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.

J.J.'s Junction's wares spill out onto the pavement - plastic chairs, bins, buckets, baby baths,…read morelaundry baskets, and my absolute favourite: rolls of plastic table cloth material with a variety of brilliant designs including shiny gold or silver floral, a coral reef, pasta and some very pretty vintage-style lace patterns...Amazing! If I'd had any money on me I shudder to think how much of this tacky/kitsch gloriousness I would've bought I must say I simply can't imagine how they manage to get all that stuff inside every evening! Inside the shop is full to the brim with such a mad range of bits and bobs it's pretty hard to pin it down. There's loads of crockery, some of which I rather love decorated with cutesy floral patterns and just about every little useful item you could have in your house! One thing that stood out for me was an absolutely GIANT charming retro-look thermos flask. I wanted it but couldn't think what for. It would probably hold a good few gallons! How very odd! Along with supplying all the bits of homely stuff you never knew you needed but probably do, they also do a key cutting service. Yay!

This shop always used to grab my attention whenever I walked past due to its endearing 'Walk In'…read moresign posted above the doorway, as if the owner lived in perpetual fear that someone might one day confuse his shop for a drive-in DIY store. As far as I know, that hasn't happened yet, but it did mean that this establishment was the first to spring to my mind when I found myself in need of somewhere nearby to purchase a padlock, so perhaps it wasn't an entirely wasted effort. One of those stores that sells just about everything you need and a lot of stuff you don't, JJ's is cheap, cheerful and exactly what you want from such an establishment. While I went in for a padlock, the bright displays and cheap prices meant I very nearly came out with a box of fireworks and children's paddling pool too, so try and stick to your guns unless you want a house full of tat. The staff are pretty helpful too, although it might take a while to catch their eye - the place was heaving when I visited, and it was only a Wednesday morning.

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.

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.

Nice chappie behind the counter, didn't make me feel silly being in a hardware shop as most men…read moreusually give me that look 'not on a Thursday' that old mag advert look that women and DIY do not mix, but no he was most helpful, polite and friendly. Very nicely priced items and very good too! We will be back for sure!

Being free from Wilkinson's Otley has little tool shops dotted around and about, this lovely shop…read moreis one of them. The shop-keeper stands on high a podium like plinth to stand on, complete with green body warmer and look of stern knowledge crossing his face. What to say, I was on a look out for a staple gun and in this mini-tardis there were many varieties one complete with staple remover. Extension cables of many varieties, screws, nails, fixtures and fittings, not terribly cheap but quality items at your convenience.

Being as I make jewellery it's really useful to have a wee drill bit to use, as I collect a good…read morenumber of shells to include in various pieces. As I like to hand pick a lot of these shells straight from the beach they invariably all need a hole drilling at some point! One of my tasks of the day was to find this tiny drill bit and so I decided to try The Tool Box in Otley. As soon as I ventured in I realised I was a little out of my league. Burley men looking at various power tools glanced up and raised an eyebrow at me, I suppose I can't blame them as I did look overwhelmed. Tools and DIY bits were everywhere. The shop was filled to burst with gear; when they named it The Tool Box they were not kidding. I couldn't believe it! They had gardening equipment, drills, rakes, saws, screws - I couldn't list everything, but I know that if you had some specific requirement The Tool Box would have it. In the end I slowly made my way round the entire shop, carefully checking the shelves for drill bits, and eventually (once I'd made it back to the entrance area) found the bits I needed. At first I could only see tiny drill bits in with a set of several extra ones, until I realised they had a sort of pick 'n' mix box of spare one off drill bits. It said they were all 60p each and so I found the tiniest one. Yay! Just what I needed. I went to get out my 60p and the guy went to charge me then realised I had the smallest bit in the world, and so just said "ahh, you can just have that. No worries." Awesome! Really great stuff. My main advice? Don't spend the entire time looking, it'd be quicker just to ask.