Excellent service, very knowledgeable and helpful. Great choice of well-priced frames and they were…read moreready very quickly.

My mother always told me, don't be afraid to splurge on glasses because they are the window through…read morewhich everybody sees your face....well, when custom glasses like Iolla's are only £65 a full set including lenses that means I just buy every single frame I fancy! Call me crazy, but I bought 4 pairs! And here was my mental justification: Tortoise shell grey and black frame: First pair I was drawn too and they looked HOT! Amber framed sunglasses: Always wanted amber frames, but they look stupid with my dark features.. pop in a sunglass lens and BOom I'm in love. Black mat frame: Well, I am a nerd, I work in a laboratory, wear a lab coat, and it might as well be part of the uniform. Green glasses: Honestly I wasn't a big fan of these, but the three people I was shopping with and the gentleman who owns the store insisted they looked amazing, so I gave into peer pressure. If you don't wear glasses, you are missing out, so go buy some custom shades with whatever frame you like. Last but not least, Iolla has a cute little coffee bar in the back to keep you fuelled while you try on every pair in the store!

Iolla is a new brand of prescription eyewear that aims to revolutionise the traditional optical…read moremarket. Glasses are designed and assembled in Scotland to provide higher-quality, better-looking eyewear at a fraction of the current price. £65 gets you fabulous frames, thin lenses and anti-glare and anti-scratch coating if your prescription is between certain parameters. I have a strong prescription and have a slight astigmatism and that was included, too! I popped in to the Iolla showroom on a Saturday with Baby Girl unannounced; I had an appointment scheduled later in the week but had some time to kill and was passing by. Stefan, one of Iolla's founders, was so patient and helpful. It will come to no surprise to anyone who knows me that I tried on just about every frame in the showroom. Iolla have a variety of frames, all named after famous Scots, to suit every face shape and come in multiple colours. I went back and forth between a few different frames but in the end decided to go for a pair that were the complete opposite to my glasses I've had for the past 2 years. I love my new Stevenson frames in light blue crystal! They really make my eyes pop and are just so far removed from my big black frames. I love that at only £65 you can have glasses that are truly a fashion choice and not just functional. In fact I loved my Iolla glasses so much I went back 2 weeks later for another pair! Can you believe in 22 years of wearing glasses I have never had prescription sunglasses? For me they were just an expense I couldn't justify so it meant always wearing contacts when it was sunny or using these gigantic sunglasses my Dad gave me that go over your existing glasses so you look like a glaucoma grandma! My Bruce sunglasses in plum are far more stylish and made sunglare worries on my morning commute a thing of the past. I honestly can't believe I went this long without prescription sunglasses! Iolla frames can be purchased online and shipped straight to your door or you can pop in to the showroom on Argyle Street in Glasgow if you like to try on your frames before you buy. I love supporting local businesses and it's even more amazing when the local business service and product is better value for money than the corporate conglomerates!

I pass through here often enough to feel bad about the fact I've not reviewed it! The Stirling…read moreArcade, whilst a good place to head for food, is not a place you should head for some serious shopping. To sum it up: High points: Roots is a nice vegetarian cafe for lunch and Cibo e Vino is great for dinner and cocktails. There's also a popular nail bar, a yoga centre, a specialist skateboard shop and a comic book store in the arcade. Other than these quirky additions, it's pretty much just an extension of your average high street. Ultimate low point: A shop called Hashtag...

A nice little collection of shops. The arcade has an older look that has been updated with taste…read more It doesn't take a long time to get through and I certainly wouldn't recommend making this the only place you visit that day, but it is a charming little place with a variety of stores.