Antics is a geeks paradise, full of kits to make model planes, trains, tanks and any other kind of…read morevehicle you'd care to mention. My dad's a bit of a trainspotter, so whenever he comes down to Bristol he loves having a route around in this place for a new locomotive, or bit of rail track, or whatever (I don't know, mostly I just nod and smile). The staff are really friendly and obviously well into their stuff. If you're after something in particular then they'll be more than happy to help and will no doubt strike up a healthy debate about the various different gauges (sizes) of train sets you can get and which one is best (N-gauge, I'm told). You get the idea.

Hidden in the covered market area of St Nicks, this craft shop is choc-a-block full of buttons,…read morebeads, fastenings and trimming - everything a jewellery-making enthusiast could need. But it doesn't end there, oh no! Glitter, card making, and strange dried flowers are all available and the staff here a re knowledgeable about their stock. The trays full of glass, wooden and metal beads are rather distracting as I normally only come in here for necklace chains and fastenings but if you're the kind of person who gets off on having your own hobby room then this is the place for you. Handy tools are also on sale here, such as pliers, needles and eyelet hole punchers. If you would rather look for a gift than make it there are also plenty of craft and jewellery making kits suitable for adults and children.

If (God forbid) you should find yourself stranded in Brislington, and are at a loss for things to…read moredo (as you would be), I'd recommend you visit Avon Mead Retail Park if you're looking for something resembling civilisation. Here you'll find a long line of huge shops, including The Range. For those of you unfamiliar with The Range, it sells everything from musical instruments to arts and crafts, furniture, outdoor living equipment, toys and pet care items to name just a few of its many wares. Moreover, these can be purchased at trés reasonable prices (but don't expect the greatest of quality). This branch of The Range is gigantic and pretty souless. But for practical matters and rainy days, it'll suffice.

There's apparently a whole host of these shops all over the country and yet before I came to…read moreBristol, I had never heard of them. The Range is one of those wonderful mish-mash shops which sells absolutely everything, except from perhaps vital organs, although they could diversify into that in the future. Seriously, going in here is a real treat. You can buy everything from bones for your dog to every craft item under the sun. Or there's jacuzzis, huge boxes of broken biscuits, wall canvases, dried flowers and garden gnomes. It's all stacked chaotically around so actually searching for something you need is a total mission. But if you want to go in and come out with at least 15 things you absolutely don't need then I highly recommend The Range.

Yet another of East Street's jewels, Pipkin's is a colourful little shop which boasts a variety of…read moregoods, from discounted kitchen roll to quirky key rings, umbrellas, toys and mobile phone cases. Encapsulating the spirit of the area with its random charm, this is the type of shop that kids will want to spend all of their pocket money in. And don't think that because you're not a child, its charm will be lost on you. There has been many a time where I've passed Pipkin's and felt compelled to go in and admire its weird and wonderful stock. And that I have, usually leaving with something cheap, kitsch and delightful which is guaranteed to provide you with a short, sharp burst of entertainment.

I am truly sorry to have to do this because I was really hopeful for a decent store to buy pokemon…read morecards from. I bought 5 astral radiance boosters from this shop today - I noticed over 36 on display which should have been a red flag, because who opens more than a full booster box at a time to display, right? Then I ran my thumbnail across the top ridge of a pack, absolutely fine. Running my thumbnail across the bottom of a pack, I noticed the ridges are almost non-existent. They've been reheated and opened, checked for contents and put back. My wife also bought 5 and has a similar experience - in fact, one of the packs was already partially opened and all of them were FAR too easy to open. Our suspicious confirmed by purchasing a full astral radiance booster box and comparing. Note in the shop, they are also opening Build & Battle stadium deck boxes, obviously to find the decent promos/Gengar to resell online and flogging the crap off to unsuspecting parents looking to find something good for their kids. Sorry to say this is a business no collector should take seriously - because whatever you buy here the odds are stacked heavily out of your favour. P.S. I just lifted the flap on all of the packs and you can see from the picture what I have found. Anyone that has opened a fair few of these expansions knows in the later sets, they are more likely to be like fort knox to get into than fall apart in your hand! EDIT: After re-checking, three of the packs are open as in this photo. Can you really call this good business?

Do not buy Pokémon cards from here !!!!!…read more They are 100% resealed !! I went there the other day and got a few packs of cards. Went home and noticed something was off. The bumps on the package were flat and not bumpy, the rapping was loose and one was actually open. They said some things that were worrying they said they open the Build and battle boxes and are re sealing the and selling the cards, so they are probably getting the good cards and selling them on. I will not be going here again and I suggest of you do you check the card packs before you purchase.

No longer a Warhammer shop just vaping. Dont waste your time visiting if looking for warhammer.read more

From the owner: Based inside The Vaping Lodge at Lodge Causeway we aim to build our community with gamers model…read morebuilders and enthusiasts alike.

Now, I'm going to say 'hand woodworking tools' to you and I'm guessing 90 per cent of you are going…read moreto click elsew.... hey! Well hi there 10 per cent of you, I can see you have perked up a little. If you know of this shop then you will be having a far-away dreamy look in your eyes right about now and if you didn't then you're checking your watch and wondering where to park nearby. Yes, a whole shop of hand tools: gauges, mallets, chisels... including lots of vintage tools for very cheap prices as well as brand new ones. The staff (I feel I should use the word 'proprietor' here) are very very helpful and alway gleeful verging on surprised that other people like to chip bits of wood from a large block of wood. There's a lot of us about, be proud.

Bristol Design is a fantastic shop. It has everything you could ever need for your DIY redesign of…read moreyour kitchen to hanging up a picture. In my case it was the latter that needed doing and I had no idea how to go about it. The staff in here were extremely helpful and were easily able to point me in the right direction as far as picture hooks go. Now that I know what I need, I would probably go to Wilkinson's as it's a lot cheaper but for something a bit more complicated then it's definitely worth a trip here.