Keens is a pretty cool interior design shop in East Belfast. The stuff on offer is pretty…read moreimpressive and although it is quite expensive, it's great quality stuff so worth the price- no boxed self build stuff in here! Its a far cry from Ikea! They obviously must be doing something right if they've been here for 40 years, especially as it's not exactly an upmarket part of town. I'd advice going in for a browse if you're doing a bit of decorating as the stuff is both beautiful and different!

Heading to find a sofa a couple of days after Christmas is not the way the OH wanted to spend his…read moreholidays, but I dragged him here anyway. Firstly, don't be put of by it's dreary location. Once through the doors you are greeted by a rainbow of colours, shapes and textures. A bit of a maze, with 3 massive floors there is loads to see and perhaps buy. I say perhaps as it is a good bit more expensive than the chain retailers, but what they do have is quality. If you are just looking to add a hint of style head towards the back of the ground floor where you will find all manner of trendy accessories to funk up the dullest living room at more reasonable prices. There was some cracking statues, which I really would have bought if the other half hadn't dragged me out. My VISA card thanks him.

This department store is fantastic! It is one of three stores in the Province. There are two in…read moreEast Belfast and the other one is in Ballymena. You can buy everything for the house from cleaning products to furniture and the nice thing is that the prices are very reasonable. I love browsing round the store as I always come out with something a little bit different for the house and if you are looking for a gift with a difference either for a wedding or child's birthday you can always count on finding it in store. So if you are looking for something of good quality and reasonably priced give this store a visit. You will always find the best selection of Christmas trees and decorations at that seasonal time of year which takes the hassle out of hunting around. Go on , you won't be disappointed !

Wyse Byse is a Belfast institution. It is what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, Big Ben is to London,…read moreand the Leaning Tower is to Pisa. Well, maybe not quite, but it's certainly up there. It has everything you could possibly want, within reason of course. Furniture, stationery, toys, household appliances, confectionary, toiletries to name but a few. In fact there's so much variety that nearly every time I go and attempt to find what I need, I have to ask a member of staff where it is located. And they nearly always have it. In recent weeks I have purchased nail brushes, non-powdered gloves, a stapler, huge bags of sweets, hairspray...all cheap as chips too. Probably cheaper than chips to be fair, they're awful expensive these days. Cannot recommend it enough. Go and grab yourself a bargain!

I was lured in to Doris and Jeanie today by the chalk drawn sign on the street outside, it said…read more'Keep it local' and being a fan of all things local I was in there like a rat up a drain pipe. When I got in I was amazed at all the bits and bobs but being a little bit clumsy I kept picturing myself knocking something over with one swing of my man bag and causing a domino effect. With this in mind I kept my distance from all the trinkets. There was a strong smell of varnish or paint coming from the back of the shop and when I had a closer nosey I noticed one of the staff was being all arts and crafty (technical term). I couldn't exactly tell what he was doing and he looked pretty focused so I left him to it. This is definitely the type of shop I would come back to if I was getting one of the females in my life a present. There's some nice home décor items and if you're going for the quirky vintage look in your home I would drop in to see what's on offer.

While I like to think I'm hip, show me a cutesy shop with niknaks and I'm through the door like a…read moreshot. Right in the middle of the buzzing Belmont Road this is one of those places. While it prides itself on chalk paint (they also do classes in how to use it) I don't have the patience to upscycle anything. I do love a look round though, as they have a wonderful selection of gifts for the home and if you are in need of any sort of candle holder or little clock or picture for the mantelpiece, this is the spot for you. They've opened an even bigger shop in town now, but for small, local service you'll find me in here, buried in cushions and trinkets.

Fiddlesticks is one of those shops which feels quite small but has an amazing amount of things to…read morebuy! Jewellery, pictures, candles, furniture, lighting, table ware - and many of the lovely trinkets are surprisingly affordable. It's perfect for teacher's gifts, birthday presents, and treats for your own self too, because you're worth it of course! I love the big chunky bracelets and necklaces they do with lots of bling hanging off them - hearts and coins and that kind of thing. Bracelets are about £12 and necklaces £30ish so it's affordable and they look much more expensive than that. I also have a lovely chunky Perspex ring which cost me a rather pure friendly £7 and which I wear almost every day. Other good buys are the candles in tins. I bought one for the hostess of a dinner party I was going to and she loved it . Oh yes, must confess I bought one for myself too - cinnamon is a much better smell around the house than my boys' smelly trainers. There are also small pieces of furniture - mostly painted shabby chic style which I love.

Besides being a cosy gift shop where you can find special cards and presents for various age groups…read more- many were directed at the 21 year milestone I noticed - there's also a picture framing service. They also sell ready made fine art prints which are displayed upstairs along with lamps and pine furniture. Upstairs has a completely different character to the ground level, where there are lots of silvery picture frames, bags, jewellery and small gifts including some incense sticks in lovely Chinese packaging which would have been a pretty gift even without the contents. The day I was there a girl was being treated to a cup cake stand, a Cath Kidston one, for her 14th birthday present. She and her mother were being well looked after by the friendly, helpful assistant. It's just the place for spoiling an important person in the nicest way, even with something small like bath stuff, candles, soaps and scented potions.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Re:Store. It is ran by East Belfast Mission who I…read morehave had experience with volunteering in the past, so I know firsthand the hard work and the results that the profits of these stores have on people. The store sells a wide range of home furnishing goods. As to be expected from a charity ran organisation, there are a lot of donated goods which may not be new, but they are always in good condition and are immaculately cleaned before sale. They also sell a lot of new stuff that is sold by manufacturers and other retailers for heavily discounted prices. The store also sells clothes, shoes, jewellery, music and white goods and other small electrical items. There are some really good bargains to be had in here, and I would recommend it without hesitation to the swathes of students out there who need to furnish their student homes for reasonable prices. All profits are reinvested into the church and sustaining the cost of the Mission's community projects, so for that reason alone I recommend the store, ignoring the surprisingly good quality of the products on sale in here.

You can get good furniture to upcycle , I got a wood and glass coffee table for £15 that I'm using…read moreas a display case for a model boat, also they have tins of paint for a couple of quid ideal for small jobs . Sometimes worth nipping in to see what they have.

There always seems to be a prospective customer in this shop being advised and guided through the…read moreextensive stock of chandeliers, wall lamps, table lamps and standard lamps. From outside looking in the profusion of glass, gilt, burnished metal, feathers and twinkling crystal on display in this Aladdin's Cave of shiny wares, along with various other interiors accessories of pictures frames, ornaments and mirrors looks enticing. Closer examination shows that although the stock is brand new, House of Lights caters for very traditional tastes. There are also lampshades for sale in various colours and you can find lightbulbs of every type in here which is useful if you're flummoxed as to where to find an unusual bulb for a novel lamp from a certain Swedish furniture store. I had to exchange said light bulb three times before locating the right one but in they were most accommodating about my errors so thanks to the convenience of House of Lights and the helpful staff I got there in the end.

Its rare to find quality light fittings, certainly in the big chains where your lucky to get a…read morecouple of years use before they break, the lights inside are stylish and top quality, one of my most unusual projects I bought to restore was a 7ft tall fiberglass statue of liberty "impulse buy" it had a cheap orange flashing light on it that looked like it came off a tractor, I got a glass flame off the internet but was stuck for what type of bulb to fit, they suggested a flicker bulb which fits a normal bayonet fitting, it worked perfectly and only used a few watts electric. Great for getting inspiration on projects like desk and table lamps too.