You can't go wrong with Blythes. A Manchester art student staple, this store has saved me countless…read moretimes. The staff in here are extremely knowledegable and will even order in special materials and papers if they're out of stock. They've got just about type of paint from Winsor to Newton and Rembrandt paints, brushes, chalks, gouaches, water colours and graphic supplies and a large range of papers and canvases. I've bought specialist 300gsm paper in here for a menu project and special mounting glue. I had help with the measuring and cutting free of charge and advice of mounting my images. I highly recommend this store.

Blyth Art Shop…read more Blyth's Art Shop seems like a serious sort of art shop for serious sort of artists. Everything is very ordered, neat and clinical. They've got great ranges of paints, pencils and pens, as well as a downstairs section with artist accessories like folders, paper and even natural light bulbs so you can paint in natural light late into the night. There's two or three staff around to help you with any queries you might have in my experience they've usually got the time and patience to help you out properly. I can't help feeling that Fred Aldous across Stevenson square isn't just lots more fun, more well stocked and generally more exciting though.

Fab art gallery which is definitely worth a visit. Building has been restored in an amazing manner…read more Great open spaces house some wonderful art. Really enjoyed our visit there in October, 2017.

We managed to time our visit here so well that it had just been announced that the Whitworth had…read morewon UK Gallery of the Year for 2015 which was just perfect. It's a bit of a walk from the city centre (35 minutes from Piccadilly Gardens) so we had a drinks stop at Big Hands along the way - highly recommended. The Gallery itself is absolutely beautiful, having recently been refurbed. It has a very tranquil feeling to it and a lot of green credentials which is fantastic to see. As we entered we could hear a choir singing which was so lovely and welcoming - we headed to see who they were and it was a group of school kids. I'm not sure if it's a regular thing or that was a special occasion but either way, it was really nice to hear them as we wandered around the gallery. I won't pick out any specific highlights as I think overall the gallery is really lovely, and a must-see when you go to Manchester.

Ryman is a place where I have spent a lot of my time recently across numerous branches in…read moreManchester Arndale Centre, Rochdale, Leeds and now this branch on Oxford Road, which is quite a small branch but still stocks a decent range and some pretty decent stuff, the essentials basically and a little bit more, it is in a great location being so close to the Central Manchester Universities on Oxford Road, had this store been anywhere else it would have probably got a single one star but I feel the location and rage in a way has done enough to earn at least two. Some of the biggest flaws about this store is the size, for example it is hard to browse the store without something blocking it, making the already narrow passageways seem like an Obstacle course, perhaps something like you would see on Total Wipeout, a game-show filmed in tackling danger in Argentina, broadcast in the UK. The store is also really well hidden, other than a small sign, it is so tucked away, it seems like one could walk past it, which really isn't good especially if you're not familiar with the area and are not sure where it was, the situation I was in today, it just didn't seem welcoming because of this and it felt like it was saying "Don't come in We don't care" rather than "Please come in", which is something every business needs to do, value and attract its customers. The staff seemed nice enough and got my return sorted rather quickly, there was a decent range of memory sticks on the shop floor this time, rather than picking up a cardboard card and taking it to the till, saving some hassle. There was a small and decent range of most products you would associate with Ryman and the staff seemed quite nice too but due to the isles being so narrow, and lacking accessibility and the store simply not seeming the biggest, best or most welcoming I sadly feel this store warrants no more than two stars and I'm finally pleased to give this branch its first review in a whopping 5 and a 1/2 years

Isn't it funny how so many people claim to love stationery but hardly anyone can spell it? Even…read moreotherwise flawless spellers seem to confuse stationery and stationary. I was always taught the spelling by the rule, 'e' is for envelope. Alongside envelopes expect to find diaries, calendars, folders, paper, printer cartridges, pens, highlighters, Tippex, Post It notes, blank CDs and pretty much every other item of stationery you'd need in the office or at university. OK, so you could probably get a lot of the items for cheaper in the union shop, or if you're at work you could raid the stationery cupboard, but it's a well-stocked shop nonetheless. They don't sell larger objects such as office furniture and printers, as it is really only a tiny little shop. Guys - not a bad shop to have a wander round when your girlfriend is in the waxing shop next door!

A surprisingly large branch of WH Smith the shop front isn't huge and I'd expected it to be small…read moreinside, but not so as it goes back a long way! There's a large range of books, stationery and greetings cards, plus all the magazines and newspapers you'd expect. There are toys too and confectionery, but the best thing about this store (for me at least) was the lovely friendly staff who couldn't have been more helpful. As well as assisting me to find the things I wanted in the store, they also gave me directions to other shops in the town.

The Richard Goodall Gallery is a music lover's dream…read more Spread over two floors, it's an awesome, contemporary art gallery that specialises in limited edition music posters, giclee and screen prints and photos. The front room houses an exhibition space - where Kevin Cummins, Ronnie Wood and Leonard Cohen have all exhibited work! - and the backroom and basement is stocked with thousands of prints in browsers and wall frames. Artists include Tara McPherson, Leia Bell, Jay Ryan, Emek, Print Mafia, Kendra Binney, Small Stakes, Aesthetic Apparatus, Frank Kozik and The White Stripes own designer, Rob Jones. If you're already logging onto RG's website to check their stuff out, sign up for their newsletter to recieve news of special signings and forthcoming exhibitions.

I was in awe of the Richard Goodall Gallery on Thomas Street in the trendy Northern Quarter of…read moreManchester. They have the most amazing style of posters that i have seen. They have everything from retro movie and music posters to contemporary art and sculptures. Even if you're not planning on buying anything its just a cool place to browse these super cool posters. Most of the posters was around £40 to £85 in a frame. I especially loved the back to the future poster!

I popped into Stockport Art Gallery on Sunday, having always thought I'd like to pop in and check…read moreit out - it's such a grand imposing building that I thought it must be worth visiting. First off it's cool but seriously feels like it could do with a bit more funding, it looks quite tired inside and is staffed by volunteers. I don't want to make too many comparisons with Manchester art gallery but it does seem like it hasn't had much attention for a while. There's currently a couple of good looking exhibits on at the moment, 'the abandoned world' on all sorts of venues that have been left to rot and one abstract one upstairs from Barry White (the painter, not the walrus of love!) I'd definitely come here again to check it out but it could do with a bit of attention and some love to bring it up to the standard of some of the galleries I've visited around the world.

The Manchester Rubber Stamp Company does exactly what it says on the tin - they produce bespoke…read morerubber stamps for every imaginable purpose. Now, I'm a bit of a stationary fiend, and especially love any miniature hardware tools which fulfil a practical purpose upon one's bureau (see also: embossers, edge perforators, heavy duty staplers). So, it was with delight that I first inked and pressed my first bespoke rubber stamp. The image below was crisp perfection. I was hooked. I've been using Manchester Rubber Stamp Co ever since to create stamps for events, packaging and catering. Manchester Rubber Stamp Co can also produce signage for businesses and events, and offer services like engraving plaques, signs and small items. I'm yet to use them for anything other than rubber stamps, but recommend them purely for this. Service can be a little abrupt, and emails difficult to understand, for which I've knocked off a star.

A design studio, gallery and furniture studio based in Manchester's Northern Quarter, is exactly…read morewhat you'll expect in terms of style and products in this trendy, creative part of the city. Choose to provide your own canvas to be stretched onto board, or alternatively you can provide image files or negatives to be turned into works of art for a unique gift idea - either as a canvas or as part of a photo book. Next door to the studio where all the technical business goes on, there is a small showroom full of art, furniture and home accessories to really inspire you to get something that noone else will have!