Coles is an odd wee shop on France street in Newtwonards Town Centre. Its is marketed as a watch…read morerepair shop but it seems to dell a real mix of things including batteries and industrial strength cleaner. Imagine you cleaned out your shed at home and you wanted to sell all your stuff, well you would probably be Cole's biggest competitor. That's how odd the stuff is. It is kind of like a Car Boot sale stall made into a shop. The funny thing about it though is that I actually quite liked it. I walked in today and had a good old nosey around and It really did feel like I was looking through someone else's stuff which I suppose I was. Everything is very cheap in Coles, think 5 AA batteries for a pound and a bag of clothes pegs for 50p. It is small inside so if there are two grannies in there with their shopping baskets you probably wont fit in. I thought it was quaint and charming and you will get good service from the chap who works there, that's for sure.

As far as I can tell this is one strange little shop. No real name as such just a sign depicting…read morewhat they do. You could, as I have, walk past it a million and one times and miss it. Inside is small and has that ancient dusty feel to it. The display cabinets house old gold items and cheap and nasty necklaces made out of silver that has been there so long its tarnished. The place is in need of a real revamp to move into the 21st century. There is one saving grace and I am sure this is one of the reasons this shop survives - they sell trophies and cups and plaques for competitions and events. They also offer the engraving service. There are trophies of all sizes and some I recognize from when I was at school! And if I had known you could just go out and BUY a trophy for yourself my house would have been coming down with them. I wouldn't go to buy jewelley but it's great for school cups and the like.

There are only one or two decent seamstresses in Newtownards and as far as I'm concerned the lady…read morewho owns Stitch-in Time is the best. A friend's mum recommended her to me, she advised me to take my slightly torn and ripped clothes here for mending. In these hard times it's better to repair than chuck away I find. The downstairs area of the shop seems to be quite massive with two ornate sofas below the window. Upon these sofas sit her two glorious little dogs. There seems to be no need for all the space downstairs as the lady takes your stuff upstairs or out the back. The prices are reasonable and the speed of mending is fast, just a couple of days or quicker if you are in a hurry. I bought a top, which I really loved, from Primark. I successfully caught it on a nail and it needed mending and it cost £5.00, which was the same price as the top in the first place - might seem silly but I loved that top. The rip she mended was quite big but it was totally invisible when I collected the top - she does a really good job!

Helen's sewing alterations is one of those blink and you will miss it shops as it is situated above…read moreNV in Conway Square and not at normal eye level. I had not heard of this alteration shop before and it was only when I bought my wedding dress in a near by bridal shop that they advised me to take it to Helen for alterations. She offers a very personal service and does seem to mostly specialize in Brides and bridesmaids dresses - there are a lot of those big white bridal dresses hanging on the rail. The service I received was professional, efficient and friendly and it is no wonder she has so many bridal clients as she really knows what she is talking about. I will recommend her to future brides and everyone just for her normal sewing and mending skills.

Helens has moved ... Now at 58 Frances Street and is very easy to find due to the name being in BIG…read moreletters over the shop. Lovely welcome and well laid out over three floors.

I have used this place eon a number of occasions and I have found it to be a very good and…read moreprofessionally run service that would otherwise get overlooked due to its slightly off the beaten track location. Quick Copy offers business cards, flyers, invitation cards, posters, plan printing, passport photos and binding service to name but a few. I have used this place to bind a few projects that I have done at university to give them the competitive edge to my peers, because I have found lecturers are usually fickle enough to be impressed with a good looking document rather than the frankly mediocre content I dish out! My dad also got business cards printed out of here for his car sales business as it was thought of as quite a good idea to try and encourage repeat sales and provide reassurance in case any problems arose! All and all a big thumbs up!

excellent little shop does all sorts like photo restoration vhs to dvd conversions t shirt printing…read moreposters flyers business cars etc, anything to do with printing and also copying, the best prices in town i found and really freindly helpful staff who will stetch that extra mile to cater for your individual needs! highly recommended to anyone who needs this type of service a1!!

I first heard of the Zip Yard because a man on a bright yellow bike nearly knocked me down in…read moreBelfast city center. He was handing out leaflets about a place called The Zip Yard and I was immediately intrigued. I hate our throwaway society and think who ever came up with this idea is an amazing person. Everyone has a broken zip or a rip that they actually can't mend themselves or haven't got round to it. The Zip Yard is the answer. Just take your injured clothing into your local franchise store and they will do all they can for you. You can use the express service for minor jobs such as zips or minor repairs or they will amend dresses or even curtains for a few quid and in only a few days. You can go behind the curtains and get get fitted by the ladies who work there. In the Newtownards branch there is a very friendly man who will talk you through whatever needs done. I bought in an old curtain to get converted into a roof storage compartment for my van - he quoted me £20 which I thought was really reasonable and said it would take a few days. I was very impressed and will get back to him soon. Great for rips and repairs - a wonderful idea!

Brought in a coat with a broken zipper. They replaced it and had it ready for me the next day!read more