No. 20 Frances Street has changed hands a great deal the past couple of years, and has a nice new…read morepaint job each time to go with it. Black, white, and now a lovely zingy blue. No prizes for guessing why that is... Lulu Blu is not my kinda shop, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. The clothes are electic, quirky and, well, interesting. Not the kind of thing I could carry off whatsoever. That, however, is not to its detriment, and these kinds of clothes shop are growing ever popular. You never know, maybe one day I'll deck that flowery coat with the colourful, yet random, buttons. Well, maybe not. With distinctive garments from the likes of Desigual and Custo, you know you'll be dishing out the dosh, but these designs are certainly unique. Plus, there's a fab sale on at the moment, up to 70% off! One final comment, this time on the customer service. The sales assistant was happily conversing with a customer (who was really into the clothes, might I add), when she noticed my sister and I making for the door, empty handed. She abruptly stopped mid convo with this other enthused customer, and dashed towards us, asking "Are you girls ok there?". Bless her cotton socks. Four stars for the lovely sales assistant alone.

Yeah, not really my kind of shop. It looks good from the outside and that is what always gets me in…read morethrough the doors. They have a sale on so I wanted to look and see if I could pick up some bargain jeans - as it turns out the sizes in jeans are all very small - something to do with the designer brand names. They sell a big range of Desigual clothing - mostly coats, skirts and tops - this is a brand I have never liked and actually find hard to wear. My friend got her now ex boyfriend to buy her one for a few hundred pounds and while it is nice on her retro body i would just look like I was trying to hard. The mismatch of colours and designs is not my thing at all and the price tag is phenomenal - £300+ for a coat! I've been to a shop in Italy stocking this brand for way way cheaper but I still didn't buy anything. Go buy something if you want something different looking and expensive. The staff are nice but the sale wasn't great and the sizes are smaller and the clothes are too expensive. Not for me.

I think I'm a little bit in love with Koko. It's Ok, the husband knows how I feel…read more Koko is just to die for. It's a newish little boutique which sells the most funky and gorgeous ladies clothes. It's definitely upmarket with really well made, quality pieces, but it's not scarily expensive. To give you an idea, a tunic top/dress will cost about £60-£70 but will be individual and will look more like £150 worth. Everything is fresh and colourful and a little bit different but still on trend for the season. There are lots of nude shades at the moment which is bang on trend. What makes this little gem even better is that the owner and her staff are down to earth and friendly. No condescending glares here, quite the opposite. And no hard sell either which is refreshing. I'm going to a wedding in a few months and Koko will be my first port of call to look for an outfit.

I called in here basically because I wanted to have a nosy at the stock. I have no gala events or…read morepremiers coming up so I didn't need to hire a dress or a bag or a hat but it was nice to look at what was on offer in case I ever do. The outfits are very revealing and very glitzy - the kind of thing young girls wear to their formals now-a-days - there really wasn't much that I would choose to wear myself as a lot are very low cut at the front. The lady who works there is very nice and she told me that they will be getting new stock in in a few weeks and that I could try anything I wanted. The hire prices range from about £35 to £55 depending on whether you choose a ball gown or a formal dress. I fell sorry for the owners as I don't think this shop will do well purely because of its location - it is at the back of the arcade mall which is a very old office block part of Newtownards and I don't think it would get much passing trade. Dress hire is a good idea but it might do better in a busier, younger town or in Belfast itself.

Situated inside ards shopping centre this is a decent sized Primark. Lots of selection of women's…read moreand men's and children's clothes, shoes etc also sell household items such as decorative ornaments, bedding, towels, candles, pictures also sell beauty items like mascara, fake tan, lipsticks , foundation and other beauty items. Theres a small gadget section in the men's part. Fitting rooms at the back of the shop. Free car parking in ards shopping centre.