Every crafters dream! (Hobbycraft)

Member Name: licclevicki

Product:	Hobbycraft
Date:	03/02/09 (149 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots of products, nice shopping experience

Disadvantages: costly

Hobby Craft- your local craft superstore
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Now and again when l have a little bit of spare cash for myself and a little free time, l like to take a wonder around our local Hobbycraft store. You may laugh, but when l moved to the area, l got rather excited that there was a HobbyCraft store just a 10 minute drive away. I must admit that recently l haven't spent as much in this store as l would have like, Call it cut backs. But lts my first port of call for anything craft related. Having said that, you can often find the same, or similar products else where cheaper, but hobby craft does have its benefits...

I think the attraction with Hobby Craft is the big, bright, easy to navigate stores. The pleasant and helpful staff. The endless choice of products, that you didn't even know existed and the convenience of having a local store. There doesn't seem that many stores selling craft related material at the moment, so hobby craft is something of a novelty.


Hobby Craft
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HobbyCraft was launched by Warren Haskins, and is a store with a difference. It is the first of its kind, offering something different to arts and crafts and it is europes biggest chain as an arts and crafts superstore.

Shopping at Hobbycraft is easy, you can choose to shop in store at the many many stores throughout the country or you can choose to shop online.

Shopping in store
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Shopping in store is easy. Once you have found your local store, there is no stopping you. I have always found the staff always happy to help in store and the stores are generally clean and tidy.
Its useful to know that you can also pick up 'how to leaflets' instore which can be helpful and give you ideas to make new things and have a go at new crafts.

In the store all products are clumped together. For instance if your chosen craft is card making, you will find all products related in the same row. So this makes for easier shopping, particularly if you don't want to spend ages walking around looking for the right product. It makes it easier to go directly to the item you want.

The product range really is endless and the stores l have found are quite big, often located on two floors.
There are craft products for children and adults, so its something the children can get involved in too. If you love your crafts then this really is like walking into a huge sweet shop, endless choice and supply of good quality products. Also quite often they have offers available in store which makes it an even better reason to visit.
It really is very difficult to leave the store empty handed!

Having a store like this, allows you to see the products you are buying, this allows you to make sure your buying the right thing, and to see whether the quality of the product is what you were hoping for. This is definitely an added bonus to HobbyCraft, rather than buying else where online, where you do not have the ability to see for yourself what you are buying.

My personal favourite rows of the store are the jewellery making and card making supplies, l really could spend a long time looking at these items, oh and a lot of money!
Other crafts they cater for are, knitting, sewing, painting, drawing, making models/ dolls houses, wedding crafts etc etc etc.
Its also worth noting that you can also buy gift vouchers of £5 or £10, which make great gifts.

Shopping online
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I don't know a huge amount about shopping online at hobby craft l must admit. But the website is quite an attractive website. I must admit l have at times found it a little difficult to navigate, mainly because there is such a lot of information on the website. I find it a little difficult to find what you are looking for. Id probably avoid shopping online at this store, because lt's not as simple to use as other sites. But there are lots of good project ideas online, which is worth having a look at. If you know what your looking for then it is probably easy to navigate, but as l like to browse, it seems a little more difficult. Its probably best to judge for yourself whether you like the web site or not.
www.hobbycraft.co.uk
I cannot comment on how easy it is to buy from the website as lve never made a purchase through their online shop.


My impressions
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Ive used Hobby Craft for sometime now, and l have never been disappointed with the quality of products and l have found that they usually have a specific product that you need. Having said that, Hobbycraft is not cheap, but its handy, especially when you realise you need something urgently and don't want to wait for a delivery from another source.
I always enjoy my shopping experience at Hobby craft. Friendly staff, modern stores, good selection and also you rarely have to queue. Obviously l cannot comment on every store, but this is how l have found my experience of the stores l have visited.
Im not hugely keen on their website, but perhaps this is just about personal preference.
I would recommend you visit, Hobby craft at least once. You can see if there is a local store nearby if you visit the website.
Ive never had to return anything to the store, but l believe they have a good returns policy too.

Summary: a great store for all your craft related materials!