I love bookshops, and for that reason maybe my review is biased, but then is there really an…read moreimpartial Yelper among us? This is indeed the lovely local bookshop A S talks about, filled with the treasures you won't find in Waterstones. As Jill mentions it doesn't have the discounts and offers Waterstones/Borders have either. It can't afford to compete in that market, because it can't bulk buy and worse, people don't support their local businesses as much as they should (see my review for Dogan's). This shop is lovely though, deathly quiet as bookshops should be. I even take my iPod off, to appreciate the stillness, and to avoid anyone hearing tinny beats echoing in this church to literature. There is a section for everything, and each section has several hundred titles. Okay, maybe if we're looking for a book on Poland we're down to a choice of Rough Guides (every time), lonely planet (for those with a short attention span) or a local book on the breads of Northern Poland, but I am sure Muswell Hill isn't full of people writing theses on the economy of Poland since 1973 and therefore the selection suffices. Like A S I could relax and peruse for hours, which is why wish they had a chair or settee or something, they certainly lose a star for that. But I can't fault them on anything else. The lack of cheap deals is not something they can deal with easily, so get out and support them, but they have an excellent range of book related things (covers, bookmarks, calendars, etc..). The staff are friendly and knowledgable. It's everything a bookshop should be. I love bookshops. Ipso facto, 4 stars.

Muswell Hill Books has a decent selection. It's good to have a look around here whether your…read moreshopping for yourself or shopping for a gift. There isn't one section that is particularly big but there are lots of different categories of books. I also haven't seen many discounted or sale titles, which is disappointing. On the plus side, I will say that this shop is quiet and has a good selection of calendars (present time) and greeting cards. If you are an animal lover check out the the calendars. Even I, melted away looking at the greyhound puppies one. Lil rascals.

This is a large wh smiths that sells books cds and all the usual stuff that wh smith sell.Its…read moreeasily accessable by tube or car. Theres a huge car park so theres no worry about getting a space. The staff are friendly and very helpful.

Was certainly the most unfriendly newsagents for miles and miles until just recently when the new…read moreowners came in. I always wondered why they sold tanita digital scales there? To compliment there poor range of gift cards? A mystery! You can buy all your local newspapers here and it's good to save a bit of cash on your cinema sweeties if you're visiting the odeon. One of the only two places in Muswell hill where you can top up your oyster card which comes in very handy although it does shut at 7.

W H Smith in Berkhamsted has an ideal location right on the high street. It occupies the ground…read morefloor and basement of the building which makes it surprisingly large. Unfortunately I find the shop can sometimes be a little dirty and the service not amazing. This experience has been fairly typical of visits into W H Smiths around the country though, so is not anything unique about the Berkhamsted branch. There's not a lot you can buy in W H Smith that you can't get elsewhere, with more choice, but the magazine section is large, which is probably the highlight of the store.

Good selection of magazines etc but store always seems cluttered and difficult to manouvre around…read moreespecially if you have a pram. Staff not particularly friendly and a bit overkeen to sell you their half price chocolate!

Dear Yelp People. Please get this right. The Big Green Bookshop is in Wood Green NOT Alexandra…read morePalace.

Anyone familiar with the depiction of the small independent bookshop in the (excellent) comedy…read moreseries Black Books will find the Big Green Bookshop a bit of a shock to the system. For the uninitiated, the main character of the TV show, Bernard Black, spends most of the time slouched behind his book-strewn desk, clutching a fag and bottle of cheap wine, and shouting at customers. I was delighted to discover that this is far from the case here. The owners of the Big Green Bookshop are chatty, friendly, polite and helpful and the shop is clean and extremely well ordered. There's also a coffee machine and some water on the side provided for browsers Their inventory, whilst limited by the size of their premises, is packed with interesting books that you might actually want to read. The co-owner I spoke to last time I was there also said they can order most things in in a day or so. What clinches the 5 star rating for me is that the same co-owner managed to guess the name of a book I had seen reviewed but had forgotten, from the two things I did remember: the word frog and the fact that I vaguely remembered that the author was sort of Hungarian. Not only this, but he pointed me in the direction of another book by the same author, and ordered the one I'd asked for in because he wanted to read it himself. What a legend.

Uxbridge high street is a great place to shop. Since its redevelopment it is not a hustling and…read morebustling town centre with all the high street shops you would expect. There are also not one but two shopping centres along Uxbridge high street, the Chimes and the Pavilions. Both contain a wide array of shops, including HMV, Marks and Spencer's, H&M, Dagenham's, Top Shop, BHS, Holland and Barrats, Tesco and more, the list is really endless. Also a stones throw away from the high street is a Sainsbury's supermarket. On the main street it self there is also a JJB Sports, WH Smith and Woolworths. All in all this makes Uxbridge a premier shopping destination.

I like this branch, it is small and compact and you do feel they make the best of the space, but I…read moredon't feel it is cluttered. I really like upstairs, I can whittle away the time in their just by looking at books on travel and spirituality etc. They have provided soft furnishing their its almost meditative up their. I have not bought anything from their yet so I cant comment on customer service. I'm glad their is still a Waterstones not to far from me since they closed the big one in Watford a couple a years ago.

Originally an independent bookshop it was bought out by Otakar's who then sold it to Waterstone's…read more The layout always feels messy to me, as you walk in your ay is obstructed by a series of tables with new books or those which are part of a "three for two" offer. Broadly speaking non fiction is upstairs (some sections here are poorly stocked- I've always found the languages section especially poor). The most positive factor in the store are the staff; this is definitely the store to go to if you are not sure about a title, etc. as they will go out of their way to track down what you are looking for. If however you are buying a best selling book they will usually be much cheaper at Sussex Stationers about 200yards further down the shopping precinct.

Soho Silks is better than the other Fabric shops in the area. The reason I like it is because it is…read moresomewhere between a boutique store and a warehouse. A lot of the Soho fabric stores are small and expensive, and a lot of warehouses aren't nice places to visit sometimes. Soho Silks sits very nicely in between. There is a really big selection of fabric, and not just silk. It is a family run business and everyone that works there is very nice and very helpful. The website is also very helpful, as you can view a range of materials and colours, then order them online. Overall, I have to say it is nice to see a fabric shop like this in Soho.

There are lots of fabric shops around Berwick street - but this one is my favourite, They carry a…read morewonderful assortment of fabrics for garments and upholstery, faux leather and faux fur and their specialty high-end fabrics are gorgeous. As Matt D. said it's somewhere between a fabric boutique and warehouse since they do carry basics but their specialty fabrics are wonderful. Swatches are available (either free or a nominal fee depending on the price tag of the fabric) and I always go into the basement to dig around the remnants bins. I usually find some really great deals in there and if you're buying a lot of remnants you can usually bargain a little bit. The staff are friendly, helpful and professional - they once sent me to another store because they didn't have what I was looking for! Most places would just shrug and say "Sorry, we don't have it" aka "You're shit outta luck, don't bother me" but here they take the time to chat with you and help you find what you need.