We visited this store today and the selection is really incredible; there's lots of beautiful…read morecrystal, china, glassware, dinnerware and many other items. The store is MUCH bigger than you'd ever imagine from the exterior, and it even has a small (and lovely) serenity garden with a fountain. A very friendly saleswoman helped us (but we ended up not buying anything).

I don't really shop at Mulberry hall, but I have been in a few times. They sell things like china,…read morecrystal and porcelain and they have things like figurines and glasses. It's a nice shop and I know my Grandma likes it but it's not really for me.

Barnitts is a lovely shop selling things like lighting and other home ware. It's a big well laid…read moreout shop and although I often go in I've only bought one thing from there-a gorgeous big feature lamp which people always comment on when they come round. The only reason I rarely buy things there is because it's quite pricey compared to the likes of Ikea and in this day and age price is important!

Need something for your house? Go to Barnitts…read more Need something for the garden? Go to Barnitts. Doing some DIY? Barnitts again! If you need it, Barnitts will probably stock it and won't charge you an arm and a leg for it. Student discount is available on most items that aren't already subject to discount. From wooden spoons to wood screws and from pans to pond liner, Barnitts literally have it all. Sounds like we're on commission? Well we're not, get yourself down to the shop that goes on and on and on. Worth noting that they currently open on Sundays in the run up to Christmas only.

Another one of those shops that sell 'everything', Mega Goods Store displays its wrae on the…read morepavement, and as we've come to expect, they consist of plastic bins, buckets, containers, and small plastic children's chairs...and a few mops thrown in for good measure! And er, toilet rolls and footballs! Inside they sell loads of stuff for the home including crockery, a small selection of toys and a fair few colouring books (takes me back! I was almost tempted to buy one!)...and some huge gold painted gilt frame mirrors for £25. Yes prices here are cheap, which probably reflects the quality...but it's not as if it has pretentions of being a top quality up market home ware shop. What you see is what you get. Mega Goods Store is cheap and cheerful, but it sells many handy bits and bobs that you didn't even know you needed!

The Swarovski Boutique is as stunning as always and does not disappoint with the choice of fine…read morecrystals available to dazzle everybody around you! The shop is light and sparkly (two of my favourite things) and has masses of cabinets full of elegant and unusual pieces of jewellery, figurines and charms. I don't think it would be very fair to class the shop as being expensive for the goods that you get, but for an average budget it is over the normal price range. I bought a beautiful crystal ring from here for my 21st birthday and it still sparkles as it did when I first got it. Everybody comments on it, the quality really does show. For a special gift or treat, i'd recommend Swarovski.

This Swarovski store is sumptuously decorated with rich red walls and a splash of blue across the…read moreceiling, covered in glittering crystals. This illustrates perfectly the atmosphere of the shop - luxurious and flashy. The jewellery on display is a mixture of blinging, glistening rings, tiaras and necklaces in abstract shapes and more playful bows, hearts and fairies. The designs are quite varied but all with a recognisable stylised aesthetic. For all my general tendency to dismiss expensive glittering gems for their OTT frivolity there are a few pieces in Swarovski that are undeniably pretty. And the prices, though clearly not to be found in the likes of Claire's Accessories, are not through the roof for a jeweller's in the Victoria Quarter. The kind of thing a real actual person might splash out on for a special gift for a loved one. OK there are some pretty naff little trinkets among all the glamour but I think most people could find something that appeals to them...if not their wallet!

This shop is filled with knick-knacks and bits. A large proportion of their stock is food related -…read moremugs for £8 and up, various crockery items and tea coasters. There are plenty of other purchases in store though from lampshades, to hand creams, fridge magnets, candles, glassware, velvet scarves and a myriad of other 'girly' items. Although all of their items are predictably priced - in that I mean that they are rather expensive gifts considering that they mostly fall into a rather useless category - they do have quite a few reductions and offers which may make it rather more worth paying them a visit. The few jewellery items that caught my eye are a little cheaper than their neighbours' too, but for that I must say I thought that the quality reflected that - the items just weren't quite as special. All in all, good for a gander, but not necessarily much else.

If you have dreams of being a Martha Stewart type with a kitchen filled with retro cake stands and…read morenovelty jelly moulds, this is the shop for you. It's filled with quirky gifts for gourmets, and has everything you always wanted for your kitchen but could never afford to actually buy, from cute matching eggcups to picnic sets and crockery printed with a photo of your choice. There's some other stuff here too, including a more run-of-the-mill selection of gifts, but this place is really all about the kitchen accessories. A place to treat yourself or buy presents for friends, but be preapred to pay for it - eggcups alone come in at a hefty £8.

This shop is all about curtains, selling a wide range of curtain fabrics, ready-made curtains,…read moreblinds, curtain tracks and poles. They also sell a range of wallpaper and upholstery fabrics. The style here is quite pretty and tasteful with vintage-inspired patterns given a modern twist, with many floral and leafy designs featuring cool and calm up to date colours. Blinds also have a modern feel with mainly neutral colours and simple design. Prices here are very reasonable, so for anyone looking to spruce up their home with some pretty curtains or upholstery, you could certainly do worse than a trip to E.G. Interior Fabrics. A huge bonus in my mind is that this shop also provides a sewing machine repair service with no call out charge...and with the repairer having had 25 years experience you know your sewing machine is in safe hands!

Who isn't now familiar with the whole Home Bargains phenomena? It is truly brilliant and I love how…read morecheap and cheerful it is and makes me feel. I realise that sounds the teensiest bit sleezy read out of context but quite frankly I don't give a damn. I love it. Walk in and pick up a basket and start to explore the tidiest Home Bargains you've ever had the pleasure of walking around. I kid you not. This HB of Crossgates is more like a department store in it's rather tidy arrangement. Quite amazing really, considering how ravaged all the other HB's I've ever been in manage to end up within ten minutes of opening. For all those not familiar, Home Bargains is exactly that, bargains for the home in the form of bath and shower products, cleaning products, stationary, cards and gift wrap, toys and dress up, children's clothing, bits of food in the form of jars of sauce like the Chicken Tonight range or Sharwoods, biscuits and snacks, tuna, the trusty Pot Noodle, cold and flu supplies which seriously undercut the likes of Boots and Superdrug on prices, soft drinks, sweeties, chocolate, crisps, homewares; ironing boards, kettles, cutlery sets, drawers, desks, airers. If you can think of it then it's probably in here. There's a rotating stock in good ole Home Bargains, and some weeks you'll go in after going in week after week, and wanting to pick you your weekly supply of Red Bull for 70p a can you'll be devastated to find they've stopped selling it, but then you'll go and get yourself hooked on cartons of strawberry Ribena for 25p a carton and won't care. As I said, the tidiest HB I've ever been in, and a set of staff that talk as opposed to grunt. Cut price branded products and coherent staff. Could it get any better?

This is rather sparkly and shiny affair is The Wharf. It must be pretty difficult to stand out in…read moresuch buzzing little market towns, with gift and knick knack stores all over the place. However, The Wharf manages just fine to fit into a more boutique style gift store, which means it offers something a little different to the other shops. It has a range of really cool handbags, which aren't particularly to my interest, some pretty cool gift cards and really classy looking silver jewellery. As well as that there were a few really nice looking vases, but unfortunately, nothing really quite 'me' enough to open my purse. Still, if it sounds like your kind of thing then perhaps it would be worth the visit!

Mainly spangly, shiny silver jewellery this open plan shop was bustling with activity when I went…read moreand luckily for a small shop had plenty of staff on site to help with customer enquires and serving people at the till so there wasn't a backlog of customers clogging up precious space. There are interesting handbags, and a small selection of boutique cards. Nothing particularly inspired me in here I am more of a fan of chunky 'ethnic' style jewellery and since I passed up the opportunity of bulk buying in India I try not to look too closely at what is available here because I simply have to kick myself.