Really stylish shop run by friendly couple who know a thing or two about wool. Love the colourful…read moreskeins on display and great to be able to pop in for advice when stuck on a knitting project.

Love their window displays. worth a visit.read more

If you are addicted to card making and arts and crafts then Hobbycraft is your one stop location…read morefor all of your needs. I find on the whole the prices at Hobbycraft are very reasonable and competive, they are usually a lot cheaper than the small craft shops and the range is vast. In small shops you are usually limited but at Hobbycraft they have lots of choice. Paints in every colour you need and more besides! If your looking for glue then theres a glue for every imaginable use from wood glue, fabric glue, paper glue, permanent glue, hot glue or plain old pva glue! The only problem I have with Hobbycraft is when I go through the doors I always seem to find more things to buy than I originally planned and come away skint!

I love this shop & they have a great selection of arts & crafts stuff for all ages & all sorts of…read moredifferent crafts. I find most of the prices are reasonable & they always have some excellent offers on. I've always found the staff approachable & eager to help me find what I need. They sometimes have a little 'workshop' to demonstrate various products & always find it interesting & I often find myself buying things I didn't go in for which of course is what they want! I do find that some of the less popular crafts eg quilling are not catered for as much anymore & the last time I went they didn't have what I wanted & could only offer me kits. As it's on a retail park there is plenty of parking & it's just off the M62 motorway.

Not as expansive as the mostyn store (well, that is their hq), this shop is pretty good. They have…read morea nice range of fabrics, nothing that particularly jumps out as being exclusive to them, but it's either priced as you pull expect, or cheaper. Staff are always helpful too.

This is possibly the best fabric shop i've ever been lucky enough to find!…read more Instead of the sometimes snobbish attitudes you can find, the staff are more than willing to help you find the right material for a project, or to hunt out any small remnants of material when you realised you never bought enough in a first place! On a recent trip i was lucky enough to come away 3 seperate lots of material (enough to make a dress, a coat and 3 bags) as well as all my cotton and ribbons for less than twelve pounds which i did think was amazing! they also have a wonderful wool section, and a good collection of dress patterns, and as well as bag fasteners and buttons, zips etc. The clearance section is brilliant because even the seconds fabric is of excellent quality so you can save a load of money whilst getting some excellent fabric

My friend is a big fan of Emma Bridgewater's pottery, so we decided to stop at Stoke on our way to…read morethe Lake District from the Cotswolds. We were delayed in getting to Stoke because of train problems, but we managed to get here before they closed at 4 pm. It's only a couple of kilometers from the station, so it was a quick ride. We stopped at the café first as we were famished. They were at the end of their lunch service, but they still had some tomato soup, so we settled on that, a slice of sponge cake, and a couple of bottles of Elderflower Presse. The tomato soup was great. It didn't have cream, so definitely better for my tummy. It was piping hot too! The cake was perfect--moist and not too sweet even with that thin layer of jam. So glad they had Belvoir's Elderflower Presse. That and Fever Tree's Ginger Beer are favorites of mine. We shopped at both the regular store, and their "seconds" (imperfect pieces) store. As I'm traveling light (carry-on and backpack only), I got something small. I got a trio of egg stands from their regular shop, and a Christmas plate from their seconds shop. My friend also got a few things. Almost all her pottery are hand made, but all of them are hand-decorated. It's good to know that not all pottery is made in China!

It's best to ring in advance and ensure yourself a 90 minute slot. I've been twice now, but I could…read morehappily go very regularly- you and your group if you have one are seated at a table (it's kid friendly, so sometimes there are some squealers on the one adjacent). You're charged for the piece of pottery you want to bake, and you can choose from several different pieces of biscuit from egg cups and mugs, to large platters and enormous tea pots. You're given a quick break down, and you can pencil and hand paint your own design, or use the selection of cute shape and letter stamps. Whilst you're there, there's also a lovely little coffee shop inside, where you can enjoy messy mugs of marshmallow topped hot chocolate inside, or decent coffee, which they will bring over to your table for you to quaff whilst you're creating. They'll tell you when your pieces will be glazed and fired, and if you're local, you can pick up, and if not, posted out in stacks of card and bubble wrap.

The Handmade Market is a market for crafty types to set up a stall and sell their wares…read more I've been to it twice now,one to have a look around to see what it's like,and the other time was to be general dogsbody to Mrs Z as she had a stall one Sunday to try and sell some if the things she makes. The stalls there sell a wide range of home made things,from cards and jewlery,to cakes and wooden things. If you find yourself in Stockport on the day it's being held,pop along,you never know,you just might find something you really like...

We visited for the Christmas market and the hall was filled with a huge variety of craft stalls…read morefrom stunning (but hugely pricey) handmade teddy bears and delicious fruit jams to artists and leather workers. Not your usual generic craft fayre, there are lovely things to suit all tastes and budgets. We spent an enjoyable hour or so browsing every stall and came away with an eclectic mix of spice mixes, jam, some awesome greetings cards from a fab artist and tons of ideas for gifts and treats for when we have a bit of extra cash! All the stall holders seemed friendly and excited to chat and explain their wares to us and the atmosphere was really convivial, and with Santa ho ho ho-ing his way around and the abundance of glittery sparkles it felt very festive too. The craft market is there on the 3rd Sunday of every month and we will be most certainly returning on a regular basis.

Frankly, if I had the choice I'd never have spent my money in this store, but frustratingly, they…read morewere the only store which had what I needed, so I had to swallow my pride, make my purchase and leave. Simply put, other than the young brunette girl, absolutely nobody was willing to give me the time of day, even to the point where another member of staff (older blonde woman) was willing to overlook the fact that the brunette was in the middle of answering questions that I needed answering and pull her away from me to help another customer. During my time in the store, I listened carefully to how the other members of staff treated 'other' customers and there was a clear difference in the level of customer service they received compared with mine - 'other' customers were asked qualifying questions to determine their options; were shown around the store pointing out which materials may be best suited; a pleasant manner was used. Me? I just felt like they wanted me out of the store and were reluctant to make any effort. I have my suspicions as to why, but even if my suspicions are incorrect, there's no other explanation for the poor level of customer service I received (or more accurately, didn't receive). If you have a choice, take your money and spend it elsewhere.

An Aladdin's cave of fabrics…read more I've been meaning to come here for years. I just hopped off the bus on impulse, nearly forgetting my bag! The number 23 stops right outside, for your information. There is so much fabric in here! Rolls upon rolls stacked high with tight corridors in between. I really enjoyed just wandering round. In fact I probably looked a bit weird, walking around stroking everything and smiling. There's ginghams, flowery prints, teddy bear prints, tutu gauze, and lots and lots of shiny, sparkly, gold sprinkled patterns. I can just imagine this must be where all the little kids dance troupes in Manchester get their costume materials. I need to learn to sew so I can get the bus back and buy some stuff for my own outfits.

Paperchase at Golden Square from the outside looks like one of the nicer stores in the mall - it is…read morelaid out like a typical Paperchase store with their fancy, cursive logo and the store being basically all glass as the logo is transparent - it is one of the better places to get greeting cards and stationery while in Warrington (diaries and pens type products) I do feel this store has a huge focus on the greetings card range compared to other items Paperchase are known for, however - with the selection of stationery, novelty gifts and filing not as good as other stores - although it is decent for pens, notebooks etc) The staff working didn't stand out as overly friendly, welcoming or helpful - but that is much better than other stores where service was amongst the worst part of the shopping experience nearby which was the case at retailers including Game, TKMaxx and Primark. Pretty traditional Paperchase but dimmed down due to it being in a small town so of course, it can't compare to their nearby flagship store in Manchester - but I do feel even if it meant reducing their greetings card selection to be better with stationery and novelty goods which the store is also known for, would be an idea - as there are many other card stores just a stones throw away including Clinton's and The Card Factory. Not a bad store for a small town for sure and despite its' flaws it remains one of my favourite stores inside the mall alongside Starbucks and Boots. 3*

Fantastic little gift shop selling the usual fare aimed at the laydees and the kids. A well-chosen…read moreselection of handbags, scarfs, gloves, stuffed toys, handmade cards and jewellery and a very helpful shop owner, if you're looking for something a little bit different or special you'll find it in here. In particular they carry a great range of silver including the popular brands Lovelinks and Trollbeads. I'll be buying myself a few well-deserved Christmas presents from here!

Harriet and Dee is tucked away on Warburton Street in Didsbury. I didn't notice this at first but…read morethey have two shops on this street, one selling general gifts and the other focusing on jewellery. It's the gift shop I'm writing about today. This is a pretty little shop. You're greeted with tinkling mobile sounds as you walk in and they have a huge selection of unusual and novelty gifts. A few things that caught my eye were a range of cake forks, complete with plastic cupcake embellishments, paper weights with inspiring slogans, shoe shaped soaps and a rather splendid cup carrying the slogan, 'I'd rather be The Stig'. Other items include toiletries, candles, ceramics and cards. There's a good selection with lots to choose from. You won't come away empty handed if you're looking for a gift.