I love how they have multiple things to choose from but the price is not always cheap.read more

Great shop on Western Road that has saved me quite a few times when I have left fancy dress outfit…read moreideas til the very last minute! They sell a wide range of outfits here, but I'm mostly impressed with the choice of fancy dress makeup, body paint and glitter. They sell stargazer cosmetics here, vivid colours and great quality. You can also find items like bunting, party decorations and streamers. I also purchased a pinata from here once! The staff are helpful and are on hand to offer advice. I prefer Partido to the other fancy dress shops in town. Partido don't offer fancy dress hire though.

This is a small but well-run greeting card and photographic processing shop in Seven Dials,…read moreopposite the 'Good Companions' pub. They have a very good range of cards, including gently humorous ones I have not seen elsewhere, and plenty of those in which you can write your own message. I've never left empty-handed (and I'm quite picky when it comes to birthday cards). They also have a small range of stationery and post-cards. I've not used the photographic services here, but the staff always strike me as very pleasant.

Digital photography means the photo developing side of this business must surely be fairly…read moreredundant these days, but I'm sure they'll survive with the brilliant range of stationery and greetings cards they have here. It's really hard sometimes to find decent cards - they're either soppy pastels or bad jokes, but the range here covers all bases. They have lots of colourful cards with decent pictures, and some humour cards which are actually funny. Also plenty of other useful party stuff such as balloons and streamers, and a small range of standard stationery items. Staff always seem smiley and friendly

I was always jealous of my pre/early teen friends when they received giant Valentine's card that…read morewere probably as high as their waists. I thought - surely that's, like, the biggest romantic gesture? A few years down the line, and I can't think of anything tackier to receive! This tackiness extends to the rest of the shop - which focuses on in your face humour/romance/colour/music/size/'poetry'... rather than the creative/cutesy/pretty/unique/funny - if you're looking for the latter you'll find plenty of choice in the various South Lanes and North Laine card/gift shops. I'd avoid this place if you can - it's good for cheap wrapping paper, but you can end up being there hours trying to find a card that's not ugly/naff.

Clinton cards in the Churchill Square Shopping Centre has quite a different selection from the one…read moreon Western Road - this one has a lot more gift ideas and party supplies. The shop is mostly sectioned into various special events, and each has all possible greeting cards and gifts relevant to the occasion. I noticed new baby, wedding, graduation, and the landmark birthdays. Each comes with decorative photo frames, trinkets, balloons and, of course, greeting cards. Party supplies include personalised confetti, balloons, banners, gift wrap and bags, candles and noisemakers. There are also several displays of random gifts - stuffed animals, key chains, pens, calendars and mugs. A good place to buy and wrap a gift, plus get a card AND buy a pen to sign it with. Done and done.

I ventured into this store looking for a last minute birthday card for one of my relatives and left…read moreten minutes later to catch a bus to Paperchase. What sent me running? Aisles of cards with chintzy flowers, teddy bears and teddy bears clutching flowers. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, they also had horrible images of golfers and footballers for men and shopping bags, cakes and wine glasses for women. If I'd spent another hour in there, I might have found something more contemporary but frankly, I love my Aunt too much to send her a card neither of us love.

A smaller than average branch of this large chain of card shops, selling greeting cards…read more(obviously), small gifts, gift stationery and cheap 'cute' cuddly toys aimed at impulse purchases. The branch here has lots of competition: the citizens of Hove must send a lot of greeting cards, as George Street has half a dozen of them in about 50 yards, as well as a W H Smiths. Against that, this branch seems distinctly average, as others have equally good ranges, at lower prices. That said, the layout of this shop was better organised than many Clinton shops, and the staff were helpful, even though I could not find what I wanted on this occasion.

Moleskines were once my guilty little pleasure: I would buy them just to fill them with random…read morescribblings, doodles and notes, then buy a new one and start all over again... Just because of the love of scribbling on paper. I've grown out of that a little now, entering the electronic age and all that, but still have a youthful lusting after lovely new paper and pens. When the mood strikes me, I browse through Pen and Paper to regain that part of my life, and it always puts a smile on my face. If you aren't quite as obsessed with some stationary as I am, this probably won't register, but Pen to Paper does sell some of the nicest stationary around. Moleskines, real paper, various lovely pens and pencils (proper writing utensils, mind, not biros or something), that sort of thing: an artist's paper shop, in effect. I love the idea of being able to buy bits of paper and write on them, but then this is all such nice, expensive paper... Now, I'm indebted to the electronic age now. I'm happy to be the guy how types everything these days, or makes notes on his Blackberry over buying new notebooks every couple of weeks. Still, it is nostalgic to breeze through Pen to Paper's lovely products: if you were ever a wistful poet upon the heath, this is definitely for you!

In the digital age where most people communicate through text and email, its comforting to find a…read morestore that's with-holding the tradition of writing and sending letters by hand. As the name suggests, Pen to Paper is a cosy store that sells beautiful stationary, tissue-lined envelopes, greetings cards, fountain pens and boxes of ink. It also stocks exquisite Japanese papers, address books, journals and a wide selection of lovely, pocket-size notebooks and sketch pads.

Alas, Graffiti is not a store devoted to street art and spraypaint…read more It's actually a tiny stationary store that specialises in cute, cool and tasteful greeting cards, wrapping paper, journals and memo pads. They have cards with neat illustrations, black and white photos and neon signage as well as more traditional flowers, landscapes and cute hula hula girls. My personal favourite, is the kitsch range of knitted Marilyn, Elvis and James Dean cards. Oh and the naked gal in the martini glass of course!

I used to really enjoy making my own cards and I never ever bought them- it just felt so impersonal…read moreand such a waste of money. That was back when I had time for leisurely arts and crafts days. These days, I inhabit a different world and subsequently I suddenly love a good card shop! I especially like a card shop with a proper selection. There's something really satisfying about taking your time to peruse the shelves and take in the full selection. I know most people don't take great pains over the selection of a birthday card, but since I no longer have the energy to make my own but still want a personal touch, I am really particular about it. Graffiti is great for my purposes because it seems to specialize in pretty, arty cards with floral designs and illustrations of birds etc. on the front. Just my cup of tea. They also have a variety of art cards, which use prints and designs from collections at the V&A among other galleries. If you're not after a flowery, girly card- don't worry, there's plenty of others to choose from. They also sell lovely printed wrapping paper and although the prices make me flinch, I usually can't resist! All round, a much more interesting and tasteful selection of cards and stationary than you're likely to find at Clinton's!