There's a moral to the following story. And that moral is…read more.. ...actually, I'm not sure anymore. Regardless, my visit to Glam Boutique was almost fruitful if not exactly conventional. I'm an A-grade snob, one of those snobs who makes out like I'm really not a snob because I sometimes travel by bus and eat Pot Noodles. Due to my snobbery, I wouldn't normally buy my clothes from a shop in Old Hill. Yet in the name of Yelping, I decided to visit Glam Boutique. I wouldn't wear about 98% of the stock, but I was surprised by how trendy some of it was. There was 2% that I would wear and had been looking for for some time. I'm very particular about my leggings - they have to be made out of a specific fabric and have a seam free waistband. I'd been looking everywhere for them, only to find them a 2 minute walk from home and for a fiver. Glam Boutique sold the leggings I'd been looking for! Hurrah! I got really excited and went to the till only to find that they don't take card. It was all fine, there was a cash point next door. I got the money out and returned to pay, then the woman said that they hadn't got change for a £10 note. She then sent me to get it changed. By this point I was slightly miffed, but at least I still had my perfect leggings! I got home and they were too small. The moral to this story is: try on your perfect leggings before buying them, take cash and make sure that you have five pound notes.

Cornbow is absolutely fine. It has a range of high street chains as you'd expect - Clarks, New…read moreLook, the odd charity shop.. It serves a purpose, and in Halesowen that purpose is to provide reliable chain stores where you know you can grab a pair of sandals or a cardigan and you know roughly what you'll pay and even what it'll look like. (Chain shops = reliability + copycat fashion) I think it's amazing it's still relatively full of shops - my local shopping centre in Wolverhampton is falling to pieces and full of empty shops making it one of the most depressing places to visit. In contrast, this fills a necessary niche in the shopping landscape of Halesowen.

Gah! I really dislike this place. I try to be positive with my reviews, but I'm struggling here…read more The Cornbow has a decent butchers shop (just outside Asda)? The car park has a fun helter-skelter ramp thingy? I'm clutching at straws here. I just find the place, and the shops within it, to be a bit depressing. It has a Gamestation, Argos, Asda, Supedrug, New Look... ...you get the idea. It also has a few independents thrown in for good measure. I'm pretty certain that they were playing muzak during my last visit. There isn't anything special about the place. The arrival of the three-story Asda has pretty much killed the rest of the centre - sucking shoppers in to it like some sort of glowing green retail vortex. I'm biased against the place because a guy barged into me with his trolley whilst I was in the lift. It really bugged me because he didn't even apologise. Not really the Cornbow Centre's fault, but it makes me suspicious of anywhere that encourages "trolley in lift" scenarios.

The single large bra hanging at the front of the shop is an indication of the joys held in store at…read moreMarva's. It is an underwear, jewellery and clothing shop on Cradley Heath High Street. It clearly caters for older ladies, with a selection of functional and basic underwear. They also stock some uninspiring clothes and a lot of costume jewellery. It really isn't my cup of tea, but there is obviously a market for it in Cradley Heath. In all honesty, this shop makes me a bit as scared about getting old.

We have used the shop for some years now , the staff are always helpful and friendly be it just a…read morewatch strap or a diamond ring . They will fit a watch battery or strap with no problem . This is a great little shop.

I would strongly recommend to avoid this company, this is the worst jewellers I have ever used…read more They sold me a faulty watch, refused to replace or refund so I had to go without a watch for 5 weeks and then the same issue has occurred again! Yet again they refuse to refund so I am without a watch and there customer service ignores emails. Seriously, for a purchase I would only go to a proper mainstream dealer. I have now got to go through trading standards which is long winded.

Mairs are one of the exceptional stores on Soho Road for that Asian wedding and bridal attire…read more They always display the latest designs and the fashion you can't produce in the UK, they bring all the items over from all over Asia, which includes, India, Singapore and far out east. Popular, and occasionally you will find a great sale on, they also have some nice outfits for men. Certainly take friends and family with you on your visit here. Whatever colours you prefer they sell. I like how they speak lots of languages, and it's more convenient for my mothers generation who knows that she trusts what they're saying about their garments when she can speak to them in her own language. I'd recommend visiting the store, car parking is available nearby, and the shop is served with bus routes regularly from the city and West Bromwich. Quite busy on the weekends though.

This is one shop on Soho Road I like going to and just walking into the shop, I got a sense of…read morethere being a friendly atmosphere about the place. Despite the fact I have not brought anything from here, I have tried one or two sherwanis from Mairs. Just wearing them felt good and the only thing that prevented me from buying them was price. I did ask if they could reduce the price by a small amount but they couldn't. What I will say is that the staff here are very friendly and will help you if you need it. They will happily answer your questions and offer you advice. I did find some sherwanis had way too much embroidery but I guess there are Asians out there that like Indian suits with plenty of sequins/embroidery. If Mairs did lower their prices then maybe I would buy a sherwani from here. As well as Menswear, there are Asian Ladieswear on sale here as well.

I am a big fan of thrift stores. I love having a mooch through the rails to try and find that one…read moreoff or hidden treasure. Thrift is a new addition to the Birmingham scene and they have really excelled with this new shop. Oldschool decoration and vintage furniture sit alongside both branded and unbranded pieces of vintage from the 70s,80s and 90s. From the minute we walked in the people working were so friendly and happy to help, they explained that they have only been here a couple of weeks so if you are in the area go and have a look for yourself, get involved and possibly meet that one off special item you didn't even know you were looking for.