Smithsonia is an exceptional jewellers and gift shop based in Birmingham's Piccadilly Arcade. They…read moresell many things from gorgeous silver jewellery to Japanese Kokeshi Dolls and amazing sculpted pieces in ceramics and glass. There is something for most budgets in this shop and it's a great place to browse. I bought some cute button earrings for just £10 but there are plenty more extravagant gifts, believe me! You could spend forever just gazing in their windows as you walk past; there is so much to see - it must take them forever to clean! They do beautiful and unique silver rings by up and coming jewellery designers as well as pieces by established brands such as Pilgrim. Every time I walk by I can find at least 15 or so items in their window that I want to buy; I'm sure everyone else can too which is why they are so successful. Smithsonia are the longest running business in Piccadilly Arcade, they've been there for around 30 years. If you are looking for a gift then definitely check them out first and impress your loved one with something a little different.

A wonderful independent gift, card and jewellery shop. If you are looking for a birthday or…read moregreeting card that is a little different to what you might find in one of the chains this is a good place to start. Their collection is not huge but you will definitely find something a little different. They also stock fabulous gift wraps and papers. To entice you into the shop the window displays are made up of some beautiful and unique silver jewellery. Again, here you will find pieces you can't find anywhere else. If you are looking for special pieces of silver jewellery at fairly reasonable prices start with this shop. Inside the staff are welcoming and very helpful.

fabulous local garden centre, small as it's in former houses but has all the essentials and often a…read morefew surprises. The little gift shop a few doors down is run by the same family and has amazing presents for family.

A traditional garden centre just off the main Bearwood Road, that encompasses a main shop selling…read moreseeds, some pretty mean looking pest control and dog treats as well as compost and plant food. Next door you will find the 'walled garden' which has a wide range of garden ornaments, shrubs, fruit trees, climbers, ferns and roses. Staff are rather serious but helpful and they have a nice cat!

I love this shop, there is always plenty of choice and the card are always set out in n easy find…read moremode. They have a good range of gift ideas, wrap, party bag fillers and loads of cards to choose from. the staff are always pleasent and happy to help

good sized shop in the centre of Birmingham, you are guarenteed to find what you need here. They…read morestock cards for virtuially all occasions and little gifts to accompany them. They also sell helium balloons both filled for you or in the packet so you can fill yourself. Great shop!

This quaint little craft centre is great place to visit if you're on the hunt for a unique gift for…read morea friend or loved one. Impressive art from local and national artists adorn the walls and vary in price from reasonable to very expensive. I'm a fan of two shops in particular, the chocolate shop has a yummy selection of handmade chocolates and cakes for sale. It offers a bespoke service whereby you can have your own design made for those very special occasions. The other shop is the kitchen shop, here it has quirky utensils, pots, pans, baking dishes which are all quite unique and reasonably priced. I'm also a fan of the on site cafe, which gets really busy during lunch time, I had a simple cheese and pickle sandwich and a cappuccino for around £6.00. There's a comfy area with sofas, you can sit at a table or there's outside seating which is very pleasant in the summer months.

There are some lovely craft shops at Mitchell's, I got some great unique Christmas presents this…read moreyear, plus a pair of earrings for myself! The knitting shop has a huge collection of wool and is very reasonably priced. Plenty of free parking here and it's a lovely place to browse!

You can't miss this place, with the huge buckets of fake flowers outside, and I have to say, it's…read moreone of the better gift shops I've seen. This place has been going string for years, yes, it has some of your usual tat, but some people love that stuff, otherwise it wouldn't be IN EVERY GIFT SHOP EVER, but they do have other things too that are more original and more unique. It's absolutely packed to the brim, and because it's quite a long shop, with often a few people to navigate around nervously trying to watch your butt on the pottery, if there isn't anything to your fancy, you don't get small shop guilt if you leave without buying something your auntie mabel would hate...

Excellent gift shop, with loads of interesting things to buy. Not much in here for men but loads of…read moregood gift ideas for girls and the younger generation! Excellent range of candles/incence/burners/holders etc along with some really original things I've not seen anywhere else. Prices are reasonable, about what you'd expect for an average gift shop, and the staff have always been really friendly to me and my family/mates.

This shop has a good selection of cards for all occasions and also sells wrapping paper and bags…read morefor gifts. This shop, as the name suggests, sells everything gifts, from the actuall gifts themselves to the paper to wrap them in and the tag to attatch. In the run up to christmas it is a great shop to visit for some last minute shopping as you can normally find something for everyone although I would suggest most ornaments which is the majority of gifts would probably be more suited to more elderly people. They also will wrap fragile gifts for you. Visit this shop and see the good value gifts on sale for yourself. You can walk in with nothing and walk out with a gift wrapped and a card to go with it

This newly opened shop is the latest in a number of excellent independent businesses to set up in…read morethe famous Jewellery Quarter area of Birmingham and it compliments well the many already there. It's a gift shop with a difference, the difference being that profits are reinvested in the good works undertaken in the city by its parent social enterprise. So when you buy something here you also leave behind some added value that's reinvested in the community. I'm not sure whether everything sold is actually produced by other social enterprises, but I think that is the aspiration. The range of stock actually surprised me; there's everything from wrapping paper, scented candles and retro vases to gift boxes filled with all kinds of wonderful stuff, so it's an ideal stop off for Christmas gift hunting. When I popped in I right away found several items to add to my shopping list, including an item or two for those difficult to please folks we all struggle with. The shop itself isn't that easy to notice at present, but it's only been open a few days. If I didn't live within a minute or two I may have missed it, but I had seen the shop had been taken over, having been empty for quite a long time now, so my curiosity was pricked. I'd suggest an A-Board outside to help potential customers notice as they walk down the street. It's got a great old-style but rather discrete frontage that belies the size of the interior. OK, it's not huge but it's actually very nice and bright inside with lots of room for stock. Knowing how the building was before I'd say they've worked hard to bring it up to scratch! The staff are pleasant and attentive but don't hassle or linger. I felt quite comfortable browsing. While the shop had one or two people in while I was there, three staff did seem like overkill, but it's clearly great work experience for them and that's part of the social enterprise idea I guess. They'll probably need three as we approach Christmas! This end of Vyse Street was fairly dead when I first moved here but over the last few years has picked up nicely. This is a lovely and welcome addition, very well located close to the brilliant, rather fascinating JQ museum and a couple of excellent cafés, one a traditional egg and chips place, possible the best in the area, the second more a deli and tea shop (also really good). So you can have a walk down the street checking out the jewellery (remember to haggle!) and the famous museum, pop into Citizen Home for a few gifts and a browse, then finish off with some lunch or a decent cuppa! I wish the business well - a great idea that seeks to make the world a better place!

This shop definitely had the wow factor for me. Back when I lived in Sheffield there was a gift…read moreshop my friend and I used to obsess over and for 3 years our family got all birthday and Christmas presents from this shop. Maddison immediately reminded me of this Sheffield gift shop and I was so happy to find a Brum counterpart! They have those good-enough-to-eat Yankee candles when you first walk in and as you go round there are just more and more wonderful gift ideas. I loved the cake stands and the cardboard versions that come as a flat pack. They have an extensive section of cards for all different occasions. The tea sets were so cute, especially the kids Hungry Caterpillar collection. Prices are a little steep however it's the perfect place to buy something special for a family member or a beautiful frame for your favourite photograph.

Maddison Avenue is a card and gift shop just next door to the rather forlorn looking Clock Tower…read more(more on that later) that has recently relocated - I rather suspect they haven't quite got the shop layout sorted because whilst it stocks a nice enough range of cards and bags (mostly Radley) I have mixed feelings about the place. The combination of fragile looking vases and densely packed aisles means that I am constantly on edge - convinced I will break items or get told off by staff for messing up their display of scented candles. This is definitely the place to go if you need a smelly candle or a nice box of chocolates - up until very recently they stocked Thornton's but I'm not sure they still do - as I've hinted the layout is a bit confusing so they may well have been hidden behind a set of Monet table mats. Staff are pleasant even if they do seem to be on constant guard against shop-lifters. One of the better places to get a decent birthday card in Harborne though.