Every single Friday after school. Without fail. For more years that I care to remember. My mum,…read moresister and I. "Did what?", I hear you cry. Visited The Wingrove of course. I mean, what else? It was almost a family tradition, deep rooted in the hearts and minds of my younger sibling and I. We automatically knew Friday meant sweetie day at The Wingrove. Ahh, good times. The Wingrove was one of those newsagents where everyone knew each other, and we were served by the same old wee woman every week. The old-fashioned layout of the confectionery was situated in tiers at the counter, and even though we went for nearly the same packet of sweets every week, many minutes were spent gazing in awe at the sheer variety of these candied goods, packed full of dear only knows what. (I can tell you, not much has changed...I'm probably even more indecisive now. Or maybe not). I honestly have no idea how my mum put up with two sugar saturated young girls, who were practically bouncing off the ceiling. Those 'E' numbers have a lot to answer for. On occasion, ice lollies were permitted, and maybe even a magazine if we were lucky. The Wingrove also supplied a small number of greetings cards (that kept my mum happy), and a few toys (I can't remember how many times we had to prise my sister away from the dolls). Oh, those were the days... The Wingrove has recently undergone a facelift, with a brand spanking new sleek black and white sign, as well as a furniture rearrangement (well, you know what I mean), which was incredibly strange to see when I popped in for the first time in I don't know how many years. I'm so chuffed to see The Wingrove still going strong, feeding and amusing lots of happy school children. Thank goodness for the lack of 'E' numbers these days mind you, that's all I can say...

There's nothing I can add to the previous review except that I cant believe it's closed down…read moretoday,I'm not sure why but I hope it reopens soon, it'll be missed in ballyhackamore.

I have never left Stewart Millers empty handed. I'm not kiddin', honestly. It's like some kind of…read moremagnetic force which leaves me completely helpless and powerless, removing all inhibitions and barriers which prevent me from purchasing extreme numbers of goods from this fave store of mine. Or maybe that's just me shopping normally... Anyhow, Stewart Miller is a bargainous store which is primarily a newsagent and confectioners, but is also a bookshop, cardshop and toyshop. I've found books for peanuts, excellent sweetie deals, and, when I was younger, it was my first stop for TY Beanie Babies (remember those?! I still have an absolute ton of them stashed away in my wardrobe...couldn't bear [excuse the pun] to part with them quite yet). The Holywood store is undoubtedly my favourite. The toy section is huge, and they are genuinely well-priced (not always super cheap), top-quality playthings. The card section is extremely well-stocked, with a huge variety to choose from, and at reasonable prices. The book section is my favourite - I've gotten presents for my mum and dad for next to nothing, and even picked up a football book for £1.99 from £12.99 today, and I've found travel books for a fiver. Oooh, its a good 'un.

I'm lovin it. This gem on the Holywood main street has some of my favourite everyday treats -…read moreglossy mags, cold drinks and chick lit style books at very good prices. It also keeps the kids very happy as it has the best selection of football trading cards I've ever come across. My favourite thing about Stewart Millar is the magazine and comic selection. One whole wall of the front section is given over to mags and comics which means that I can happily browse Marie Claire and 25 Beautiful Homes and the kids can look at the Beano (yes it still exists) and Shoot! before making our choices. And there are none of those shouty 'This is not a library' signs either. At the back of the shop are the toys - good selection of lego- and books. The books are worth a particular mention as the prices are great. Some of the not quite latest releases can be snaffled at Tesco-esque prices which certainly floats my boat. There's a good selection of kids books too, especially quite unusual activity and pop up books which are always good for Christmas presents. All I need to do now is stop accidentally calling it Stuart Little which makes the kids fall about laughing every time as Stuart Little is of course a talking mouse. It's happened, I've become an Embarrassing Mum.

Boulevard is a proper newsagents, it sticks to what it's good at and that's convenience. I think…read morethat's the reason people came up with newsagents isn't it? Course it is! Anyway, Boulevard will sort you out with all your essentials. It sells Lottery tickets, Cigarettes, Newspapers (a selection of magazines) and a few household bits and bobs like dog food and washing up liquid. It has an in store ATM too which is pretty handy as there are two takeaways and a deli next door that are cash only. You can park pretty much outside the door of Boulevard too - perfect for picking up something quickly. It doesn't have a huge amount of stock and the ATM was out of order when I visited so that's why I'm marking it down slightly but don't get me wrong I like Boulevard and see it as a key cog in the community.

Have always found the staff friendly and helpful in this store, and they are always willing to let…read moreyou have a closer look at any of the jewellery. You are greeted with a hello however they are not over bearing either and are happy to let you browse. The reason why I have dropped a star on what otherwise would be a 5 star experience is the fact they charge you 5p for a bag - now I know 5p isn't a massive sum and won't break the bank especially if you are spending £100 on jewellery but it's more the principle. The carrier bag tax was introduced to reduce the plastic bag usage - the bag provided is a paper/cardboard bag therefore are exempt from the tax - it's just being greedy!

This store is not long open. It's right beside argos and Victoria Square. It's the biggest pandora…read morestore I've been in most places have a Pandora section in the jewellery shop but it's tiny. The service in here is amazing there so helpful. It's the only store I shop in now.

Love books and love a bargain? Then Stacs is for you. And you can get a pastie supper in the…read morechippie next door when you're done. Fab. Stacs looks just how you would expect a secondhand book store to look - quite small and packed with shelves and shelves of every kind of book. To name a few genres (well I am writing about a bookshop so I thought I'd thow that word in), you can get children's books, military books, popular fiction (sounds better than chick lit), and reference and academic type books which I try not to look at. The owner is super friendly and really goes out of his way to help. When I decided to jump on the 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' bandwagon (I know, I'm such a follower) and he didn't have a copy, he offerred to take my number and ring me as soon as one came in. I love that kind of actual customer service which is so elusive these days. If you like a bargain and have a spare half an hour, give it a try.

Great variety of books all at a great price. Would highly recommend, only downside is you are not…read moregaranteed to find the book your looking for especially if its new.