As you vigorously scratch your head in confusion having never heard of it before, note that what…read morethe Brum City Council's planning documents call the Boldmere Shopping Centre is known colloquially as 'Boldmere High Street'. This busy commercial district is differentiated name wise to distinguish itself from the other commercial hub located in the south end of Boldmere Rd., known as 'Little Boldmere' that contains the Boldmere tap et al. Boldmere is a diverse middle class neighbourhood that borders Erdington to the south, Wylde Green to the east, and Sutton Park to the north. The Boldmere Shopping Centre, or high street, reflects the diversity of the area with an array of local shops and chains for the community to explore. The commercial district starts at the intersection of Antrobus Rd/Highbridge Rd. and Boldmere Rd, and continues north until you reach Jockey Rd. Businesses have traded here since the railroad laid out the initial criss-crossed roads in the late 1800's. Victorian buildings are mixed in with structures from all periods up to the present, giving the street an organic, hodge-podge feel. Recently many high street banks and other chains have been abandoning commercial districts like this en masse, however this has created opportunity for small local businesses to swoop in to take up the real estate. A recent example is the closed HSBC branch, currently being converted into a Mexican themed restaurant. Other than a proper bank branch, the Boldmere high street area has virtually every kind of shop you may need for daily purchases. There are dozens upon dozens of stores in the area, but some of my favourites include: - An official Post Office, located at the back of WH Smith. - The Boldmere Library, which has faced off against closure by the council only to remain open and provide a small, but cozy space for borrowing books and using the internet. - Three grocery stores in the form of Tesco Express, Sainsbury's, and Nisa Local. - Numerous Indian and Balti restaurants, making Boldmere the Balti Triangle of Sutton Coldfield (aka Boldmere Balti Row). - Two independent butchers, and a really good deli. - Green Grocer, who stocks the best in produce. - Two chain pubs and a Harvester, for those that like that sort of thing (The Bishop Vesey does a good chain job at stocking real ale and craft beer). - A plethora of hair dressers and barber shops, if you need your hair cut, you'll likely find a good shop here. - Charity shops and bric a brack stores. Too many to list! - Two chippies. - Several lounge and cafe style restaurants and coffee shops. - An upscale, professional florist. - One bike shop, one used car dealer, and two running stores. We love multi-modal transport! These are just some of the highlights, with many others not listed including an industrial estate for your construction etc. related needs. While Boldmere's high street may not be as posh as Harborne's, it contains a proud collection of independent traders working their craft and building a real community in Boldmere.

I've been popping in and out of this shop since I was about 10 years old. My earliest memory of the…read moreplace is when Granddad lived around the corner on Dyas Road and would always pick up his Evening Mail from there. I find it very satisfying that the shop is still there and looks pretty much as I remember it as a kid. Whilst it's changed hands a few times over the years it's still a reassuring fixture of the Kingstanding Road. These days I drop in once a month or so to buy tobacco, or some other 'essential' (is tobacco an essential?) as I pass through Kingstanding. As well as a newsagent this is also an off licence - it wasn't like that in my Granddad's day! - so, if the mood takes you, you can always pick up a beer or two for a reasonable price.

Selling a wide range of newspapers, magazines and everyday household items, this small…read morenewsagent-come-convenience store is a handy place to stop by whenever you're passing through Kingstanding. A large public car park is located just over the road, for shoppers visiting the Hawthorn shopping centre and several bus stops are within walking distance. Inside, the store is clean, spacious and very well organised. Though small in size, logical organisation and lack of makeshift shelving make ensure that the store never feels cramped, and friendly staff make every visit here a pleasant one. The prices are surprisingly good too.

This no-nonsense clothing store sells sportswear, clothes, shoes and various other products at…read moreattractive prices and benefits from a stellar location just inside Erdington's Central Square Shopping Centre. It's pleasing to see branded sports products at discounted prices and even more pleasing to see that Total Clearance Store sells official Aston Villa goods, but disappointing to see that the majority of products on sale are b-grade, damaged goods. Additionally, the store has an unappealing, unclean feel to it, with many products covered in layers of dust and the floors looking as if they haven't had a good scrub in a very, very long time. On my visit, I found the staff to be annoyingly pushy, as the owner followed me around the store attempting to pressure me into making a purchase as I browsed. Total Clearance store may be cheap, but it most certainly isn't what you'd call cheerful. Personally, I'd recommend shopping elsewhere.

I have been shopping here for many years, and it has changed a lot. It has many of the big names…read moresuch as Boots, Beatties, M&S, Argos, Woolworths, WHSmith etc, and there are places to eat and drink like McDonalds, Costa coffee and Subway. The main parade area is pedestrianised, and they often have a farmers market and arts & crafts stalls on the main shopping street. At Christmas there is an impressive Santa`s grotto! New additions to Sutton are Aldi & Poundland. At the top of the parade is the historic old Town School building, which is now home to Sutton Baptist church, where on some days you can pop in and get a coffee and baked potatoe!

The Gracechurch Centre or, to give it it's ungrammatical and Americanised modern name: Mall…read moreGracechurch (I know, horrible innit?) is generally unloved among the locals. Built in 1974 by basically wiping out the middle of Sutton and starting again, the Gracechurch has been modified several times but still has the same basic shape. Beneath a sizeable multi-storey car-park, the shopping area is mostly covered and is clean and plenty spacious. A lot of shops come and go but the long-serving stalwarts are House of Fraser (formerly Beatties), WHSmiths, Marks & Spencers and Boots. The other shops are mostly filled with (women's) clothes. Locals often moan that the Gracechurch is full of rubbish shops and not enough local, independent traders. Ironically, whenever a local trader does try their luck, they soon shut down due to lack of custom. Compared to somewhere modern like Touchwood, the Gracechurch isn't great; compared to somewhere like the Saddlers Centre in Walsall, it's great. You can pretty much find everything you need up there or very nearby on the Parade. Back in the day the spaces in the Gracechurch were filled with oversize chess pieces, now there's a more helpful Information Kiosk, lots of benches and a jacket potato stand which has been there for as long as I can remember (and probably longer) and so can't be too bad.

The Currys is very small and theres not alot of choice or staff to be honest, but I suppose if you…read moreknow what you want and they have it in stock then all is good. Staff are friendly tho which goes a long way! The is a new 99p store sandwiched in between Curry's and Marks & Spencers! Its large and airy and has a large stock choice.

I've been using the services here for many years. Printing, poster designing, picture framing and…read morethe odd gift are among the some of the things I've ventured in for. I've always found the service to be swift and efficient, friendly and helpful. Excellent equipment for full colour printing, take your own design or discuss your requirements with a small team to come up with a professional solution. Business stationary, letter heads, business cards and flyers all at very reasonable cost. I am considering using there service to print a photograph onto canvass, they offer sizes up to 44 x 72 inch, that's big!

The corner of Coles Lane has something of a tradition of being an 'outdoor' (old-school Brummie…read moretalk for an offie). For years it was a Victoria Wine, then a Threshers before becoming 'The Local' - a disastrous attempt at selling wine, spirits and baked beans in the same small space. After sitting dormant for a while, it's current owner took it on and put it straight. Going under the imaginative banner 'Shop', it's exactly what a corner shop should be and a great example of a community shop. It sells your usual newsagent fare: Chocolate bars, newspapers, milk. I believe it even has a coffee machine in there. I'm afraid I don't know the name of the guy who runs it, but he's a very amiable proprietor who never seems to have a day off and will always say hello or wave to you even if you're walking on the other side of the street. I don't live round there anymore, but whenever I drop by for a paper or a drink if I'm in the area, there always seems to be one of my old neighbours stood in there by the till having a chat and passing the time of day. It's that kind of place, and that kind of place is very hard to find these days.

I found New Arrivals excellent for many reasons…read more The lay out of the shop for one, lots of space to move around , good size changing rooms. The clothes they stock are great for the mature women who wants to dress smart with out paying a fortunre . Great labels Frank Lyman for one The staff are superb friendly helpful and honest no pushy sales ladies here. I spent a relaxing few hours picking up a number of outfits work included Ann the owner knows what her clients like and I class myself as one. Now I know where to go next time Marie

I have visited this shop many times and the service and personal attention given is fantastic…read more The owners really care about you and are very honest with helping you select the right clothes for any occasion. Keep up the good work.

If you don't fancy heading to the centre of Birmingham for shopping heaven (why not?!) this…read moreshopping park has a number of flagship stores and eateries. Best of all the car parking is free, although as you can imagine finding a space at the weekends can be tricky so I would advise getting here early. Next, Boots (with a mini Waitrose inside), Topshop, Oasis and many more are here. If you are feeling hungry there is a Frankie and Benny's, Nandos, and Harvester and well as a few coffee places to try. All in all a worthwhile place to visit to stock up on the essentials.

As I'm currently the Duchess of the Fort, it would be rude not to review the place!…read more For me, this is quite local a I live just a couple of miles away. It's a typical out of town shopping centre with all of the high street familiars in one open space, so not at all an indie heaven, but useful if you need a Boots or M&S. It also has a BHS, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, and Carephone Warehouse, to name but a few. There's plenty of coffee, cake and food options including Starbucks, Costa Coffee, M&S Cafe and eateries such as Nandos, Harvester and Frankie & Bennies. There's plenty of free parking (it does get very busy around Christmas, and sometimes of a weekend) and it feels less claustrophobic than some shopping centres, being open air and built in a big loop. As far as these things go, it's decent enough, well maintained and with plenty of options.