Before its demise, Brow's Lane newsagents was the place to go for all your confectionary and…read moreperiodical needs but now that it's gone there is only one newsagents left in the village, the cunningly named Village News. Being that they are the only proper newsagents in the village and they have a good selection of sweets and canned goods, there's not much wrong with the Village News. Their collections of magazines is especially impressive, with a range so extensive it nearly puts WH Smiths to shame. One thing that is a bit annoying though is that all the sweets are just in front of the desk where you pay for everything, so choosing which sweets you want becomes somewhat of a palaver. There's nothing worse than having someone watch as you umm and ah over whether you should buy a Boost even though it's 57p or just play it safe and go with the tried and trusted Mars Bar at 40p. Aside from that though, this newsagents ticks all the boxes. They also have a container sat outside with different sized balls in, come rain or shine, which can be especially handy on nice days when the kids are outside. Not so much when it's pissing it down though.

Since the closing of the once mighty Brows Lane News (where once I scratched a living as a…read morepaperboy, eating wildlife bars and delivering copies of the Daily Express to the wrong houses) this is the only independent newspaper and magazine retailer in Formby Village. It's important to support the shop for that reason alone - although you can buy newspapers and magazines at Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and even Caffe Nero it's important to keep these places going. After all where else in the local area are you going to be able to get hold of a copy of Angling World or Tattoos Today? Nowhere, that's where. They do sell beach goods - inflatable balls, buckets and spades, that sort of thing - which are always indispensible should you find yourself heading down to Formby beach with youngsters in tow. They are also the only place for miles around that does loose Lions Sports Mixtures and Midget Gems which are like my very own version of crack cocaine.

My parents owen the shop in the late '70's & '80's. Glad to hear things haven't changed muchread more

S K B News is a solid if unspectacular newsagent that offers its customers the usual selection of…read moresweets, drinks, magazines and newspapers, all of which are available at a fairly reasonable price (obviously their sweets are pretty horrendously overpriced, but definitely no worse than anywhere else). The shop itself is quite small but they do manage to fit quite a lot in, meaning the selection of goods there is pretty impressive. One thing that did catch my eye in the window as I entered was a selection of drawings of such celebrities as Justin Bieber and JLS that whilst somewhat bizarre, was quite entertaining. So, S K B News is a decent place to go for all your magazine, newspaper or confectionary needs as well as if you're looking to pick up a drawing or two of your favourite celebrities. Whether they're done in store I don't know though.

Angry and aggressive gentleman working at the till! Unable…read moreto return parcels unless you arrive within an hour of the courier coming to collect them- this would be okay if he explained instead of being rude and aggressive when you foolishly turn up with your parcel because you are unaware ( the courier website says differently to what they shout at you)

On the front of this shop it states that it is a tobacconist, which I guess just means that it…read moresells cigarettes and all its associated bits and bobs (lighters, cigars, rolling papers - you get the idea). However, if you looked at the shop front, you could be forgiven for thinking it was more of a souvenir shop if anything. The windows that can be seen from the outside are packed with various little models and ornaments, including an owl and a deer, somewhat bizarrely. Inside, they also sell various sweets and ice creams that are all perfectly pleasant without setting your pulse racing too much. Basically, it's a bit like a newsagent but replace the large assortment of magazines with a large assortment of souvenirs and models that you don't really want or need but somehow end up buying anyway.