It's a bit of a cliché to say it, but this place really is an Aladdin's Cave of useful knickknacks…read more Well, it would be if Aladdin was a fan of doorknobs, staple guns and tins of paint, anyway. The owner here is one of the nicest men ever, and will always help you find what you need even if you're being a bit thick and not entirely sure yourself... I speak from experience! Prices are really competitive, much cheaper than the DIY stores in town and on a par with chain store prices, and I've never known anyone to need anything they didn't have somewhere on their shelves. Be prepared to ask though - the layout of the shop is chaotic to say the least.

This place truly saved my bacon back when I lived in Hyde Park. I think they've cornered their…read moremarket and chosen well, they are situated right in the centre of studentville - where better to be with tons of people year in and year out moving house? I needed hardware supplies, badly. I wanted to put up pictures, paint my walls, put up some shelves - generally overhaul my room to make it mine. So my Mum and I trotted five minutes down the road to this place and had a browse. Initially we were B&Q bound but I wanted to get on with things immediately so persuaded her to pop here instead. It was totally the right choice! The staff were excellent and friendly and helped us find exactly what we needed, without any of the usual patronising back chat we've received from other places for being women doing DIY. Brilliant. Everything was cheaper than B&Q, which is pretty great too - closer, better service and cheaper prices! I managed to purchase everything I needed well under budget. Couldn't be happier with my shopping experience! Awesome.

Meanwood branch. I went in today with my elderly mother. As she walked through the door she…read moretripped. Rather than asking if she was alright, the owner asked her if she'd enjoyed her trip. This is the last time I will go into this store. On previous visits I have left the shop due to the owner's horrible attitude. I would just like to add that the other staff working there are all nice and polite but not the older man who, due to his arrogance, I believe is the owner. Rather than shopping locally, I will go to Wilko's in future for a better, and more polite, shopping experience.

I've had 4 encounters with this store. The first time I went in trying to buy a powerful electric…read moredrill and screwdriver. I'd never heard of the brand on offer, and the advice given to me suggested they didn't really know whether or not their device would be appropriate for the task I had in hand. They really just left me to read the box. So much for local shops offering a better service than reading a description on Amazon. Fail number 1. I ended up buying from Amazon - a trusted brand and it has worked very well indeed. The second time I was wanting to buy a hasp lock for a cupboard to make it secure. I've never had any experience with this type of lock, took photos of my cupboard and thought I'd give this local business my support by asking them to help me. I chose the lock myself and then asked them about a padlock for it. I made sure that I had a conversation with the staff about my situation and showed them the lock and padlock I was planning to use. They said they would be fine. After all that, the lock fitted but the padlock didn't fit. So, I had to go back to the store for a third time to tell them. They tried to sell me a key-based padlock (I had made it clear that I didn't want to be messing around with keys and wanted a combination lock). They were out of stock of the next size up, so I agreed to come back a week later when they had more. I returned a week later for a fourth time. By now the trips into town were getting tiresome and I wished I'd just ordered online and had the thing delivered, hassle-free. Anyway, I paid an extra pound to exchange my padlock for the next size up. The quality of the padlock is atrocious. The wheels don't turn properly, and you often have to press the lock down in a weird way, in order to reach the opening combination. Four visits. Time wasted. Very unsatisfactory outcome. In future I'll go to Argos. At least you can get a good quality, branded item. Or if I don't mind waiting then I'll order it from Amazon.

Machine Mart is huuuuge, and I guess it needs to be for the vast range of products, some of which…read moreare pretty big themselves! It is a power tools specialist and sells all tools big and powerful for home D.I.Y., gardening and workshop tinkering. They sell heaters and ventilation equipment for sheds, workshops or garages. They also sell cleaning equipment, decorating gear, engines and motors, stoves and fireplaces, welders, woodworking tools, hand tools, protective clothing and footwear, plumbing stuff...the list goes on...will it ever end? The staff at Machine Mart are very helpful and knowledgeable - which is pretty essential if you have any hope of navigating the long aisles and huge range of products on display! If you're undertaking a D.I.Y. construction project, painting your house, getting keen with your gardening or tinkering with your motor, you will find all the gear you need and more at Machine Mart!

Hello I recently visited your leeds store for some parts for my vacuum pump, and to buy a…read morecompressor for my assembly line. It was the first time I have been in your store and was so impressed with the customer service from a member of your staff that I'm sat here writing to congratulate the effort he put in the making my experience one which I won't forget. He started off buy greeting me with a smile and helping me get the parts for the pump I required and even fitted the part to the pump for me. Then when looking for the correct compressor which was out of stock, but had just been delivered went into stores and fished it out for me even delivered it to my car after paying. I love great customer service and this man exeled himself and I will highly recommend people in the future. I'm not sure if he was the manager his name on the recipet was andy.a, he obviously knows his job well as he knew every problem I threw at him and solved it in great detail. Thanks for a great service and see you again in the future.

I don't know why but I love little DIY shops like this. As you walk in you can't help gawping…read morearound at all the bits and pieces for a good few minutes before you remember why you are there. There is not an inch of free wall space here. The walls and beams across the ceiling are carpeted in little packets of useful things. It is neat though, and very easy to navigate around. The man behind the counter looks exactlt like you would imagine a DIY shop owner to look like in Yorkshire. In his checkered shirt and big smile he looks very much in his element. He will be able to tell you exactly what you need to solve all sorts of household hiccups. They sell things like nails, tape measures, bleach, painting equipment, pet products, bins, kitchen ware, gardening goods, and electrical bits and bobs. If you have just moved to Leeds and are near Burley Road it would be a good idea to pop past if you need anything for the finishing touches to your new pile of bricks.

This charmingly retro-looking D.I.Y. shop spills its wares out onto the pavement inviting you to…read moreweave among them and examine the products on offer, including brooms, mops, buckets and plants. St. Anns D.I.Y. is quite small but well-stocked - every available space is packed full of D.I.Y. essentials. There is also a pet food section and a wide range of plant pots of different shapes and sizes. They also cut keys, which can become an essential service for the many student houses of Leeds what with 5+ bunches of keys flying about bound to get lost on a wild night out. The bloke behind the counter was very helpful on my last visit...so if you're at all clueless when it comes to rawl plugs and drill bits then you can rest assured you'll be pointed in the right direction.

Cliff's Hardware has an Aladdin's Cave feel with a warmly-lit interior filled with gleaming D.I.Y…read more goodies. Their products include door handles and hinges, locks and bolts, all kinds of tools, nails, screws and bolts, shelving brackets and loads more! They also sell hardwood, timber and plywood, which they cut to the size so all in all they pretty much cover all the D.I.Y. requirements you might have and even have range of gardening equipment including forks and spades, plant pots, plants and bird tables. They also sell firewood and provide a key cutting service. Cliff's Hardware is an independent shop so by choosing to shop here over a large D.I.Y. chain you get a nice warm feeling from supporting a small local business! The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and are happy to help if you have any queries.

Awesome little shop crammed full of everything. On top of that, it's local, with parking right…read moreoutside the door, and super helpful staff. They even have a workbench and will do little cutting jobs etc if you ask nicely. And they sharpen garden tools. And cut keys. And you can buy a few loose screws for pennies. Beats the big DIY sheds hands down.

Crikey O Riley! If there's one thing I've discovered from Leeds, and this particular shop in…read morePudsey, it's that indie DIY stores are totally the way forward! Pudsey DIY Store does exactly what it says on the, er, sign - it provides pretty much anything you might wish for in a DIY store. They've so much stock it's literally spilling onto the forecourt - the little area in front of the shop, up a mere flight of three steps. (Can three steps count as a 'flight'?) They have fully taken advantage of this space; it seems that they have bought that much extra stock so as to display their all encompassing glory to its fullest! Inside is just as cluttered with goods, and whilst they certainly do seem to sell practically anything to do with home, garden and DIY, it can be overwhelming. I imagine if you are after something in particular your best option would be to ask for some help, they seem really friendly, lest you spend the afternoon in a daze, searching in wonderment and distracted by the sheer amounts of things! Be it rakes, doggy beds, paints, gas, wood burners, rock salt (?!), blow up rafts, sleds, buckets, washing up bowls, laundry baskets and oh-my-god-I-can't-cope-trying-to-write-them-all things this place is *the* place. Phew. Go! But be warned, there is muchos stuff to wade through!