This is the most gorgeous little shop I've seen for a long time. It describes itself as a gallery /…read morestudio / quirky homestore and it's packed with perfectly quirky bits and pieces that are universally delightful. Gorgeous greetings cards, unique pieces of jewellery, unusual printed tea towels and pieces of clothing, quirky pieces of furniture. It's a proper Aladdin's cave of vintage, recycled, reinvented loveliness. I bought handfuls of greetings cards and a very cute little pin badge there. But expect to return for many more visits in the near future to hoover up more of their lovely stock. It's a great location, a handful of steps up from Portobello beach. A perfect weekend (or weekday) afternoon's pottering place. Enjoy!

This is a great shop selling a lot of items made locally. Crammed full of quirky items such as…read morecandles, tea towels, and jewellery. The cove supports local artists and craft makers by promoting and selling their work, many items could be commissioned and personalised.

Completely underwhelming. Was looking for a gift for my niece and nothing was really that…read moreinteresting - wanted to support a local shop but was disappointed by their products. Customer service was also not great. Spoke with a woman named Libby(?) and she was more interested in being on her phone than helping customers. Would not recommend if in the Porty area.

What a lovely little cozy shop. The shop owner is so very sweet. She had yarn from local hand dyers…read morethat was beautiful. Left with three skeins for a project. Forgot to take pictures, sorry, but worth a stop.

Visiting from California and conveniently just about finished w small project I had brought to work…read moreon so needed some new yarn. This small shop is an amazing jumble of fantastic yarns- many not or barely available in the States. She stocks many UK yarns and some further flung but all really beautiful. The shop owner was incredibly helpful in figuring out weight and yardage I needed for a pattern. The website gives an idea of some of the selection but of course seeing them in person is always the best way to know what calls to you.

Hello! When did this wee gem spring up?…read more It's not really wee, and it looks new - I'm guessing it's only been on Cockburn Street under a month. Old Town Context is a refreshing, traditional store on Cockburn Street, steering away from the style of the tourist traps on the Royal Mile to offer alternative gift ideas. They have some old English, French and American advert poster art, cards, stationery, gifts, mugs with pin ups on them, clocks made out of recycled glass drinks bottles - a very eclectic and classy selection. Its inspiration is clearly from bygone era's, and I was very impressed with their postcard range. They also have some cracking cards and original prints with cats on them. These cats are wearing kilts and rugby shifrts, quoting Burns and other Scottish poets within the print. It's a very odd idea but entirely up my alley. Overall a very enjoyable shop for the family. It's difficult to walk out of here without buying anything.

I am glad that my 200th review is on this hidden gem... actually it isn't that hidden, but I have a…read morefeeling that lots of people just walk right on by. In a very different and almost vintage way, it is a souvenir shop. I say that because there were lots of prints, cards, coffee mugs of the city and various British 'things', but they are not the types of souvenirs that you would find in the every single store on the Royal Mile... yeah, you know what I mean. I loved the different prints of the city, my favourite was a very art deco-ish print highlighting the castle in a yellowy-orangish hue against a dark background. They had it as a large print, a card, and a coffee mug. I am now kicking myself that I did not buy it. If you love globes or tin signs, they have loads of them! If you are looking for a different kind of souvenir for someone... or just something for yourself, stop in here because they have some really wonderful items.

This building, and town, were used in the TV Show Outlander! You will recognize the exterior of…read morethis building as the apothecary Claire visits in Season 2 when she is caring for Alex Randall. They got to keep the door used in filming and it is sitting behind the desk! They also have a booklet with tons of photos from filming. The store owner is SO nice, and the store itself has a lot of really great things. I stayed in there forever!

One Saturday, a very long time ago, all the girls in my familia were going into the city centre for…read morea shopping day, and my wee cousin was at a party at Busy Bees. After the shopping, the eating and the constant shrieking of nonsense that is a girly shopping day, my big cousin and I went with my aunt to pick up my wee cousin from this party. See managed to talk even more than us. Her party was brilliant, so she said, and she thrust forward the flower-shaped mirror she had decorated. All her little pals had had a great time too, and what more could you ask for from a kids' party?

Craft activities for children. Paint ceramic ornaments, wooden jewellery boxes, glass clocks and…read moreloads more. Check out http://www.busybeescraftstudio.com for more info

Small but perfectly formed, Curiouser is my favourite shop in Brunsfield because it has an awesome…read moreselection of stationery and cards, really trendy home wear, beautiful jewellery and they even have a framing service, (which I am yet to take advantage of!) I pop in quite often (I have a stationery problem) and I rarely leave empty handed. They're really great for getting in new stock and are fantastic at sourcing cool stuff I've never seen before, which makes it ideal for buying gifts (even for one's self...) This is actually their sister shop, the original shop is called Curious & Curiouser is based at the bottom of Broughton Street and it's just as great!

From the owner: We are an independently run gift and framing shop based in Bruntsfield. We stock a wide range of…read moreproducts including gift cards, art prints, stationery, books, jewellery and homewares. We also offer a comprehensive framing service. You can find our sister store at 93 Broughton Street.

I can't draw, paint, sculpt or sketch to save myself, but for those who can Just Art on Morningside…read moreRoad seems like a pretty good place to pick up art supplies. It sells the usual brushes, pencils (way fancier than would ever find in WHS), paper and even high quality charcoal. They pride themselves in selling the latest high quality canvases for painters and (apparantly) interior designers. They had lots of deals on for acrylic paints and high quality paper as well as plenty of artwrok to admire throughout the shop. The owner is friendly and just lets you look around without asking if you require assistance every five seconds as some small business owners can have a tendency of doing. If you're an art enthusiast, or just want a look around at some artwork, Just Art is a good place to look.

Just Art is part two of my Morningside window shopping tour (part one is next door - Context…read moreInteriors). Once again this is a shop that offers goods beyond my means, but if I could afford them I would be doing more than window shopping here. I have on occasion been in here to see all the art and its staff didn't seem to mind me passing an appreciative gaze over these artworks despite the fact that it appeared fairly clear that I was never going to buy any of them. Each of the better works of art from here will set you back a sum in the hundreds, but you are getting something unique - this isn't some cheap printed copy of a work of art everyone has seem - this is the real McCoy - the original. For many the price will be stumbling block and for those able to afford these works for arts I remain envious.

Oh my word, this is the BEST craft shop!…read more They sell everything you could want, and really tasteful versions of it, not tacky cheap looking craft stuff. Kokosnoot's craft supplies are classy! They have over 200 types of ribbons, and beautiful buttons, and lots of craft tools. But the felt! Oh the felt! They have a great range of felt - both loose felt for needle felting and felt sheets, in lovely colours. I bought a lovely gift card too - they have a good range of beautiful designs. This is easily the best stocked craft shop I've been in - it's so much better than anywhere in Glasgow. I would actually come here from Glasgow in order to buy craft goods. It's that good.

This is the best place to go in edinburgh if you are looking for any type of fabric. They have a…read morehuge selection of upholstry and curtain / soft furnishing materials with a range going from budget up to ridiculously priced designer fabric. If your skint or just fancy an experiment they have loads of dress patterns and the full range of materials to flex your creative fashionista. Or if you just want some knicker elastic then this is your place

If you're in the least bit crafty then The Cloth Shop will get you really excited. Here you can…read morebuy: Buttons Ribbons Fabrics (including gorgeous Liberty fabrics) Wool Sewing materials DIY craft kids Being here got me really excited to start getting that little bit more crafty; starting small and hopefully moving on up to bigger and more challenging ventures with help from a seriously crafty friend. The Cloth Shop has an expansive range of fabrics and that's really their speciality but that's only just the beginning. The other departments are also really well stocked and with great variety too. There's a table and chairs upstairs along with some sewing pattern books with designs of varying levels of difficulty. This is a really good source of inspiration and helpful for beginners. It got me really excited to get learning and creating. I'm so looking forward to buying some pretty fabrics from The Cloth Shop soon and making a start on some personal projects!