This is a superb stationery shop. If you can't find it here it probably doesn't exist !! They have…read moreevery kind of paper & card imaginable. All the office kit you could ever want. A really well stocked Art department. Upstairs a craft & card making floor with an excellent range. It is like a treasure trove for stationery junkies. You can spend ages in the shop and find things that you never knew you wanted or needed. They have helped me out many times to overcome a problem. Prices are very competitive and the staff really helpful.

I walked in to Clarke's Stationers this morning with 100% confidence that they would have…read moreeverything I needed to create my arty homemade Xmas cards. Red card- check. Glitter glue- check. Gold and silver pens- check. Will my cards look like they were made by a 5 year old? Yes, probably, but at least they will be made with love and quality stationary from Clarke's! Clarke's is great- its one of those extremely satisfying (if you're a stationary geek like me) shops, nay, emporiums, that stock EVERYTHING your little stationary-loving heart could desire. I had to make a hasty exit before I started buying completely unnecessary items like rubber stamps and embossed card sets! If you need card, coloured paper and envelopes, diaries, or arts and crafts supplies, this is the best place I've found. Downstairs they have a massive collection of pens and other standard stationary items. Upstairs they have all manner of coloured and patterned paper and card, as well as sketch books, watercolour paper and huge (A3, A2) sheets of backing card. So whether you fancy embarking on an arty project, or simply need a pritstick, Clarke's is the place. They also have a photocopying service available.

I've always loved stationary stores. Clarke's in the North Laines is a big one, with aisles upon…read moreaisles to look through. Oooh, paper. Of course, the shop offers more than just notebooks and loose sheets; there are organisers and planners, large and small calendars (including a grippy wall calendar!), binders and diaries. Arts and crafts supplies are also available - this is the first place I've seen pipe cleaners in ages. Common art supplies like coloured pencils, oil paints, canvases and here, along with craft projects like paper mache kits, knitting accessories and a variety of felt and fabric pieces for make-your-own crafty ideas. There's a copy centre on site, which is handy, and although the prices are a little higher than some chain budget stationary shops, Clarke's does offer a 15% student discount when you show your student card. I'll probably be back for term two school supplies.

This shop used to a great selection of craft items, and was a good independant stationery shop -…read morenow it seems to focus more on dolls houses and miniature furniture, which, if thats what your after, then great - this looks like a specialist shop for it. The chap who owns it is very friendly and knows what he is talking about - often attends local craft fairs.

Dean's Electronics is a local shop for local people, and one of the handful of surviving…read moreindependent businesses on St James' Street that sell practical goods rather than luxury items (think patisseries, delis, clothes, plants, furnishings...). Here's the place to go if you need an extension cable, a toaster, a wall clock and such like. There's a great stock with plenty of models of each item. The shop specialises in home electricals, incliding tv parts - though if you need anything computer related you wont find it here. And expect to pay a full whack £14.99 - £24.99 for a toaster - there're no smartprice options here! I asked the owner how he does for business when I went in there recently to buy a tv scart lead, and he sounded pretty positive, as I guess there's not too much competition this end of town. Nevertheless I imagine many people head to the city centre chains and the Asda hypermarket for many item... Anyway, enough waffling! Support Dean's Electronics because it's local and the owner is lovely - he even gave me money off my purchase cos it was near closing time and he'd had a nice day!

Deans is one of those amazing shops that will never, ever not have what you need. Well, providing…read morewhat you need is electrical, that is. The place is packed full of various household electrical goods, such as kettles, toasters and radios, as well as all kinds of cables, extension leads, lightbulbs and wires. If electricity runs through it, they sell it. Like many independent places, the quality of the service here is fabulous - I went in with an unusual shaped lightbulb which I had given up hope of being able to replace - they found it for me instantly.

Artist and sculptor Nigel Emery is based permanently here creating bespoke, one off pieces for the…read morepublic to pop in, have a good look and then hopefully buy! Its a great place to spend some time looking around as everything is so interesting. A lot of the art is acrylic on canvas which I think always looks best to me. Gives it plenty of depth. My favourite is a piece called 'Cows', really sweet cartoon like cows on a beautiful coloured landscape. There's so much in here that will look good on your walls.

Great little shop run by the resident artist Nigel. Service is really friendly and low pressure…read more The shop stocks original art as well as a good mix of home wares from vases to furniture. Well worth a visit if you are passing through or dont live too far away.

Tilneys is an old-fashioned stationers. Receipts are hand-written! It has an excellent range of…read morestock and plenty of staff to give advice. In the last couple of years they have started stocking a large range of craft items. It is easy to park within the near vicinity.

Earthworks was set up around 10 years ago to design and publish paper products like greeting cards,…read moregiftwrap, stationery and journals and albums. They've been supplying to major retailers now for some time but also offer a bespoke service to the average Joe on the street. Their canvases are enough to brighten any room in the house up and are so well designed. They also have a fantastic range of home accessories that really are individual indeed. Either pop in for a browse or order online. They offer free delivery with orders over £40.

Artifax is a card and stationery shop in the heart of Broadwater…read more As well as selling a large selection of cards they also sell stationery and provide a number of services including faxing, t-shirt printing and personalised products. When I was in urgent need to send a fax back to the USA they were there and helped me to do it without any issues. Whilst I like to browse this store I do find the prices to be quite high and I find it very rare that I find anything that suits my requirements.