Everything you need. (Shopping Areas in Ayr)

Member Name: xxsaxonyxx

Product:	Shopping Areas in Ayr
Date:	27/12/05 (385 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loads of shops for the smaller budget.

Disadvantages: Lacking designer shops.

I've lived in the Ayr area all my life and despite shopping in Glasgow or Ivine I've always found that I prefer Ayr.

Shops

Ayr shops are spread over the whole high street with only a bus and taxi route through. Disabled card holders an exeption.
The biggest names include:
Woolworths
Marks and Sparks
BHS
Origional Shoe
Monsoon
DPerkins
Next
Virgin Express
WH Smith
Hourstons
Saxone
Boots
Mothercare
and Argos

There is also a multiple selection of sports,book, pet, phone and card shops.

The main area for clothes shopping is within the indoor shopping center. The Kyle Center offers Topman and Topshop, New Look, River Island, Mark One, Little VIP's, Adams and Superdrug, The Body Shop as well as several jewelery shops and a number of smaller shops.
It has an upstairs dining area that has access for disabled people or parents with buggies.

My veiws on the shopping side of things are good, I have a smaller budget for clothes shopping so these shops are great for me, ther is always great deals on in New Look, Mark One and Topshop however my partner prefers name brands and these are a little bit more sparse. His main option is Origional Shoe.

Eating

Ayr has a really good selection of eating places. Highly recomended are The Four Cats, McArthers and The Tree House, large and tasty portions for a good price. These are also great pubs for a afternoon drink or evening party.
Burger King and Subway are the two fast food options.

Parking

The multistory car park behind The Kyle center is your best bet for parking, its cheap and has a seperate area for disabled. It can cost as little as 80p for two hours. It is the closest you are going to get to the shops and always has spaces.
The problem lies with the lift. It is very small and although it will fit a small buggy, larger prams and double buggies wont fit. If you have one of these be sure to park on the lower floors.

Kids and Toys

There is a good selection of shops to meet your kids needs, Boots, Mothercare, Little VIP's, Adams and The Early Leaning Center are just a few. Woolworths is great for toys and Boots and Mothercare both offer mother and baby rooms to feed, change and see your your little babies needs.

For the Disabled

Having a disabled child myself i feel Ayr can offer some good services. Behind the Kyle Center is a small shop you can hire mobility scooters, great for the elderly or people who may not manage the walking about on the high street. I do however feel that some shops are not so great.
Next is over two floors but only has stairs, this means any parents with buggies or people with wheelchairs are restricted to the lower level which a real pain.
I have a double buggy at the moment and do feel that some shops have narrow doors, not so great for anybody with buggies or mobility scooters.

Transport

Ayr Bus station is a two minute walk off the high street as is the train station, although i feel neither is signposted very well. There is also a taxi rank at the top and bottom of the high street.

So what's it like over all for an average family...?

Great!Apart from not being able to go upstairs in Next (which is mens clothing anyway) or Slaters (which is also man's stuff) I as a mother of two dont need to go anywhere else, there is parking, indoor shopping when the weather is misrable and plenty of shops to suit everything i need. I can use the mother and baby rooms for my youngest and sit for a cup of tea and a cake at the Pancake Place. I can get all my toiletries from Boots and pick up some food shopping at Iceland. There is two pet shops for my dogs and even a water bed shop should i ever feel the need to get one. I can also be outrageous and get a tattoo or piercing without appointment.

The future holds great things for Ayr. It's on the verge of opening its newest feature. A HUGE indoor shopping mall with a massive range of new shops. I think this will fix the few flaws Ayr has. Many big brand shops will be opening and disability access will be as standered.

Hope you enjoy shopping in Ayr if you ever choose to go and remember that the nightlife is as good as the shopping!

Summary: Everything you need in one town.