EleMG's Qype profile

Not so much a shop as a wall of display cases along the passage in the Covered Market. They sell Jewellery of all types, modern and classical. The prices are reasonable for 'something special’ gifts making it a good place for brithday presents etc. They also sell a range of pashminas and other accessories if you want to coordinate everything.
Definitely worth a browse.

Small weekly market in the center of town. Good for food shopping if you have the time. The butcher sells very good bacon, the fruit and veg is generally good (although if things have been reduced I’d advise eating them quickly as they’re likely to go off), baked good, cheese and eggs also available. There are usually deli stalls selling olives, nuts, pastrys etc which are great for a treat. Other stalls include books, games, clothes and plants.

Amazing little cafe on the High Street. Recently done up, so clean fresh feeling. Great for a drink (teas, coffes, juices etc) and some cake (freshly baked - recommends the chocolate cake!) or for a meal, good salads, sandwiches and pizzas. All food is freshly prepared and is worth the short wait. The staff are very friendly and will soon learn your coffee order if you become a regular.

Reasonable charity shop. Small but well stocked. Clothing range is not always amazing but you can find some bargins and special things on the racks. No changing room but if you ask the staff nicely then they might let you use the toilet out the back. Good book shelves, mainly standard range of choice though.

One of the better charity shops in Alton (and there are lots). Not massive but tends to stock more interesting goods. Sells many fair trade goods too, including cards, chocolate, tea and gifts. Big book selection, alphabetically ordered for easy browsing. Worth asking for things if you can’t see what you want. Best of all watch out for your next ball gown there!

Fairly posh for a charity shop but they have plenty of space for goods. All of the clothing will have been checked to make sure there’s nothing particularly wrong with it, so you can get some really good buys. Also has a large book section and reasonable selection of bric-a-brac, but don’t expect top of the range as this will often have been sent off to other CRUK shops such as Farnham.

Fairly exclusive little shopping area. Most of the shops are high quality or specialist including Monsoon, Orvis, Ottakars, a couple of jewlers, an art shop and various gift shops. There are also a couple of cafes with outdoors seating that always seem to be full. The best part has to be the wooden lion and lamb statue that has been climbed on by generations of children!

Very good small library with decent range of books. Well laid out and helpful staff if you are stuck finding something. Good fiction and non fiction sections and a reasonable audio and video section. Internet connected computers available for registered users. Beware the weekly children’s events if you’re looking for quiet as they tend to make quite a lot of noise.
Nice garden area at the back for a walk or a sit.

Reasonable small shopping centre. The main attractions are probably the Sainsbury’s supermarket (small but well stocked, often busy), the large Primark store (a favourite of students for costumes and spare socks when you don’t want to wash) and the large Next clearance store (generally some good bargins to be found). It is mostly home to small cheap shops (shoes, sports kit, books) but also has a Clintons and a Thorntons.

Oxford is so full of Librarys that it must be a severe fire hazard! Most are University based though whereas this is for the general public. They have a good range of books especially fiction, and also have a good music library. The registration system is very quick and easy, you can even take out books on your first visit without waiting for your card to arrive. Useful even for students if you find that your book is reference only in the Bod.