Sampsons is one of those places that sort of sells everything. I once went in with a list of the…read moremost obscure stuff imaginable, I think the list included a 40 watt light bulb, some miracle grow, a poker and a bag of turf. Upon entrance the list was taken off me and low and behold within 1 minute all items were on the counter waiting for payment. This is the type of shop Sampsons is, no matter how odd the request they will have it. They are primarily a hardware store but they have recently diversified to the garden market and now offer potted plants and compost. Although on the downside I found the shop very confusing so if you do not know exactly what you are looking for it is best to ask. Sampsons is very reasonable in price and he will sometimes throw in a few extra bits and bobs if he thinks you need them. The only real alternative is Homebase or another big DIY specialist but if you are in the centre of town and you need something no matter how strange (I think they even do plastic spanners and left handed screw drivers) then Sampsons is the place to go.

This is one of the oldest shops in Bangor, it has to be. I have lived here all my life and I don't…read moreremember it not being here. It is based on Hamilton Road which means that it can be tough to get to because of the one-way system but if you park the car in the Asda Car Park it is only a wee hop, skip and a jump across the road so you should be ok. This place stocks everything from garden pots, tools, miracle gro, DIY tools, hammers, spanners, nuts, bolts, brushes, hoes, rakes and basically every type of hardware that you could possibly think of other than light firearms. The staff are knowlegeable and extremely helpful. Always polite and efficent, they make popping in here to pick something up a charm.

McCune's is a well known DIY shop in Carrickfergus. This is one of the few shops in the town that…read morehas been 'part of the furniture' for as long as I can remember. They sell a range of wallpaper, paint, varnish, in fact, pretty much anything you would need for general DIY. Perfect for someone who has a quick job to do, and doesn't want the hassle of having to go all the way up to Newtownabbey to visit one of the larger DIY stores. They also sell a range of gardening items. As has already been mentioned, the staff are super helpful, especially for someone as clueless as me when I wanted to make my first attempt at wallpapering (it didn't work, but it wasn't due to ill advice, just my poor skills) In addition, McCune's is one of the few places locally that you can get a key cut, so if you ever need a spare key in a hurry, this is the place to go. Nice selection of keyrings too!

It just struck me (like a bolt of lightening, some might say) before I began my review as to why…read morethis place is named so...Hardys Hardware. Excellent. Aside from the innovative name, Hardys is a pretty darn good wee shop. The fact that it's slightly more than a hardware store made me feel slightly more at ease (you may recall my previous review [singular] of a hardware store, and how I felt completely out of place), but I have to say that it was also the accompaniment of my dad that made the whole experience generally nicer. Thanks Daddy. Back to the vast range of stock though. Yes, it's got the wood, tools, gadgets and DIY stuff, but there's a huge variety of other stuff too. There's toiletries, household cleaners, pet goods, home decor...even confectionery! I got lost in the toiletry section while my dad looked for some man thingy. Or something like that. It's definitely the extensive assortment of goods that makes Hardys that little bit special. Hardys and Other Items You May Find Yourself Needing doesn't have quite the same ring though...

One of the best general hardware and DIY stores you will find in NI. The range is huge and its more…read moreconvenient being in the centre of Comber than travelling to B&Q and other superstores in Ards north Down or Dundonald.

Caskers is not a Pound Shop as such, it's more a pound and upwards but the general thrust is that…read moreis stocks a lot of, perhaps, lesser known brands and prices are appropriately keen. They a fair range of home, garden, DIY, hardware, electrical and car necessities. I use them inpreference to some of the big DIY outlets a) because they are local and there fore convenient; b) because they frequently cheaper for what's not necessarily inferior goods. Even some thing as simple as box of tissues Caskers price easily beats the supermarket price. OK you may not know the name on the box but I have found the stuff to be of acceptable quality. It's obviously what Caskers do in sourcing goods at compeitive prices and quite a lot of the brands that they do sell they have been selling for quite some time; so it must be good.

Argh, me and hardware stores really don't work well together, and you'll know that if you've read…read moreany of my reviews on the subject. They are super scary, intimidating shops for most females, and I am definitely no exception. At first glance, Geddis and McKee is a hardcore hardware shop. We're talking high vis jackets, huge manly boots, every nail / screw / whatever else men need that you could possibly think of. It almost screams "man" in a deep, threatening voice. And then I found some rubber gloves that my mum absolutely loves (I am a true rhyming master), and thought, 'huh, this shop isn't as tough as it first looks'. Selling ladies bright yellow rubber gloves is definitely a drop down a notch in the overall manly ratings. In fact, Geddis and McKee isn't as scary as I first thought. It has a whole load of household cleaners and the like, pet food and accessories and even a selection of confectionery. Mmm. Some might say it's almost ladylike. Almost.

This place looks like it's been caught in a time warp, its amazing. Walking through its doors is…read morelike travelling back through time. I'm not sure why anyone would like to travel back in time to a hardware shop but there ya go. It stocks all the dedicated D.I.Yer would need to help them in their quest to ruin their living room by trying to mount their own shelves or flat screen tv. The staff know everything their is to know about the contents of the shop and will help you no end, if it's required.

This is a great little pokey shop on the Lisburn road. With so many new outlets on the Lisburn road…read morecatering for everything from Estate Agents to interior design, its nice to see an old well maintained premises. But lets be honest, for most of us hardware is hardware and I for one like the thought that I can buy my garden spade form a place my grandfather bought his garden spade from. The guys that work look like they have fun, they stock just about anything that a DIY quiz would mention but don't plan any of your weekly hammer purchasing trips on a Wednesday. As they will be having a wee afternoon off!!! Visiting Mr Guinness i gather

We bought a fire grate 12 months ago to replace one fitted some 15 years earlier and used over…read moreChristmas for a few months. We came to light a fire this year and found three of the slats had disintegrated. Sent a photo to Ray Graham's pointing this out and was told that this was expected of cast iron grates if you burnt wood and coal on them. We had subjected the new grate to exactly the same treatment as our old grate which had lasted 15 years plus. Ray Grahams insisted that there was no fault with their product and would not replace it. I posted a negative review at their website but it has never appeared - they clearly only 'allow' postive reviews that score 4/5 and 5/5. As a consequence, one wonders if you can trust any of the reviews you find there .....

Got all my stuff to build my Garden Bar and terrace, good quality products and price and very Covid…read moreaware well done Ray Graham's the place to go

This is another one of those stores that you can purchase almost everything that is used in the…read morehouse and garden and for leisure! It has been part of Donaghadee retail for quite a few years and I think some of the stock has been from the year dot. When you are in the middle of doing a diy job and realise that there is some piece of equipment that you just don't have to finish the job that's when this store comes into its own because you can rest assured that you will find it here. When you walk into the store you have to take a deep breath and walk sideways because every piece of floor space and for that wall space is taken up with stock.you are also advised to ask the storekeeper to find the item you want because it could be anywhere in the store and he will be able to put his hand on it straightaway. It's also the type of old fashioned shop that you can have a good old yarn with the owner as there isn't anyone or anything in the North Down area that they don't know! It really is a gem of a store that takes you back in time and has everything that you can possibly need.