I'm such a cheapskate when it comes to shoes. I don't think I've ever spent more than £45 on a pair…read moreof boots, let alone your average shoe, but needs must and all that. I really, really needed a proper pair of nice shoes. It was an absolute requirement. Michael Philips was the shoe shop of choice, and when I wandered in, I realised that Mr Philips actually owned a Clarks franchise, and all the shoes were Clarks shoes. I was beginning to doubt my decision, but decided to have a nosey anyway. Most of the shoes are a bit old fashioned for my liking, but I did come across a pair of super comfy leather brogues, with a little heel, and instantly fell in love. At £55 (gulp) they weren't cheap, but I managed to convince myself that they would be a fantastic investment. I can be awful persuasive sometimes... The sales assistant was attentive, and was ever so patient, despite being constantly pestered to find another size, and persistently asked whether the shoes looked ok. Nodding all the while, she convinced me all the more that I should purchase a pair, so out came the shiny black credit card (to match my shiny black shoes). It's less painful that way.

Right in the heart of Bow Street with cheap parking behind. Not a great selection of men's shoes as…read moreI came in the door. The assistant was a young girl called Jennie who was very pleasant and patient to deal. I liked the fact that I wasn't rushed and the shop was very clean and well presented. Excellent service and quite a nice bag that the shoes came in. Only downside was not enough men's shoes but nice attractive friendly staff means I would definitely come again.

I love TK Maxx! This is a dept store that I look forward to frequenting in the US when I go. It…read morewas a nice surprise to also find it in the UK. Much like the US chain, there is a huge inventory here with a large variety of name brand items for your shopping pleasure. My routine here is to look for the items that I am not comfortable buying in charity shops, like tights and undergear. :) pattern and colored tights are all the rage right now, so I got my hands on some funky tights and socks for £1-£3. Happy days!! Also, they have a wide variety of ladies shampoos, hair products and creams. Its always fun to check out this section for anything I left in Canada. Haha! And of course, the shoe rack! Over the years I have been coming here, I usually walk out with footwear. They have fantastic quality shoes.

For all you Americans from the northeastern US, this is the same as TJ Max. We stopped by to see if…read morethey had any interesting Irish pottery. There wasn't much to choose from.

Personal customer service was excellent, and that makes a change in today's "take it or leave it"…read moreworld. They have an excellent range of suits, material shirts and ties, and the owner made sure that the new suit I was there to purchase fitted perfectly. The additional items of shirt, tie and shoes were a perfect match and fit. I will be back again as it was a pleasure to find a shop and owner who cared about his customers. Fantastic value for money.

Fantastic service that is leaps and bounds above anywhere else I've been. Staff are experts at…read moreselecting the correct garments to suit the occasion at the price plan you have you in mind. I left with the best fitting suit I've ever worn in the right style and colour to suit my complexion and build. I wouldn't recommend anywhere else.

I have called in here a few times in the last year. Each time I wonder how much longer it can stay…read moreafloat. It still has a Primark and a Dunnes stores and I guess if they go it's dead. I remember a thriving food hall here with 6 or 7 purveyors when Harry Ramsden's deservedly did a roaring trade and I was a fan. No more, it's down to just one; a BurgerKing that opens at noon. It had M&S food and a cafe but not now. Our world is changing and not for the better. It's a harder world and shopping malls like this one reflect what's hidden in plain sight - increased poverty, cuts after cuts killing people, killing trade, shutting shops, putting folk out of work, who for the most part are the working poor. It's political ideology behind it for the most part - nutters who wanted brexit ironically the richest and the poorest; the former know they will make shed loads more money atop what they already have amassed with no threat to pay fair tax and the latter in the vain hope they'll escape their grinding poverty caused by 15 years of frozen wages, diminished services and the transfer of manufacturing overseas. They have no chance. The working poor will start to realise they were lied to but rising fuel and food will leave them still more desperate every day and there's nothing they can do. Half empty shopping malls will become three quarters empty in the next few months, recession will hit hard as hell. It's not that there's no money about as there more of it than ever it's just that the richest are not passing as many crumbs to the poor as they used to. And politicians don't do real politics any more - they talk and they lie and steal all round them while high streets will become wastelands.

Bow Street Mall...it's a mall (shopping centre to you and I) and it's in Bow Street. Clever, eh? At…read moreleast there's no chance of you forgetting where it's located... In all seriousness, Bow Street Mall is probably one my favourite shopping centres. Here's why... 1) It has sixty shops. Sixty! I reckon that's pretty impressive for a central shopping centre. It's not just the number which is impressive, either. The range of stores, including Primark, Tempest, Dunnes Stores, Dorothy Perkins, TK Maxx and Hanna and Browne, is equally impressive, considering most of these are fairly huge. And it's all under one roof! 2) The food court is consistently busy, and offers the likes of Burger King, KFC, O'Briens, Shanghai Express, Harry Ramsden's and Barnams. Located on the first floor, the food court is the only part of the mall which is not on the ground floor. Yes, I rather like this mall on Bow Street. Innovative name and all...

I've been buying shoes from here since I was a child. Very good value, lots of range, and staff who…read moreknow how to measure your feet properly.

Despite its interesting name, Sub Station is in no way linked to that infamous sandwich chain store…read more(you know the one I mean), an electrical sub-station, or indeed an underground metro station. Nope, it's actually a clothes shop. Curious. Specialising in brands such as Converse, Henleys, Jack Jones and the like, Sub Station is very much like Gino, The Jean Scene and D2 in terms of its clothing. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing..it's just not my kind of thing. When my sister and I popped in, we were greeted by a very friendly sales dude (in fact, I've a funny feeling he might have been the manager / owner), who asked if we were ok and if we needed any different sizes to give him a holler. That certainly went down well...good customer service = tick. All the clothing was in the sale, so it was pretty well-reduced. Floral dresses, long tees, jeans, hoodies and fancy tops were all up for grabs, but there wasn't really anything I would have worn (I am a fussy dresser though, it has to be said). Some of the clothes were lovely, and my sister had her eye on a few garments, so really it's just my downright stubbornness when it comes to clothes. Sub Station also stocks a few shoes, including babies Converse (oh so cute!), as well as adults, and these were in the sale too. Once again, I'm not a Converse wearer (I did try a pair on once, but the shape of the shoe just looked plain wierd...told you I was fussy), but they do appeal to a great many people, so I'm just throwing that little fact out there... I was going to go with three stars, but the delightful welcome from Mr Friendly sales guy just pushed it up a wee notch. Four it is.