I find it really had to make a decision. All the time. In the words of Loyd Grossman, I cogitate…read moreand procrastinate and probably masticate over a decision, too. Especially when it comes to big ticket items. I get an idea in my head and boom, that's it, no game over til I get what I want. Some would call it being stubborn. When it came to trying to find furniture for our new home, I almost hit meltdown. We trawled around every furniture store in Edinburgh, even so far as Glasgow, and found nothing. Every sofa started to blend together into one horrific silver velvet-brown leather-purple-chesterfield - modern-traditional monstrosity. And then we fell over Sofa So Good, in the middle of town. It's a tiny store, some of it's staff are way too eager and we almost ran away for being too overwhelmed, but it had sofas we liked, and wanted. And ordered. One delivered ahead of schedule, one waiting to appear, but hopefully soon. Very happy to find an independent store, so happy to get finally, what we wanted. Just don't ask me about any other furniture, I need a rest.

There are a few really cute, quirky shops in Bruntsfield, and Miam Miam leads them all. It's a…read morereally cute shop, selling really cool little bits and bobs and some furniture. It's the sort of place you can happily browse and smile at all the things they sell - because that's the most accurate description I can provide - it's just things! Yeah, it's a really nice shop and the staff are lovely! But I begin to question my sanity when I'm considering buying a £25 pink polka-dot tea cosy when a) I don't drink tea and b) I don't have a tea-pot. Some of their stock does raise a few eyebrows, but hey, it's fun I suppose. I've always said I would go back for Christmas shopping or for a birthday, but I always forget.

A very cute gift shop, with adorable and quirky gift ideas…read more However, as Emily T pointed out the price tags are quite high when you start considering the actual item on sale. Still Miam Miam can be a saver when you are stuck on a present for someone that's a bit more unique but not too crazy. When I came in here it was empty (coincidence or economic crisis effect?) but the staff are super friendly and I got a great card for my friends graduation.

I remember walking into this store with my mum, taking one good luck around, then leaving almost…read moreimmediately. It's quite... well different stuff, with an attempt to show something exotic and artsy. It would look ok to great in a bar or hotel but not really in your living room.

I know everyone says Art is subjective, but I want anyone who reads this to check out the picture I…read moretook as well. Look at the disabled Tiger in the window! Somebody buy that for me please. I don't know what this business is supposed to be. They sell both art and furniture, or maybe the furniture is art... Did I mention the wonky tiger? They had one or two nice pieces of pottery, but nothing that warrants a visit.

I love these sort of little dusty antique shops and Allan K L Jackson is a perfect example. Once…read moreyou nip inside you feel transported back to Victorian times, like a portal Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop, this little store has everything if you are willing to search hard enough. Buried amongst the piles of antiques are toys, games, glasses, cutlery, watches, furniture, sports equipment and anything else you could possibly want. Chances are you didn't think you wanted it and come out very confused as to why you bought a cheese grater from the 1940s or something equally random but inside the shop it seems like the perfect gift for that quirky old aunt everyone has. The owner, I assume Allan himself but I don't want to make some form of antique shop faux pas by leaping to conclusions, is really friendly and seems genuinely pleased that you have popped in to have a look. Whether you are buying anything or just browsing, he is helpful and keen to impart some of his knowledge on you. As the other reviewers have mentioned he is more than happy to hold an item for you and is always keen to forage for other things in and amongst the mounds of curiosities in his shop

This is an inviting and interesting antique shop in Newington which offers high quality furniture,…read moreornamnets and rugs at reasonable prices. Although the owner doesn't stock the highest quality stuff and most of it is second or third hand, it's all in relatively good condition and priced accordingly. The shop has a cool ambiance and feels like it's in its own little world. I didn't buy anything but after a look around you feel inspired to surround yourself with old stuff. The owner told says that he get's new stock in frequently and he can reserve certain items for interested customers. Allan K L Jackson is definitely a place to visit either for furnishing things or just a look round.

It is great to have a debenhams in falkirk now rather than having to go away through to stirling,…read morebut this store is not very big and does not have a great amount of stock. i tried to return an item and exchange for something else, but because they did not stock this item they refused to take it back which meant i had to go to Stirling with it anyway.

debenhams is in the howgate centre. it is not a big store, but they have crammed quite a lot into…read moreit. they have several make up counters and perfume counters, kids dept, and a ladies dept. i shop here for kids clothes, they do not have a huge range of of clothes, but the ones they do have, they normally have plenty of them in all sizes. they have plenty of pleasant staff in here, however i did go to the make up counter one day to ask a question reguarding a product, and this one particular member of staff looked at me like i had big purple horns ( and they're small, barely noticable, lol). she was also very abrupt with me. i was offended and i will not be shopping there again (for make up anyway).

Dotted around the villages on the coast of Fife are little gift shops. And in Aberdour, Antiques…read moreand Gifts certainly seemed to be one of the more popular ones. The shop did not stock your normal tacky tourist rubbish but instead stocked a mixture of antiques with hand crafted gifts. In terms of antiques the shop seemed to display a lot of china, including old tea pots and also a range of old worn out cuddly bears. Additionally the shop also offered framed pictures and prints. It all seemed very nice but it was not my cup of tea to be honest. In terms of gifts there were mostly textiles. The shop seemed busy but as I browsed through, I realised that this shop probably did get a lot of people in who viewed their goods but were unlikely to buy anything. And in a time of recession these shops probably will struggle. None the less, a good shop to go to if you want to pick up an antique for a gift!

Artisan is a wonderful shop full of the most spectacular furniture. One draw back is that the…read morefurniture costs a bomb but they often have sales, and the sales they have are really good - definitely the best time to buy from them. Most of their furniture is made of quality solid wood, like oak, walnut, ash, beech etc.They do not offer flat pack - each purchase is made to order once you have placed your order so the waiting time can often be several weeks but you receive a freshly made piece of furniture for your home. The delivery charge for a 2 piece suite was £30 - not bad in my opinion.

As I'm a volunteer here this is naturally a biased review. The shop's been operating for going on…read morefive years now and enjoys a regular turnover of stock as new books are constantly being donated - we may not have what you want the first time but the dedicated volunteers will keep an eye out for things if you leave your details with us. We still stock hardback books and in the last year have also found space for donated compact discs and LPs. There are usually also a number of donated DVDs on sale too along with brand new items such as glassware & jewellery. Greetings cards for most occasions and stamps are readily available. Naturally we endeavour to stock a full range of adult & child fiction, reference works, biographies, travel guides etc. Whilst the shop is not in amongst a rake of similar ones, like our sister shop in Stockbridge, a walk down past the Botanic Gardens to pay us a visit won't be a wasted journey.