Entering a hardware store isn't exactly one of my most favourite pastimes for two reasons:…read more 1) It reminds me of my childhood, when either my mum or dad (or both, if I was really lucky) would drag me in to find some form of tool (dad), or a gardening implement (mum), or indeed a combination of the both. Happy, happy times. 2) I always feel a bit of an eejit (as they say over here) walking into these types of places, namely because I haven't the foggiest idea what the heck I require in a hardware store, plus I always feel they're one for the men (yes ladies, feel free to fight back - I'm totally not a feminist whatsoever). I'm not really into six-in-one pen knives, nor do I have a notion as to what hinges are required for what, etc etc. I'm basically totally out of my comfort zone. However, on this occasion, I did decide to venture into Stewart and Gibson's. It looked a bit less hardware store-y than many of the hardcore hardware stores I've been in. I mean, it had scented candles and board games, for Pete's sake. In saying that, there was an entire section dedicated to fishing (my forte...not), as well as a home decor / furniture department, both of which masked out the doable aforementioned elements of the store. Eeeek. Seeing my concerned face, and bizarre movements (the 'I need to get out of here' kind), one of the shop assistants asked if I was ok. Yep, ok, I most certainly...was not. Course, I didn't tell him that. I just smiled sweetly, nodded and tried not to imagine what he was thinking at that precise moment in time. Edging ever closer to the door, I managed to subtly and inconspicuously exit the store without drawing too much attention to myself. Phew. Despite not being my scene, Stewart and Gibson is a great hardware store with plenty going on. Four stars I reckon...

I always remember this place from my childhood as a real crazy place where everything went into the…read moreshop.They say hardware shop as a title but the amount of stuff you will find in here is ridiculous really. They have all the things you need to start attempting some amateur house maintenance jobs and everything you would need for doing outside the home up as well, with a range of strimmers, lawnmowers etc. This is where things get a bit more diverse.There is an entire section dedicated to all sorts of children's toys and games, there are a range of bicycles for all ages, a section dedicated to fishing and an upstairs area dedicated to furniture! This is your stereotypical unkempt hardware store, and they are a dying breed.Frankly I like a disparate and disorganised selection as it reflect how I am as a person, so i hope places like this continue to flourish!

I can totally understand why this shop is entitled 'The Barn'. It's got a kind of storage feel to…read moreit, and you can't really move too far without tripping over something, or bumping into that other thing. Especially if your name's Lynne... Crammed full of furniture, soft furnishings, candles, gifts and a whole lot more, The Barn is a tad overwhelming if you're trying to find something specific. I quite like a challenge (most of the time), but since it was wet and I was carting half of Donaghadee's shops around with me (it certainly felt that way), I was pretty fed up and didn't exactly feel like having to dig too much. Plus, I was totally aware of my being ever so slightly clumsy at the best of times, and not wanting to end up paying through the nose for breakages etc., I decided to look and not touch. That was until I spotted a cute cat tea towel, and instantly knew my mum would love it. Managing (somehow) to pick it up off the rail, I admired the pattern whilst hunting for the price. Ah, yes there it was...£5.95?! Heavens above. Maybe I'm a bit stingy, but I certainly wasn't paying that for a tea towel. Not a chance. Everything else seemed to be slightly pricier than I'd first thought, right down to the scented candles which started at £2. At this stage, I realised there were three likely-things-to-happen: 1) I knock something over. 2) I buy something. 3) I leave. The latter being the cheapest option meant it was instantly favoured (not flavoured, that's an entirely different thing altogether). I'm much too poor for such shops. Nice stock though...

I ordered 2 beds, both arrived well on time, delivered and installed as promised by two very nice…read morechaps. Highly recommend.

What can I say? This is a great spot for getting your furniture and household items. They supply…read moreeverything - sofas, suites, wardrobes, tables, mirrors, mats, etc., and have a separate shop just a few doors away which is a bedroom showroom, and is used exclusively for beds. They always have special offers, whether its discounts on furniture or free fitting or free delivery... there's always something. As an independent retailer it's stood the test of time. People who like to spend big money on furniture tend to go to Boucher Road. People who want quality furniture that's good value go to this place. Yes, you may find the odd bargain on a coffee table in Ikea, but there are several reasons I prefer Direct Furniture to Ikea: a) Ikea is a very inhospitable place, and you seem to have to walk through the entire place via some type of ingenious labyrinth one-way system to get out (I went in one Saturday and couldn't find my way out til Monday, although I was relieved to get out without being devoured by a minotaur) b) Ikea does some very annoying things, like have prices on their wardrobes that say something like 'final' price or 'total' price. After this, I discover that this doesn't include the handles or, in some cases, the pole for hanging things on. Perhaps my definition of final price differs from theirs, but my wardrobe is definitely neither final or total if I can't open it because it has no handles. Maybe they're like the doors in that film "What Lies Beneath", where you just have to reach towards the doors and they open... c) you get personal service in Direct Furniture. You go to Ikea and it's different people working all the time, relying on a handbook of policies to deal with returns, discounts, etc. In direct furniture, it's the same people all the time. Say you go in one day, having been in the previous week. The item you wanted is out of stock and, not being in the furniture business or having any descriptive powers to speak of, you can't accurately describe it. "I was talking to that sales person there about it" will result in the mystery being solved in no time. It's the same 5 or 6 staff all the time, and they'll remember you. Of course, once you enter the premises you implicitly agree to forfeit your name - people who only go in once in a while will be reborn, and given new names like "you're the fella that was in the other day looking the pine wardrobe". Customers always appreciate when someone remembers them, for whatever reason! Finally, if you're going to buy a wardrobe and decide that one could go in the other room as well (or you have a wife who, inexplicably, seems to believe that a nuclear holocaust is imminent, and that it's best to stockpile as many clothes as possible on a weekly basis, lest all clothes shops within a 400 mile radius be nuked in the very near future) bring your wallet with you and you might get a deal on the two of them for cash. Maybe... Good value, quality products, and excellent personal service make this the place for me every time. Sure, if i see a coffee table in Ikea for £7 (if that really is the 'final' price) and the advertisement comes with an instore map of where in the military compound I can get said coffee table, I'll take a run in, but apart from that it's Direct Furniture every time.

After I finished my last exams of university I decided to overhaul my room and to mark this…read moretransition out of university I thought I would celebrate by painting my room. Little did I know a few months later I would be doing a post graduate course which is my previous uni but on crack basically...but my intentions were good! I came here to get paint and I had a good experience. I am terrible usually at picking these types of things so I talked to the staff here. Once we discussed my rooms shape, lighting and furniture colour we started to discuss some viable paint colours, then I was able to look at a few samples and try them on a spare wall at home. They even helped me blend my own colour as the shade I wanted wasn't in stock. Now my room is a nice and tasteful powder blue, and it is because of the good help I have got here! They have a good range of wallpaper too and painting utensils, but the main asset of this place is the staff!

For so long I thought this place was only a bakery, but if you continue up the stairs at the back…read morethere is a small coffee shop in the upstairs, which I found really surprising as someone who had been coming to this place for years and not realised! They do the usual line up of coffees and lunchtime fare like sandwiches, soups etc but everything is made on site, down to the bread which gives it an edge. I've only ate from it one, but my sweet chilli chicken sandwich was delicious! My main experiences have been with the bakery however. They do great fresh bread of all varieties, with particularly nice wheaten bread. They do excellent tray bakes, with my girl friend loving their brownies and my brother adoring their pineapple creams. They also do a mean sausage roll in here which can be good for a guilty mid morning snack. They even pipe the sauce directly into the roll if you want sauce, which I find a really thoughtful feature! This should be a regular spot for everyone in Saintfield, as they do everything with love and care. Highly recommended.

I live in England but every time I'm in N Ireland I have to get wheaten farls from this little home…read morebakery. They are delicious. The staff are friendly and helpful and I sometimes place an order to be collected on the day I fly home. I hope the local residents appreciate how lucky they are to have this shop in the main street. Don't buy supermarket bread when you can get your bread here. I didn't know there was a coffee shop here so will investigate when I fly over this weekend. Helen