A great store, I walked in and got exactly what I needed immediately, beautiful serviettes for my…read moretea party. There were a lot of other things I did not need so kept my eyes dead ahead. Lovely to see stores like this still in business in a market town. Go treat yourself today to something, anything, everything!

Barkers Department Store, situated in the centre of the High Street, offers an incredible range of…read moremerchandise, including some of the worlds leading brands of fashion, lingerie, menswear, shoes, handbags, cosmetics, cards, luggage, gifts and homewares. On the first floor is a recently refurbished 200 seat restaurant with views over the Applegarth Park and an excellent menu specialising in home cooking. The store also has an online shopping facility.

Guru is a unique shop located in the heart of Darlington Town centre. It offers a range of unusual…read moreitems ideal for gifts; incense, candles, cards and ornaments. It also offers clothing in a gothic or hippy style. It is a friendly shop and worth a visit if you are looking for a more unusual gift.

Guru has been around a long time and is the only place in Darlington to browse for unusual clothes…read moreand gifts. The clothes are rock chick gothy type of thing. They also sell shoes( weird looking ones). A great place to pick up something different in the jewellery, candles, gifts or cards line.

Darlingtons traditional garden centre Elm Ridge has been around for years. It's quite an upmarket…read moreplace and has a Florist who does amazing arrangements for any occassion. The garden centre side is slightly restricted by the size of the area around the main building but there is usally a good range od plants in season. They also have a section covering water gardens which can be a bit of a tricky area to get started in so advice is always on hand. Worth a look but do bear your budget in mind!

This is the second bouquet i have received from Elm Ridge. By far the best selection of fresh…read moreflowers i have ever had . Beautifully presented and absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much Amanda H x

the under manager was extremely unpleasant rude and disrespectful to me when I was in that store on…read moreSaturday 3 rd February 2024. I am a 71 year old disabled pensioner with myriad health problems and a tiny assistance dog in a small pram which is a walking aid for me. I was treated in a bad way on the floor selling cutlery which was expensive but which I wanted to purchase.The young assistant had a couldn't care less attitude.So I walked away without saying anything as I am very polite. I approached the duty manager on my way out who totally misconstrued what I said to him. I have spent thousands of pounds in Binns over many years even when it was open in Middlesbrough.In this time of economic recession I am GLAD they are allowed to be rude so they won't miss my custom.A couple outside saw my distress and comforted me.He needs to remember NOT ALL DISABILITIES ARE OBVIOUS.As the nice Lady outside said 'Poor communication skills are paramount in all walks of life'.I will never go there again.

Binns is a massive department store, located right in the town centre. It has a number of diffeent…read morestores and brands within. in the cosmetics area all major brands are covered; clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder, Benefit, Calvin Klien etc. In the clothing area their are labels and shops such as; Coast, Wallis and Oasis, along with many major shoe brands. It is ideal place to visit to buy an outfit for any occasion. It also offers men and childrens clothing, along with furniture and homewares.

This friendly little fruit and vegetable shop is situated in the main street of Houghton le Spring…read moreopposite b&m bargains and heron's frozen food store - nearer the top end of the town. If you don't want to pay a fortune for fruit and veg at the co op supermarket nearby then you should go to Devenport's. Their food is always of the highest quality and freshness and i have never had any problems at all with them. It can get quite busy but the staff serve you quickly and calmly. Great fruit and veg at low low prices.

This is a gem worth hunting out - it is outside the town the 64 bus will drop you off…read more If you are into scrap booking or other arty stuff there are some great products available at reasonable prices. The staff - owner - are very knowledgeable and helpful. However dsiabled access is limited.

This branch of Marks and Spencer is located on Teesside Retail Park. It's on the right hand side as…read moreyou enter the main square, near Zavvi. This is quite a large branch, set out over two floors. Downstairs they have a dedicated food section, then moving left you come to the women's clothing. They have shoes, lingerie, and lots of lovely fashion. The only one I actually notice is Per Una, so truth be told, I don't know if they stock other brands, as I've only noticed the Per Una. They have some really nice items. Most of it is out of my price range, but I have been lucky there when they've had end of season sales one. The service is excellent. The fitting rooms are really quite spacious and luxurious, compared to what I'm used to in Asda, for example! The staff are friendly and helpful. Upstairs, they have men's clothing, and a gift section, and homewares. Last time I was in, I noticed they also had a television section upstairs! This was new to me, but it was a smart little section, not a lot of choice, but the service, again, was excellent. The lady took time out to talk me through some of the products, and was really helpful. About twenty years ago I thought Marks and Spencer was really posh, and the epitome of quality and good service. Then it sort of went downhill, but I think they're climbing back up now.

This is a handy, decent sized Marks and Spencers store which is is part of Teesside Retail Park…read more Because of this there is plenty of car parking outside and it is open later than your average store. I am not sure of the exact hours but I think around 8pm on an average night. As well as the usual ranges of fashion, homeware, food etc there is a cafe on the first floor and a currency exchange which is handy as M&S often have good rates. Personally I think that M&S have become more competitive in recent years and I am now shopping her more and more.

This branch of T K Maxx is located in the new Captain Cook's Square in Middlesbrough town centre. I…read moremust confess, I prefer the branch on Teesside Retail Park. This branch is all on one floor, and seems a bit jumbled to me. They sell clothing, shoes, bags, toys, ornaments etc. I always like to take a look in if I'm in the town centre, as I would hate to miss a bargain, and you CAN get bargains here, but you have to be lucky, and you have to be prepared to rummage for them! I personally find the clothing expensive, even though it is discounted. But they do carry a nice line in reduced price toys and games, although I don't think they have a big a selection at the Teesside Park branch. There always seem to be queues at the check outs, too.

A large store, which is spacious and well laid out. They…read morestock men's, women's and children's clothes, homeware, toys and other bits and bobs. Well worth a visit, as you can pick up some designer bargains. Sometimes you can queue for a while as it gets quite busy. The children's toy section is usually quite good.