A lovely stationery and novelty shop just off the beaten path…read more The shop was full of gifts, goods, and goodies for the office/home office, for school, for brides-to-be and bridesmaids, and anyone else on the list. The shop had a large stock of journals and notebooks with all sorts of funny and inspirational messages scrolled on the front. Naturally, there were also lots and lots of pens and coloured pencils, from sleek and sophisticated to sparkly and silly. There were tons of greeting cards for just about every occasion, as well as a beautiful display of both loose and rolled gift wrapping paper. I came here looking for heavy, high quality stationery and found some beautiful ivory linen paper with matching envelopes. It was a delightfully pleasant weight and otherwise lovely to touch, although the ink did not adhere firmly to the paper. I had to print a few copies before I was able to produce an acceptable copy with minimal fading and smudging.

Paperchase is a fairly small store in The Piazza, Covent Garden yet still the store has a pretty…read moredecent feel to it and selection, although getting into the store and certain parts around the store can be pretty narrow. They have a pretty good selection of stationery and a wide range of greetings cards considering it isn't a huge store, it is a great place to have in Covent Garden but it does get packed quite frequently, perhaps even more than their flagship location on Tottenham Court Road. The staff again seemed friendly enough, and although the store's size and narrowness can make it uncomfortable at times, it still remains a pretty good store for someone with a stationary addiction to someone looking for a greetings card, or something in-between. 3*

The Only Place for Pictures sells so much more than posters. I have yet to find another store that…read moresold such a wide variety of picture frames. I was almost overwhelmed at the selection and quality. The store also sells beautiful cards, books, mugs and oh yeah pictures. What I like the most about the shop is that they will frame pictures you bring in and when I asked about pricing they seemed to be pretty reasonable. In addition the store does carry some incredible pictures, including one of Audrey Hepburn that I had not seen before and I'm a huge fan! This is a great shop to find a gift for someone who likes interesting and clever gifts.

This is where I come to get my posters of the plays shown at the Almeida framed. I am not going to…read morepretend that framing these posters is difficult - I could probably do the job myself if I thought about it. However, the results are great and (if you are not invited to chez moi) can also be viewed at the Almeida (who also utilise the same service). I am not sure what they would be like if given a more complicated task. Other than framing, the shop sells a variety of posters, pictures, calenders, small gifts and cards. I am a particular fan of the cards which are more unusual than standard Clintons fare.

A small but highly stocked artist materials shop, with a framing service on the first floor…read more I've always visited to use the framing service, which is good and reasonably priced. They have a selection of ready-made frames as well. The artist shop has a very wide choice of materials and makes, and they also sell greeting cards and stationery. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable.

Fielders is the nearest art shop to Wimbledon College of Art. It's OK if you need to get the odd…read moreitem but if need a good few things i would personally make the effort to travel to Atlantis in the east end. They do have some oils and acrylics but the best quality ones they offer are Georgian oils, they have quite a good selection of brushes but it's better if you're more of a crafts person. They have loads of paper choices, pens, drawing materials etc. They also have lots of craft items like beads, card, glue and more. They also sell some nice gift cards. The prices are quite good but again if you're on a budget make the effort to go to Atlantis as the prices are slightly cheaper.

Wandering around Cowling and Wilcox makes me long to be an arty type, someone with some real…read morecreativity that could put all these chalks and canvases to goo use. Unfortunately I never got much further than the Blue Peter school of glitter glue so a lot of the stock in this shop goes a bit over my head. Sticking to what I can understand, Cowling and Wilcox has a really nice card and gift selection with a bit more personality than anything you'll find in Clinton's. The writing sets are particularly stylish although they can be quite expensive. Similarly, they have a great selection of Moleskin diaries and books but these can cost anything upwards of £15. On the other hand they have a great selection of arty presents for kids which all seem very reasonably priced and a lot of fun too for that matter! I defy anyone to be too old for face-paints. Cowling and Wilcox is a lovely shop which is well worth a look around if you're in need of anything a bit arty or looking for a more personal present for that difficult someone.

I could spend hours in art shops. I always end up spending a fortune. It is just something about…read morenew paper and sketch books and paints. Mindlessly wandering through the store, picking up colourful bottles and textured paper. The mind can run wild with new ideas. Cowling and Wilcox is a huge store situated on Shoreditch High Street. They have everything from portfolios, to canvas, paints, spray paint, paper, printer ink cartridges and much more. A light and airy shop pack fill of supplies all organised clearly on shelves and stands making for easy spending. It is a little on the expensive side, however the quality and quantity of supplies is impressive. Especially if it is a final year portfolio or important presentation. To top it off the staff are very helpful and inspiring if stuck for colour choices or alternative solutions to presentation.

Alright I admit. This is completely my scene, well, our scene, my wife and I. If we could actually…read morebuy the shop to make it our flat, we would. It would be small though, and on a busy commercial street...but we'd be happy in our home full of cool nordic stationery items, our pastel coloured flower pots and our hipster home decoration magazines :) Don't forget to have a look downstairs, there are some more great looking stuff for your home. If you fancy a break, there is a sweet looking coffee shop here as well, you can just sit by the window and imagine your life here, and this wonderful little shop. PS: If you're looking to buy me a gift one day, we do love those pink and green flower pots. Just sayin'.

Smug is one of those shops that makes you feel better just for a visit, as it's full of neat little…read moreexamples of brilliant design. Some is re-purposed vintage stuff, some is modern retro. For those with an eye for graphic design and a bit of space to put it in, it's well worth a visit. Sky-high Islington prices, but deservedly so.

This Paperchase store is a really large store and is one of three of the brand's flagship stores,…read morealongside my local store in Manchester and a branch in Glasgow. The location of this store is decent, it is on Tottenham Court Road and is basically right next to Argos, and opposite Superdrug and Natwest (or at least a few minutes walk away on the other side of the road) This store is quite large, but the selection of stock is merely average for a store of its size, even compared to other Paperchase stores, I didn't notice a lot of cool items which they didn't sell in other stores, for example in terms of lever arch folders, they all seemed the same with nothing new compared to other flagship stores such as Manchester, and more smaller stores such as Newcastle or Liverpool. The store is over three floors, there is a bookshop and Tinderbox Coffee Shop on the first floor and a Crafts / Magazine floor on the Second. The staff around the store didn't seem too friendly either. This store overall was quite impressive in terms of size but for everything else, it was just average. I'm struggling here, although the size of the store is impressive I can't help but feel some aspects with the feel of the store, the service not being great, the level of products not being as good as one would expect from the size of the store, and the unwelcoming nature as you enter the store, I sadly feel it deserves just two-stars.

As a stationery (come on guys you have to spell it right) addict, I have to limit the number of…read morePaperchase stores I enter for fear of finding another great note pad & hence forgetting where my important lists are ( you know the pad with the hearts on, the pink hearts, when my poor OH holds up my array of pads trying to find the one I've 'lost') So highlights of this store! 3 levels and a coffee shop Offers craft classes The hidden discount section, back corner of top floor Personalisation of note pads etc Friendly lovely staff And it stocks the full range & more! Any craft items that you may need or never realised you d need you ll find it here. Don't forget to also get a treat me card, so many discounts such as 15% off emailed occasionally, discounts on personalising pads and money off craft classes too.

Was on vacation visiting friends, bought a nice piece of art in London, friend recommended frame…read moreset and match Covent Garden, thought might as well take advantage of the great exchange rate. Can't speak highly enough, Andrew knew I only had three days before I flew back home, pulled out all the stops and had it ready a day before I flew home. Did an amazing job , better than I could have gotten at home, very reasonable price. Highly recommend.

if you're looking to get something framed in a convenient central location and would also…read moreappreciate some advice on your choice of frame, FS&M is for you. The staff are happy to make suggestions for the right frame for your work, and the results are always highly professional: beautiful bespoke frames with carefully selected backing paper and hanging kit included. I like the fact that the staff are not afraid to make suggestions: We came in with a limited edition print we wanted to put in a black frame and the guys in store gently suggested that this would completely dominate and ruin the artwork. They recommended a pale frame we never would have chosen ourselves. but I'm very glad the did as the finished product is beautiful and it was immediately obvious that a dark frame would have ruined the look of the print. FS&M is not cheap: we paid £70 for framing a smallish print, but it's definitely worth it for the quality of the service and the finished product. Also for the convenience of the location!

My girlfriend is a designer/artist (I believe there is a subtle difference) which inadvertently…read moremakes me a design critique and art supply carry horse. After traversing London and trying out London Graphic Centre and Atlantis for supplies, it was now the turn of Cass Arts to be scrutinised for inexpensive quality goods. We ventured to the flagship store in Islington which is laid out over three artsy feeling floors. First thing is that Cass Arts is the cheapest out of the three major art stores due to the sheer amount of deals and offers they run. They have good quality easels starting from £10.95, all manner of writing, drawing, painting implements and the parchment to decorate starting from less than a pound. For sheer range of product although impressive, they do not quite reach the dizzy heights of London Graphic Centre or Atlantis. The Islington store is new and not only claims to be the biggest store in Cass Arts portfolio but the largest arts store in London. Hmmm! Whether this is true is debatable. The Islington branch seems to have made a healthy start with helpful staff and stunning discounts. I also applaud their drive to encourage younger Londoners to explore their artistic selves by offering them free art goody bags.

This is Cass Art's flagship store, and 'London largest art store' spanning over 3 floors in a…read moreconverted warehouse building. This particular shop in Islington is very well designed, and with lots of airy space. It is also off Essex road, tucked in a much quieter street which makes the shopping experience slightly merrier. The unfortunate thing with most art products is that they can be expensive, especially for struggling students who wont necessarily be able to afford. Cass Art prides themselves with the best materials and the best prices. And even better if you're a student as you can get a card which entitles you to 15% off on most products. There are also always special offers about where a decent selection of products are slashed down to half price. Each of their central London shops holds over an impressive 20, 000 good quality art products. They are a shop which 'believe in art' and you have a strong sense of that as soon as you enter the shop. This is reflected from how everything is laid out, the attentiveness to the products they have, and their staff, who are all extremely knowledgeable with art and all seem to hold a passion for it. A highly reliable store which never seems to let you down!