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.

Cheap and cheerful, Card Factory is my default option when I have birthday cards to buy…read more There is a wide selection of cards and the quality is ok, although I will admit, if I have a really special card to buy, I'd be more likely to go somewhere else. But for the other 95% of the time, I'm likely to find what I need in here. They have fantastic promotions on too - there's usually a selection of cards where you can choose any 7 for £1 - absolutely perfect for all of Mini MacDoo #1's classmates when their birthdays come up! As well as the cards, you'll also find a wide selection of trinkety gifts (mostly fairly tacky) plus wrapping paper, balloons and all the other paraphernalia that tends to go along with greetings cards. Stars are lost on two fronts - firstly as mentioned the bulk of the cards stocked are of simply 'ok' quality, secondly, it can get totally packed at peak times eg Xmas, Mother's Day, Valentines day etc. which can be a bit hellish. But with prices of the cards so low, you can't really grumble to be fair. I'll certainly be back in there again before my Nan's birthday next week!

The card factory is always so busy! It can be quite stressful to just get around and view the cards…read more(especially if it's the day before father's day!) But they do sell a really good range of good quality and cheap cards. The prices just can't be beaten and that's obviously why it is so busy. They sell nice gifts too.

I came here to pick up a few bits for my sketchbook after hearing about it from a friend who's…read morepretty arty. I can't say I found anything completely inspiring or unusual but the basics of the kit you need were there. Brushes, Pencils, Card, Crafty bits and bobs....etc. The shop is reasonably priced and does have some nice quality materials.

Headingley don't have many arts and craft focussed shops around, but tucked up a back road,…read moreDisdale's is a resource for the artier of Headingley's residents. It is a traditional arts and crafts shops, selling quality materials in the way of fine paint brushes, drawing pencils of many kinds, quality paper meant for certain tasks etc. As I say in many other of my reviews, I prefer a more creative way of finding imaginative materials in unexpected places, rather than conforming to these sorts of traditional (overpriced) shops, but for what it is, it is a great thing to have in Headingley, away from the busy pub ridden road.

This branch of Ryman is Ryman's only branch in Leeds city center which I'm aware of, I firstly…read morecan't help but no ice it is in the wrong location and would be much better located either in The Trinty center or on the streets of Leeds, such as the recently vacated Waitrose Store on Lands Lane in The Core. This branch itsself is in the Merrion Centre, which is basically right at the back of the St John's centre, one of the many smaller malls in Leeds. This store is a decent size, albeit a little small and it does seemed really cramped, especially at the enterence, it was a squeeze to get in, even when the store was quiet, but the staff seemed nice enough with the Assistant Manager greeting me as I came in. I came here mainly to return a lever arch folder, the staff seemed quite nice in doing this quite quickly, and they offered to replace it with any other lever arch folder of that value, I chosen a different one which seemed better quality, having had some trouble in the past with Ryman's lever arch folders. The range here of most products is quite good and they did have some decent products, some at decent prices. This store really isn't the nicest place to walk around because of the whole feel of it, the atmosphere and the feature hat it is so cramped, but this store doesn't give two stars as it still is a decent store with some nice products, with good staff and the Ryman brand still remains a nice addition to Leeds, although so much improvements are needed the store does deserve two stars.

The quintessential place to buy an elderly relative a card that would receive appreciative sighs. A…read morelarge quantity of twee sentimentality has been injected into this shop and although the style does not comply with my own, The Card Room does provide a more intimate, local setting in which to purchase this style of card. Alongside the vast array of aforementioned cards, there is a random miscellany of gifts. Ranging from handmade jewellery to calendars, umbrellas to clocks, and photo frames to keepsakes, The Card Room has the bagatelle market covered. There is an entire baby section at the rear of the shop, and whilst I was there recently, a staff member was expertly guiding a gentleman around the selection of photo memory books for babies. The man in question did not take much encouragement to proudly announce that he had just become a Grandfather for the first time, regaling his assistant with her name and weight. It was a touching moment to overhear! If you were wondering, the baby was called Amber. The Card Room is a perfectly adequate shop in which to purchase a fairly conservative range of cards and knickknacks. Although I doubt I would make the detour from the city centre to visit the shop, for certain recipients, I would consider the trek.

The Card Room is a pretty standard gift shop selling a huge range of reasonably expensive cards,…read moreand loads of gifts. Gifts include rather cute sort toys to mugs, drinking glasses, picture frames, decorations, hand bags, umbrellas, clocks and placemats. The shop is quite large with products well-displayed and the staff are friendly and helpful. Like most gift shops, the majority of items are quite expensive, but if you like gifty paraphernalia you're likely to find something to fork out for.

Paperchase is a large chain of stationary stores, with over 130 stores in the UK alone, but sadly…read moreother than their 3 flagship stores in Manchester, Glasgow and London, the others lack the excitement, good feel and funding and sadly this store is an example of that. Having visited Paperchase three times now, including one of three flagship stores in Manchester I feel this branch stocks the essentials you would associate with Paperchase, but still it is of course a smaller selection. There store was a little small compared to what I would have liked, but still an average / decent size, but when compared to the Manchester branch for example, it is dwarfed by that. There was a small and decent range of most items, I mainly came in to pick up a lever arch file as I find Paperchase's lever arches are better quality, I \was pleased to see them all in one place with some of the basics stocked, but still they did miss out some of the files I was looking for, which are sold in other branches and online. The staff seemed a little slow and not really friendly, they did eventually check the price of an item from me, which was not discounted despite being on the reduced shelf, which still only was a 30% saving, which didn't seem to be worth paying, as the item was heavily overpriced as it is. The store does seem a little darker in terms of decor than other stores, despite having a glass enterence, in a way this store is easy enough to forget due to its' size and location in Leeds city centre, and only deserves a generous two stars I'm sorry to report.

The slow demise of Borders on Briggate was a deplorable occurrence for me. On the last day of its…read moreexistence when the stock was exceptionally reduced, people crowded into the shop and behaved like looters, or flies feeding on a dead animal. I concede, that may be slightly too dramatic, but nonetheless I was saddened by its disappearance. As well as losing a fantastic book shop with an impressive selection of magazines, the departure of the in store Paperchase was inevitable. I sense a slight degree of a moral dilemma when it comes to Paperchase. Although I am aware that I should be channelling my entire cards and stationary budget into independent shops, I have an obsession with the Paperchase brand. I do support the smaller businesses in countless other ways however, helping the local economy much to the dismay of my bank! Everything about the shop is stylish. For somebody who has a similar passion for gift wrap as myself, it is a veritable haven. During more financially unstable periods, I have been known to lavish more money on the presentation of the birthday present, than its actual contents! The different ranges of cards that are designed by Paperchase never have any excruciatingly cringe worthy poems in them, they are never sweet to the extent of prematurely inducing diabetes, and do not have generic phrasing on them. Instead, I consider them to be original, vividly colourful and are always well received. The wrapping paper and stationary are also of a fantastic quality. There are various miscellaneous items for sale at Paperchase. I have often solved the riddle of what to buy a difficult relative by presenting them with a funky teapot or retro cake stand. If I am buying a gift for a friend or loved one, I feel proud to present them with a beautifully wrapped creation, courtesy of Paperchase.

This stationers is conveniently located in Hyde Park, the student centre so now if any student…read morerequires a pen or post-it note they don't have to make the effort of dragging themselves to town or even the University. It must be new as I hadn't spotted it before and the inside seemed a little sparse. It would fulfill most peoples basic stationary needs with staplers, pens, paper and even pushes the boat out by offering sketch pads and what I think WH Smiths terms 'fashion stationary'. But its probably cheaper than Smiths.

You can't really argue with this shop - it certainly has a whole load of cards for sale. Bordering…read morethe shop, wall to wall, there are cards stacked up by category - Mother's Day, Fathers' Day, Birthday (and all the major ages), condolences, weddings, congratulations and more. There are plenty of options here, albeit very standard options. The majority of their cards were as cheap as 99p, which is excellent if you are a little less than flush, although I will say that for that price you won't get the most inspiring choices. As I was browsing I overheard a frustrated customer saying "All I want is a simple 'to my sister' card!" They sell a number of other bits too, like gift wrap for a few pounds, and amusingly "ideal gifts", as they were labelled. I'm not sure why an empty tacky perfume bottle for £12.99 is an "ideal gift" but kudos for trying! At least they make an effort, right? Anyhow. If you are stuck and that birthday is edging ever closer, this shop will sort it. But if you want something special, jog on.

Seeing Paperbox as I slowly descended down the escallator in St Johns Centre made my heart skip a…read morebeat. As I approached it sunk. As a stationary fanatic, I thought it a personal insult to call a (sorry, if you read my reviews, I have a real hatred for tacky card shops) stationary shop something that could easily be mistaken for a paper shop, which in my opinion would be so so so much better. The reality is that Paperbox is a below-par car shop that I'm sure if you routed around long enough, would be able to sell you a semi-decent card... you'll have to really search though. If you need a card pronto, and don't really care about what is on the front, this is probably a cheaper bet to Clinton's accross the way.

The best thing about this place is the owner, Chloe. Sure the things she sells are amazing...where…read moreelse can you buy earrings with crayons on them or a hot dog necklace? But you can also while away the day talking to Chloe, who is interested in EVERYTHING. She handmakes all her items, and is happy to explain the process, she would always try her best to find something if you requested it, children love her, and you'll come away clutching your purchases thinking of martians and bubblegum. Everyone needs to go see Chloe, buy her things and enjoy a little slice of happy heaven in Leeds.

Chloe McGenn is my favourite Artist EVER. Based (amongst other outlets in Leeds) Chloe McGenn's…read moregorgeous merchandise can be found on the ground floor of Birds Yard. Chloe makes creatures out of old socks (clean ones!!) that are available for adoption. She adores buttons, cakes, monster type creatures and anything unusual. Chloe makes the most amazing Greeting Cards from Vintage Bits and Bobs. Quirky, Trendy, Unusual and Rare Jewellery pieces. Gosh the list is endless. Please do drop by to see Chloe's gorgeous treats at Birds Yard. Great for all types of occasions, wedding fun, Christmas, Birthdays, Party Bags, Sentimental/Thoughtful Gifts. Fads, Collectables, Stationery and more. Prices start from just £1.00. You may even find Chloe behind the counter tidying up the clutter. She is FAB

Wilde About Cards is a pretty small shop mainly selling...you've guessed it...cards. I must admit…read morethe cards on offer are distinctly average and as I'm a bit of a card snob I was a bit disappointed. However, as Aniela mentions, prices here are much cheaper than high street chains who do seem to manage to get away with hugely over-charging customers for mediocre cards. So I guess if you're not a card snob, and don't want to spend too much you could definitely do worse than support this little independent shop, especially as the staff seem pleasant and friendly. They also, rather charmingly, sell coloured plain card in case you want to make your own. And for puzzle book fans there seems to be a disproportionately large number of wordsearch books out front considering the size of the shop!

From the outside, the old fashioned sign and crest holds good hopes for what the inside of Wilde…read moreAbout Cards might be, you know, something a little different from your average card shop. I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed. Mimmicking the larger chains such as Birthdays and Clintons, the shop sells average greeting cards that pretty much just prove that many people have little imagination when it comes to birthdays and special occasions.. The upside is that they do sell bits of stationary, something that is somewhat of a passion of mine, and the prices are very low, which almost excuses it's poor quality of stock. The women who run it are charming, so no disrespect to them, perhaps I just hate the majority of naff cards I have ever received. I can thankfully see the upside of having a cheap alternative to the high street card shop chains, they do sell the same thing for a fraction of the extortionate prices you find there!