Dresswell

•£££

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.

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Koko

4.0(1 review)

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.

Warden Bros

3.2(6 reviews)

Blimey, Wardens should be renamed "The Never-Ending Store That Has Just About Everything"…read more Seriously. I have many fond (ahem) memories of being dragged, I mean brought, down to Wardens with my parents. Usually the visit was a long and tiresome, er, lengthy and informative one, consisting of mum and dad dandering round the furniture department, the decorating department, the gardening department, and the kitchenware / appliances department. Every ten year old's dream really. These days, I definitely appreciate Wardens much more than I used to. You could literally spend all day in the place, browsing the various departments. If you come in off High Street, you are greeted by a beautiful gift section, filled with ornamental goods, china, glassware and the like. You can find everything from Alice in Wonderland figurines to Goebel cats to Denby pottery to Tyrone Crystal. Seriously good stuff. Following on from this is the gardening / pets / kitchenware / decorating department (they sort of merge into one), in which I found a little jar of Jellybeans (considered purchased). Really goes to show the variety of goods Wardens has. The furniture etc department (you know what I mean...pictures / frames / carpets / rugs and all that jazz) lies beyond this, leading out towards the car park which is located off South Street. Parking here is advisable - Ards is an absolute madhouse when it comes to trying to find yourself a space. You just never know what you'll find in Wardens...there truly is something for everyone.

Warden's is, for me, the best bits and bobs shop in Newtownards. It's one of those huge big…read moredepartment stores with lots of different areas and slops and upstairs and downstairs areas and parts where tall people have to duck and fat people have to squeeze. It stocks everything from bespoke wedding hair pieces to hose pipes. It's a general store not unlike the department store on the popular BBC comedy of yesteryear 'Are You Being Served?' There is a section for wallpaper and paint, cookware, furniture, artwork, jewellery, screws and garden accessories to name only a small fraction. The only thing I will say is that it can be expensive and parking out the front is impossible. Go out the back to park, you will have to pay and display even if you are only nipping in as there is a traffic warden lingering somewhere all the time - don't risk it. Although the store is expensive it does stock a lot of bits and bobs and the sales are pretty good.

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Focus

4.5(2 reviews)

0.0 mi

This is an offshoot of the success of the Bangor Focus Menswear but it still offers the same…read morequality and service. I would not tend to buy clothes from this shop but I have hired formal wear from this outlet. They are pretty lenient with the rules. I brought my suit back a day late covered in booze and god knows what else and they did not charge me an extra penny. I think they even uttered the phrase, "it happens!" It is refreshing to have a company being reasonable and human with it's customers. The price is really good too staring from £30 for formal wear hire.

I honestly didn't know there was a Focus Menswear store in Ards but after seeing a Facebook ad I…read moreheaded over. They are currently selling suits from £25,.good quality stuff too, to make room for a refurbishment. And it's in need of one too. Only one changing room, and the store - downstairs at least is quite cramped and coed with stock (although that could be because of the sale). The two sales staff were very helpful and attentive, as you would expect from a suit retailer). All in all I had a pleasant experience shopping here. They did try to upsell me more items, but that is also to be expected and they weren't pushy about it. I got a very nice, good quality grey suit for £31 (I'm paying the extra £6 to have the trousers altered) and I will definitely be back there to shop again!

Tutuz Dresshire & Accessories

3.0(1 review)

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.

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Red Carpet Style Evening Wear

Tiffiny Bling Ball Gown

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Stitch In Time

4.0(1 review)

0.2 mi

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!

Dresswell - fashion - Updated August 2026

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Streetlife

Streetlife is a relatively new store in the Abbey Centre. It was only recently I finally called in…read moreand was surprised to find some really lovely clothes. They sell the ever amazing Rocket Dog and Iron Fist shoes, this is the only shop around Newtownabbey that sells these, so this makes me a fan already! There's a good sale on quite regularly which discounts the stock prices down quite a good bit. The staff generally don't tend to acknowledge you and I haven't decided yet if this is a good or bad thing, but a small recognition would be nice I think. A trendy, funky clothes shop which is unusual for the Abbey Centre in that it is a shop I genuinely like and would shop from regularly. We desperately need more of these please! Come on Abbey Centre, you can do it!

New Look

4.2

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This is a great sized store and the only place you can buy any decent clothes in Antrim. Good…read moreselection in each department and have very good sales as well. Best clothes shop in Antrim

New look is the best shop in Antrim. CLothes are gorgeous, and they are good value. Spacious…read morechanging rooms and friendly staff too. Queues can get rather big at weekends and during sales though.

Dunnes Stores

3.8

(13 reviews)

Wow Dunnes has actually gone downhill quite a bit since my last visit to the Belfast megastore. I…read morepopped in when I was over here in October to see if much had changed and all in all, I was disappointed. I started with the top floor which was totally devoid of any people. Just overpriced homewares. Even the restaurant was all boarded up, and to enter the toilets you had to either insert 10p or get a token from a staff member if you show your receipt! It reminded me of the old dated system in BHS! The lift I used was violent and shakey, and it felt like the floor was about to fall through. Some maintenance in this department please Dunnes Even the food hall was a disappointment - dwarfed into a small hole at the back corner of the shop. Much smaller than I remember. It's all downhill from here. Sorry Dunnes, but I'll be taking my custom to Debenhams and House of Fraser...

On a recent shopping expedition I managed to lose my wallet, It transpired that I had dropped it in…read moreDunnes Belfast. As I retraced my steps and was ringing around I was fortunate enough to call Chriss (Not sure of spelling) She was very helpful and after establishing that it was indeed my wallet informed me that they had it. I called and collected it. Tremendous help from good people. Thanks Guys

Exhibit

This store is one of the newer shops to open in the ever expanding Abbey Centre. It offers high…read morestreet fashion in yet another clothing store catering to women of all ages though mainly aimed at the younger generation. Exhibit has a number of branches though this is the first to open in the Abbey Centre and indeed Newtownabbey. They sell your basic run of the mill fashion trend clothing. It is quite a small shop though they do manage to squeeze a fair bit in. I've bought a few pieces out of here, mostly in the sale which offers some great prices for what would have been over priced fashion clothing (in my opinion) but in the sale I don't mind (I know I sound like a cheap skate!) I've seen a couple of imitation Ed Hardy pieces here which look pretty cool and they're a fraction of the price you would get them if they were the genuine article!

Fresh Garbage

4.0

(30 reviews)

Word of Advice; Do not under any circumstances try and go into Fresh Garbage at around 4.30pm on a…read moreFriday afternoon during term time. The reason I say this is it will be packed full of geeky emo's looking for their next quirky crazy purchase. I could not even walk into the shop to do a decent review, so I left and am now spreading what I have learnt toy the good people of Yelp.

i love fresh garbage a lot but the queue to get in is long and you have to wait 20-30 mins it's…read morebefore even getting into the shop itself, whenever you get in you can't even move because there is so little space, if you spend a lot of time in the shop you feel guilty of holding up the line outside. it's also really hard to let people past you because of the small space, you have to stand in a spot for a long time in order to let people pay and your just wasting time there. not to mention the overpriced clothing!! most are cringey as-well, most of the skirts there are around £60 and yes, are nice but wayy too pricey. good shop for alternative people but also not because there isn't a large variety. you cant even try clothes on aswell which is stupid staff are nice and will help :) i think that fresh garbage could do with an upgrade in a shop as in space because it's super hard to move around, and you cannot even look at clothes because you feel like you holding up a line or room for people to get past. bigger shop is definitely needed!! overall it's a good shop but very small. i'd say come during week days when you have the chance because it isn't as crowded.

The Corium

3.2

(9 reviews)

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The Corium is a cool alternative clothing shop offering a whole array of cool T-Shirts with funny…read moresayings, movies and characters on them. But my favourite thing about it is the funky jewellery. They sell loads of unusual necklaces, rings and body jewellery-I picked up a rather spectacular Belly Bar for just £4. Love it! They have lots of Twilight merchandise in here too for all you fanatics! Its a great shop to come to for some gift Ideas as you're guaranteed no one else will have bought the ame thing. I love the cupcake and buiscuit rings and the buiscuit necklaces! So cool. And you're guaranteed that everyone will be asking where you got it from!

The Corium is an alternative clothing store and one of Belfast's only ones…read more They sell all types of band t-shirts, punky jewelry as well as some other funky pieces like really quirky necklaces like the Lego ones, which I thought were pretty cute. The staff are usually blasting the music and they are packed full of emo kids at the weekends. A funky little shop.

Smithfield Market

(13 reviews)

If you're looking for a load of independent businesses then look no further. To be honest I hadn't…read morebeen in Smithfield for year, basically because I had no reason to go in, that was until the opening of Doughzy Donuts in Smithfield. This new store was a little bit out of character for Smithfield which includes an Army & Navy Store, Rug & Carpet Shop, Boxing Supplies outlet and Crafts and Antiques shops. I'm glad I ventured back in here as it really is a blast from the past - it's great for a dander and a general nosey. Some of the shopkeepers have been there for years and could tell you a story or two. With the addition of Doughzy there's now two options for food which is great. There's also a pay and display car park out the back if you're picking up something big! Pop in and pick up a bargain!

Sadly, Smithfield is not one of the more convivial sights of Belfast. It's dreary, rundown and…read moredesolate; a shadow of its former self. Up until its bombing during the Troubles, Smithfield was (apparently, as I wasn't around in those days) hip 'n' happening...the place to be. Dandering into it today, I was greatly saddened by the staid atmosphere and lack of decent shopping units. Whilst it mainly caters for the unusual and downright unconventional, with shops such as Filipino, Caribbean and African food stores, martial arts and boxing equipment, army and navy memorabilia, antique toys being among the more noteworthy, Smithfield leaves a lot to be desired. One of only four or five shoppers, Smithfield was in huge contrast to the rest of a bustling Belfast. Emma (the previous reviewer) is spot on, it really needs a bit of TLC and a new face lift, and maybe then it would attract the same sorts of numbers as the rest of the city centre. Strangely, the car park had one heck of a queue heading into it. There wasn't a space to be seen. Mmm...

Next Retail

Although this isn't really my cup of tea, Next do sell some gorgeous clothes. One really good thing…read moreabout Next is their brilliant Sale where you can pick up some absolute bargains if you get there in good time, though I have heard stories about people cueing up all round the Abbey Centre just to get a chance to get in here for the 12 O'Clock sale (yes, at midnight, the eidjets!) anyhow, Next sell run of the mill, fashion for men and womens and childrens clothing. In this branch the womens and childrens section is on the bottom floor and the mens is on the second, as is the case in most shops. I have to admit, my tastes must be changing as I was quite taken with some of the clothes in here recently, but it's not really my price range as I'd rather spend my money on other things (like holidays etc.) and the prices here are a little o.t.t. in my opinion. For those who are willing to pay the price, I guess it's a good shop. I know my dad loves the jammie bottoms from here (don't tell him but I steal them some times, they're just too comfy!) Next time I think I'll spend a little more time looking around, flip maybe I'm getting old!

Akiva

(2 reviews)

•£££

Akiva is another luxury clothing shop on the high street in Holywood…read more I was lured in by a gorgeous dress in the window and the big red sign which said 75% off. The shop has several rails filled with a beautiful range of tops, skirts, trousers and cardigans. They didn't have the dress in my size and it was a bit on the dear side for me but the sale rail was good and there were some lovely little boleros reduced from £60 to £15 - a big saving. It's a grown up shop, I'm still pulling on ripped jeans and a t-shirt but when I do decided to grow up and buy some nice pieces I will visit this shop again. Nice pieces presented beautifully and a friendly shop assistant. Go see.

Akiva is a lovely upmarket clothes shop with refreshingly is staffed by friendly non intimidating…read moreladies (the owners?). There's nothing worse than going into a shop where you are appraised, and dismissed by the staff before you have even looked at a price tag. The great news is that that just won't happen in Aviva. You'll find a small but perfectly formed collection of dresses, trousers and tops and some jewellery to go with them. If you know Holywood, you'll already know that prices are on the high side - around £250 for a pretty coat and £80 for a pair of trousers. A bit out of my usual price range but for a special occasion, it's well worth a splurge on pieces from Nougat and Part Two. A word of advice which I learned the hard way. The sale is when you will find great bargains which you'll have in your wardrobe for years, like the dress I bought last year reduced from £125 to £35. My advice is when you see a bargain buy it. I saw a beautiful coat in the summer sale at 50% off. It was glorious, with huge big pale flowers all over it and looked like £500 pounds worth of prettiness. Of course I took a gamble and held off, hoping it may be reduced further. Big mistake, a few days later it was gone. Sale shopping really is all about timing!

Exhibit