The corner of Coles Lane has something of a tradition of being an 'outdoor' (old-school Brummie…read moretalk for an offie). For years it was a Victoria Wine, then a Threshers before becoming 'The Local' - a disastrous attempt at selling wine, spirits and baked beans in the same small space. After sitting dormant for a while, it's current owner took it on and put it straight. Going under the imaginative banner 'Shop', it's exactly what a corner shop should be and a great example of a community shop. It sells your usual newsagent fare: Chocolate bars, newspapers, milk. I believe it even has a coffee machine in there. I'm afraid I don't know the name of the guy who runs it, but he's a very amiable proprietor who never seems to have a day off and will always say hello or wave to you even if you're walking on the other side of the street. I don't live round there anymore, but whenever I drop by for a paper or a drink if I'm in the area, there always seems to be one of my old neighbours stood in there by the till having a chat and passing the time of day. It's that kind of place, and that kind of place is very hard to find these days.

Stocking an extensive range of household essentials and benefitting from a deceptively spacious…read moreinterior, this reasonably priced convenience store is a great place to visit for your day-to-day shopping. Street parking is available right outside, the aisles are well-organised and a highly unusual range of imported Indian foods are available in the shop's refrigerated section. Unfortunately, the floor and shelves inside are a little grubby, alcohol is pricey and the store's pet food selection is annoyingly limited. However, Whenever, Wherever manages to undercut all the main big-name supermarkets on most of the essentials and the store still offers friendly customer service and a pleasant shopping atmosphere.

In the 70s and 80s this store was a Co-operative Food Store so it is great after so many years to…read morehave it back as a convenience store. There is a FREE Cash Machine and sells Newspapers/Magazines/Beer&Wine and a range of snacks and read meals. Open until 10pm most nights.

I pass by this handy convenience store near enough every week on my way up to Princess Alice Retail…read morePark to do a bit of shopping. It may be small in size, but Lifestyle Express stocks pretty much anything from milk, bread and toilet to roll to biscuits, frozen foods and magazines. The magazine selection is notably limited, but Lifestyle Express is still a handy place to stop by to pick up a few essentials, especially as many products on sale here are cheaper than they are at the Tesco just around the corner. There is a small, off-road car park just outside the store and the atmosphere inside is always relaxed and pleasant, especially as Lifestyle Express is usually empty, due to its off-the-beaten-track location. The main downside of the place is that lottery services and mobile phone top-ups are not available, and the staff are a little on the rude side.

There seems to be a real abundance of newsagents, convenience stores and off licences along…read moreBoldmere High Street, but this one stood out to me in particular. Upon entry, the place opens up like a Tardis, revealing a lengthy, spacious hallway. MNG seems to stock a variety of products which are seldom seen in Boldmere's other, similar stores. The far end of the room is home to a vast selection of stationary, photo frames and wrapping paper, and the store's magazine selection is overwhelming, with several, rare specialist numbers on sale and a very wide range of newspapers. Sadly, not everything within the store is exactly top-notch. The floor and shelves seem grimy and unclean and on my recent visit to buy a few household essentials, the girl behind the counter seemed grumpy and didn't crack a smile once throughout our conversation. MNG deserves credit for its impressive stock and deceptively spacious interior, but in reality, there are much friendlier, cleaner convenience stores in Boldmere which offer a far more pleasant shopping experience.

This is a standard convenience store and stocks all of the usual items that you would expect; some…read morefood, snacks, a few household items, newspapers, alcohol and tobacco. I have been in a couple of times when I have been in Harborne. The chap who works there or who owns it seems really friendly and chatty. Several times he has made small talk with me, which is nice as it makes me want to pop back in here. I have always found what I needed in here, which is usually just some chocolate and something like milk to take back home. The prices are fairly reasonable for a convenience store and I have been to more expensive stores in the area. Overall, I like this store because the service is great and it has been convenient for me.

The old motto of writing about what you know rings true here (and for the next few reviews) as…read moreHarborne Convenience is very much my local shop. Open from early morning until at least 10pm every night this isn't somewhere you'd travel miles to visit but if you live nearby it's a great place to purchase things like compost or barbeque briquettes. They are also notable for stocking a good range of real-ales, an extensive selection of doggie treats (which get the seal of approval from Dave the greyhound) and the man who runs it is a really nice chap who often compliments us on how well Dave is looking and very much lives by the adage 'the show must go on'. Not only does the shop stay open at Christmas and New Year but perhaps most memorably of all through a recent power cut where thanks to a torch-lit fetching service the people of Northfield Road were able to continue to make their essential purchases of booze, fags and Monster Munch.

You might not save much here but it is the one when you need some late night provisions! Open 24…read morehours it is a good shout when wanting booze or cigarettes or even a midnight snack! The service is cool and there is much to choose from! I often make a pit stop en route after an evening on the town. A central, all night offy is always a good call. I would recommend to all of you night owls.

This place is a god send as a local resident…read more Open 24/7 - Yep, all day, everyday, it's great when you're stumbling home from a night out in search of something to nibble on or to keep the party going when you've ran out of supplies. It has a pretty decent selection of wines, spirits and beers, a small selection of fridge food, fresh milk etc and not too shabby amount of cupboard food and confectionery. If you find that your first choice of shop/supermarket is closed be sure to always give this place a go. It's not too expensive and sometimes cheaper than the big chains and tends to have some of the lesser known items that you could be looking for.