Fizzywigs is a real tourists shop right next to the York Minster. It sells nothing, but everything…read more There are quaint english ornaments next to real jams and sweets. The store seems to focus on all things british and has lots of quirky old bits and bobs from mugs to old fashioned looking signs. The store is Tiny, you really have to squeeze around if there are a few people in there but that seems to be the case for most shops in York. It's a really lovely store and it makes such a change to find something different instead of the same old thing.

As the owner says, The Cat Gallery has an online shop, mail order catalogue and a retail outlet…read more So even though I have never been physically at the retail shop, in this age of virtual experience I want to add my review at this time. I'm often browsing the website or flipping through the catalogue. To date I've made three multiple item purchases. I've also experienced prompt and cheerful customer service several times via personal e-mail when I had questions or needed specifics on items since I couldn't see them in person before purchasing. I am sure the staff are very kind and helpful face to face! Thanks to the 'wonders of modern technology' I've also taken a full virtual tour of the shop. The colorful and eye-catching front window will draw you right in, like a cat after a wand toy. It was exciting to see some of my items right there on the shelves! The shop is beautifully laid out and the merchandise displays flow nicely through different rooms. I could spend hours here. It's a cat person's dream shop, really. Cat items for every room in your home, for outdoors, for office, apparel, books, artwork, stationery, you name it. And plenty of goodies for your cats as well. Items are all high quality and sourced from all over, and there's something for every price range. Treat yourself or buy a gift for that special cat person (or cat) in your life. You'll love the Cat Gallery.

If you love cats, this is the shop for you! It is wall to wall cats, cat ornaments and trinkets,…read morecat homewares, cat cards, actual cat toys and treats for actual cats, cats cats cats everywhere and home to the lucky black cats which I purchased for myself and for my nephew. Might have been just my imagination but even the shop girl resembled a cat with the way she had done her eyeliner to look practically feline. But a great shop and great for gifts for all your cat loving friends and family.

Let's get one thing straight first. I love stationery. I enjoy stationery I don't even need. If I…read morehave to do a lot of writing, I prefer tipped pens as opposed to ballpoint, in as vast a variety of colours as possible. Now, we all know we can get multipacks of these at the local supermarket or pound shop, but it just doesn't feel quite the same as purchasing something from the bevy of office supply loveliness that is Paperchase. One thing you'll always notice when standing outside this humongous, triple-floor branch in the centre of Manchester is not the Big Issue seller, although that might make you feel a little guilty for overspending on that eraser shaped like a flower or that Dalmatian print stapler. No, the biggest wow factor is the window display. They darn well make the most of it. And it's seasonal too, whether it's that phrase that strikes fear and depression into the hearts of children between the ages of five and sixteen and teachers everywhere, 'Back to School', or Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, Christmas, Valentine's Day... Paperchase will always via the medium of magical window dressing find a reason for you to buy stationery. I'd seriously recommend this branch over any of the weeny little concessions in Kendal's or Selfridges. You've got way more choice. But this isn't just a place for quirky little diaries, fluorescent pink post-its, pencils in every colour of the rainbow, stickers, iPod covers, damask wrapping paper, furry pencil cases and heart-shaped calculators. There's so much more. It has one of the biggest and best greeting card selections I've ever seen. There are gifts aplenty for the friend who has everything. There are home storage solutions. Pretty boxes. Lunchboxes. Tupperware. You can even buy pet supplies. Little random toys for stocking fillers. Toddle on up the stairs and find an entire floor dedicated to art supplies. There's even furniture, clocks, mirrors... I could go on. But I won't. Go see for yourself. I'm telling you, you'll walk in with the aim of buying a simple mobile phone cradle for your office desk and you'll come away with five different photo frames in five different shapes. You have been warned...

Now January has started it's only a matter of days before retailers swap their discounted Christmas…read morecards for Valentine's Day cards! One of the best places to go looking for cool cards and wrapping paper is Paperchase. They stock sweet, witty, playful and kitsch cards from a variety of designers and a brilliant array of notebooks, journals, address books, recipe cards, pens and stationary. This being their biggest store in the North West, there's also good quality paints, pastels, paper, card and brushes for artists upstairs. Before you get too carried away and fill your basket full of goodies - check out the prices as some of the Japanese papers and pastels are pretty steep.

A good little new age shop selling all kinds of gifts and oddments from all over the world…read more The theme of the items is very bohemian with throws, cushion covers, candles and ornaments many from India and Thailand. It's a good place to look for a present for the person who has everything as you're bound to find something in here they haven't got. The shop can get very busy with people looking at things so be careful not to knock anything fragile off the shelves as you're weaving past other shoppers. Also, as part of their ethical stance, Evolution don't particularly like giving plastic bags out but you'll get a beaming smile if you tell them you don't need one.

A well established outlet filled with funky trinkets including gifts, candles, home accessories &…read morehand made goods. Ethically sourced, reasonable prices with regular sales and friendly staff. Love it!

This shop is so very exciting from the outside. A brief wander past the window, most especially at…read moredusk, and it shines out like the north star - a beacon of shiny! Inside it is packed with all kinds of ornaments and gift items, including some awesome vintage styled wire frame candle holder type lampshades, cute garden ornament animals and beautiful vintage style birdcages. I don't even know why I want a quirky birdcage, but I do, and Leaves and Linen stocks lots of them! I think they'd make a great jewellery and scarf holder, certainly it would look really funky, but perhaps for the more experimental person even a great flower pot holder! As well as this there are flowers, cards, linens, throws, terracotta and many other troves of gifts and such inside. Apparently all of the stock is hand picked by the owner from all over the world and this personalised sense of style is apparent throughout. Everything you could want for the home and garden are within and there is brilliant advice on offer too for throwing about ideas. For the shiny obsessed magpies out there this is a delightful shop. For the patient-but-gloomy-disinterested boyfriends, not so much apparently...

Another shop selling dangly wind chimes in Ilkley! Leaves and Linens is the kind of place you can…read morefind a gift for your mother or grandma as they sell floral tea towels, oven gloves, flower, mugs, and candles. The whole shop is nearly entirely filled with beautiful, colourful flowers but I was disappointed to find they were all fake, after a brief period of amazement! Oh well, they last longer, right? There are real, alive flower outside the shop. The man working there was eager to be of help then politely left me to look around when I said I was 'just looking'.

When Tableau first caught my eye I had two contradictory thoughts. Firstly: oh look at that nice…read morepainted iron table that would look lovely in the garden. Secondly: why is there another shop in Headingly selling seemingly pointless ornamental objects? I went in to check it out and see which initial thought would pervade. They have quite a few bits of furniture that are very attractive, expensive but original such as a white painted iron bench and a similarly crafted coat stand. Decorative things hang from the ceiling that would suffice as gifts for mothers or girl friends who like pretty, hand-crafted things and can overlook their pointlessness. There is hand-made jewelry and some interesting prints, including a Jack Vertriano print. I particularly like the tiny glass pigs for sale. This shop is a bit more sophisticated than others of its kind in Headingly/Hyde Park selling gift items but they do sell fairy lights.

Tableau is a gift shop that I'm actually willing not to whinge about! The exterior is very tasteful…read morewith a muted forest green painted front and minimalist stainless steel lettering. The large windows display their pretty wares. Upon entering it's quite difficult to categorise their products as there is such a range. Mainly decorative home ware. There are small pieces of furniture, clocks, fairy lights, plant pots, lanterns, watering cans, ornaments, bobs and bits, bits and bobs, pretty things and lovely items. What I must say is I just LOVE their greetings card selection. Small it may be but perfectly formed it certainly is. The cards are very unusual and with a vintage and quirky style. Though I always make cards for my family I found a few that would just make perfect mothers' day cards...could I really give her two? I might have to they are so pretty! Now I'm not easy to please when it comes to cards so waxing lyrical about a shop's card selection feels rather out of character! Now gift shops and I generally don't get on, but Tableau really is different with its own character and style. Definitely a place to hunt for a present for mums or female friends who like to beautify their home. What the hey...I'm a fan!

With such beautiful and exquisite gift items it is difficult to see where else you would want to go…read morein Horsforth for that special present. It might be that you start at the bottom of the street and have to work your way to the top to discover Ideas, but you'll be glad you did once you've made it up here. They've a number of different items, all beautifully made and pristine, to satisfy most of your standard gift ideas. Unless you really want to personalise a gift or make it creative this shop is a fantastic place to go to find something as it has that little bit extra compared to your average card and gift store. Any old Clintons has a stuffed bear that your Mum will know in an instant where you purchased it from and didn't really make an effort. If you bought an item from Ideas, for a bit of a price granted, you will find something unique with the longevity to give a lasting impression. From jewellery, toys, frames (which you can personalise with a photograph, of course), ornaments, perfume bottles, clocks - you get the idea. Everything within is graceful, delicate and a delight to browse.

This place is my idea (no pun intended) of a proper gift store…read more Ideas Unlimited offers such a vast array of presents that it is almost impossible to walk out of here without finding something for someone - believe me when I say the range is huge: ornaments, souvenirs, stationery, jewellery, toys, photo frames - you name it, they've probably got it. It's the sort of place that takes the hassle out of getting a little 'thoughtful' present or two for someone, and the quality of the products is a lot higher than what you'll find in most gift shops - this place has an air of class about it. Unfortunately, this is reflected in the rather steep prices.

Alison Holmes is a total treasure trove of glittery, glitzy things. Of course, being part magpie, I…read morewas immediately attracted to the place. I looked up, from a distance, and saw the shining lights and honed in. Must. Have. Shinys. So I walked, as if parting the waves, straight to their door and wandered in. That is to say, after a lengthy gander at the goods in't window. My my. This place is utterly packed with things. If I were being rather cynical, and I've my boyfriend's voice in my head, all useless things that no one really needs. But that is him. Of course to myself, and many others alike, it's the little details that make one happy and this shop is filled with little details. All the items relate to interiors, each adding the decorative touch to any home. They have a number of different style ornamentals and such, to suit each taste, and surely must have something for everyone. See now, porcelain dog statuettes are really not ma' thang. But, paintings of vintage ladies dressed in 20s gear would certainly be something of interest to me. Add to that classy lamps and lampshades, crystal miniatures, mater features, clocks, cat figurines, various picture frames, jewellery *wardrobes*, Betty Boop statues, mini swarovskis, book ends and more and you've got a good overview of what to expect in here. For all the little things to offset your wonderful job of decorating at home, Alison Holmes is worth a quick browse.