Great store, lots of variety. I bought too much in UK and needed an extra suitcase for the trip…read morehome and found a very nice on sale at a very reasonable price. Sales people were helpful and polite as would be expected in UK. Last time I was in Oxford ('08) I also bought a bag so it is my place to go for luggage type purchases, although they have other things as well.

Boswells is a GREAT department store where you can find so many varying things that you can do a…read morewhole load of shopping all at once. From bed linin to plates, from shampoo to hankies, from alarm clocks to pen knives.... it really does have everything. The kitchen dept. is pretty large doing some really unique cutlery, place mats and odds n bobs. At christmas time it also sells alot of christmas decorations and candy goods etc. The staff are helpful and their are quite a few tills which is good as it can be quite busy. The goods are cheaper than most other department stores and so for that reason alone are worth a browse!

What a fabulous shop! I was utterly charmed from the moment I stepped through the doorway. The…read morestaff in the shop were unfailingly kind and patient with me as I tried out a variety of fountain pens. At the end of my visit, I walked away a wonderful new purchase and a smile on my face. I will happily visit this shop again when I am next in Oxford. Good customer service is an increasing rarity, but this shop has it in spades!

If I could live in a store, it would be this one. Amazing ranges of antiques, curios and gifts, and…read moreof course stationery supplies. As a calligrapher, I am especially partial to their amazing selection of inks! Best yet, the staff is friendly and enthusiastic about their products - they'll happily do a test run with inks so you can make a well-informed decision. Unfortunately, it does fill up with tourists a bit, making it harder to get service, but still worthwhile.

Beautiful books about beautiful things, plus posters, cards and the sort of notebooks that people…read morebuy thinking they will inspire them to write great works (leather bound with lovely paper). I like the craft section which includes books and magazines with trendy Japanese and American designs so you can knit or sew something your children won't be ashamed to receive.

Blackwell's Art & Poster Shop is a bit of a mixed bag. The upstairs section for books specifically…read moreon art and art history is very comprehensive and you should be able to find what you're looking for. There's an opportunity to look at some huge, beautiful, very expensive books on architecture, which are conveniently laid out to be browsed through on the balcony. There is also a reasonable crafts section upstairs. The downstairs area is more of a muddle, with graphic design, cinema, typography, photography, and graphic novels all stuffed in together at one end. While offering a small selection of books on all of these subjects, the range in each is extremely limited. Although it's the best place for graphic novels in Oxford in terms of selection and unusual choices, it's no substitute for a dedicated comics shop. It is a good place to buy greetings cards, diaries, calendars, and other paper goods, as there's a good range of these down the length of the downstairs area, and the ever-popular £3 mini prints of classic paintings are a great way of quickly and cheaply brightening up a new room. Yes, a few thousand Oxford students will probably have the same ones, but they're great quality prints considering the price and there are also cheap frames available to complement them. It's not actually very good for posters, as most of the ones they have are very expensive and look like they've been hanging around for an awfully long time.

Brilliant place full of wonderful stuff for making things. They collect and sort through stuff that…read morecompanies no longer want and then sell it to the public, schools, play groups, etc at minimal costs. We've had silver and gold card for Xmas decoration making at playgroup, sticks and material for making flags with the New Parent Network, paper for craft activities with my children, some rather nice train give away bags containg all sorts of things to keep children busy on journeys that really did keep my children busy on journeys. I've a friend who has found knitting wool there. And I know there usually wall paint and garden tools. Sometimes there are bikes and books. Check out their website which tells you what is new. And visit often because their stock is always changing. Also, next time the place you are working at is getting rid of old CDs, supplies of card or files, rolls of wire, buttons or whatever give them a call and see if they can use it.

This is a wonderful store staffed by enthusiastic, helpful and devoted people. They take useful…read moresurplus reusable stock that would otherwise be trashed and sent to landfills, and instead offer them for sale at super-cheap prices. The stock changes frequently so it's always full of surprises. You can find various paper, carboard, craft materials, garden tools, office supplies, kids crafts, party things, useful paint and much more at virtually give-away prices. You can find plenty of useful things, save money, and be environmentally friendly all at the same time. They're online at http://www.oxorinoco.org and open to all on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11am to 4pm. Highly, highly, highly recommended!

Brambles is good for a particular style of pattern, usually tied to the yarn it carries, by major…read morebrands such as Sirdar and Patons. If you want yarn, it's fine if you like acrylic, but useless if you actually want wool - the terms aren't interchangeable! It has a good line in standard cheap equipment - Pony needles, stitch holders, etc - but not much at the more interesting end of the market. If you are a traditional knitter who wants to churn out baby blankets and bootees, great - if you are into more contemporary items, you're better off looking elsewhere, I'm afraid. They also stock an interesting line of baby clothes and notions, which are worth a look if you want something traditional or not the standard Mothercare style.

My friend's really into knitting and craftwork and she swears by Brambles. It's not as cheap as…read moreonline, but at least you know what the colours will actually look like. In case you're not familiar with it, Brambles stocks wool, haberdashery and fabric. Apparently quite a lot of people make children's clothes using materials there. It's a shame it's so far out from the centre, but I guess it's not a huge mainstream interest. It's the sort of thing department stores want to be, but so much friendlier and more homely.

I cannot count the amount of times that oxford brookes held a fancy dress nite (fubar) and this…read moreplace saved me time and time again. There are two floors to this shop although it is quite small. On the upper floor you will find balloons, ribbons, party plates and cutlery, and any other fancy dress themed decorative item for the home you can think of! To get to the lower floor you walk down the stairs where you can see a varied assortment of costumes hanging on the wall. Ive seen... nurse, pirate, witch, mermaid, policeman, maid...all the usual...and some odd ones like animal ones too! On the lower floor you will also find some funky glittery make up, a wacky range of glasses, every colour wig possible, hats such as cowboy hats, feather boa's and some funny stag/hen night adult stuff too. Even if you are not after a full fancy dress outfit you should pop in here. its a good laugh and i bet you will leave with something...from a large blow up hammer to a small quirky badge. This is defo the place to go for quirky party stuff or to add a bit of humour to a nite out!

Party Mania is a proper old-fashioned joke and fancy dress shop. There's every costume imaginable,…read morewith unbelievable ranges of false beards, wigs, cloaks, wands, daggers, swords and masks. There's face paint and other generic fancy dress items which can be re-used, as well as speciality outfits for themed parties and seasonal events like Halloween. The staff are very tolerant, as your inner child leaps about trying everything on and waving swords around like a pirate. There's a also a great variety of practical jokes and toys, so a great place for children to spend their pocket-money or for stocking fillers. At some points in the year they also stock reasonably-priced fireworks. The only problem is that it's so crammed with stuff, it can be hard to move, and some of the costumes are expensive. There's something for everyone here though, and you're guaranteed to come out with something even if you only go in to accompany a friend!

I love this shop. It is a shop within Borders. It is downstairs near the children's books and it…read morehas the sort of toys my kids love. Lots of science and craft kits, some outdoor things, some pocket money toys, some educational toys (though my kids have now sussed I'm trying to make them learn "stuff" and are reluctant to play with games that feature phonics or multiplication tables) and a great range of unusual card games. The staff are very helpful and know their stock. If you are interested in the software and games they'll let you play with it and point out its good and bad points. Last week I went in looking for another card game so that I could have a change from playing "Frog Juice" - it is a good game but we've playing it every day since Christmas and I'd just like a change. The lady I chatted to knew all the different games, she got out several sets of cards and showed me how to play to play some of them. The game I bought after she recommended it is now being played daily by the whole family and we're all enjoying it. When I feel I need a change I'll be going back to Fun Learning and asking for another recommendation. There web site is also good. We'd lost the instructions to a craft kit that we'd only half used. I looked on the website and there were the instructions. Brilliant company.