The Nancy Smillie Shop

I’ve been in this wee gem of a shop loads of times, and always enjoy having a gander around it.
Reasons I love it:
I had an awesomely super, wee old Aunt called Nancy.
I went to the same school as Carol Smillie.
It’s a much bigger shop than you actually think — ever inch of it is covered and piled high with all sorts of awesome nik naks. Think Tiger (see other review) but of a more classy and personalised nature — everything you didn’t realise you wanted or needed but absolutely do!
Seriously (if the Mr would let me), I could totally kit out the entire flat with stuff from here.
The staff are just lovely. In that inimitable West Endish kind of way.
What I don’t like:
It’s incredibly cluttered. Making your way through the shop can be treacherous. Especially if there’s other cusotomers there.
Most of their stuff (as awesome as it is) is very pricy for what it is.
Bring on the next sale!

This is a little treasure trove of exotic goodies tucked away in a basement at the end of Cresswell lane. It’s a great place to browse for unusual gifts, and also for larger items of household furniture and speciality décor thingamajigs.
Prices range from the very reasonable to ridiculously expensive, depending on what you’re looking for, but the range of stuff they sell is amazing, from small pieces of own-​brand jewellery right up to sofas and beds!
Try to get there early when it’s quiet, as the place is so jam-​packed full of goodies that just walking round it without bumping into something or knocking something over is an art akin to limbo dancing at times, as you weave your way past fellow shoppers and duck under hanging chandeliers.

I really love this shop. Having just met with a friend I decided to take the long way back and stop in a few shops. This place reminds me of a place in the states called Pier 1 Imports because there’s a little bit of everything for sale in this shop.
It’s a tight squeeze maneuvering throughout the wee isles, especially if you have any sort of tote or bag with you, but it’s worth being careful to take in all the goodies. From fine jewelry, to gifts for just about anyone, to bedding and amazing furniture, this could well be your one stop shop for your home and the people you love.
I didn’t interact too much with the staff, except for a quick hello, they seemed a bit more interested in watching everyone and the moves they made around the merch. I felt like my 5 year old self, making sure to keep my hands and my bag down and out of harms way, hoping not to knock anything over.
This shop is a must see for loads of local things, home décor and jewlery.

This is a interesting shop located on Cresswell but it felt more cluttered than anything else. I could barely walk through the door without having to move out of the way for 3 different people trying to get out of the place. It’s full of all sorts of things from furniture, ceramics, jewelry and loads of other stuff that melts into the background. It’s not my sort of shop because I don’t like feeling like i’m thrifting when the prices don’t correlate. I think they could do with a bit of clearing out to make the place look a bit more put-​to-​gether. I’m not a fan of their jewelry but I could others being so. I did like some of the ceramic mugs but nothing I couldn’t get somewhere else.

Oooo! Aaaah! What a fun little shop. It wasn’t quite what I expected as I entered from Creswell Lane, as the narrow stairway descending into the store is packed with gorgeous (and ££££) wooden furniture. But once I got in there I found a myriad of houseware-​related delights; things great and small to give your home some character and some cheer. I would say the target demographic here skews a little older – maybe age 45 — 55 wealthy/​hip women who like the equal parts humorous and graceful elements of Nancy Smillie décor. This is a great shop for a browse and for picking up something beautiful and interesting for your cool aunt or favorite professor.

Well tickle my goat and throw him head first into a hammock, this place is eh, how shall we say? A bit pricey…
Never a fan of the cute, kitsch ‘hast thou breasts? No? Then keep walkin’ type shop, I was somewhat surprised to find myself in here the other day. The reason? I saw a canvas of a panda holding guns. Now for anyone who ain’t familiar with this image let me just calm those wwf nerves and state that the black eyed bear in question is not, I repeat not, real (banksy methinks). Anyway, spotted it in the window, went in fir a mosey and was surprised to actually quite like all the wee bits and bobs on offer.
Pricey? Yip. Good gear? Aye, looks like it. Displaying paintings of rogue vigilante pandas? Yeah, but not real ones… The burning questions folks, always the burning questions.

Now, I am not the biggest fan of Nancy Smillie, but my mother loves the place and is a sure call before birthdays and Christmas as I know it’ll stock something she loves!
Customer service in here is very good, they have a ton of CSAs on hand to help you out. For example, I was given the heavy hint one year that the perfect gift would be a clock. So, naturally, I ventured into Nancy Smillie for a look around and hopefully to find something that you wouldn’t normally come across in the big chain shops. There was a beautiful, art deco old railyway style clock on display in black which I thought would be perfect, but having that all the appliances in the kitchen it was going to live were red I enquired if once was avaliable in the prefered colour. After the polite lady’s rumaging around in the stock room for a few minutes, she came out clutching the perfect present for my loved one! And only at 25 pounds for it, I left an extremely happ customer.
To make it even better it’s literally about 30secs from my front door, meaning that if a special date is missed I can make up for it pronto!

The wavy wooden sign post and door entrance really give you a clue as to what this shop holds inside. For instance, there is a large choice of good quality wooden furniture and wooden ornaments that have a nice natural — though polished — finish.
The products are unlike what you’ll find elsewhere. There really is everything from a bunch of hand-​found blackbird feathers; original Glasgow art work; handmade jewellery and innovative lighting options. This last range of products seems to be well-​established through soft lampshades in warm colours and a variety of differently decorated fairy lights.
Whoever you are buying for, for whatever reason, you’re bound to find something a little bit different here. If you’re not accustom to checking the price tags, it’s worth doing here. As lovely as the gifts are, sometimes pricing can be erratic. But defo worth a look.

I love love love this shop — a little treasure trove of unique gifts and that little bit different from most other nearby gift shops. It is filled with things you would not find elsewhere.
I make a point of popping in every Christmas and never leave empty-​handed. It is perfect for finding that elusive gift for your aunt, cousin or friend with a wonderful mixture of products. I particularly like it for quirky little household accessories. One year I got my aunt a few wooden, log-​like coasters to match her room and tied them up with brown string — she absolutely loved them. So simple yet so perfect.
The prices vary greatly so be sure to check before you dive to the till. Lovely shop even just to wander round and give you hope at the end of a long and unsuccessful day of present shopping.

This basement level shop is an Aladdin’s cave of goodies from gorgeous wood furniture, art prints and pictures, jewelry, fancy umbrellas’, unusual lamps, to cute crockery.
Essentially, it’s an excellent place to go when you’re looking for a nice gift.
The jewelry section is particularly extensive with lots of silver earrings, bracelets and necklaces ranging from £10 to £100.

What can I say about this shop? It has been around for a long time, and has maintained a generally very high standard. Whenever you need to find some inspiration for a present for someone (or a wee pick me up for yourself), where could be more inspiring and packed to the rafters than Nancy Smillie’s? Whether you are looking for a piece of chunky furniture, unique jewellery or a little bit of something pretty but absolutely useless, then this Aladdin’s Cave will come up with loads of possibilities. Sometimes some of the folk serving can be a little bit distant, but overall this is a wonderful shop full of treasures.