Homesense has a real hotch potch (proper phrase?) of household furniture and items available to…read morebuy; from the extremely tacky to the rather tasteful you never quite know what you're going to find. I was particularly impressed by their bedding selection; they had duvets by brands such Cath Kidston and Designers Guild selling for around only £30, which is quite incredible (though absolutely infuriating for me as I've just spent a fortune on Designers Guild bedding from the brands website). Additionally they had a massive selection of photo frames, in wide range of varieties, in my opinion these would make great gifts for those it's trick to by for. I wasn't to keen on the actual furniture available in Homesense (mainly just small chairs). The quality just did not appear quite good enough, and many of the pieces looked rather tacky. I was surprised to find that they also sell a small range of specialty foods. Nothing to grand, mainly pasta, olive oil, and Italian biscuits, but they're brands that you won't find in your local supermarket. I've really only touched the tip of the ice berg, Homesense just sells so much! It rather reminds me of TK Maxx, you need time and patience, but you could come away with some real bargains!

Incredibly well hidden away, a real little treasure. Outside they sell very traditional garden…read morefurniture, such as bird baths, picnic tables, and a rather unusual garden shed. Inside the Potting shed sells many little household items and gifts which are pretty, practical, or a combination of both. I personally fell in love with the vintage ladybird learn to sew kits and little boys will love all the Beano goodies. I can't further express how easy it is to miss this place, If it hadn't been recommended it would have been so easy to miss. REALLY worth checking out, whether you live (it's worth the journey).

Went here a two weeks ago as a treat for my daughter who had been very unwell , we really enjoyed…read morelooking around the lovely things for sale but decided to go for a coffee and was very surprised at how unfriendly the staff were there wasn't one smile amongst them all despite me smiling at them i found them to be rude and unwelcoming and won't be going there ever again very disappointing indeed.

This is the South-West's largest purpose-built garden centre, and is now a tourist and leisure…read moredestination in its own right. It was voted UK Garden Centre of the Year in 2007 by the Garden Centre & Retail Association. It was recently taken over by the Wyevale group. They sell everything imaginable in the gardening sphere, and secured a real coup by being the first garden centre in the UK to be permitted to sell the Wollemi Pine to the public. (For non-botanists, this is a rare pine thought to be extinct, but rediscovered in Australia in 1994: fewer than 100 adult trees survive in the wild, so it is being propagated around the world). This reflects their reputation as a high-quality plant nursery, and is about as high a commendation as you could get. The retail section also sells a wide range of other gardening and outdoor merchandise, from books, cards, ornaments, scented candles and crockery to pets and pet supplies, garden furniture, hot tubs, outbuildings and machinery. There's also a cafe-restaurant, and an extensive play area for children, which includes a large mock-up of a pirate ship. As you'd expect (given its location on the A38, close to to junction 22 of the M5), there's extensive car parking, but the centre also provides a free bus on Thursdays from Cheddar via Weston-super-Mare - details on the web-site.

Plesantly surprised the food was very good and I would come here again. The portions were a good…read moresize and it is a lovely atmosphere.

I visit Prior Park most weeks, it is a lovely garden centre, well stocked with a wide variety of…read morequality plants. It's not the cheapest place to buy, but then you get what you pay for sometimes, also it is well staffed with people who are usually able to assist with your queries. Prior Park is more than just a garden centre - there is a good pet section (including stocking more unusual items, such as foodstuffs for reptiles), a really nice food section with reasonably priced organic and local food, and all sorts of homewares, including plenty of unusual gift ideas. What I visit weekly for though, is its excellent cafe. There is an indoor seating area with air conditioning, or you can sit outside on a sunny terrace. Again, not the cheapest in town, but the quality of the food and drink is very good; they always have a range of scrumptious cakes, plus a standard snack menu of sandwiches, toasties and jacket potatoes. There is usually a home made soup of the day, plus a couple of main course options. I had pea and mint soup yesterday and it was delicious, so good that I passed my compliments to the chef. It's a good venue to meet people for coffee; a real bonus is that there is ample free parking for customers, which is a rare and precious thing in central Bath!

Fantasic place well laid out plenty of bargains and good restarant pot display is second to noneread more

Household comforts is a shop that sells mainly second hand household furniture and white goods. The…read moreshop stocks a large range of items some are very unusual. The shops is a bit of a maze to navigate your way around there are several different area and it is based over 3 storeys. This shop is the most amazing shop for people who have moved into there first property and need to kit it out quickly. They also buy items off the public so It could be a good place to get rid of an unwanted fridge, cooker, bed etc! The shop does sell some items at unbelievable low prices and they do offer delivery for a price.

Ive found them to be most helpful, I have been doing up a house and have found most things I have…read moreneeded, some wonderful old pictures, and brand new beds ordered and delivered when Ive needed them, not like some companies only on certain days ! I cannot impress how nice the people have been and always up for a barter !!

This Wyevale just outside Eastleigh is the closest wyevale to me, and also has a Maidenhead…read moreAquatics on site and a Craft Centre in a thatched cottage next to it! The Wyevale is a good size, with plenty of outdoor plants and a large indoor section with a cafe and toilets to visit. The plants from Wyevale can be quite expensive but they tend to be good quality and last longer than other big brand garden centres. They're only really beaten by nurseries and you can't get the choice under one roof. Great for a stroll round on a Sunday and you can also have a bite to eat!

This place has a fantastic stock of original antique and reproduction fireplaces, including both…read morethe inserts and the surrounds - plus wood-burners. I found this shop when I was looking for a Victorian fireplace for my previous flat, and it was just the job: they had a fireplace with a cast iron shelf, so no need for a surround - exactly what I needed to bring my lounge back to its original glory. If you don't find exactly what you want, however, they can custom build surrounds to match your exact requirements, and they also offer a repair and restoration service if you have an original fireplace in need of some TLC. They offer a (fairly pricey) fitting service, which is convenient if like me you're no handy DIY expert.

Some fireplace places make you feel like a proper doofus every time you ask a question. Not Period…read moreFireplaces. What a friendly, genuine, helpful bunch. We're about to get a hearth, surround and woodburner from them, and use their installation service, plus get a small bedroom fireplace repaired and restored, and it's been a joy dealing with them so far - will update once all work complete. Update, Sep 2013. All the above work was completed to our total satisfaction and we've also had them restore a second cast iron fireplace - back to black, with a slight repair and replacement bars, it looks as good as new. Great service from a highly recommended company.

We chose Simply Carpets in an effort to support an independent High Street retailer but now regret…read moreit. Despite high prices, the quality of service was poor. The fitters damaged the new skirting in multiple places during the fitting and despite us pre-booking a door trimming service, they left (in a hurry) without altering the doors in the room. After a couple of attempts at opening the doors, the surface of the new carpet was damaged. We contacted the shop and were told someone would re-visit to look at the issues but never heard from them again. We employed a local carpenter to adjust the doors. We will shortly be looking to have our hallway, utility room, stairs and landing carpeted, but we will only book with the large chain organisations from now on, or possibly the Carpet Barn who, despite being very 'no frills' have given us good service in previous years. We're amazed that at a time when the High Streets are in such trouble, independent retailers such as Simply Carpets will provide such shoddy service. I can't help but feel they will eventually have only themselves to blame for their extinction.

When we had our bathroom installed, this is the company who supplied the flooring we selected. We…read morewere so impressed with the quality and speed of the installation, we visited their showroom to look at flooring for other rooms of our home. We selected some Marmolium flooring for our front hallway, and someone came out to do an exact measurement for an accurate quote. The day the men came, they disposed of the old carpeting and liner, and installed the new tiles and floor divider. The divider should have been solver instead of brass and they returned in a few days to rectify this at no extra charge. We intend to use their services when we need the next bit of flooring replaced due to their reasonable prices, friendly and helpful staff and quality workmanship.