I have never left Stewart Millers empty handed. I'm not kiddin', honestly. It's like some kind of…read moremagnetic force which leaves me completely helpless and powerless, removing all inhibitions and barriers which prevent me from purchasing extreme numbers of goods from this fave store of mine. Or maybe that's just me shopping normally... Anyhow, Stewart Miller is a bargainous store which is primarily a newsagent and confectioners, but is also a bookshop, cardshop and toyshop. I've found books for peanuts, excellent sweetie deals, and, when I was younger, it was my first stop for TY Beanie Babies (remember those?! I still have an absolute ton of them stashed away in my wardrobe...couldn't bear [excuse the pun] to part with them quite yet). The Holywood store is undoubtedly my favourite. The toy section is huge, and they are genuinely well-priced (not always super cheap), top-quality playthings. The card section is extremely well-stocked, with a huge variety to choose from, and at reasonable prices. The book section is my favourite - I've gotten presents for my mum and dad for next to nothing, and even picked up a football book for £1.99 from £12.99 today, and I've found travel books for a fiver. Oooh, its a good 'un.

I'm lovin it. This gem on the Holywood main street has some of my favourite everyday treats -…read moreglossy mags, cold drinks and chick lit style books at very good prices. It also keeps the kids very happy as it has the best selection of football trading cards I've ever come across. My favourite thing about Stewart Millar is the magazine and comic selection. One whole wall of the front section is given over to mags and comics which means that I can happily browse Marie Claire and 25 Beautiful Homes and the kids can look at the Beano (yes it still exists) and Shoot! before making our choices. And there are none of those shouty 'This is not a library' signs either. At the back of the shop are the toys - good selection of lego- and books. The books are worth a particular mention as the prices are great. Some of the not quite latest releases can be snaffled at Tesco-esque prices which certainly floats my boat. There's a good selection of kids books too, especially quite unusual activity and pop up books which are always good for Christmas presents. All I need to do now is stop accidentally calling it Stuart Little which makes the kids fall about laughing every time as Stuart Little is of course a talking mouse. It's happened, I've become an Embarrassing Mum.

My sister and I went into The Paper Shop in search of an ice lolly, and came out with two…read morenewspapers, two magazines and a packet of Werther's Originals Chocolate Caramels. Isn't it always the way? My sister had decided she wanted an ice cream (it was sticky, very warm, headache-inducing weather, and she was slightly below par bless her), so spotting the ice cream sign on The Paper Shop's window, I decided it may just be a good call to pop in and have a look (not sure what gave me that idea...). Once we were in, I got incredibly distracted by the newspaper section, and spent a good few minutes examining the plethora of papers. Meanwhile, my sticky sis was attempting to climb into the drinks fridge in order to cool herself down. Sometimes I pretend we aren't related... Refocusing on the job in hand, I pointed her in the direction of the ice-cream counter, but was met with a reluctant smile, and a "well, I kinda wanted an ice lolly more than an ice-cream" verbal explanation. Indecisive should be her middle name... I then decided to examine the magazine section, which was pretty vast I must say, and pick up a few for the journey home. Noting that The Paper Shop was much more expansive than I had first realised, I spotted a huge card section too. However, today was not a greeting card day, so my attention was once again diverted back to the magazines. Feeling somewhat satisfied with my reading load for the next while (and as an English graduate, I am utterly ashamed with myself, and hope the newspapers justify me in some way), I went to the till, only to be distracted for the third (or fourth? Eh, who knows) time that day by the Werther's Originals Chocolate Caramels that I haven't found anywhere for months. Ooooh excitement. Plus they were down to £1.49. Yes, this had indeed been a productive trip. No ice lollies, but Morelli's down the street had the curious ability to persuade my sister that she did actually want ice cream. Oooh man...

If you're in a rush, heading to get your train and then realise....damn I need a newspaper, soft…read moredrink, sweets or other snacky things then this is your place. I've been using Great Victoria Street station for many a day and I always need to stop by this little newsagent for a coke and the paper. Rail News not only has a clever pun but a solid range of magazines and local/national newspapers. I used to call in and buy a can of proper man coke and Kerrang magazine back in my younger days (I wouldn't read it now if I was paid). These days it's the Time, The Irish News and a bottle of diet coke (See, see how I've grown up) Prices are typical of shops in the area, they are quick and have what you need. They also stock a range of sandwiches if you're in need of a bite and nowhere else is open.

Sweetie Miller may be a bookshop / newsagents (that bears an uncanny resemblance to another local…read morebookshop / newsagents), but as far as I'm concerned, it's all about the sweets and chocolate...baby. I think it's physically impossible to come out of this shop empty handed. It's certainly that way for me. Having gone in with the notion to buy a box of chocolates for a friend, I came out with a box of chocolates, three bags of Werther's Original Chocolates (my Cheepers' review explains all) and five Curly Wurly's. [Guess who Mr Dentist is going to absolutely love next month?] I couldn't resist. The Werther's Originals were only 99p, and the Curly Wurly's were unbeatable value at not one, not two, or even three, or indeed four...but FIVE for 89p. Yes, this excited me greatly. And it should excite you too. As well as the bargainous sweetie section, Sweetie Miller also stocks stationery, books, cards, magazines and all that sort of jazz. And they're all cheap as can be (except the magazines...they're just average price, but hey, we can't have it all, eh?). Now, where did my Curly Wurly go? (Apologies in advance Mr Dentist...)

This shop is in Bow Street Mall and always seems busy. I guess it can be best described as a…read morenewsagent. They carry a large variety of sweets, mainly boxes of chocolates and packs of chocolate bars and maybe just a bit cheaper in price than other shops in town. So especially good to pop into at Christmas time. The other section of the shop that interests me most is the book section. They have an alright range of books, and you can certainly find something interesting at a very good price. The only downside I can think of is can be quite awkward to move around the sweet displays near the front the of the shop when there are a lot of people about.

The merville is a great newsagents and is a quick and quiet place to nip into and get served. Good…read moreparking right in front of the shop. Lottery and ice cream counter as well as sweets and crisps, sandwiches too.

McMillan's is an old-fashioned newsagents, the kind of which are swiftly being killed off by…read morehorrible, all-consuming megacorporations. Tescos and Asda, pah. Apparently Google's motto is 'Do No Evil' - I wonder what Asda's is? Insert 'One day, the world will be MINE' gag here. Why do we, upon discovering that we have no bread, or fancy a rattle at the crossword, just pootle off to the nearest supermarket without a second's thought? McMillan's is a charming wee shop, the kind I once would have taken for granted. It's possibly the only place I'll buy a pre-made sandwich from - high praise indeed! I've bought a quarter pound of lemon bonbons here - I might be showing my age, but - balls to you, metric system! It's choc-a-bloc full of all the little things you might need on a daily basis, but chances are, it just wouldn't occur to you to pop in. Stop buying your paper in Tescos and go to McMillan's!

The most memorable aspect of McKay's was the wasp chase that ensued as soon as I stepped through…read morethe door. Them chasing me, that is. Says it all... McKay's is really your average newsagents, with your average magazine / newspaper selection, your average confectionery choice, and your average bits 'n' bobs component (a few groceries and toys). I waited in an average line for an average period of time. Once I got to the front of said queue, the average till conversation went averagely, and the service was well, average. [Eh, hello, smile?] I did manage to pick up a couple of Lisburn papers (reviews to follow), and a packet of 45p chewing gum (above average prices, it would seem), so the visit wasn't all that bad. Just as dreary as the weather outside... The wasp chase continued on my out (blasted things), but they needn't have bothered. I was already leaving.

Top drawer this wee shop is, I don't know what your other blade was on about, maybe she mistook the…read morenewsagents in Ballynahinch for Harrod's and was disappointed by the lack of wildlife running about (other than that wasp obviously). I found the staff to be great, it had everything I was looking for and as I needed directions I got a chance to chat to the ones working there. Couldn't have been more helpful

Every single Friday after school. Without fail. For more years that I care to remember. My mum,…read moresister and I. "Did what?", I hear you cry. Visited The Wingrove of course. I mean, what else? It was almost a family tradition, deep rooted in the hearts and minds of my younger sibling and I. We automatically knew Friday meant sweetie day at The Wingrove. Ahh, good times. The Wingrove was one of those newsagents where everyone knew each other, and we were served by the same old wee woman every week. The old-fashioned layout of the confectionery was situated in tiers at the counter, and even though we went for nearly the same packet of sweets every week, many minutes were spent gazing in awe at the sheer variety of these candied goods, packed full of dear only knows what. (I can tell you, not much has changed...I'm probably even more indecisive now. Or maybe not). I honestly have no idea how my mum put up with two sugar saturated young girls, who were practically bouncing off the ceiling. Those 'E' numbers have a lot to answer for. On occasion, ice lollies were permitted, and maybe even a magazine if we were lucky. The Wingrove also supplied a small number of greetings cards (that kept my mum happy), and a few toys (I can't remember how many times we had to prise my sister away from the dolls). Oh, those were the days... The Wingrove has recently undergone a facelift, with a brand spanking new sleek black and white sign, as well as a furniture rearrangement (well, you know what I mean), which was incredibly strange to see when I popped in for the first time in I don't know how many years. I'm so chuffed to see The Wingrove still going strong, feeding and amusing lots of happy school children. Thank goodness for the lack of 'E' numbers these days mind you, that's all I can say...

There's nothing I can add to the previous review except that I cant believe it's closed down…read moretoday,I'm not sure why but I hope it reopens soon, it'll be missed in ballyhackamore.

I must admit, I don't usually go in to book stores, when I am going to buy a book I usually head…read morestraight to Amazon but today after having breakfast in the Botanic area I was walking back to my car and I thought I would call in to No Alibis to see if I could pick up a book I had been recommended by numerous colleagues. On entrance No Alibis seemed cluttered and I couldn't immediately locate the section I thought the book I was looking for would be in. It certainly wasn't as clear as the Amazon search results. Anyway I struggled on and eventually came across the 'business' section at the back of the store. After having a quick sift through the books it became clear that they didn't stock the title I was looking for. With that I was about to leave but then I thought I'd ask the lad working there if she had seen/heard of the book. It was then my experience took an amazing turn for the positive. The helpful lady immediately consulted her 'book database' on the computer and immediately found the book. Unfortunately she didn't have it in store but she was able to reserve it for me and have it ready to be collected on Monday - plus it was cheaper that it was on Amazon. What a result! It was look old meets new! If you're looking for a book for study or leisure definitely pop in here - even if they don't have it they can source it for you. I also noticed they sold some unique pieces of local art. Hopefully this main stay of Botanic will be around for years to come!

I'm an English student so any bookstore is a good bookstore as far as I'm concerned. This one…read morehowever is independent of Queen's but has a very close relationship with the students and the staff. Despite there already being a bookshop owned by Queen's, many would recommend you try here first as if they don't have it, they will guarantee you it with their next delievery. It could be either that or the fact the people (whose names escape me yet again) are exceptionally friendly and have a real passion for their job. I have been in browsing before and soon i was sitting down with some friends having coffee and discussing books... pretentious possibly, but it's almost certainly the bookstore that makes me want to sit and drink coffee and talk about books. I dont even like coffee either. Very very very helpful, very friendly and a must for anyone who requires a good book