find in the every single store on the Royal Mile... yeah, you know what I mean. I loved the different prints of the city, my favourite was a very art deco-ish print highlighting the castle in a yellowy-orangish hue against a dark background. They had it as a large print, a card, and a coffee mug. I am now kicking myself that I did not buy it. If you love globes or tin signs, they have loads of them! If you are looking for a different kind of souvenir for someone... or just something for yourself, stop in here because they have some really wonderful items.

This is a brilliant little card shop which I almost passed by the other day. Something in the…read morewindow caught my eye so I went in to have a browse. I'm glad I did because I found some good quality greetings cards and gifts, thus solving some birthday and Christmas problems for me in one fell swoop!! The cards are gorgeous and nicely categorised. There are many super little gifts to buy including delightful cuddly toys. As you'd expect, you'll also find beautiful gift bags, tags and wrapping paper. Best of all, the lady in there is lovely, very cheery and friendly. I have put this shop on my list of places to revisit the next time I'm in the town!!

The name is somewhat misleading. Yes, this is a gift shop, and a nice one at that. Although, I…read morewould be severely struggling to describe the merchandise in here as 'unique'. The gift range includes fairly bog standard teddy bears, helium balloons and cards. These are nice, not badly priced and will probably be suitable for any birthday token gift. Meanwhile, there are some more unusual gifts that cannot be purchased elsewhere locally such as silver photography frames, figurines and - my favourite - brightly painted money pot banks. Superb. Thus, this is a sweet little shop ideal for small gifts at decent prices. However, don't let the name fool you into thinking this is some little boutique like shops.

It's always satisfying to find a local card and stationary shop whose prices compete with those of…read morethe post offices and supermarkets found all over the country. The Best Seller in Penicuik in one such place, although the title did mislead me into thinking this may be a book shop! I entered and (after overcoming the epiphany that this wasn't a book shop) sought a card for my Dad's birthday and was pleased to see that, unlike what usually happens in the supermarkets, there was actually a wide range of cards available to cater to all tastes. I often find that the norm these days seems to be that Dad card's offer some mildly amusing crack revolving around age or alcohol. My Dad is not a heavy drinker and so these are of no use. However, here the variety of cards ranges from hobby based ones to classical scenic ones while still offering the wise cracking ones. There is a range of qualities available resulting in this shop which are justly reflected in the price, meaning there is something on offer to every budget. There is also plenty stationary and other gifts/useful bits and bobs available, as well as party banners and helium balloons! However, the range of gifts available is somewhat limited to ornaments etc. which unfortunately prevents this from being a one stop shop.

A great place to go to for cards, office bits and pieces, very competitively priced too. Why trek…read moreinto Edinburgh when it's on the doorstep here? It's been a family business ever since I can remember and staff go the extra mile to be helpful and friendly. They are always good about posting flyers for local events in the window--a real asset to the community, not just another retail outlet!

Hallmark Cards is a great addition to an otherwise boring Hamilton Town Centre…read more As well as selling cards (obviously) they do an extensive range of Me to You teddy bear merchandise, including mugs and picture frames. They also do a big range of gift wrapping and bags, in fact the whole back of the shop is dedicated to this. I particularly liked the little hat boxes for gifts, a really unusual and gorgeous way of presenting a gift. This branch of Hallmark also specialises in Yankee Candles, which I am a huge fan of, although they are a bit of an extravagance at upwards of 10 pounds each. Great if you are looking for a nice card for a special occasion, but just be prepared to shell out a little more for it in here.

The Write Stuff is a petite but very comprehensive stationary stockist. It sells a good number of…read morePost-It's, envelopes and small office equipment, but also has a number of pretty notebooks worth perusing. Card shop worthy, they would make nice little gifts for special occasions, or even sketch books! The shop assistants are very friendly and keen to help but being fairly small in size and self explanatory, you should be fine. With a bit more than what you get in local post offices, the Write Stuff will keep you sorted for emergency stationary situations.

The only reason I went into this shop was due to its slightly humorous name! Yes, it does not take…read morea lot for me to venture into any new shop! Inside, the shop is pretty small but very well stocked for all your stationary needs! I wasn't out to buy any pens but I somehow I ended up buying some, but they were not that expensive, actually they were on the cheap side. The staff were friendly and quite chatty which adds to what is already I think I pretty good stationary shop! This shop has everything you need to fill up your pencil case and you will then certainly be writing with the write stuff!

Small but perfectly formed, Curiouser is my favourite shop in Brunsfield because it has an awesome…read moreselection of stationery and cards, really trendy home wear, beautiful jewellery and they even have a framing service, (which I am yet to take advantage of!) I pop in quite often (I have a stationery problem) and I rarely leave empty handed. They're really great for getting in new stock and are fantastic at sourcing cool stuff I've never seen before, which makes it ideal for buying gifts (even for one's self...) This is actually their sister shop, the original shop is called Curious & Curiouser is based at the bottom of Broughton Street and it's just as great!

From the owner: We are an independently run gift and framing shop based in Bruntsfield. We stock a wide range of…read moreproducts including gift cards, art prints, stationery, books, jewellery and homewares. We also offer a comprehensive framing service. You can find our sister store at 93 Broughton Street.

Bruntsfield is spoiled for choice when it comes to quaint little shops selling unique gifts and…read morecards. This shop stocks some really fun, unique cards and wrapping paper to go perfectly with the gifts you will inevitably buy in here. I found some cute little Winnie the Pooh letters in here for my nephews room at the bargain price of £2! As soon as you enter the shop you are hit with an amazing aroma of different fruits and spices- coming from their huge selection of candles. There is a great selection of notebooks, recipe journals and travel organisers as well as some really cute kitchen bits and bobs. Everyone's Designs is a really lovely shop, the kind of place your mum or gran would have a great time shopping in.

What a quaint little gift shop!…read more Everyone's Designs is a lovely card and gift shop in the centre of the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh and just a short walk from the city centre so it is an easy place to get to. They stock a huge selection of cards suitable for every conceivable situation so you will be completely spoilt for choice. Everyone's Designs also has an array of little gifts and presents, such as candles, ornaments and cute kitchen utensils. Although most of the stock in this gift shop is mostly girl orientated, they also sell a gorgeous range of stationary, including notebooks and journals which would be an ideal present for a man. Everyone's Designs is in keeping with the rest of the up market stores in the Bruntsfield area so you know that what will purchase in this store will be of excellent quality. Most of the gifts are very reasonably priced, with cards priced at around two pounds. Every time I walk past this shop I have to on, even if it is just to browse and smell the wonderful flavours of the candles.

This gift shop and emporium of pretty items for the home is like a little treasure cavern of things…read moreto look at and go "awww", while whatever male you're with rolls his eyes and lurks at the side of the shop uncomfortably. Sorry to stereotype, I'm sure lots of boys secretly, or not so secretly, enjoy a scented candle or fluffy baby slipper as much as most females do. I'm somewhere in between, I like loveliness and items of a girly nature, but I'm not outrageously emotional over such things either. I'd say Flux and its multitude of goods is also somewhere in between, mixing pretty and practicality. Considering that the shop space isn't too huge, they've managed to fit countless cute little bits around it, so your eyes are always darting about looking at some other colour or miniature item that catches them. There are some great dinosaur lamps and wine bottle accessories, those little Japanese dolls which look amazingly cute, but I'm not entirely sure what their function is, plus some really pretty jewellery from local designers, lots of greetings cards, colourful glasses and a wee corner of baby clothes.

Positioned in the ever "up and coming" part of town, The Shore, it might be the only gift shop in…read moreEdinburgh that doesn't have 40 similar shops in a one mile radius. But in typical of our city's style, it's so overpriced, but pretty things fills itself and the brunette behind the counter is always really helpful, even when you're just looking aimlessly without the intention of buying anything. Surprisingly, it has a great collection of dirty cards and as I used to work round the corner, it was perfect for important clients birthdays which my boss would wince at. Hurrah!