If you like solid oak furniture then you will love this place. We have spent a fair load of dosh in…read morethis place, the most recent purchase being a large sideboard, but I have to say that many of the pieces are actually pretty reasonably priced when you compare them to Sterling, John Lewis or even Marks and Spencer. Yeah, they do have crazy high range stuff, but overall, the mix is pretty good. I like how they carry ranges from British furniture makers, and they are happy to modify handles etc. when they can. They have 2 stores across the road from each other - the one that used to be a cookware store, if you remember that far back, carries more dining/kitchen pieces, whilst the one across the road is more bedroom furniture. They also have cool furnishings, lighting etc -a really great shop with an owner who seems to take real pride in the stock he carries, and who is keen to ensure that the customer leaves happy, which this one certainly did!

I went to this shop today (Sunday 11th November) and liked a lamp, and wanted to buy both the lamp…read moreand the shade it was displayed with. I asked the assistant whether they would consider offering a discount if we bought both items. He would not offer a discount - fair enough - but rather than being apologetic or offering any kind of explanation, the assistant said "it is only a lamp" whose cost - 218 quid - was clearly too little money for him to even consider negotiating on. I can only guess this is because this shop must make so much profit on its furniture that it is simply not even worth trying to sell a lamp for the pittance they apparently regarded the asking price as.

Best Wishes is another of those alternative, independent gift shops which are very popular in…read moreEdinburgh. It sells all sorts, including artsy cards, funky wrapping paper, jewellery, trinkets, make up, and toys which are all excellent stocking filler gifts or something small to give as a birthday present. The gifts are not the cheapest around but they are good quality and the cards are very original, think Clinton's but actually good. The store is well laid out, making it easy to find what you are looking for which for me is a huge help, seeing as I often get lost in these type of shops, and end up buried under hundreds of little accessories or being attacked by care bears. The owner was exceptionally helpful as well, offering to wrap everything, and was a cheerful person to have a chat to.

Best Wishes has a very understated exterior. The font is that of the kind used on wedding…read moreinvitations - elegant and simple. Inside, there is so much more on offer than the modest fronting may suggest. Nicely decorated and brimming with lots of quirky gifts, it's a great place to pick up some presents. Selling bags with Tunnocks Teacakes on them (amongst other Scottish icons) there is something in here for tourists as much as there is for local shoppers. It's big, airy and modern inside, the staff are very accomodating but most of all, there are mountains upon mountains of card, wrap, trinkets, jewellery and other such snazzy prezzies. If I stayed local this would be my only stop for birthday and Christmas presents for le familie.

We were amazed at all of the gently used furniture available. As new residents, we were able to…read moreoutfit our new home with amazing pieces at a fraction of what it would cost retail. The staff was great and knowing they support a great cause makes shopping here a no-brainer!

When we moved to Edinburgh we were upsizing from the amount of space we had in London, and we…read moreneeded more furniture to fill that space. Most of this we managed to get from EFI. Easy to get to from our side of town, this is a huge unit filled with every kind of furniture you could think of, all sensibly grouped and fun for browsing. We managed to get an armchair (that perfectly matched the sofa we already had), a dining table and chairs (for £40!), and wardrobes. They also have sideboards, cabinets, chests of drawers, beds, mattresses, kitchen appliances - even telephone tables! Best of all - they deliver! Well worth a trip if you're in need of furniture, and it helps a great cause. They also pick up donations if you happen to be getting rid of something at the same time.

Normally when I'm out with my mum and she tries to enter any kind of interior design shop or…read moreestablishment selling items for the home, I shoo her along, because once she's in, and buying a few "wee things" to put "somewhere", there's absolutely no way of getting her out. On this occasion, passing Jeffreys Interiors on a walk through Stockbridge, I relented and let her get started on examining every item in the shop, while I prepared to wander about for all of two minutes, before getting bored and reading my newspaper. I soon discarded any reading material when I saw how ace everything in this place is. A nice, friendly lady told me the look the shop had going on at the moment was a kind of distressed, shabby chic, although she said she wasn't too keen on the term shabby chic, but that that was the closest to describing it. The showroom had a few different room sets, all with amazing interiors, which made me want to get a move on and get a flat to start creating a design masterpiece of my own. Lots of contemporary, unique pieces, but not furniture that looks uncomfortable or a bit too crazy, it was all arranged in a way that made you want to snuggle into whatever bed or sofa was on display. Nothing looked too expensive to touch or sit down on, (I hate that, what's the point of furniture if you can't chill out or go anywhere near it?), it all looked good, and the way the interiors were put together made the rooms look really welcoming. Definitely something for everyone's abode here, and considering the quality of the goods, really reasonable prices. I particularly noted the amazing wardrobes, brilliant if, like myself, you have a few "issues" with clothes hoarding.

OUCH One star…read moretotally knocked off for sending me a marketing letter addressed to Mr Cory. In the words of Jack Lemmon, I'm a Girl, I'm a Girl, I'm a Girl! I don't need no man buying me four foot clocks, no sir! Not to mention that I didn't ask to be included on marketing bumpf and nor do I want it!

Owning a small guest house close to J.B. McLean we always try to use them if we can to supply…read morefurniture and beds. Apart from the honest service we like the fact that the price we see is a genuine and fair one. No pretend half price, 50% off discount sales the items are fairly priced, good quality and , on the few times we have had a problem, it is sorted with no hassle. The range is good and what they don't have, they will order for you. I willingly recommend this company and suggest anyone looking for furniture start here before hitting the permanent sales in the big multiples.

City Vintage is a fantastic furniture store which stocks a great mix of retro and vintage…read morefurniture, home accessories and jewellery. It is only open part-time though so have a look at the opening hours I've posted if you're planning on visiting the store. If you are interesting in collecting some truly unusual items for your home then City Vintage is an absolute must. This isn't a shop full of a load of broken crap which is piled high and sold cheap. In fact a lot of the stuff is pretty expensive but it is in mint condition and is the genuine article. Recently I have bought a fantastic retro wall clock for just under £50 and an amazing green glass bottle which used to belong to a chemist but now sits on my make-up stand as a perfume bottle! I'm not sure how safe that is put screw it, it looks fabulous! I am lusting after a stunning French bakelite telephone but at £250 it is more than a little out of my budget! The selection of jewellery is the best I have ever seen in a vintage store and I don't think I have ever visited City Vintage without leaving with one of their gorgeous brooches! City Vintage does have a small collection of clothing and bags but the real stars of this store are without doubt are the home accessories and jewellery.

City Vintage is a gorgeous little store that I stumbled across during a wander through Morningside,…read morehidden away on Colinton Road. I was enticed inside by the gorgeous ornate mirrors in the window and I couldn't help but take a peek inside. Inside there are pretty little pigeon holes filled with vintage treasures from retro coca cola merchandise to antique jewellery and home furnishings. You can expect to pay up to around £200 for one of their big beautiful mirrors, however at the other end of the spending spectrum you will find nice little ribbon tied bunches of lavender for around £1 each and unique and interesting cushions for around £5 each. The whole place has a quirky kooky feel that you might expect to find in any vintage store, however it manages to sieve through the tat to bring its customers the very best vintage treasures in this beautiful boutique.

Whilst PDSA isn't top of my list for second-hand shopping in Stirling, I'll always stop by. The…read moreshop is large but with a narrow walkway to get from the front section of the shop to the larger clothing section at the back. So during busy periods, I imagine it would be a little awkward to squeeze through. There's quite a few items here which aren't second-hand but rather, official PDSA charity products for sale. I prefer to head straight for the clothes. Whilst the clothing doesn't take my fancy as often as other charity shops in town, it's still worth a browse as there's lots of bargains to be found and it's a reasonably priced shop. Staff are also really friendly and welcoming. The lady at the desk made my day today with her friendly welcome and compliment of my jacket! (From a charity shop, of course!) A pleasant stop for when you're feeling thrifty!

Ligne Roset stock gorgeous home ware for the fashion conscious individual with too much disposable…read moreincome. I love browsing interior design stores, my old flat mate was some kind of engineer and interior design brochures used to litter the dinner table every day as he flicked through them to look for inspiration and cool designs to re-create. It's all very swish and modern, I'd love to have some of the items in here but sadly I have neither the money or a house. On my venture in I was greeted by the staff but they didn't really bother too much with me - I guess I didn't look like I was the type to be leaving 10 minutes later with a 10 squillion pound sofa in tow. Too bad.