Loads of incredibly fond memories of coming here for a mix up when I was a nipper, they had the…read morebest selection of penny sweeties in the world and still do (although most of them are more than a penny nowadays). This wee newsagents is really old fashioned and all the better for it. It sells old boiling sweeties and chocolate caramels by the paper bag. Every Xmas, you can find Annuals of every description from Football to The Broons and Oor Wullie. They also sell a range of cards and magazines, as well as newspapers, sweeties and crisps. The ladies who work there are lovely, always dressed smartly in a red tabard which only adds to the old fashioned feel of the place.

I used to write for The Motherwell Times before they moved to this new building. It's a good local…read morepaper. I'm semi-obsessed with local newspapers, always devouring one wherever I go. There was one in Northern Ireland that actually had in bold on one page 'Have you lost a dagger?' The Motherwell Times is getting skinnier and skinner, beefed up with alot of advertisements and profiting with the always birthday messages, usually with embarassing baby pictures in there. The news isn't particularly lively, with Motherwell still bearing the bruises of Thatcherism but the writers do a genuinely good job of covering local news including all things related to North Lanarkshire Council.

Motherwell Times, owned by the Johnston Press group, covers the news of Motherwell and the…read moresurrounding areas. Its office is handily situated in the centre of town. Most Johnston Press titles are situated in affluent areas and the stories tend to be of the "cats up trees" variety. However, the Motherwell Times covers some poverty stricken areas so the content tends to be harder news.

This newsagents-cum-strange fancy dress shop has been here for as long as I can remember. It is a…read moreweird wee place that sells a lot of odd things and always seems like its in the middle of being redecorated. The mannequin in the window right now is wearing a Miss Claus outfit, which is a bit out of season. They do quite a lot of fancy dress gear and wigs, mainly at Halloween and Xmas but they always have a few bits and bobs kicking about. They also have a photocopier, which is 5p per sheet. They do a good juice selection, and sell Rubicon, a tropical fruit flavoured fizzy juice which you can't really get anywhere else except from abroad. Like I said, it is a bit random when it comes to stock! They also hilariously sell copies of Cd's which stand shamelessly on a spinney stand outside the shop. It's always odd ones they have like Now 13 and Macy Gray's first album. God knows how they get away with it.