Beautifully made cushions, bags, duvet covers, curtains, soft furnishings, lampshades, pots and…read moreknick knacks but they are the kind of things you imagine when people say ethnic - which lots of people like and I've got plenty of ethnic stuff in my house - I'm just trying to warn you not to traipse out to Woodstock for cutting edge modernity. If what you want are beautiful fabrics for which people have been paid a fair price then this is a great shop. It is also a good source of cards, books and music. If you want to decorate your house in a green and/or ethical way then there are some great books in here to help you.

This is a Woodstock institution. Grownups can buy posh chocolates or old fashioned sweets from…read morelarge jars. But the shop is really for children. There are pocket money toys and lots of pocket money sweets. If you (or your children) are missing sherbet dabs, sugar mice or flying saucers made from that weird thick rice papery stuff and full or sherbet, then this is the place to come. Small children can't see these sweets unless they borrow the steps and then they can spend ages choosing what to buy. There are also toys, games and books. The selection isn't huge but then the shop isn't big. You'd be able to find a present for a child under the age of 5 and possibly older. There are seasonal goods so if you are short of a Halloween mask or a chocolate Father Christmas then this is a good place to come. In fact it is a good place to come at any time of the year just because there aren't many shops like this left.

Given the price of the houses in Woodstock you won't be surprised to hear that you can find some…read moregood quality clothes hidden in the racks of this well stocked charity shops. It has twice provided the goods for dressing up days at school: a Chinese New Year outfit and several Hawaiian shirts. They also sell birthday cards which goes someway to reconciling me to paying a couple of quid for something that will be on display for a week and then thrown away. At least I know the money has gone to a good cause.

This is a lovely and useful shop. The ground floor has lots of wonderful original works of arts:…read morepaintings, pots, glassware and some lovely cards. The lower floor stocks arts and craft materials. You can buy plaster of paris, fabric paints, paints and paper, air dry or oven bake clay and, if you are a student you get a 10% discount. The people in the shop are always very friendly and helpful even if you are just buying a new sketching pencil.

Horrible old, rude lady that treats customers abysmally…read more She doesn't even know what Literature is, so in case you read this review, let's educate you: Wikipedia : Literature is any collection of written work, but it is "also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form". Maybe I touched on a nerve, when I asked if you sold any.

Woodstock Bookshop - the name leaves me tongue-tied which is handy because the shop is so quiet you…read morefeel naughty and rebellious even whispering. A poor, unsuspecting woman wandering in was shouting to her friend that she'd meet him in 5 minutes, as she was opening the door and the GLARES she got from the silent bookworms perusing the shop was a bit much. Still, a gorgeous and tiny book shop crammed from top to bottom with cook books, travel books, kids books, history books, some fiction...all sorts really. I had to drag the boy away from the history section as he could have been there for hours. Call me old-fashioned but I can't get involved in this Kindle nonsense and absolutely love shopping for books. I love small, independent bookshops like this one as they just feel so cosy. I was hungry however, and felt panicked the entire time I was in there that my stomach would rumble and disturb the peace and quiet. The lady working there was very smiley and friendly - best job ever, you get to read all day!

Convenient small supermarket with long opening hours and lots of fair trade products…read more Do not be put off by the seemingly long queues. Everybody very sensibly joins one queue and when you get to the top of the queue you go to the next available cashier. So you never have to make that awful decision as to which queue to join only to find yourself stuck behind the lady arguing about the 30p off sticker, the man with the £150 pound vegetable peeler who wants the price checked or the person who forgot to weigh their vegetables. (All of which have happened to me recently but in France - I'm beginning to lust after the sensible, well labeled queues of England).

Lovely silk bags and clothes…read more They don't make a big thing about it but they buy from from small-scale suppliers who share their 'ethical trading ethos' so you can buy yourself the most gorgeous girly evening bag with an almost clear conscience. Maybe they don't make a big thing about it because they want you to buy their things because they look wonderful rather than as a pious act no problem there, if I had a use for a girly evening bag I could buy most of their shop.

This does as the name suggests and sells stationary of all sorts from copier paper to wedding…read moreinvitations. It also has a good selection of things for children's parties. Unfortunately I didn't find this out until the week after I'd held a pirate party. I now know this was the shop I should have come to for flags, balloons and going home bags. They also stock some children's craft kits as well as lots of things for people who like making their own cards.

This shop used to provide a reasonable range of standard stationery items. However, it has now…read moreclosed and there is nowhere in Woodstock for such things anymore.

This is an interesting gallery not just because of the high quality and ever changing paintings,…read moresculptures, jewelery, crafts and cards. It is actually a fund raising shop for Scottish International Relief who spend the profits on projects for children in developing countries. So you can spend money on lovely things and feel good about where your money is going!