What girl could possibly resist such a charming jewellery shop? Eh, not me anyway…read more The Silver Store isn't your Lunns / Joseph Rea type jewellery store, mainly because the jewellery isn't the top end, exorbitant kind, but also because of its quaintness, as well as its chilled atmosphere. You could just drift around all day, imagining that ring on your finger, or that necklace around your neck...sigh. The Silver Store is one of the jewellery shops you know you'll find something you like. There is everything you could possibly want - costume jewellery in the most beautiful colours, sterling silver stack rings, fascinators, scarves, tiaras...the list goes on. The tiaras were of particular interest, as my sister had decided she wanted one for her formal (next year mind you, but it pays to be organised), so we had a wee nosey at this stunning range. Oohs and aaahs from my sister said it all really...such dazzling jewellery. Meanwhile, my brother waited patiently outside, knowing that this sort of shop really wasn't his scene. With no mens jewellery, it definitely is one for the girls. Heaven really.

Ooh the beauty of The Silver Store. Exceptional jewellery, good prices and a cat that frequents the…read morestore for a saucer of milk :) Ah how I love the pretty little boxes which all contain such beautiful items of 'bling' (not the tacky, gawdy type, just nice pieces of decoration). Christmas times and Birthdays tend to mean a piece of jewellery from The Silver Store and ah, how I look forward to them. *Heart* Nearly every item in this small but exquisitve shop is crafted to perfection. It's really hard to come in here and not leave without buying something, so I have to hold back from visiting too often. I've been bought some real (methaphorical) gems from here. It's located in the charming and peaceful Scotch Quarter area in The Courtyard, Carrickfergus. There are also some great shops in this area so check them out if you're around here, oh and keep an eye out for the resident moggy who comes and goes as he pleases, so very sweet! The Silver Store sells all sorts of jewellery and not only in silver as the name would sugest. They offer; wedding rings (made to order), jewellery and accessories, antiques and diamonds, engagement rings, bridal jewellery and tiaras, handbags, hats and scarves.

Toy-land, meets book-land, meets card-land, meets magazine-land meets chocolate-and-sweets-land. On…read moreany visit to the Abbeycentre, my husband and I always gravitate to this shop, me for the magazines and large choice of books and novels, him for, you guessed it - the sweeties. Lord, does he have a sweet tooth. Stewart Millar offers many kinds of deals and offers on well known brands of sweets and chocolate, so cheap sometimes that I have to look at the expiry date to check that it's all above board - and their books are good value too, in particular their lifestyle books and recipe book selection. There is always plenty of staff on the tills (it is a busy shop!) and you never have to wait long in the queue for the till. I would imagine for parents its quite a good place to buy games and toys also.

It's such a shame to see small local businesses like this going out of business! I wandered in here…read moreafter ready some great reviews and then seeing the huge 'closing down' stickers on the windows! I think this place is more a victim of it's location rather than anything else - I'm confident that if it had been in the city centre or the Queens Quarter it would have been a real success. The shop itself sell a whole range of vintage items including clothes (I spotted a wedding dress), board games (there's currently a vintage Monopoly Board for sale) and other trinkets. It's a real throw back and a fine example of a well maintained vintage shop. The good news is that it's still open until at least mid June so if I were you I'd get down there and grab yourself a unique bargain.

Love this place…read more Lots of vintage alt clothes. Also crafts etc from local artists that are good for presents. The shop is an enterprise linked to Mersey street church I think. There is a food donation basket usually outside the door for the community larder. There is also a change one room. Upstairs is a book shop called the Book Well also I think linked with Mersey street church. The shop is run by numerous volunteers.

Yankee Candle shopper heaven. If you're a fan of Yankee Candles, flowers, paintings and prints, and…read moregeneral pretty items for your house, then The Gift Shop is a good place to pop into. Yes, I know it's labelled as somewhere to buy gifts for 'other people', but you can't help but want some of the items on offer, because some are really tasteful and lovely. I don't love all Yankee Candles, some of them are too strong and scented, but one or two of them were really nice and subtle, so I bought a couple. The prices are reasonable too, so if you're are looking a gift or just some nice bits and pieces for your home and want to treat yourself, then The Gift shop is a good place to have a look.

What a gorgeous jewelry store!…read more I went in here with mom for a browse and we ended up caught up in here for about twenty minutes trying on rings. Mom and i both love semi precious, and precious gemstomes, so it was easy to spend time there. They shared with us that all jewelry there is made inhouse. They are not re-sellers. They buy the materials and make the jewelry. The prices there are a little higher, but not out of this world. But quality does come with a gentle premium. If you are looking for a higher end gift, this is the place to go.

I la la la laaaave this gorgeous, enchanting little gift shop. It leaves you bedazzled and…read moreenthralled, and wishing you had a slightly bigger limit on your credit card (seriously, £300 is *nothing*...). The Lavender Box combines beautiful jewellery (the likes of Pom, Coeur de Lion, Pilgrim), with stunning gifts (I spotted the cutest wooden Noah's Ark, and the animals all had their own places), and exquisite clothing / shoes. It truly has it all. The front section of the shop is home to the gifts, filled with fancy knick-knacks such as candles, ornaments, figurines, stationery etc., as well as the jewellery. Cabinet after cabinet bursting with the most dazzling jewellery (there was 20% off some items the day we were in, but I managed to behave myself). The back section of the shop is home to a beautiful range of very unique clothes. Not really my style, but very classy and elegant, with a bit of a retro feel to them. Alongside these lie a good range of Irregular Choice shoes, which, as most of you will know, are a gorgeously kitsch, and somewhat pricey shoe label (and to die for). Oooooh shoe lust... The owner / sales assistant was very friendly, though her attention was diverted to a customer who was trying on a pair of Irregular Choice boots, and couldn't make up her mind which colour to choose. Nevertheless, she spoke to us, and was very amiable, and I commended her for dealing with the Irregular Choice boot lady (jealous...), who obviously needed her help much more than I or my sister. La la la laaaave it even more now. Absence makes the heart grow fonder 'n' all that...

Ardis is the type of store that provides me with an Ikea moment, where you walk in and would just…read morelove to point at one of their display rooms and ask them to just pack it up and ship it to your place. Everything in here is fantastic. Importantly, everything seems to be within the same sort of style (don't ask what style!) which means everything in the store seems to go with everything else. There are a number of these stores across N. Ireland, but as far as I can tell this is the only one in Belfast and one of the most recent additions to their expanding brand. The stuff is quite pricey and if you fancy it pricier still, they also run a design studio.

A shop that sells cards and wrapping paper and everything like that but one that doesn't really…read moregive you much reason to shop here other than the fact it may not take quite as long to walk round to Clinton Cards. The shop is small and cramped and the cards all seem overpriced. The selection isn't as good as Clinton Cards and the staff aren't particularly friendly. Not that they're unfriendly, just not friendly enough to make you go out of your way to go there or even to make the effort to go more than once. Its based in Bloomfield Shopping Centre which means its easy to get to with free parking and plenty of other shops around. That makes it handy, but you wonder if it wasn't based in a busy shopping centre whether anyone would go in here.

This card shop has become more and more competitive and the price of cards and wrapping paper has…read morebecome much more reasonable. I find this shop is well laid out with cards easily accessible under their appropriate occasion. There are cards for every occasion too from the sentimental to the funniest and from birth to the hundreds! There is one problem that I have with this particular shop is that there isn't much room in the aisle, so when you stop at the section you are looking for and someone else needs past you tend to give up the hunt for that appropriate card because you feel as if you are in the way! There is also a large selection of reasonably priced presents for that special occasion and staff are good at asking if you require the item you have purchased gift wrapped It is a very conveniently situated store and can jog your memory about that impending special occasion that you almost forgot about.