This lovely old-style arts shop is one of my favourite in Bristol. Cheap, cheerful and stocked to…read morethe brim with useful arty essentials. It reminds me of when I studied at Art College - smell of acrylics, hard to manoeuvre around and filled with brushes, paints and canvases. The staff are very warm and welcoming, so if there's something specific you're looking for - they'll be happy to help. Quite far from the city centre, but great for locals to Gloucester Road.

Great little art supply shop best visited for their canvas which is always on offer and with plenty…read moreof choice on sizes and styles. The shop is in that lovely higgledy piggledy style that all art shops should have, and packed with ll the pens, pencils and paints you need.

Southville is such a great little area in Bristol and it just got better! Recent addition Paper…read moreVillage is a gem for everyone. Its appeal to crafters is obvious but it also offers so much more than your average shop. get making with courses of all kinds such as t-shirt design and sewing, interesting items for sale including little fun things for all the family. Owner Vic is very helpful and brightens up your day as much as the shimmer and sparkle that can be found in this aladdins cave!

dj fak says this a fab shop and a lovely experience. you will will leave with a smile on your face.read more

Now, I'm going to say 'hand woodworking tools' to you and I'm guessing 90 per cent of you are going…read moreto click elsew.... hey! Well hi there 10 per cent of you, I can see you have perked up a little. If you know of this shop then you will be having a far-away dreamy look in your eyes right about now and if you didn't then you're checking your watch and wondering where to park nearby. Yes, a whole shop of hand tools: gauges, mallets, chisels... including lots of vintage tools for very cheap prices as well as brand new ones. The staff (I feel I should use the word 'proprietor' here) are very very helpful and alway gleeful verging on surprised that other people like to chip bits of wood from a large block of wood. There's a lot of us about, be proud.

Bristol Design is a fantastic shop. It has everything you could ever need for your DIY redesign of…read moreyour kitchen to hanging up a picture. In my case it was the latter that needed doing and I had no idea how to go about it. The staff in here were extremely helpful and were easily able to point me in the right direction as far as picture hooks go. Now that I know what I need, I would probably go to Wilkinson's as it's a lot cheaper but for something a bit more complicated then it's definitely worth a trip here.

Are you arty or crafty? Are you into beads or jewellery or embroidery threads or frames or paints…read moreor glitter or ribbons or lace? Then at Creativity you'll be in good company. Creativity is an independent art and craft supplies shop, and they stock everything in their tiny shop, all of the above and much much more. Anything you can't find you'll probably be able to order from their website.

Creativity is an art supply shop just off Whiteladies Road. It's got things like beads and cloth in…read moreabundance. As well as plastic stuff they've got some more exotic bits and pieces, including semi-precious stones and crystals. A good place to get a bit of alternative or DIY jewellery. An absolutely essential for for my friend that's into costume design. They've got an extensive supply of textiles and ribbons, as well as everything you'd ever need to do with knitting and needle work. Cards and stamps are the other thing they mainly do. If, like my mum, you like to make your own cards, this is a great place to come. Somewhere for the enthusiast this does its various little niches in a lot of detail.

You might have seen the warehouse next to the organic supermarket in St Werburgh's and wondered…read morewhat it was. Behind the doors is a fiesta of paper and fur fabric and bright bits of card. A scrap warehouse charity where people donate all sorts of bits and bobs of craft resources for local schools and youth groups to utilise. You need to sign up for a membership card to shop at Artrageous, but if you have an NUS card you can sign up. Pick up some bargains - perfect for theatre groups, art projects or even a fancy dress party! Despite not being a student, I recently helped out at a local festival, so was allowed to buy some resourses from the warehouse. It is a gigantic treasure trove of foam, plastic pots, tubes and tubs, netting, fabric, books, CDs and a whole load of oddities. I even discovered a job lot of fake Christmas trees and fake fur jackets somewhere in the depths of the place! The suggested donation for a trolley of scrap is only £13.25 - that can get you a whole lot of fun. The best thing about this colourful wonderland is that all profits from Artrageous go back to the children's charity.

There's a little corner in St Werburghs where there's a higher than normal level of wholesome…read morenutritious energy buzzing out the foundations. Downstairs is the Organic Supermarket bashing out more than enough delicious and healthy meals and food stuffs (check out previous Yelpers' reviews). Upstairs is this place, an outrageously extravagant art store. The by-line is 'art and crafts for all' and this is a claim easily reached. Once inside expect to find all the materials that you would actually use if you were an artist or craftsman. That is to say, don't expect the cellophane wrapped tools and items from a high street store - but rather the raw materials in the basic form. Big tubs of PVA glue, blank masks for painting, wire framed sculpture sets and big packets of clay and modelling putty are a few examples. Face paints, colourful chalk and internal mechanisms for various models are on hand for the serious artist. For those a little less keen there's a good kids section for musical instruments, bouncing balls and finger puppets. With a big car park and an adjoining scrap store this is a perfect one stop for all your creative and artistic needs.

Dutty is an interesting new(ish) shop on Cheltenham Road. Its primarily a clothing shop and aims to…read moremix art, music and fashion, with ranges of exclusive handmade garments, hand-printed T-shirts and hoodies. They also stock a good selection of spray paints. The fashion is a little 'out there' but if you are looking for something a bit different and unique then Dutty is definitely worth a visit. The shop currently lists over 25 local designers, so if you are interested in getting some of your designs sold then get in contact with the owners. The owners (who I am guessing were art students) were pretty knowledgeable when we visited to get some spray paint. They sold a can for roughly £4 which isn't bad.

This shop always looks closed! It might be the abundance of stickers and drawings on the windows…read moreand the fact that the door is always closed, but the next time you walk by, make sure you check the sign on the door (they are mostly open most of the time!) and head on in. I really love their stock in here; they sell vintage clothes, reworked vintage, and local designer duds, and boy are they good. Prices are really affordable too; especially if they are having sales! They have a great selection of jewelery, half of what's there is handmade by the owner sitting in the store, behind the counter with a sewing machine in front of her, working on clothes and other bits throughout the day. They stock graffiti markers and spray paints too. A lovely, lovely shop that's awesome.

If Photoshop were to personify itself as a traditional British gentleman then this is probably the…read moresort of place he'd run. Everything about this place has that sort of modern yet classical chic design look to it. If you know what I'm on about you'll probably love it down here. From kitchen wares to cookery books to candle holders this place has everything the modern housewife (or husband) could wish for, all with a sort of bold and colourful twist to it. They also have a wonderfully easy to use website with all their kit on display so maybe the best thing to is check that out, as opposed to imagining a bold, colourful, modern and chic Photoshop man.

A bright and modern gift shop perfect for the yummy mummy friends in your life. They had a wide…read moreselection of Orla Kiely and Cath Kidson items which should help you gauge the style here. Think pink and pretty with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and cherries on top. Over two floors, if you are buying for children check out downstairs for some interesting kids toys and games. However be warned - I did have to leave after 10 minutes because I was beaten into submission by the incredible tweeness of the music. Any more and I would have started swearing and smashing things just to get the status quo of the universe back into kilter.