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

I was looking for souvenirs for my kids and asked around the clerk at John Lewis recommended it. It…read moreclosed at 6 pm, so I had to return the following day to check it out. The name outside this oval shape some building is called Corn Exchange Shops. It houses a collection of speciality boutique stores. It claimed that the merchandises were exclusively from local independent makers, artists and designers of Yorkshire. The basement level has a few ping pong tables set up for recreational players. I did pick a few unique items from the shop called Natural & Nice. It has two camera stores that sell old SLR cameras that used films. It is pretty cool place to hang out and do window shopping.

From the owner: Hand picked fine gifts exclusively from ourselves and other local independent makers, artists and…read moredesigners of Yorkshire! Find us at the Leeds Corn Exchange or Shop Online. The Great Yorkshire Shop is built on passion and pride of the county and supporting local business, trade and the production of British made items. Specialising in selling a selection of quality, hand picked goods from the independents of Yorkshire including, cards, gifts, foods, art, homeware, beauty and men's products. All are unique items not found on the high street!

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!

I have been shopping here for over 10 yrs. Friendly staff that remember your face. Beautiufl things…read moreand reasonably priced. Also the staff are wiccan and will help you with spells and things

Hippypottermouse is a lovely little shop with gorgeous candles, jewellery, clothing and more. Great…read morefor anybody interested in new age stuff.

When Orchard House first opened on Hyde Park corner I was lured in a few times by the pretty things…read morein the window - jewelry, a small ornamental table, candles and other decorative things. Inside a large proportion of the tiny space it occupies is taken up by cards. I was a bit disappointed as there is a card shop just over the road but not entirely as everything else seemed a bit classier, such as the jewelry. They have a few cabinets of unique earrings, necklaces and bracelets of varying price. As I write there are massive discounts on many things and up to a 70% discount on some items. This is great for the bargain hunters but I fear it has been hit by the recession and may well close down soon. This is probably because - even though it houses tasteful things - everything was a bit too expensive pre-discount. I often wandered in to have a nose around a few times without buying anything and the last time I went was not too taken. The sale signs have been hastily drawn and stuck in the window and there was a messy pile of cards in the corner, housed in the kind of shelving I would expect to find in a sandwich shop. It is a real shame to see Orchard House degenerate especially as there as new similar shops popping up in Headingley, but maybe it was badly placed?

Orchard House is really just what you'd expect of a standard gift shop. It sells a large selection…read moreof cards, though not many to my taste, and quite expensive. It also sells trinkets and gifts such as picture frames, ornaments and jewellery. To be honest I've never really understood the concept of gift shops, it kind of seems strange that certain items are labelled as 'gifts' before they've even been allocated a 'givee', and having the type of things I'd like to give chosen for me by someone else just seems a little odd. But assuming you're happy to run with the concept of a gift shop then I guess Orchard House might not be too much of a disappointment. It just doesn't seem to have many products that really stand out and the prices are generally a bit steep. But if you need a gift quick and you're in the area it may be worth a perusal.

You will want to buy everything at Chirpy, from the stunning prints, to gorgeous jewellery, all UK…read moredesigned and made. There are workshops run from the upstairs as well as a gallery. Harriet who runs the space is a sweetheart and can recommend the perfect gift or treat.

From the owner: Design to make you feel fine!!…read more Chirpy provides the good people of Yorkshire with quirky, fun and stylish gifts and home accessorise which you wouldn't normally find in the high street. The shop is stocked full of UK designed and made goodies, including prints, cushions, jewellery, smellies, kitchenware, stationery, things for the garden and cool stuff for kids. Chirpy also hosts arts and craft workshops lead by local artists and makers who supply the shop. There is a mix of day, evening and Saturday classes held in the cool upstairs space above the store Check out the website for the programme and try your hand at something new!

The Beehive is an adorable little fair trade shop on Potternewton Lane. It is a somewhat petite…read moreshop and it sells a range of fair trade products. Products include kitchen cupboard bits and bobs such as coffee and tea, honey, jam, peanut butter, chutney, nuts, rice, pasta and chocolate. They also sell a variety of intricate hand-made greetings cards which are very pretty and unusual. Their range of gift items includes some very cute wooden toys, pottery, candles, stationery and jewellery. They also try to order in any product you'd like that they don't have in. They used to have a tiny café in the adjacent room, which sadly is no more...but if you have seen how tiny the room really is you can probably imagine why! The fact that all the products at The Beehive are fairly traded is a breath of fresh air when so many shops have murky supply chains and questionable ethics. But it is not the defining feature, because as well as having ethics the wares on sale would stand out in any gift shop or grocers for their careful design , high quality or scrumptious taste! When I popped in for a browse around the Beehive the two women running the shop were absolutely lovely - so welcoming and friendly! A shop with ethics, top notch products and perfect customer service - what more could you want?...It must be said though that their opening hours are a little sparse so you have to be sure to catch them at the right time!

This small shop has a great range of all things fair-trade. There are greetings cards crafted by…read morepeople in Bangladesh that are so much nicer than generic mass-produced cards for only £2.50, a good price for such quality. A few wooden toys are for sale and fair-trade chocolate, tea, jam, honey, coffee. Some really nice pieces of jewelry are for sale also, which makes it a great place to pick up a present with your mind at ease that a minimum amount of exploitation has taken place for the sake of your purchase. The ladies in there were really sweet and friendly saying hello, thank you and goodbye numerous times. They even apologised for the state of the shop that day as they had just had a delivery of food goods. Its a bit out of the way but I will be purposely passing by to buy my fair-trade Easter eggs this year.

This shop is great for card shopping, with a huge range and some very pretty and unusual designs…read moreincluding gorgeous stylized landscape prints that I was tempted to buy for mother's day but it's become a tradition in my family for me to hand-make cards, so however nice a bought one it always seems like a bit of a cop out! Yes the bath bombs are just yummy - the same kind they sell at Rose & Co from Bomb Cosmetic they look like miniature cupcakes and smell edible too! Gift wise it's a bit limited, as most of the shop is dedicated to cards, but what is there is pleasant, especially a set of body lotion and hand cream with an absolutely scrumptious smell. They also sell delicious-looking chocolates behind a glass counter that can be hand-picked to guarantee the satisfaction of any sweet tooth. If you see Send it With Love as a gift shop you may be a little disappointed by the choice, but if you see it as a card shop with a few gifts and chocolates thrown in for good measure you probably find it to be just the ticket!

It was a pretty drizzly day to go out looking for Christmas gifts, but it had to be done, so I…read morestopped by Oakwood on my way home from a half day at work. It can be a total pain doing this sort of thing - I don't drive so it's buses all the way. And the buses back to Headingley specifically are a pretty tricky thing. Anyhoo, I'd seen some exciting shops and hoped it would be worth all the bus trauma. Oh wow. As soon as you walk in this shop you are hit with the most delectable smell. It's both edible and bathable at the same time - sweet and delightful. This, I discovered on further investigation, was down to two things. The first, a glass display counter of the most exciting looking chocolates - they even had some shaped like mini chocolate brownies! Thorntons isn't a patch on these delights. And secondly, a unit filled to burst with the loveliest looking bath bombs. If you have ever been to Rose and Co. you will be able to picture the kind I am talking about. This delightful card shop, which is in essence what it is, goes more than the extra mile. Not only will you find beautiful cards, gift bags and the like, but so many extra cute treats you won't know what to do with yourself. Seriously, they have candles, piggybanks, chocolates, bath bombs, calendars, decorated notepads.....(fade to black). Need a shiny birthday gift? Here is your shop. Done!

With such beautiful and exquisite gift items it is difficult to see where else you would want to go…read morein Horsforth for that special present. It might be that you start at the bottom of the street and have to work your way to the top to discover Ideas, but you'll be glad you did once you've made it up here. They've a number of different items, all beautifully made and pristine, to satisfy most of your standard gift ideas. Unless you really want to personalise a gift or make it creative this shop is a fantastic place to go to find something as it has that little bit extra compared to your average card and gift store. Any old Clintons has a stuffed bear that your Mum will know in an instant where you purchased it from and didn't really make an effort. If you bought an item from Ideas, for a bit of a price granted, you will find something unique with the longevity to give a lasting impression. From jewellery, toys, frames (which you can personalise with a photograph, of course), ornaments, perfume bottles, clocks - you get the idea. Everything within is graceful, delicate and a delight to browse.

This place is my idea (no pun intended) of a proper gift store…read more Ideas Unlimited offers such a vast array of presents that it is almost impossible to walk out of here without finding something for someone - believe me when I say the range is huge: ornaments, souvenirs, stationery, jewellery, toys, photo frames - you name it, they've probably got it. It's the sort of place that takes the hassle out of getting a little 'thoughtful' present or two for someone, and the quality of the products is a lot higher than what you'll find in most gift shops - this place has an air of class about it. Unfortunately, this is reflected in the rather steep prices.

This shop specialises in greetings cards but also has a small selection of gifts such as soft toys…read moreas well as wrapping paper and accessories. As it sells so many cards there is a wide variety of styles to choose from. Befitting its location in the Victoria Quarter it doesn't stock many of those cheap, tacky cards featuring naff cartoons and 'hilarious' lewd jokes. Expect more of a refined selection, several featuring vintage photographs or interesting stylised illustrations. I wouldn't say it's the best card shop I've ever been to but it definitely tops the offerings of most high street card shops with many more unusual finds than say, Clinton Cards and it should have something to suit everyone.

This is an exquisite gift card shop. If I ever have a birthday or occasion I will come here rather…read morethan use a Clintons or similar, as they are just not as special as this shop. Bayliffe and Lupton house a whole variety of specialist gift cards from a variety of designers, from beautifully painted prints, to exquisite photography to humourous vintage photograph and caption cards. It has a huge range of different gift cards and will cover all the standard areas, but makes the difference by really finding some special designers. As well as this they sell other related goods, wrapping, canvas prints and the odd trinket or gift item, but the main reason for visiting is the quality of the gift cards. I can always choose a special card that really says something about who I am buying for, which makes all the difference when you are sending to someone special. You might pay a little more than usual, but in my book it's worth it.