Really fantastic selection of beautifully curated crafts and wonderful staff as well. If you find…read moreyourself in Stirling, this shop is a must!

Made in Stirling is rather lovely, and most definitely a unique place to spend your pennies. The…read moreshop moved units quite some time ago and I've only recently had a proper browse since then. - It was my friend's birthday and I knew that a visit to Made in Stirling was a foolproof one; it would be impossible for me to leave empty-handed. And laying eyes on something that I wanted to buy for myself? That would be inevitable! With a selection of work from local artists and designers, Made in Stirling is a pleasure to browse. It's also really nice that it's the artists and designers featured who regularly work in the shop. When I visited there was a lovely lady who made lampshades with beautiful paper silhouette designs of Stirling. Whenever you pop in, if you're in the mood for talking, you're going to hear something interesting. But don't worry if you're not, staff will leave you to browse as you fancy. I'm one of those people who likes to buy lots of little gifts for friends as opposed to one large one. And I really could buy all my little gifts here. There's handmade soap, jewellery, silk scarves, paintings, candles; basically the perfect combination! (I'm seriously in love with the little Harris Tweed purses. I bought my friend one and had to show serious restraint not to buy one for myself! - They're gorgeous!) You get that super special feeling you get only when you're supporting someone creative locally whose doing their thing, with the added bonus that you're buying an awesome hand-crafted item that isn't available on the high street. For me, these are the reasons Made in Stirling calls me back time and time again.

The financial misjudgements of most of the developed world's governments have caused quite a hassle…read moresince 2007, and Falkirk town centre has sadly been a plce where the grassroots effects come all too apparent. In a town just big enough to house all the chain stores, sadly a fair few of the local, independent outlets have sunk without trace. No such fears for The Giled Cage tough, which has seen off more recessions than you've had hot dinners, and would still be selling trendy gifts, trinkets and ornaments even if the Russians fired a few nuclear warheads at us tomorrow. In a shop that wouldn't cease trading for the apocalypse, there's no such thing as a downturn, and having a monopoly on Falkirk's quirky gift market has seen it stay continually busy for at least the two and a half decades I've been on this planet. Probably longer. From lovey handmade soft toys for babies to Momiji dolls for teens and more boring stuff for grannies, if you need a gift for someone female, yu're guaranteed to strike gold in here. Friendly staff as well, including the owner, who's practically a local celebrity.

I adore this gorgeous little gift shop, it has to be one of my favourite shops ever. The only…read moreproblem is, that when I go in looking for a gift for someone else, I'll usually come out with something for myself instead. They are constantly changing their stock and their window displays so a visit here is never dull and there's always something new to have a nosey at. A while back they had a whole shelf with merchandise from "The Hungriest Caterpillar" books to mark it's 40th anniversary, G-Bot bought me a gorgeous tray from this collection and it's one of my favourite items, it's to beautiful to be used as an old breakfast tray though. They always have gorgeous jewellery, ornaments, vases, home ware and quirky wee knick knacks such as gorgeous compact mirrors and card cases. In addition to this they also have a large selection of Momiji dolls and they even have a Momiji machine where you put in £2 and get a little surprise, I once even won a packet of Momiji tissues as a prize too. A star also has to go to the staff who are always friendly and helpful and every customer is always served with a smile. Bravo!

This wee shop was a life saver as I needed a lovely 50th birthday present for my friend…read more I had been wandering around aimlessly in Hamilton not having a clue what to buy for someone who looks nowhere near 50 and acts like a 20 year old. Hmmm?! It was only when I was heading for a wee bite to eat I saw this lovely looking shop. It was like a ray of light hit me, and I knew as soon as I walked in I would be able to find "something special". The lady was absolutely lovely and a great help. I explained what it was for and she came up with a candle beautifully wrapped with a personalised tag with my friend's name and saying happy 50th. It was perfect! The shop was beautifully laid out with lots of varied gifts for all occasions you can think of. Upstairs I found out was a wee coffee shop, but it was shut the time I got there, it's only opened for a while from 9.30am - 4.30pm. The lady told me they have lots of homemade goodies and their coffee is sourced from Matthew Algie. I will definitely need to stop by for their coffee shop next time. My friend was absolutely delighted with her present, so much so, she asked me where I had got it as she wanted to get something similar for her friend's birthday. Result! I cannot wait to go back, guess who's gonna be trying out a mocha?!

This lovely wee shop stores all kinds of unique gifts which you tend not to find anywhere else, the…read morestaff are very pleasant & very helpful. Certainly worth a visit if you are looking for something special for a loved one.

Lovely little shop selling every type of gift you can imagine. Beautiful displays, original card…read moredesigns and very friendly staff. You can find it near the famous Anstruther fish bar.

This is an absolutely gorgeous little shop full of beautiful things! I had a browse around here…read moretoday and was very impressed by the professional window dressing and eye-catching colourful lay-out of all the tantalising goodies inside. There is a delightful range of decorated diaries which caught my eye, exquisite jewellery, elegant handbags, Arran Aromatics, soaps and lovely scented candles something in every price range. There's a large display of top quality Christmas decorations and ornaments too. The young man who was serving there today was friendly, chatty and helpful. Definitely a place to visit to buy some gorgeous and unique Christmas gifts!

I pass through here often enough to feel bad about the fact I've not reviewed it! The Stirling…read moreArcade, whilst a good place to head for food, is not a place you should head for some serious shopping. To sum it up: High points: Roots is a nice vegetarian cafe for lunch and Cibo e Vino is great for dinner and cocktails. There's also a popular nail bar, a yoga centre, a specialist skateboard shop and a comic book store in the arcade. Other than these quirky additions, it's pretty much just an extension of your average high street. Ultimate low point: A shop called Hashtag...

A nice little collection of shops. The arcade has an older look that has been updated with taste…read more It doesn't take a long time to get through and I certainly wouldn't recommend making this the only place you visit that day, but it is a charming little place with a variety of stores.

I needed some balloons for a shop opening and I had a specific arrangement in mind. Card Factory…read morecreated just what I wanted in balloon form, and the order was ready and waiting to be collected on the Saturday morning I'd specified. I'd ordered two sets of six weighted balloons in a mix of the company colours; bright pink and royal blue. They normally take payment when ordering but I had no cash of my own, or pretty cash, with me as I'd just dashed round to see if what we wanted would be possible. The staff were great and trusted that I'd pay on Saturday. They were also really friendly and helpful throughout the whole order and collection process. So, for just under £10 I had some lovely balloons; just perfect for a special first day extra. I don't know how anywhere compares price-wise, but I was happy with that. If I need balloons in future, I'd definitely consider Card Factory.

What a superb little shop, absolutely packed full of the most beautiful gifts of many kinds in all…read moreprice ranges. I loved the jewellery and bought an exquisite necklace for a friend for under £10. The girl who served me was very pleasant and she gift-wrapped the necklace beautifully for no extra charge. I wish I'd had more time to browse - I would certainly have bought more gifts and maybe something for myself too!

this shop is located in glebe street and is often overlooked because it is not in the main shopping…read morearea of the town. it is a lovely shop that is well laid out, yet packed with loads of lovely and elegant gifts to suit all budgets and age groups. they have some beautiful picture frames and ornaments, phone charms, cards etc. they are open from monday to saturday not too sure about the times, but i think they open after 9am.

lovely and elegant giftsread more

We liked it because it wasn't like all the souvenir shops - we are flying out tomorrow and wanted…read moresouvenirs that felt more personal. They had unique items including coin purses, jewelry, scarves, some mugs that didn't look like all the rest .. just a lot of great things in a tiny space.