Hallmark

The only reason this has 4 stars is that I think they could do with a slightly bigger selection of greetings cards. Aside from that this shop definately gets my vote. It is spacious and bright with lots of room for prams! The smell from the Yankee Candle «corner» is wonderful and they do regular offers on these. There is also a Thorntons chocolates «corner», and a lovely selection of gifts, including cuddly Elmos which my son loves but I find hard to get! The cards are of good quality and the selection is average but I still always manage to find what I need. There is also a small section for party goods.
The best bit about this shop is, however, the staff. The shop is never overly packed but even at «busy“times they are so friendly and helpful. They remember you every time you come in which really counts for something in my book. They say happy birthday to my kids because they have remembered that I bought cards a few days before! Such a lovely shop, so much so that I would love to work there. The staff definately know what customer service is and this makes anything a pleasant experience:)

As far as I remember Hallmark used to have many more stores than they do today. I faintly remember one in Coleraine back when I was but a lad which had since been bought over by Clinton or one of the other large competitors.
Hallmark really is the bedrock and staple of the card world. The range is extensive from the standard birthday greetings to specialist items such as passing your driving test or exams. There’s also a wide range of the increasingly popular musical cards — my personal favourite being a Daniel O’Donnell greetings card which sings happy birthday in that slightly intimidating distance, Norman Bate’s type tone.
Truly terrifying. Certainly a solid place for your card needs however with the advent of sites such as Moonpig offering personalisation and direct delivery it’s going to be increasingly difficult for these places to stay afloat.