Evolution Stores – Bristol

I’ve always loved this shop.
Nestled in the mid part of the galleries next to the book store it’s a safe haven and magical wonder.
I’ve seen the prices creep up over the years but it’s still reasonably priced competitive to other such shops like it.
They sell things like candles, oil burners, plaques, crystals, home décor, gifts and more.
It’s an ideal shop if you want a gift, or a bit of something different as a treat for yourself.
A friend of mine was having a really stressful time in his life a while ago and i bought him some worry dolls from here… he loved them!
I’ll always love evolution, the candles and incense are the best in Bristol that i’ve tried to date and def won’t break the bank.
It’s worth a look if not only to appreciate the sheer beauty of the items on sale.
I could easily spend a small fortune if i had my way :)

A really fun shop to browse in, and a good one to target if you’re looking for a gift, Evolution is a shop that does well and will surely continue to do so. Well set out, it holds a vast quantity of stuff, including a brilliant wall of ethnic and boho jewellery, shelves of brightly coloured teapots and cups, wall hangings, cushion covers, trinkets, ornaments, notebooks. It’s very similar to Shared Earth which is just across the way in the Mall, but there’s something younger and more fun about Evolution.
It’s a very colourful shop, the sort of place that drives arty students wild with urges to splurge their entire student loan on the first day.

Evolution is a gift shop in The Galleries in Broadmead. I think this is my favourite shop to buy presents from thus far! They used to be quite a Balinese style gift shop buy quickly has moved towards a more Brittania, cutesy and kitsch feel lately. I would happily decorate my apartment with the stuff here. There are great welcome mats here that I’ve been eyeing up recently that look really well made and are affordable too, at £12.
They have a few pieces of kids wooden furniture, some chairs sold here are so very cute, with carvings of animals on the chair backs– however I have no children to buy them for as yet!
A few presents I have bought here are their rustic metal gifts; like wall clocks made to look antiquey and wall hangings with old style postcards printed on them. I bought my best friend one that said ‘live well, love much, laugh often’, which she loved. When on sale, I bought a huge amount of candles here which lasted me ages, and smelt great (they were mighty cheap).
I could go on talking about the many various things they sell, but the best is if you keep this place in mind to check out for when you next need a gift!

I love this store, I am madly in love with about 3 of the windchimes on display here, I already have 2 from here — there are only so many chimes a person needs, but they are so pretty. I know nobody needs a geisha snowglobe in their life but again, its hard to resist when you are surrounded by cute trinkets!
It isn’t just cute and silly, it sells some nice accessories. I got a bag from here which got loads of compliments. This is a great place to buy some pretty pretty gifts or just treat yourself to something fun.

Evolution is a great place to go if you’re looking for some kind of present for a friend or family member. If you’re in the Galleries and on this particular mission, then I suggest that you avoid Athena and head straight here. There are lots of retro and kitsch style items, as well as a large range of candles and mini Buddha statues, among other ethnically-​orientated gifts. It’s all fun and quirky stuff, but none of it’s particularly useful, to be honest. Nonetheless, the shop is run by a charity, so you can feel a little more ethical about the whole mindless consumerism thing.

Good for Christmas stockings and birthday presents, Evolution has things like candles and tea pots, the sort of thing you don’t really need, but you’re sure your friend would like. Owned by a charity they’re very big on fair trade and giving a decent price to their suppliers, and tick lots of other boxes to do with the environment. Also, they apply ‘Buddhist principles’ to running their business, not quite sure what the means.
The shops bright and stuffed full of products, making it easy to get sidetracked. This is a good thing though, believe me, when you’re completely stumped for gift ideas two days before Christmas (the shop was heaving with people who looked like they were in exactly the same position as me then). The Buddhist theme is continued with the stock, but there’s wide variety of stuff. My favourite thing (which I could nonetheless not justify buying) was a rubber duck covered in red hearts. With a bit character and conscience than the the rest of Broadmead, Evolution is happily useless and good for getting present.

My favourite knickknack-​y gift shop in Bristol.
Taken from an extract from their website, allow me to share with you a good reason to buy from them: «Evolution is owned by The Windhorse Trust (Reg: charity no: 1 098 979) which distributes all our profits to projects that we support.
We aim to bring genuine benefits to people through ethical trade and through direct aid.» Read their website for more details on their ethics, social projects and countries they help and trade with.
I’ve purchased everything from piggy banks, 50’s style adverts atop chalkboards, xylophones, necklaces, mirrors, candles, cushions, bags, wind chimes and much more from here.
A fun, slightly kitsch shop to browse and more importantly, a shop with a social conscience.