There is nothing intimidating about Novus Contemporary Art, a family owned gallery in Didsbury, and…read morethat's what I love about it. There are probably some art purists out there who hate the concept of a gallery that is warm, welcoming, reasonably priced and varied, but for me these can only be pluses. Supporting local artists as well as established names, you can see everything from abstract to still life in originals, limited edition prints, sculptures, ceramics and glass. I've become something of a familiar face in here because everyone is so welcoming and happy for you to spend as much time as you like appreciating the art. There's nothing bad I can say about this place.

This is such a beautiful building, and the perfect space for such a wonderful gallery. Dedicated to…read morepromoting originals from top UK artists as well as emerging artists, you can tell that a lot of care goes into displaying and maintaining the paintings. Hung on the tiled walls, they have works from my personal favourites, James Lawrence Isherwood and Arthur Delaney to name but two. Apart from the wonderful canvases, there's a bespoke framing service and a very large selection of cards and unique wrapping papers which I'm sure serves as the gallery's bread and butter in between artwork sales. A delight.

This is a lovely spacious old sandstone building with a high ceiling and a fine display of fine art…read moreprints and contemporary paintings. The guy that works in here is so chilled out, and will personally see to your art needs being carefully dealt with. There is a large counter which displays the wide range of bespoke frames offered here. On sale also is a good selection of greeting cards including the National Trust range and wrapping paper of various sorts. You can pick up a well framed unique piece of Art for around £200.

Castle Galleries is a franchise with stores across the country, I've visited the Leeds, York and…read moreLondon branches as well as Manchester. They're all pretty similar and the staff are usually very friendly and happy to chat. There are two stores in Manchester, one on Deansgate and one in the Trafford Centre. As a student I frequently popped in to the Manchester store on Deansgate, I find they house beautiful pieces and the staff are very chilled out and helpful. Whether you buy or not is besides the point. Over the years I've been to various launches and events, drank copious amounts of free wine and even won a book in a raffle! So it was only fair that once I started 'adulting' (working, saving, being a grown up *yawn*) I bought my first piece from here - see attached picture. It wasn't cheap, but I adore it and it makes me smile every time I look at it. I found the painting online for a little cheaper than the gallery price and when asked they matched the online price which was excellent. I felt incredibly drawn to Bob's paintings from the first moment I saw his work. There was something warm and familiar, soothing even about his style. The almost gloomy settings appealed to me, I love the way he uses light and dark to bring the paintings to life. I came to learn that Bob Barker was born and raised in Bradford and that his workshop isn't far from where I grew up! His background is reflected through his work. This connection plus the fact that I love his style of painting meant I needed to own a piece! The piece I bought really spoke to me, I was going through a bit of a rough patch at the time I bought it and now whenever I look at it, it reminds me that I'll be ok, 'Whatever the weather' :)

Castle Galleries on Deansgate is the Manchester arm of a pretty big chain - the UK's leading art…read morestore according to their website.. I'd never heard of it before so went in to have a look at what they had to offer. Beats waiting for the bus across the road anyway. I saw some interesting stuff from a few artists - most notably Paul Corfield's Dorset inspired candy coloured landscapes and Jeff Rowland's beautiful, dark, rain filled scenes. Prices ranged from just over a hundred for glycee on paper to £300-£700 for canvases. If you're not in the market for a piece it is still worth having a look around; the staff here aren't all steely and unfriendly if it becomes obvious that you are not buying as with some art stores and small private galleries. They are a bit Bob Dylan mad at the moment - they have limited edition prints from his Drawn Blank Series. So if you are a fan of legends in one area of creativity branching out into another then you might consider one of these crazy pieces.

A very well maintained gallery - there is always good quality & interesting art available with a…read moregood rotation of works available. The staff are very friendly, knowledgable & helpful and a warm welcome always awaits, this gallery doesn't feel stuffy unlike some I have been into in other towns.

I old my hands up I am no art collector but Unicorn Gallery still grabbed my attention for just…read moreunderan hour one Saturday afternoon in Wilmslow. This place is a family business with work from some very talented artists from the U.K and abroad. This place mostly sells originals but you will still find something no matter what your budget is. The staff are passionate about the art they display and are more than happy to help. I felt inspired to paint myself as I left Unicorn ...it lasted all of ten minutes before my mind was drawn to what I was having for tea that night but hey ho it crossed my mind.

Avoid...After sending a speculative enquiry about a specific artist we received a response saying…read morethey would 'try' to obtain some examples. We managed to contact the artist directly to have a painting commissioned for our wedding present, agreed the price and the painting was done. Shortly after the gallery contacted us to offer a similar painting but we politely advised we had been in contact with the artist direct and were awaiting our commissioned painting. We were then advised that the galleries agent had stopped our purchase as we had already agreed a commission via the gallery!! We had only sent an enquiry and a response of 'i'll try' hardly constitutes as a commitment. All said and done we now don't have the painting that was created for us. There are plenty of other galleries in the local area so will never use this one or that agent again....

The Richard Goodall Gallery is a music lover's dream…read more Spread over two floors, it's an awesome, contemporary art gallery that specialises in limited edition music posters, giclee and screen prints and photos. The front room houses an exhibition space - where Kevin Cummins, Ronnie Wood and Leonard Cohen have all exhibited work! - and the backroom and basement is stocked with thousands of prints in browsers and wall frames. Artists include Tara McPherson, Leia Bell, Jay Ryan, Emek, Print Mafia, Kendra Binney, Small Stakes, Aesthetic Apparatus, Frank Kozik and The White Stripes own designer, Rob Jones. If you're already logging onto RG's website to check their stuff out, sign up for their newsletter to recieve news of special signings and forthcoming exhibitions.

I was in awe of the Richard Goodall Gallery on Thomas Street in the trendy Northern Quarter of…read moreManchester. They have the most amazing style of posters that i have seen. They have everything from retro movie and music posters to contemporary art and sculptures. Even if you're not planning on buying anything its just a cool place to browse these super cool posters. Most of the posters was around £40 to £85 in a frame. I especially loved the back to the future poster!

What an unusual find, there I was looking for curtains (god i'm old) in Dunelm mill and as I walked…read moreout I noticed there was an old mill over the road with a sign proclaiming it an art gallery, I hesitated to go in as it did look a bit ghetto from the outside, however after climbing up to the 3rd floor on a well worn staircase I found multiple gallery spaces and many chatty art studio owners, each very individual and all wanting to talk about their passion. This isn't an art shop on the street, its industrial, run down and a bit dirty but its so full of character and some fantastic art. It seems the 3rd floor is where the majority of the artists reside but there is some more to see on the 4th floor. I highly recommend a visit to this raw gallery space, and perhaps buy some art whilst you're there!

I love this little art gallery shop. It's all original paintings and other art, handmade items like…read morejewellery, decorative items, gifts, etc. The paintings vary in style, but there does seem to be an overabundance of fairy-related artwork. Someone must be a fairy fan. There is quite a variety of media as well, from paintings to drawings to collage art. The quality of this art is excellent, so I have no doubt that the prices are good for what you are getting. But remember, you're buying art, so it's not going to be cheap.

Visited on a weekday with my mum. What a lovely shop with a knowledgeable and friendly lady to help…read moreus choose. Wasn't expecting to buy but couldn't help it! A really good range of art and beautiful unique handmade crafts (a lot on my wish list!) and we found something in our budget that we can both enjoy for ever. A really lovely visit - could easily have stayed all day! We'll be visiting again as soon an possible. Worth noting - easy parking and public loo facilities in the complex which was a useful and welcome bonus.