I don't know what it is about art shops that make me want to spend all my money, sack off my job,…read moregrow a goatee and start painting again! Do one rent, sod you bills, who needs money! And this shop is no exception. I went in today for some more practical bits & pieces and didn't think I would find anything useful at a reasonable price (for some reason this shop has a reputation for being quite pricey) but I was very pleasantly surprised, not only did I find a great selection of the sketch books I was looking for, but the prices were very reasonable and I bought a pen. If it is possible the man who served me was too helpful. I mean as I walked in the front door the sales assistant was stood right in front of it and asked if he could help, which is fine, I said I was just looking, then he asked again and sometimes, especially in lovely little art shops, you just want to potter around looking at all the bits & bobs. Nevertheless he was very friendly and being helpful isn't a crime.

Bristol Fine Art is a one of those really good shops that i probably have walked past a hundred…read moretimes without realising it was there. I first noticed it when we were in the 2 hour queue for the Banksy Exhibition . We were feeling creative and wanted to try out our graffiti skills so went in search of somewhere that sold Spray Paint. Weirdly Bristol Fine Art didn't sell any which was disappointing, nonetheless we had a snoop around and they sold some really great arty stuff. Prices were pretty reasonable and I have since noticed that they have started to stock spray paint. A great shop to pop into for any arty things, but also for some great gifts as they sell crafts too.

Now now I have only given this two stars because it is not to my taste! But that is not to say it…read moreisn't a useful shop and supportive to artists of Bristol - which it very much is being a co-op and that should be highly applauded. However. This is a street of cool galleries and kitsch shops and it isn't what you would expect. I have been inside a few times over the years and I have never found anything to make me stop. Maybe I'm fussy. Maybe I just like my art more abstract than cute. Personally, I think this is a place to take mums (at the risk of getting a clay cat in hilarious posture for your birthday). Please, go, visit, make up your own mind and write a review here!

Theres a fantastic variety in the Potters shop. I would say it has a brilliant customer service,…read morepeople were helpful with purchases, and could always offer advice. Theres always something there that catches my eye and personally I find it great for gifts for any occasion.

This is the place to take your artwork to be framed. I have work selling in a gallery and wouldn't…read moretake my work anywhere else to be framed. They are really friendly, listen to your needs and really look after your work. Excellent Service. They can also frame memorabilia Amazingly.

This is a lovely little shop in a great location with some great products and friendly service. It…read moreis right on the A38 with parking outside or just on the road around the corner and is also well located for the residential area of Patch way. The window display is well laid out visually to entice you with a range of pictures and also gifts that the store sells. They have some lovely items to celebrate special occasions and also gifts to suit every pocket and event. They have a huge range of frames and the service is fast, efficient and more importantly fairly priced.

My lord, i love crafty shops. This is like a mecca for…read morecrafty people! I've shopped around for various craft supplies and hobbycraft isn't as expensive as i thought it would be, it has the added bonus of being all under one roof. I don't agree with previous comments that it's a shop for lazy people, if you are short on time then it's the best place. Smaller more personable hobby shops which are lovely will inevitably be more expensive and smaller in size including options for stock so it depends what you are after. i used to buy online from independent sellers but you do get less for your money and if you are intending to sell your items you create like i do, every penny makes a difference. Another good place to check out is local garden Centres, would be surprised the things i've found! They sell an abundance of Christmas crafts, ribbon, buttons, pendants, beads, modelling craft, decoupage, flower arranging, kids crafts and art work, cake decorating icing/ materials and that's just down stairs! It does get very bust on weekends, deducting a star for the times i've had to wait in the que for half and hour or more. They do seem to lack the correct number of staff in my opinion but the staff they do have are helpful as can be. If you are just starting off looking for a new hobby or unsure where to go with some craft ideas, just go for a visit, your not obligated to buy anything. You'll get 1001 ideas and inspirations :)

Hobby Craft is basically a craft shop for lazy people, who don't really take craftwork that…read moreseriously. For if they did they would almost certainly shop around and get things cheaper, better and more specialized. For what it is though (craft shop for lazy people) it is pretty good as they have a wide selection of materials and pretty much everything you need under one roof. I have to admit using this one in particular as it is nice and big and I know they will have the specific item I'm looking for. If only the prices were that little bit cheaper. Sorry, scrap that, if only the prices were a lot cheaper, it would be a pretty good chained store. As it stands at the moment it is quite frankly a rip off.

Now, I'm going to say 'hand woodworking tools' to you and I'm guessing 90 per cent of you are going…read moreto click elsew.... hey! Well hi there 10 per cent of you, I can see you have perked up a little. If you know of this shop then you will be having a far-away dreamy look in your eyes right about now and if you didn't then you're checking your watch and wondering where to park nearby. Yes, a whole shop of hand tools: gauges, mallets, chisels... including lots of vintage tools for very cheap prices as well as brand new ones. The staff (I feel I should use the word 'proprietor' here) are very very helpful and alway gleeful verging on surprised that other people like to chip bits of wood from a large block of wood. There's a lot of us about, be proud.

Bristol Design is a fantastic shop. It has everything you could ever need for your DIY redesign of…read moreyour kitchen to hanging up a picture. In my case it was the latter that needed doing and I had no idea how to go about it. The staff in here were extremely helpful and were easily able to point me in the right direction as far as picture hooks go. Now that I know what I need, I would probably go to Wilkinson's as it's a lot cheaper but for something a bit more complicated then it's definitely worth a trip here.

Kestral fine art is now known as Kestral galleries, which is one of the best picture framers I have…read morebeen too. With pleseant staff and old fashioned good costumer service. The framing aint' bad too. I would seriously recommend it!

I needed to get a really simple A4 black and white print done and thought I'd give these guys a go…read moreas they're just across the road. It was a little off the cuff so I didn't have the image with me, so I asked if I could email it to them - no problem, I was told. But it was, for me! Little did I know that I'd be charged for sending them an email! Anyway, I asked them to print off one copy, which they did, but it came out on really thin paper and the ink looked a little blotchy. So I asked for it to be done again on thicker paper. This copy came out really well so I was happy, until the price came; £3.10!!! Now, I know £3.10 in the grand scheme of things isn't a lot of money, but I was charged 30p for sending them an email, 20p for the first piece of paper, 30p for the next and the rest for printing it - ridiculous! Who charges for accepting an email? Sorry Cartridge Right, but never again!

This small computer centre in a popular student area in Bristol is well placed and a lifesaver to…read moremany an ailing computer system. Their name suggests just an ink cartridge provider (which they are, and with a very good range too), but they do more than that. They also repair broken computers, run PC health checks and can upgrade your system for very competitive prices. If you're feeling environmentally conscious, you can also recycle old cartridges here. I really like their attitude to their business too; they went independent around 18 months ago from being a franchise and now run a little Bristol based business in order to keep prices low and customers happy. The staff in the shop are always really helpful, even if they have a lot on their hands.

Room212 is Bristol's smallest art gallery, but that's not to underestimate its importance. This…read moregallery ceaselessly provides homespun talent with an opportunity to be seen for a fraction of the price that they would have to pay elsewhere. Exhibitions change weekly and can be joint ventures or individual shows. The space can be booked from as little as £15 for the week and a 5% commission is chargeable on sales. And no, this isn't a typo! I didn't forget to add the zero! All enquiries to Henk: henk.mullen@gmail.com after checking out the lowdown on the website: http://www.room212.co.uk/ Artists man their own shows and are at liberty to open for as little or as long as they like. The savvy ones will post their opening times in the window and on the website. But even if it's not open when you happen to walk past, you can still view all of the pieces being exhibited from the window. It really is that small. If you do have the good fortune to chance upon it when the door is open I recommend that you step inside. You can hope to buy a piece of original art for as little as £10, and gain an intimate knowledge of the pieces on show from the artists themselves. The owner deserves a Knighthood!

Room 212 is the sort of place one can't write a lot about. Not because it lacks any particular…read morestyle or character. In fact it has great deals of both. Rather, because it is dynamic. It is an art space constantly changing. A collective of sorts, each week different artists can use the shop to display their art works. Some will use just the window and open for an hour a day. Others may open all day every day with their doors wide open to the public. And being different artists all the time they all have different contact details too. The one thing I can say is that every time I have walked past this original little number I have walked in. Something about the creativity or the freshness just pulls me in. So if local and independent artists doing their thing is what you like - see if you can walk by without stopping.